Time Enough
Chapter 17: Parasite
Just as Seven leaned over the body of her lover, she had a difficult time quelling the fear she felt. She touched her skin, felt her pulse points and checked her pupils. Dani was sobbing beside her. She understood the girl's fears, but she felt distracted by them. She reached down and lifted Kathryn up, hoisting her over her left shoulder.
Both brothers Commagees—Finn and Gill—were waiting inside their apartment to greet her. "I require privacy," she announced sharply.
"We're here to help, lass," Finn, her boss, said.
"Shall we fetch a doctor?" Gill inquired.
She laid Kathryn on their bed, over the coverlets. "No," she said turning on them. "I require privacy." Seven had completed repairs to the mobile emitter and was schedule to test it later in the day. Now there would be no time. She hoped that her repairs, crude as they were, were sufficient and she did not do more damage to the Doctor's processors.
She stopped in front of Finn, looking down at the man. "How did you arrive so quickly?"
"Ah, me own jet sandski," he said proudly. "Top of the line."
"Withdraw from my apartments," she ordered again. She realized they were not going to budge. "Very well. This is what I require." Seven gave them a list of difficult if not nearly impossible (and extremely costly) things to find, such as lye soap, rubbing alcohol and silk.
After they departed, Seven gathered the mobile emitter, explaining to Dani what would transpire. She allowed Grub to stay, only because he seemed to be a comfort to the girl. Then she stopped and faced her daughter's transparent friend. "Master Grub," she said.
"Yes-s-s, ma'am?"
Seven noticed that she seemed to inspire fear, but knew it was the Borg residue. "Please do not speak of what occurs here, if Dani is your friend."
"No-o-o, ma'am."
Seven activated the mobile emitter. The holographic doctor appeared. His image rippled a few times, expired and then snapped on once again.
"Doctor," she said.
"Seven?" he replied. "Where are the Ket'zali? And...." He looked at the rock-hewn apartment and fingered the clear markings of a chisel on the wall.
"Doctor," she said. "Kathryn has fainted." The Doctor's eyes snapped to the figure lying on the bed. Seven offered up a med-kit for him.
He sat down, triaging her case. His expression was grim. His assessment was met with a child's wail and a stoic Borg face. "She appears to be in coma."
=/\=
Dani sat curled beside Seven when the Doctor emerged from Kathryn's bedroom. His grim face was alarming. If he had been a real doctor, his eyes might have been circled and his face haggard after working non-stop for thirty-six hours.
Seven was sitting on the couch, facing the small window. The sun was rising and the crowds below were thinning out.
The Doctor handed Seven a padd. "Granted my facilities, namely the Delta Flyer, are not state of the art," he said. "But I've managed to develop a working theory."
She perused the padd, raised an eyebrow at the end of the report. Dani tugged on her shirt. "What's it say?"
"Don't you think we should keep the child out in the—?"
"No!" Dani shouted, making Seven jerk. Dani whirled at the Doctor. "She's my mother, you know."
He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth. "I am quite aware—"
"Doctor," Seven said gently. "Please desist. This has been a traumatic few days for Eridani." She was afraid he was going to point out his understanding of her history and where she was from. And more to the point, he would indicate that neither woman was really her mother.
He tugged down his uniform. "Quite right," he said. "Which is why I believe it would be prudent for her to be outside of this discussion, Seven."
After studying the Doctor for a moment, Seven nodded. Dani jumped off the couch turning a growling expression on to her holographic nemesis. "I don't like you!" she hissed. "Do you know that?"
His raised an eyebrow. He was accustomed to the sedate hostility of the crew, but this was new. "I suppose you don't," the Doctor finally said. "Little Miss Janeway, but—"
"Eridani," Seven finally stood, holding out a hand for her to take. "The Doctor is correct. There are some details that cannot absorb at your age."
"I'll understand it," she announced with the cross of her arms.
"Perhaps so," Seven admitted. "But that does not mean you should hear it."
She stuck her tongue out at the Doctor, running to her room as she bypassed her mother's hand. After about half an hour, Seven returned after closing her daughter's door.
"Remind me never to procreate," he said quietly.
Seven stood before him, as she leaned down to pick up the padd. "You were saying, Doctor."
"Yes, well, the Ket'zali may have been conducting experiments."
"Why would you say such a thing?"
