Disclaimer: I am not making any money of this fic, nor do I own Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation or the original series, or anything else I make references to. If you saw the character on any show, then it is not mine. The same goes for ships, planets, cultures, et cetera. Chapter 3 title is from "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down. Thanks also to Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language, without whom, the Klingon in this piece would jut be gibberish. This story contains f/f content, so if that offends you, then naDev vo' yIghoS (go away)! Song in chapter is "Lay Your Hands on Me" by Bon Jovi.

Genre: Action-Adventure, Drama
Rating: M
Codes: K/7, T/7
Feedback: Please, reviews are the food of the muse…

Home, Chapter 3
You stumbled in and bumped your head...

Present day, February 2380...

Kathryn watched B'Elanna sleeping in Sickbay. She had been there for over a week, not giving any of them a sign that she was all right. The worried captain glanced up at Seven, her second, ever watchful visitor, who was often there when Janeway came to look in on the overworked half-Klingon. The doctor diagnosed her with a recurrence of her clinical depression and really wanted her in her quarters, but she refused to eat or even move in her few brief moments of consciousness.

Which is why it came as a surprise when B'Elanna sat straight up in bed and looked around frantically. Her eyes were glazed and not really focusing on anything.

"Tom? Tom?" She called, causing a heartbreaking wrench in Janeway. She looked up at Seven, whose eyes darkened. Without warning, Seven left sickbay, seemingly in a huff. Kathryn watched her, confused, but was drawn back by B'Elanna's pitiful cries. She walked over to the half-human woman and put her hand on her shoulder, unsure what to say. B'Elanna flung herself into her arms, catching Janeway by surprise, but she returned the embrace gently.

"It's alright, Lieutenant. You're safe. Tom's not here, I'm sorry." B'Elanna started trembling, then her shoulders shook with sobs and Kathryn had to use all of her self-control not to join her.

"Seven?" B'Elanna said quietly and Janeway froze. "Seven, help me. It's dark here and I'm cold. Seven, I'm scared." Suddenly, the Doctor came running into sickbay and Kathryn thought she heard him curse.

"Doctor?" she asked, unable and unwilling to pry B'Elanna from her death grip on Janeway's shoulders.

"I was, wrong Captain. But it didn't show itself until just as she awakened," he was mumbling something about microviruses and hitting keys in a rapid succession on the monitor next to B'Elanna.

"Doctor. What are you talking about?" He looked up, uncharacteristically frazzled and started spewing medical jargon that Janeway couldn't begin to keep up with. She caught a word here and there, something about Klingon physiology and redundant systems, filter leaks and comparative biology. "Slow down, Doctor. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

"I'm trying to say that she's sick. Apparently, there is a microvirus attacking the neurons in her cerebral cortex, causing her redundant systems to go haywire. There is also evidence that she's been slipping in and out of a coma due to vascular constriction in her hypothalamus causing her pituitary gland to produce a hormone that's interacting with the virus and mutating into a chemical that is blocking the impulses from her brain to her hearts." He finished it up by throwing his hands into the air in a gesture of 'why didn't I see this before.' Yet still, Kathryn had to ask.

"Why didn't you detect any of this before?"

"Because it was masking itself as simple sleep and depression and I didn't run a full microcellular scan because of her history."

"Can you...?" She trailed off, unsure what she was asking and 'make her better' just didn't sound quite right.

"I'm going to start immediately on an anti-virus."

"Will this thing spread?"

"I don't think so. It only seems to be attacking the Klingon side of her physiology. Also, I would think that there would already be reports of other ill crewmembers. But, just to be on the safe side, I'm going to want to run a microcellular scan of you and Seven, since you have visited her the most. And I'm going to erect a containment field around the surgical bay."

Kathryn nodded and peeled B'Elanna away from her reluctantly. B'Elanna looked blindly around and began calling for Seven of Nine, replacing her previous calls for Tom. Kathryn tapped her commbadge and called Seven back to Sickbay, wondering why B'Elanna kept calling her name, considering how adversarial they were with each other. Seven walked through the door, looking less than composed for only a moment.

The doctor explained the situation to her and she agreed to allow him to scan her. Meanwhile, B'Elanna passed out. Seven looked at her, trying to ignore the feelings raging inside her: the anger, jealousy, appreciation of beauty, and desire all mixing painfully into a lump that she pushed down, trying to ignore.

The doctor pronounced her clean and she started to leave Sickbay when she heard B'Elanna whisper her name. "Seven, I need you..."
…

January, 2373...

