Author's note: Final Chapter! This one is a bit of a mega chapter, but please enjoy.
Just For Practice:
Chapter 7
Initially blindsided for a good tenth of a second, Seven recoiled in horror. Her mouth fell partly open as she stared at Kathryn in disbelief. She did not anticipate nor consider the possibility that the Captain would be daring enough to ask such a thing. Especially not after Seven had accidentally injured Lieutenant Chapman during her first disaster of a date. It was still a great mystery to Seven that Captain Janeway had even offered to go on a practice date with her in the first place, and that mystery only grew more bewildering with Janeway's anomalous invitation to dance.
"I do not believe that would be wise," Seven cautioned, "at the risk of questioning the integrity of your memory, the last time I tried dancing with someone I sent him to Sick Bay with a severe shoulder injury."
Her gravely spoken words meant to serve as both a reminder and a warning, but they clearly had the opposite effect on Kathryn when a deep laugh erupted from the redhead.
"Trust me Seven, I haven't forgotten," Kathryn assured her blonde companion, the crookedness of her grin growing more pronounced, "there isn't always dancing on dates, but I can teach you how to dance without sending your partner to the infirmary should you ever be asked to hit the dance floor again."
Before she could talk herself out of it and knocking back the last of her wine for good measure, Kathryn rose from her chair. She ignored the sudden onset of weakness in her legs and walked around the table. Wearing the softest of expressions, she slowly extended an arm, the fabric of her sleeve riding up as she held out her hand in a semi romantic gesture. Seven of Nine stared at the narrow hand in front of her, fascinated and terrified. Fascinated at the thought of sharing a dance with the woman she admired and looked up to; terrified of messing up their dance and inflicting serious harm to the smaller built captain.
Practice date or not, they were sailing along through it without incident and, thanks to Janeway's efforts, it had a profoundly positive impact on the former Borg drone. If the amiable dinner between them was any indication, the chances that a dance with the Captain going horribly wrong was fairly minimal, and Seven had every confidence that this elegantly beautiful woman standing expectantly before her wouldn't let her fail. Unlike the hapless Lieutenant, Seven deeply trusted this woman with her life and, if she were to believe in such things, her soul.
Seven's logic seemed adequately sound and her fascination won out in the end, outweighing her terror just enough to entice her to proceed. Peering into deep blue eyes, Seven recognized something else she had only seen a few times before but with less intensity - they were burning. Those eyes ignited something inside her this time, something she couldn't be bothered to identify at the moment. Carefully, she took Kathryn's hand and stood, the touching of their skin like electricity.
Kathryn led the taller woman to the small, unoccupied dance floor and turned to face her, reluctantly letting go of her hand. Neither of them made a move nor a sound, unsure of how to advance from this unprecedented situation. If she was being honest, Kathryn was making all of this up as she went along; there was no method to her madness, no premeditation. Well, perhaps a little premeditation. An uneasy smile on her face, Kathryn's eyes quickly darted over to the piano player when a wonderful idea came to mind just in the nick of time. She held up an index finger.
"Wait here for a second," she murmured.
Leaving behind a marginally confused Seven, Kathryn sauntered over to the baby grand piano and tactfully caught the pianist's attention. Leaning in, she whispered something in his ear and he stopped playing, nodding receptively and smiling. Kathryn straightened and set her sights on the woman standing alone on the dance floor, looking breathtakingly statuesque in the incandescent lights overhead.
Clamping down on the rush of nerves, she slowly and deliberately made her way back to the tall blonde, her hips slightly swaying. Every step she took gave her the eerie impression that she was walking towards the edge of a cliff, preparing to cast herself over into a void. A sweet, irresistible void called Seven of Nine.
Eventually coming to a stop just a short distance away, Kathryn looked up at her beautiful date - yes, her date, she admitted with difficulty - and exhaled a subtle but shaky breath. The pianist watched the two women with his hands poised over the keys, patiently waiting for a cue to start playing.
"Just let me do the leading please," Kathryn said dryly, a small, coy smile on her face, "and try to refrain from improvising."
Emphatically unopposed to the directive, Seven nodded curtly. No one, not even the Borg Queen herself could convince Seven to try improvising this time around.