"Because at first, I couldn't isolate any viral proteins in her blood work."
"Does she have a sickness from this world?"
He shook he head, advancing the padd to a certain point for Seven. "In fact, it is an engineered virus, I believe. I deduced its existence after considering her symptoms. Unexplained fever. Numbness and tingling in her extremities. Loss of balance and color vision. Double vision. Difficulty swallowing. Reduction in the field of vision. Weakness—"
"Doctor," she said impatiently. "I do not require nor need a description of Kathryn's symptoms. I have lived with her for four months and know them intimately."
He watched Seven for several long moments and then nodded. "Very well," he replied. "After I considered those and matched them to a likely disease, I was able to isolate a virus with mutagenic properties that phases in and out of the detection range of our instrumentation."
"Phases?" Seven was extremely alarmed by that. "From the Ket'zali?"
"I can only surmise, since I know of no other needle in her neck." He advanced the padd again for her. "We may be correct about the Ket'zali. The virus has several characteristics in common with Species 8472. Perhaps the virus is revenge for our own viral nanoprobes that pushed them out of our space."
"Yes, we had considered revenge as a motive," Seven said. "But considered it too mundane a objective for a higher evolved species."
"Hate is hate, in any dimension, Seven."
"So you found the mutagenic virus?"
"Yes," he replied. "Fortunate for us, they are better at concealing it than actually programming it." He touched a button on the padd, showing the DNA of the mutagenic virus. "Here is its signature."
The virus was spiral with spikes protruding from the length of its body. "What is its purpose?"
"Its aim was to kill," he replied. "And quickly, but it failed miserably, at least in Kathryn's case."
"She will not die?" The words were wrenched from Seven's mouth, a heaviness finally lifting from her chest.
The Doctor seemed startled by the display of emotion. For most people it would have been subtle. But Seven of Nine it was a trumpet blast. "I didn't say that," he replied softly. "I cannot be sure of its original intent, but the virus is attacking the myelin in her nervous system."
"Myelin?" Seven said, considering the uses of the word.
"Humans have had any number of demylenization diseases in their history," the Doctor explained. "Myelin insulates your nervous system cells. With her myelin under attack, the Captain's central nervous system began to lose the ability to regulate her body's function, whether walking, talking, seeing."
"Or breathing?"
"Eventually," he replied with a nod of his head. "The virus has given the Captain a disease similar to Parkinson's or Devic's Disease. But because the virus has been weaponized, it is acting on her system at an alarmingly accelerated rate."
"How long does she have, Doctor?" Her voice was quavering. Seven feared her heart would hammer out of her chest. She registered her respiration rate as abnormally accelerated and wondered why she herself was not on the floor with a myocardial infarction.
The Doctor recorded Seven's voice so small. "If we were in the Alpha Quadrant or even just on Voyager, I'd she would be fine. It would be tantamount a matter of a simple inoculation. But here...." He glanced out around the Spartan apartment in the middle of a desert planet that did not rely on technology, from what he could see.
"How long, Doctor?"
He inhaled deeply, an odd gesture for someone not reliant on respiration to support his body functions. "There is an unusual treatment," he replied. "But I would need her consent and with her being incapacitated—"
"Do it!" Seven said, rising to meet him.
The Doctor blinked at Seven for several long moments, until she repeated herself more emphatically. "Seven," he replied. "You know I am bound by certain rules. Either the patient or her next of kin would have to provide consent. The Federation simply does not allow—"
"Who would be considered her next of kin?"
"Her parents, her siblings or her spouse, but that doesn't help us since—"
"Do it!" Seven startled herself, knowing she sounded exactly like her lover. But that was irrelevant, of course. She would offer any organ, any Borg implant to help Kathryn. Seven knew she would go the lengths of Gweelee City if she had to. She would fire up the Delta Flyer. Go anywhere, even to Fluidic Space itself to find a cure for the Captain.
"Seven, I just said—"
Seven inhaled deeply. She was certain her Pips would prefer to keep their relationship a private matter. But Seven would not sacrifice Kathryn because of a ridiculous notion of privacy or tradition. "For the past four months—since we arrived on this planet—Kathryn and I have been in an intimate relationship...."
The Doctor wasn't sure his definition was the same as Seven's. "Intimate as in...."
