Disclaimer: Only the story is mine. Everything else belongs to Paramount. As much as I'd like to say Seven and B'Elanna are mine, 'twould be a falsehood. (sigh) This story contains femslash (yup, women love women here, get used to it) so if that offends you, then read something else. Although if you've read Ghosts, the story before this one, then you're probably not offended by it if you're still reading. And if you haven't read Ghosts—go read it!

Author Notes: Sequel to Ghosts.

Code: T7
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/Drama
Original post date: Feb, 2001
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Family, Chapter 6


B'Elanna must have dozed off, for when she awoke, she was naked and sitting in a steaming bath, being held up by Seven of Nine. Who was also naked, making B'Elanna certain that she had missed something. B'Elanna gazed at Seven's wonderful form, mostly submerged next to her. Seven smiled when she saw B'Elanna come around.

"I had been hoping you would be awake for this." B'Elanna looked sleepily up at Seven, who moved the hand that was supporting her floating body, onto the back of B'Elanna's neck. She gently tipped her back into the perfectly hot water and B'Elanna closed her eyes in joy as Seven's fingers gently worked the tangles loose from her hair. Her body floated in the warm bath, the gentle waves made from Seven's movements rocking her and removing the tension from her body.

She felt the shampoo begin lathering in her hair and bobbed to Sevens' light scrubbing. She opened her eyes and grinned at the sight before her. Seven's upper body was now revealed, giving B'Elanna a glimpse of the strawberry tipped breasts, just inches from her face. She briefly entertained reaching out and taking one into her mouth, but decided that being allowed to view them for the first time was enough for right now.

She also noticed the implants that she had felt under Seven's biosuit so many times. They were the same silver-grey color as the few that showed on Seven's face and hand daily. She glared at the faint scars from the implants that had been removed and allowed herself to roll enough to reach out and touch them with her hand. Seven froze in the water and watched her. B'Elanna looked into Seven's eyes as she traced the small scars along her ribs to the surprisingly warm implants. She followed the remnants of Seven's time as a Borg until they disappeared under the water.

Both women watched B'Elanna's hand disappear under the water. B'Elanna slid her hand off the implants to the Seven's skin. She looked up at Seven's face when she heard the other woman's sharp intake of breath. She watched Seven's closed eyes as she slid her hand down the side of Seven's leg, rolling in the water to bring her hand around to feel Seven's firm butt. Seven opened her eyes and smiled at B'Elanna, releasing a shaky laugh.

"This is not getting you clean, B'Elanna," Seven reprimanded, lightly. B'Elanna noticed that her hands were frozen, trembling, above the water. She rolled to her knees, taking Seven's hands in her own and looking intensely into the taller woman's eyes. Seven leaned in and let her lips graze B'Elanna's. They held onto each other in the water, mouths gently working against each other. Seven broke the kiss and moved B'Elanna in the water to her previous position.

B'Elanna let her finish washing the shampoo out of her hair. Seven put conditioner into the soft mane, enjoying the feel of B'Elanna's hair as it slipped though her fingers. She pulled out the body wash and began rubbing it over B'Elanna's slick shoulders, massaging away the knots and savoring the sweet smell of the soft skin. She glided her hands down one slender arm, working the liquid into foam, trying desperately to refrain from licking the water from B'Elanna's lovely neck.

She moved her hands over B'Elanna's naked body, avoiding those places she had never touched unclothed until she ran out of skin and allowed her hands to pass over B'Elanna's backside, delighting in the muscle twitches it caused in B'Elanna's thigh. She ran her hands up B'Elanna's rib cage until she was just under the warm, toffee-colored breasts. B'Elanna looked at her mischievously and leaned back, forcing Seven to follow her retreating figure. Seven grinned and chased B'Elanna, who flitted away in the pool-sized bath.

An idea suddenly struck B'Elanna as she looked around at the dimly lit cavern around her. "Computer. Increase pool depth to nine feet in the middle and enlarge by seventy-five percent. A moment later, the computer complied and the temperature started to drop. "Maintain temperature." The water warmed up immediately and B'Elanna swam easily away from Seven, who did not have any experience swimming and swam only on an instinctual level.

As she paddled around, she observed the way B'Elanna moved in the water and called up the details of swimming from her memories from the collective. Within moments, she was chasing B'Elanna in the water, trying to keep up with the athletic half-Klingon. B'Elanna disappeared under the water and Seven was hard-pressed to track her. She realized that B'Elanna was swimming in a pattern that would take her below Seven's legs and she dived down to meet her halfway. She observed the surprise on B'Elanna's face as she approached and followed her back to the surface.

"How did you follow me?" B'Elanna asked after they emerged.

"By the disturbance of the water," Seven answered, and then splashed B'Elanna. The half-Klingon shrieked, caught off guard, and then sent a spray at Seven. Laughing, they flung water at each other until B'Elanna relented, diving under the surface. Seven caught her and rolled them in the water. The contact of their naked bodies slipping against each other drove them back to the shallow end of the pool, where they stood, staring at one another.

Their breath came in pants, passion replacing the playful feelings in a wash of adrenaline. Seven scooped the long hair plastered to her chest away to her back. B'Elanna leaned back and let her head dip under water, coming back up with her own dark hair behind her head, not touching her face and shook it clean. They walked up the rock ramp that led into the bath and stood, looking at each other hungrily. Seven watched B'Elanna's skin glisten as the water rolled down it and beaded into tempting droplets. They were completely exposed, naked and dripping with the water from the pool.

"I did not mean to hurt you with the things I could not say," Seven said, looking down. B'Elanna sloshed through the water to take Seven in her arms. Seven looked at the acceptance in B'Elanna's eyes and felt as if she had fallen, though she had not moved. B'Elanna gave her a half-smile, then reached around and stroked Seven's back with tickling fingers. Seven leaned down and captured the tempting lips before her, sliding her tongue past them to taste B'Elanna's sweet mouth.

The press of their slick bodies sent shivers down both women's spines. When Seven touched one of B'Elanna's water-slicked breasts, it was a sensation that she could call up no words to describe. A decision passed through her mind and she stepped back. B'Elanna whimpered as Seven pulled away, desperate not to lose contact. But Seven looked at her logically and stated:

"We cannot continue this here." B'Elanna realized for the first time that she could see a fine tremor in Seven's lip as she tried to restrain herself. The revelation caught her off guard and Seven could see the emotions playing across her face.

"How far is this going to go, Seven?" B'Elanna needed to know. She needed to know whether she should expect to be built up until she was going to explode only to be left unsatisfied, or if Seven meant what she seemed to mean.

"As far as you want it to go… my love." Seven felt her heart slam into her throat as she spoke these words, wanting to take them back for fear that B'Elanna had not completely forgiven her for what had previously transpired. But the look in B'Elanna's eyes told Seven that she wasn't going to be hurt tonight. There was a promise that nothing would ever hurt again, if only they could just stay in each other's arms. A promise that Seven wanted to test...

To be continued...