The Captain lifted her left hand and positioned it off to the side, her palm open and tilted upward. Anticipating the electric sensations again, Seven placed her human hand over Kathryn's, gripping it lightly. Her breathing hitched as she felt a gentle squeeze in return.
That was just the easy part. Kathryn knew it was only going to get harder from there. She moved to lay her other hand on the woman's midsection, all the while giving it a searing glance. Seven's slender waist looked as though it was begging to be touched. Head in a fog, she somehow stopped herself just before she made contact, remembering the need for certain manners.
"May I?" she probed, self-conscious of how husky her voice sounded.
Seven's eyes followed Kathryn's to the hand hovering over her waist. Appreciative but a bit puzzled at the Captain's thoughtfulness, Seven nodded again.
"Yes."
Now that she had Seven's blessing, her hand eagerly met with Seven's waist. She resisted the tantalizing urge to caress it with her fingers and explore further. Instinct now at the helm of her actions, she gently drew Seven closer to her, comfortably easing into the blonde's alluring orbit like a starship, feeling the threat of Seven's gravity pulling her in further. She inhaled sharply when their breasts lightly brushed each other and the two women locked eyes.
Finally seeing his ideal opportunity, the piano player began to play the intro. Hearing the music, Kathryn started to move, swaying at first while pulling Seven along with her. The song, a slow but buoyant jazz-like melody began to crescendo and Kathryn expertly led her date along in a graceful variation of a waltz.
Similar to her dance with Chapman, Seven easily followed the Captain's movements. She was guided a few steps from one side to the other, a rather simple maneuver. Then Kathryn deviated with fluid execution, leading the younger woman to step backwards, to the side, forward and to the side again, successfully completing the box step and repeating the order of motions.
The steps required little concentration, affording them the opportunity to drink in each other's presence. Within seconds of their dance, Seven's body seemed to naturally melt into the Captain's, completely giving herself over to the older woman's whims. It was pure intimate bliss being so close to Kathryn, inhaling her scent and looking into dark blue eyes that were still ablaze. This dance felt entirely different, sensual and arousing; whereas with Chapman it felt platonic and a trifle forced. Is this romance? the analytical part of Seven wondered, is this what it's supposed to feel like? As if in response to her thoughts, Seven's heart rate and respiration steadily increased.
It was with the best intentions that Kathryn asked Seven to dance, hoping it would be to Seven's benefit for her future dates. But she recognized that deep down it wasn't true, that she had her own ulterior motives for wanting to dance with Seven, and she felt the subsequent pang of guilt. The magnetic pull of Seven, whether the ex-Borg was aware of it or not, was absolutely relentless, and Kathryn had no choice but to allow herself to indulge, to let herself give into these selfish desires after years of self-imposed celibacy.
They continued to dance, swept up in each other's movements and altogether lost in the moment. The song crescendoed again halfway through and Kathryn felt the playful urge to deviate from their waltz. Carefully, she lifted her partner's hand and, with a sparkle in her eyes, guided an astonished Seven through a spin. Despite her lack of experience, Seven performed the move decently, pivoting her feet at the right moment and coming back to meet with Kathryn. Seven looked into the redhead's smiling face, detecting hints of mischief as they assumed their previous position. She arched an eyebrow.
"Intriguing," the blonde remarked sarcastically, "so that is how the twirl is done."
"This was meant to be educational after all," Kathryn retorted, immediately chastising herself for being duplicitous
It was hard for Seven not to smile in that moment; she was having the time of her life with the Captain. But Kathryn wasn't quite done. With a very specific goal in mind, she methodically led Seven into another spin, only this time, still holding onto Seven's hand, Kathryn maneuvered her hand over the taller woman's head while she was in mid turn. She dropped her arm over the front of Seven's body and wrapped it around her midsection, pulling her backward and pinning the woman in a very sensual position with her back pressed tightly against Kathryn.
They stayed like that for several precious moments, languidly swaying from side to side and not necessarily in keeping with the music. Held snugly in place, Seven craned her neck to the side but couldn't quite meet the Captain's eyes in this position. She watched her as best as she could from her peripheral vision instead, taking pleasure in the warmth emanating from Kathryn's body and permeating her back.