"One of a sexual nature," she replied. "We have been partners—"
If the Doctor had a heart, it would be broken. He'd always believed that he and Seven were compatible. But he knew she'd never seen him as a suitor. "Well, that is...fine news," he replied hollowly. "But it simply is not enough to meet the application of the law. She must be—"
"We have presented ourselves as wives here on Gweelee."
"Gweelee...?" His voice trailed off at such an odd sounding planetary name.
"Here she is known as Kathryn O'Nine."
He was about to comment, when Seven interrupted him again. "Kathryn also refers to herself as Mrs. O'Nine."
The Doctor considered the ramifications. "Well, that certainly would fulfill the letter of the law," he said. "I am a doctor, not a lawyer—fortunate for me. So I do not need to know the details of your relationships—"
"If it is necessary to establish a legal relationship between us, then I will elaborate...we engaged in our first sexual union on Stardate—"
"Seven!" The Doctor said. "That is really not necessary."
"I seek to clarify my role in her life."
"As I said, I'm not a lawyer and a nuanced statement is not required. Nor do I understand the full details of Federation Family Law vis-à-vis common law marriages, but it sounds as if the basic criteria for next of kin is met. However...." He crossed his arms, giving a stern look. It was confidence that begged defiance, just so it can be flexed. Seven watched him patiently. "As the Chief Medical Officer I will have to enter that into the log, you realize."
She was becoming impatient. "Do what you must, Doctor, but resuscitate her."
=/\=
Seven slipped leather gloves on both hands, as a drunken man continued to rail against women in general and Borg in particular. The rotund man had already eaten two meals at Mr. Commagees' restaurant, having vomited the first. He had drunk two vats of mead and now he was acting lewdly. He had grabbed the breasts and asses of several waitresses, but he was paying in cash. It was only when he had squeezed Mr. Commagees, mistaking him for a female that Seven's duties were invoked.
"It's you blasted women nowadays," the man slurred. "If you'd spawn when ye're supposed to, I would have to find another pond. Now would I?"
"I am unaware of your race's mating rituals, sir," Seven said patiently. "Meanwhile, you have violated Gweelee etiquette with your bawdy commentary and your wandering hands have inadvisably compressed the erroneous gluteus maximus."
"What're you going to do, girly?"
Seven had been called girly on numerous occasions. She made a mental note to inquire with Kathryn about the meaning of the remark. The thought caught her off guard. Kathryn had been unconscious for three weeks and life continued. Eridani had to be fed and Seven continued to report to her duties at the restaurant. The thought angered her, which in turn made this encounter that much more infuriating. Without waiting to hear his excuse, Seven grabbed the large man by the scruff of his neck and the seat of his pants. With a mighty heave, the man was airborne. He sailed out the door, narrowing missing a table. Instead he landed on the packed pavement with a loud thud.
She removed her gloves and tossed them in a wastebasket, attempting to ignore what she considered to be inappropriate cheers of the regular clientele. "You totally rock!" a few of the men had shouted.
"You're a bad ass!" A few others whistled.
"You're hot!" Some of the men and women intoned together.
Seven straightened her golden deputy hand at her left breast and then her belt and resumed her station by the cash register. Mr. Commagees brought her a large glass of Gweelee ale. "Here you go, lass," he said. "That makes two today alone."
She had a perfect suds mustache when she drained the glass. "The statistics show an alarming acceleration of unruly customers," she said. "Given all the variables, I cannot identify the one predictor to this behavior."
Mr. Commagees shook his head with a laugh. "Ah, lass," he said, smacking her shoulder. "Since you're new, I'll tell ye. T'is the first sign of the monsoon rains."
"And that would be...."
Mr. Commagees gazed up as if in religious worship, raising his fin-like hands. "Terrible opening of the heavens when King Tryto's evil twin sister, Queen Playedies, pours out her wrath on we poor Gweelee folk. Happens on the Spring Equinox every year."
"Torrential rains cause men to become miscreants?" Seven crossed her arms.
"A'course, lass. T'is the way."
"T'is unscientific," Seven said, turning to look for Dani in the restaurant.
"We are all slaves to the cycles of the planet," he said. "Even the great Seven O'Nine, Borg Deputy of Gweelee City."
Seven had often spoken to Tuvok about the illogical ways of people. She would have so much more fodder for those discussions. She'd tried to get her to stay home with the Doctor. But those two were like matter and anti-matter. The volatile combination was more than she could deal with, so Seven began bringing Dani with her to work.