The leather sighed as B'Elanna released the buckle on the straps. Jessica held the garment on with one hand as B'Elanna pulled the second strap, causing the outfit to fall off. Jessica stood there, nude except for her black panties. Everyone turned except B'Elanna and Chakotay, who were used to Jessica running around naked. Chakotay just didn't look at her. Jessica put on a filmy white dress that zipped seamlessly in front and billowed, soft as spider silk. Tom grinned at her and she smiled back.

"Are you sure this will work?" Kathryn asked, hoping for an alternative.

"Yeah, but you can't jump the gun. Wait for my signal."

"What if they kill you before you can lure them to us?" Chakotay asked.

"Then I'm dead, they'll investigate the body, and you shoot at will and head back for your ship. But it's unlikely. Kanir keeps his men pretty unsatisfied when it comes to women. Sure, they get a poke or two when they run up on another ship, but he keeps the best girls for himself. And they usually don't survive to be passed around."

"This Kanir sounds like a real bastard," Tom said, voicing all their thoughts.

"Yeah." Jessica looked down and B'Elanna put her hand on her shoulder. Jessica suddenly snapped to attention and looked up at Tuvok. "You probably want to be as far away from the main show as possible."

"I will be unaffected."

"No, you won't. Ever been around a Deltan?" Tuvok raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Yeah well, ever touch her? I know that the answer's no, so I might as well say it. If you don't skedaddle, seven years is gonna seem pretty quick, if you get my drift." Tuvok turned and walked to the end of the hall without another word.

"I believe that would be the Vulcan version of skedaddling," Tom said with a smile. "What did you mean by that?" Jessica shook her head.

"Vulcan secret."

"Then how come you know it?" Jessica's grin grew larger. "Besides being a telepath."

"One of my zhanals is Vulcan. She joined my mind to save my life and it nearly cost her, her own. We were never able to undo it. She was just trying to meld and my mind reached out and snatched hers in a bond. Freed her from that prig she was supposed to marry."

"Prig?" Tom asked.

"I've got weird slang, don't mind me. I mean a jerk, sorta. I dunno, just always used that word." She grinned then shooed them into their hiding places. "Hey, Aurora," she whispered. "Don't suppose you got anything I could use, music-wise?" Kathryn heard her talk to the ship and was reminded of the conversations she had with Voyager.

The music changed and a song began softly. Kathryn heard Jessica mutter thanks and move out to stand by herself, facing the assassins. From her vantage point, she could see the aliens and they indeed froze when they saw her. The music began in full force and Janeway had to stifle a laugh when she heard the first line. "Lay your hands on me..."

Jessica mouthed the words and the aliens took a step forward, hesitating. Janeway wished she could see more clearly and hoped that they would fall for this.

"What's wrong? Losing your touch?" Chakotay whispered and even Janeway heard.

"Not likely," Jessica said, sliding her hand down the front of her dress, parting it. Her chest bare, the aliens stopped hesitating. They charged her. The one in back stuck a knife into the one in front of him, stopping all three. There was a fight and only one walked away. Jessica faltered at the deaths, but kept up her dance. It reminded Kathryn of an Orion slave girl, only more sexual, if that was possible. She controlled every inch of her body, running her hands over it and making an offering of herself.

Janeway heard movement and saw Chakotay grabbing Tom and pulling him back to their hiding place. Tom's eyes were glazed and Janeway noticed the smell in the air for the first time. Like berries. She wondered if it smelled different to Tom. Chakotay shook him, whispering that it wasn't worth it and Tom seemed to snap out of it. Kathryn looked back, ignoring it. She had seen similar reactions to Deltans, though not quite as severe.

Jessica unsheathed claws that Janeway had never noticed and ran one clawed hand up her thigh. Four thin trails of blood began and the Dkorian stopped, looking aroused, if his breathing was any indication. He wasn't close enough, about three meters from Jessica, out of most of the Voyager crew's line of fire.

"You are Shashan." Jessica opened her mouth, emitting a hissing laugh and Janeway saw the long, curving canines. Why hadn't she noticed before that the girl had fangs? Were they retractable or something?

"Yes," She said, throatily, never stopping her dance.

"You are dishonored." He continued, reaching for her hair. Janeway finally understood the reactions of Harry and B'Elanna earlier. Jessica blinked, but didn't miss a beat.

"Yes," she purred. He stepped forward and Kathryn could see that his eyes were glazed. He walked up to her and she put an arm around his shoulder, drawing him near. Kathryn waited for the sign, but Jessica just whispered quietly until suddenly, the Dkorian's body went stiff and he crumpled to the ground. Jessica's hand dropped to her side from the neck pinch and she spat at him. "Pig."

Kathryn was sure that she wasn't mistaken this time, though, when she saw that Jessica's eyes had changed color. They were glowing violet. She closed the front of her dress and Tuvok reappeared. Chakotay suddenly stepped forward and shoved the girl against the wall. Jessica hissed at him, and then wrapped her form against his.