Being a few centimeters shorter, Kathryn delicately rested her cheek against the woman's whitish blonde hair that draped the side of her neck, nostrils flaring as she breathed in Seven's clean, feminine scent. Disoriented, Kathryn closed her eyes and released a small, inaudible sigh. She was losing herself in that scent and slowly being driven to the brink of madness by the feel of the woman in her arms. Fearing that she was overstaying her welcome, Kathryn grudgingly lifted her arm and released Seven from her hold, leading her to rotate the opposite direction. Seven pirouetted and came back to face Kathryn. There were no words between them this time, only fleeting looks and quickened breaths.
As they resumed their normal waltz, Seven noticed with disappointment that the song was reaching an end.
"What is he playing?" she asked, realizing only now that she rather enjoyed the melody.
"A classic jazz piece called Fly Me to the Moon," Kathryn replied, "a slowed down piano rendition of it, anyways." The smile on her face seemed to denote something more, but Seven couldn't decipher it.
Tilting her head in acknowledgment, Seven filed the information away for a later time and brought her focus back to their dance, aspiring to enjoy Captain Janeway's presence as much as she could before the song inevitably ended. Like all good things, however, the song eventually did come to an end, even though the pianist extended the outro as much as he could for them. He was quite intuitive for a piano playing hologram.
The abrupt silence that followed stilled their movements, but the two couldn't seem to part company just yet. Instead they maintained position, holding and watching each other intently, waiting for one another to make a move. Kathryn bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to regain some control, letting go of Seven's hand and waist.
"You danced beautifully," she spoke softly, admittedly still caught up in Seven's gravity.
"I had an exceptional teacher," Seven answered in an equally soft voice.
Programmed to continue playing music for the restaurant, the pianist started up another song which, in some measure, brought them out of their reverie. Using the opportunity to take a much needed breath, Seven inhaled, the extra supply of oxygen clearing away some of the haze that had settled over her mind. The restoration of clarity brought with it an inconvenient reminder so unsettling and distressing that she could not ignore it.
"You mentioned earlier that this was the last activity of our date," Seven blurted suddenly.
"Well," Kathryn thought for a moment, "this could be considered the end of the date, yes."
Seven's heart lurched and her throat constricted. She didn't want this practice date to end, surely there was more to it?
"Where do we go from here?" the blonde dared to ask, afraid of what the answer would be; unsure of what she wanted it to be.
Unable to respond immediately, Kathryn deliriously contemplated that very same question. Where could they go from here? What could fate possibly hold in store for them? Still uncertain of Seven's feelings, much less her own, Kathryn decided to call upon older dating traditions to help her test these uncharted waters.
"That depends…" the Captain trailed off, eyelashes dipping almost seductively, "if a date is considered to be a mutual success, your date might offer to walk you back to your place of residence to prolong your time together before parting ways."
"Place of residence," Seven echoed, "but, on Voyager my place of residence would simply be Cargo Bay 2," she said with uncertainty.
Kathryn pursed her lips into a fine line to keep from grinning. The younger woman's frankness could be so disarming at times.
"Yes, well," she drawled, anxiously tugging at her sleeve before continuing, "could I walk you back to Cargo Bay 2? If you're up for it, that is."
Seven's eyes lit up. Eager for any excuse to prolong their time together as Captain Janeway put it earlier, she could hardly find a reason to decline.
"That would be acceptable," Seven nodded, wincing at the dryness of her own response.
The Captain's eyes trailed down to her shoes, nervously tucking a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ear. Though it wasn't exactly an answer dripping with enthusiasm, not the one that she was hoping to hear anyway, Kathryn reminded herself that this was normal for Seven. And if she wasn't mistaken, as impassive as that response was, it still held some promise.
Every inch of her body vibrating like a warp core, she placed her hand on Seven's arm just below the Borg implant in her tricep, the taller woman's skin exquisitely smooth to the touch.
"Ready to leave then?" Kathryn inclined her head in the direction of the exit.
Seven quickly glanced around, taking stock of her surroundings one final time. As pointless and frivolous as most holoprograms were, she hoped that she would have the chance to revisit this particular holoprogram, preferably in Kathryn's company. Seven's chest swelled at the thought then immediately deflated as reality sunk in. What reason would the Captain have for taking her back here again? The dinner tonight was pure happenstance, a rare anomaly that was likely never to happen again. Getting enough of her surroundings to fondly look back on from eidetic memory, Seven brought her attention back to Kathryn.