"Ye know," Mr. Commagees said, following Seven's glance. They watched Dani throw a dart to a target on the wall, right next to the bar. "May the gods help ye when Mrs. O'Nine comes to."
Seven inhaled strongly, dismissing his claim as Gweelee exaggeration.
When she didn't comment, Finn softened his tone. "I say it only for one purpose, lass." Seven glanced at her bulging eyed, fat lipped boss. "Because I know in me heart of hearts that Kat will wake up. After that, Lord Tryto help ye when she sees what you've done to the babe."
Then he did something completely out of character. "So much so, that, Seven m'girl, I'm letting you have the rest of the day off." When Seven's expression softened, his hardened. "And take that hellion of yours with ye. This is a comfort house, not a day care for wee brats!" He rolled his "r" for good measure on that last word.
=/\=
Dani slipped her hand in Seven's and offered a long yawn, as they strolled home. The double moons of Gweelee were still high in the sky, instead of the pink when they picked their way home. "I miss Cappie," she said suddenly.
"As do I."
"I'm tired of Mr. Commagees' restaurant."
Seven nearly smiled, surprised at such an admission. This was the girl who begged at every meal to dine at the place, though it was no restaurant, but a fancy brothel of sorts.
"Three weeks is a long time to eat institutional fare."
"So what does Cap have again?"
"The Doctor has diagnosed it as Devic's Disease."
Dani stopped, tugging Seven's arm back with her. The tall blonde turned to regard her daughter's troubled eyes. "Why did you decelerate?"
"Devic's?"
Seven nodded, tipping her head. "Do you understand it?"
Dani's voice became so adult that the transformation startled her mother. "Was it from the injection?"
"Yes, it was." Seven stepped closer, taking her daughter's other hand as well. "Will you tell me what troubles you?"
Seven could see the blue eyes—so like her own—glistening in the twin moonlight. "I'm afraid," she whispered, her voice cracking.
Seven put an arm around Dani's shoulders, drawing her close. "Though she has not regained consciousness, the Doctor indicates her vital signs have stabilized."
Dani rolled her shoulders to wipe her tears. "Um, Sa'feer...."
"The Ket'zali commander?"
"He...he...he..." Dani felt herself tighten and she wanted to curl up into a little ball somewhere, make everything go away.
"Breathe, Eridani," Seven advised.
"Sa'feer...he...killed my Cappie." Dani let go of Seven's hand and watched the woman. She feared this moment above all others. Would Seven send her back to her own timeline?
Seven watched the tears trail down her cheeks and her full lips began to pout. She was always amazed at the girl's bravery and amazed that Eridani did not understand its depth. "Your Cappie?"
"Yes," she whispered, almost inaudible with the bustle of the people that walked by. Some patting Seven's shoulder in greeting, others merely nodding.
"You are aware then that this is not your universe."
Dani closed her eyes, nodding ever so slightly. "Are you mad?" she whispered.
Seven realized that she was not surprised by the revelation. And in a moment borne of pure instinct, Seven tightened her embrace of the girl. She stroked her hair and cooed. "No, Eridani," she whispered. "But I am pleased that you have confided in me."
"I was scared," she said, against her mother's blouse.
"That is a reasonable emotion, considering what you have experienced." Seven looked down as she stroked the girl's cheek. "Would you like to sit down?"
"Can we walk around the Plaza?"
Hand in hand, the pair meandered around the Plaza, like any other mother and daughter. Moon-kissed water bubbled up in continuous spray inside a large marble-like fountain. At the center, stood a large merman figure, riding the waves with a trident in hand.
As they walked in silence, Seven considered her options. Clearly the timelines overlapped, but to what extent, she did not fully understand or appreciate. She was grateful she'd never taken temporal mechanics, lest she recognize the dangers of this conversation. Seven of Nine had also never taken any vow to uphold the Temporal Prime Directive. But when Dani mentioned Sa'feer and his role in her universe, Seven knew she could not allow this moment to pass without digging deeper, even if she must keep the news from her lover.
"Tell me of Sa'feer and Devic's Disease in your universe, Dani."
Dani ran a sleeve across her nose to catch her mucous. "My Cappie died in battle." Her whisper was so small, Seven believed she misunderstood her.
"Please repeat your statement."