"You're experiencing Sajala?" he demanded. Jessica glared at him, but her eyes only glowed more brightly. "And you didn't say anything? You're endangering us all!"

"Chakotay, leave her alone," B'Elanna growled. Jessica smiled, then flipped Chakotay against the wall, pinning his arms as if he weighed nothing. She leaned her body into his and he glared at her.

"I have it under control," she panted. "There are drugs in the infirmary that will stem it. I'm two weeks early, probably because of the circumstances surrounding the labor. That probably induced it." She lifted him off his feet and then banged him against the wall, threateningly. "Don't ever fucking touch me again. Unless you mean it." She dropped him, spun away and stalked, with incredible speed, down the corridor, the dress billowing around her. She grabbed her outfit and began changing back into it.

"What the hell is Sajala?" Kathryn demanded, wondering how they were endangered by it.

"I'm... in heat, so to speak." B'Elanna moved up behind Jessica to help her tighten the straps, even though she had already closed the first one, by some miracle of joint movement. Janeway thought she saw an injury under the cape before it was fastened, but she wasn't sure.

"Shashan females experience it usually once every month to three months," Chakotay continued explaining. "It causes irrational behavior—"

"Only in the young," Jessica interrupted. "And those weak enough not to be able to control it."

"Some will go so far in their desperation that they have to be locked up during that time and injected with drugs to lessen the desire or they'll use those pheromones of theirs to rape."

"Which I have never done and do not condone. You know that that is one of the highest crimes among my people." Jessica glared at him, her eyes having lost their glow, if not the color. Chakotay nodded.

"But you admit that sometimes you have to lock yourself in your quarters when there is no supply of the drug available."

"Cuperizone is what Beverly Crusher named it for Federation records. And I've grown up a little. Besides, I know what needs to be done and I have at least six hours before this becomes intolerable. Before I have to 'lock myself up.' This is only the beginning stage." Kathryn noticed Tuvok's discomfort and indicated that they should move on. Jessica nodded her agreement and they began their journey to the next deck.
…

Present, 2380...

B'Elanna finally awoke from her fever after the doctor gave her the last injection in a week-long series of shots. The first thing that B'Elanna saw was Seven of Nine. The second thing was the doctor's face. She frowned at him and then sat up, asking why she was there. He made it half way through his explanation before she stopped him, complaining of a headache. He gave her his 'I'll bet' look and walked away.

"Hi," B'Elanna greeted Seven.

"Hello, Lieutenant. It is good to see that you are feeling better."

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?"

"I was monitoring your progress." B'Elanna was touched and smiled. She hopped off the bed and began sneaking out of Sickbay. She made it to the door before the doctor noticed. Seven walked with her, quietly

"Oh, no you don't. You're not getting out of here that easily." B'Elanna sighed and turned to the doctor. He gave her instructions, telling her to come back in an hour, rest for a day before going back to work and not argue with him. She agreed half-heartedly, and then scurried out of Sickbay as soon as she could. She headed to her quarters and invited Seven in.

B'Elanna got dressed, while discussing with Seven, the events and issues that she had missed while unconscious. The first thing that she had to deal with was the fact that she had been out for three weeks. Seven had managed, in that time, to repair the drive coil, much to B'Elanna's delight and astonishment.

She reappeared in the front room in her uniform and told Seven that she was expected to tell her exactly how she had fixed the coil—at dinner. Seven was a bit startled at being invited to dinner. No one but Neelix and Harry Kim had ever asked her to dinner and Seven had gotten used to eating alone, though it secretly troubled her.

"I would like that." Seven answered and B'Elanna smiled. "Where are you going? The Doctor said—" B'Elanna waved her question off.

"I'll be fine. But right now, Voyager is still stuck on this planet and I have no intention of wasting a minute getting us back into space. I've already cost us three weeks."

"You were ill."

"Now I'm better. Are you coming?" Seven nodded and followed B'Elanna, though she considered it against her better judgment. She was wrong. B'Elanna performed above and beyond the call of duty and within an hour, Voyager was flight and fight worthy once again.

"I am impressed," Seven admitted at the end of the day. B'Elanna smiled and thanked Seven. The Doctor went into a huff, but Janeway congratulated her as well. B'Elanna walked into the Mess Hall with Seven, feeling great. An hour of dinner and conversation later, she felt even better, to the point of asking Seven if she wanted to make dinner a regular thing. They seemed to have a lot to talk about and both benefited from each other's company. Seven happily agreed and both retired to bed and alcove respectively that night, feeling very alive.

To be continued…