"I am ready."
They left the dance floor together, receiving a polite nod and an all too knowing smile from the pianist when they passed the baby grand. Catching a glimpse of his expression, Kathryn blanched. Exactly how transparent was she in that moment that even a supposedly non-sentient hologram could see it and call her out so brazenly like this? Could Seven see how open she left herself?
Warmth creeping into her cheeks, she called out to the ship's computer to end the program as they exited the holodeck. Aside from the stolen glances and the occasional absent minded comment, they slowly made their way to Cargo Bay 2 in silence, their shoulders provocatively brushing each other as they walked and igniting sparks with every indiscreet touch.
Lost in thought and drowning in emotions, Kathryn and Seven found themselves standing outside the doors to Cargo Bay 2. The auburn haired captain swallowed hard, her throat inconveniently parched. She motioned for Seven to enter the bay first, following the younger woman inside and making note of the doors closing behind them. They were truly alone now. Away from the prying eyes and ears of both holograms and crewmembers.
Unsure of what was to come next, Seven stopped and turned on her heel to face her captain.
"Thank you for walking me back, Kathryn," she ventured, confident that was the appropriate thing to say at that moment, "I cannot properly express how much I enjoyed our practice date."
With a mere look, Captain Janeway could reduce even the most overconfident of Star Fleet officers to insignificant rubble. Just as her glare could strike fear in people's hearts, Kathryn had a look that could absolutely melt hearts too, invoking intense emotions of tenderness and warmth in people. She gazed at Seven, giving her the full brunt of that heart melting look.
"You're welcome," Kathryn managed in a thick voice, "I had a wonderful time as well. Are you going to attempt another date after this?" Before Kathryn could stop the words from tumbling out, "Will you ask Lieutenant Chapman out again?" She gritted her teeth behind a forced smile, wishing more than anything that she hadn't asked.
The younger woman frowned, experiencing a fair amount of confusion by the inquiry. She was receiving what seemed like mixed signals from the Captain.
"If I do decide to go out on another date, I do not believe I will seek out the Lieutenant again," Seven's words were straightforward, "I feel nothing romantic in nature towards him."
Relaxing her jaw and exhaling the breath she was subconsciously holding, Kathryn's mouth formed a soundless "oh". She loosely crossed her arms over her chest, trying a little too hard to appear casual.
"If you do happen to decide to go out on a date again, I hope it goes much better."
"Thank you," Seven replied, feeling her heart lurching again. Their date and their time together was again coming to an end. They would part ways from here, and Kathryn would go back to being Captain Janeway and Seven would go back to being Janeway's ex-Borg Astrometrics Officer.
Though every part of her screamed in protest, Kathryn resolved to take her leave of Seven. All of the signs she perceived throughout their date that Seven reciprocated any romantic feelings for her was more than likely just wishful thinking on the older woman's part. Wishful and foolish. If she could successfully leave now, she could spare herself from the heartbreak and work on burying these feelings once and for all, never to see the light of day again.
"Good night, Seven," she said, surprised at how steady her voice seemed. Allowing herself one last look of longing at the incredible woman she could never have, Captain Janeway politely smiled and turned to leave, her hands clenched to oblivion by her sides.
"Kathryn," Seven called out suddenly, tiny traces of desperation in her voice.
The Captain stopped and turned back to face Seven, almost certain that she heard something in that cool, collected voice.
"You failed to mention what comes next after my date succeeds in walking me home."
"Oh," Kathryn breathed, more than a little dazed, "I didn't tell you?"
Determined to get an answer, Seven slowly closed the frustrating gap between them and stood before the Captain.
"No, you did not," Seven raised a challenging eyebrow, "It is highly unlikely that my date would simply leave me in this manner if our date was successful."
Kathryn laughed quietly to herself and lowered her head for a moment, finding herself delightfully disarmed again by the blonde's candor.
"No, I suppose they wouldn't," Kathryn was all too happy to concede, "especially if the date was indeed a success and there was a strong mutual attraction between you and...your date."
"So then Kathryn," Seven looked into the smaller woman's sapphire eyes, "what comes next?"
Kathryn inhaled sharply.
"Well…" she hesitated, trying very hard to think while her head was spinning, "after walking you home, your date will at the very least want to ask you out on a second date."
"Supposing I agree to a second date, what then?" Seven inquired, doing little to curb her insistence.
Her breath quickening in time with her heartbeat, Kathryn was having difficulties holding the blonde's intense gaze. If she was interpreting all of this correctly, could this be Seven's way of throwing down the gauntlet? More importantly, did she have the courage to pick it up?
"Your date may, or may not try to kiss you," Kathryn's voice impossibly sensual.
Seven blinked, her expression unreadable at first before eventually softening. She couldn't explain it, but she somehow knew that this was the conclusion she desperately wanted to coax out of the Captain, and her intuition, coupled with her tenacity seemed to pay off.
Kathryn pursed her lips, once again being consumed by overwhelming heat in all the right places. Left with no choice but to pick up the proverbial gauntlet, she stared at Seven with hot, hooded eyes, searching the pale blue irises for any signs of doubt.
"May I...demonstrate?" her words came out in a whisper.
Seven's chest rapidly rose and fell. "Yes."
Denying herself the chance to think, Kathryn instinctively leaned into Seven, reintroducing their bodies from the intimate dance they shared. Her senses flooded every which way, she laid a hand on the blonde's arm and brought her other hand up to gently grasp Seven's dimpled chin. Subconsciously moistening her lips, she closed the remaining distance between them and placed a chaste kiss on Seven's cheek first, then leisurely traced a path to her mouth, thoroughly pressing her own lips against full, divine ones.
Having never been kissed before, Seven found it to be a strange sensation at first. Then Kathryn started to move her lips over hers, brushing against them firmly but slowly. Whether it was out of some hidden human instinct or Borg conformity, Seven cautiously mimicked the movement and felt pleasurable physiological sensations coursing through her most intimate areas.
She heard a low moan coming from the redhead and the sensations intensified, leaving her wanting more. Forgetting to breathe in the excitement of it, Seven gasped rather audibly. Stiffening, Kathryn promptly pulled back. Interpreting that as a sign that the blonde was having misgivings, Kathryn let go of her chin and tried to disentangle herself.
"I'm sorry," she lamented, wearing a pained expression, "that was probably too much…"
Her eyes wide with panic, Seven swiftly reached out and grabbed Kathryn's arms.
"No," Seven pleaded, "it was not too much. I simply neglected to breathe properly."
Kathryn's head jerked back slightly and she frowned, processing Seven's words for a moment before bursting out into laughter.
"What is amusing?" the blonde tilted her head, bewildered and so utterly intrigued by this lovely woman she was holding onto.
"Oh, it's nothing really," Kathryn said finally, a wide grin on her face, "so, you're okay then?"
It was Seven's turn to seductively lean into Kathryn, her hands traveling up the older woman's arms and over her shoulders, clasping her hands behind her neck in a passionate embrace. She felt Kathryn's beautiful auburn hair gently tickling her forearms.
"I believe I am more than okay," Seven retorted, surprising the Captain with a playful smile, "after the kiss, what comes next?" she had the audacity to ask, her Borg confidence surfacing.
Recognizing the all too familiar impertinence, Kathryn narrowed her eyes and smirked at the taller woman. As much as she was enjoying the wondrous feel of Seven pressed up against her again and all the sweet promises their embrace held in store, Kathryn needed to take this slow. She had already gone far over the line, throwing her strict resolve to abstain from romantic relationships right out the airlock. The practice date was supposed to be just that, but the universe, where all the stars and planets had aligned just right, seemed to have other plans for the Captain and her ex-Borg subordinate. Yielding to her desires for the moment, Kathryn lovingly wrapped her arms around Seven's waist, smiling and biting her lip in an effort to stay grounded.
"How about a second date for now," Kathryn purred, "tomorrow evening, my quarters?"
Enthralled with the promise of sharing another date in the privacy of Kathryn's quarters, her body tingling and the anticipation mounting, Seven gazed at the Captain, studying every millimeter of that elegant face.
"That would be acceptable," Seven readily agreed, adding affectionately, "Kathryn."