Dani closed her eyes, tiny creases fanning from the corners. Her strawberry lashes looked nearly auburn.
"In my space-time, Cappie died." She pulled back, letting her knowledge fill her eyes for the first time. She was relieved to be able to finally let her mother know.
"Your space-time?"
Seven stopped to face the girl. "Dani, do you understand what you are saying or are you mimicking what you have heard on Voyager?"
"A double quantum singularity brought me here."
Seven's eyebrows rose, her lips parting slightly. "Eridani!" Seven whispered in shock. "No one can create a double—"
"Someone did," she said with a shrug. Elizabeth Eridani Janeway felt suddenly alone, like the moment she had stepped through the event horizon that brought her to this universe. Everything had gone black and it was like her eyes ached. They felt as if they were being tugged from the inside out. Her bones felt like they wanted to jump out of her skin. Even her head had throbbed. Her brain had played tug of war with the singularity and it had been the rope. When she had came to, Dani had been strapped to a table and a saw blade was humming close to her head. Yes, someone opened double gravitational singularity at just the right time for the Mencari to invade at that precise moment. They had found her hysterical.
Thinking about her jump here brought a skip to her heart and Dani blushed to remember that she had soiled herself on that table. "The Mencari saved me," she whispered.
Seven had watched the girl's expression melt from honest scientific inquiry to loneliness and then mind-shattering fear. "Tell me," she said.
Dani felt suddenly alone, but she knew couldn't turn back. Data streams began to flow in green text and symbols across her field of vision, superimposed over the luxurious scene of the central Plaza before them.
Her lips hardly moved and her voice was so small. "Someone—my mother—sent me here to escape Species 8472's attack on Sector Zero Zero One."
"Attack on earth?" Seven looked up, trying to get her bearings. Were she awake? They'd been a species strictly known in the Delta Quadrant in this universe. "Are you certain?"
Dani shrugged. "I only know what...what...my mom gave me." Her eyes flicked up to see Seven's reaction. She was completely in analytical mode, not registering the child's insecurity.
"What did she give you, Eridani?"
Dani touched her neck, rubbing it. "She injected nanoprobes to program my Borg neo-cerebral capacitor." The girl's soft palate lisped slightly and slurred some of the words, but Seven understood. She wondered where the Borg implant's enhanced intelligence left off and Dani's own genius picked up.
"You are Borg then."
Dani tipped her head, watching the placid features of her Borg mother's face. "Yes," she said, nodding and lowering her eyes. "But it's not what you think."
"What do I think?"
"I was never assimilated."
"But you claim you are Borg," Seven said. Dani was relieved to see her mother continued to exhibit a passionless expression.
"I am Borg," she said, looking into the azure eyes so like her own. "Because you are Borg."
Seven studied her face, data of previous conversations coming back in fragments. Seven stored some of the data bits into her memory, for future evaluation. At this time index, she needed more details about the other Kathryn.
"So in your universe, Species 8472 was attacking Earth and Starfleet by extension."
Dani shook her head, reading the data streaming across her visual center. "They had already destroyed Earth. The ship we were on was going to blow itself up and Mom activated the deflector dish to open a singularity."
"You indicated a double singularity," Seven said.
Seven watched the girl's eyes dart side to side and her lips moved, all as if she were reading.
"What are you doing, Eridani?"
Dani finally looked at Kathryn, relieved to hear the term of endearment. "I'm reading."
"What do you read?" Seven asked. Seven sat down at a small bistro table beside the fountain, pulling Dani beside her.
"The data stream you put in my implant."
"What does it say?"
Dani began to read the stream verbatim. It was a chilling account of Species 8472's invasion of the Alpha Quadrant and their violent and all-consuming sweep from the furthest outpost beyond the Klingon Empire toward Earth. She described Captain Janeway's heroic stand, along with three other Federation vessels, and the entire fleet of Klingon Birds of Prey. In the Federation's first engagement, Janeway commanded the rag tag fleet against the oncoming armada of grotesque black, squid-like ships at Gamma Eridon.
From captain's logs sent encoded by subspace from the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan before and during the battle, and from space station telemetry, the fighting was fierce. It was clear from battle tactics that Species 8472 underestimated what they considered an inferior and outgunned opponent. But Captain Janeway and the fleet took out nearly a third of the armada before drawing several enemy vessels close and self-destructing, taking out or crippling several other vessels.
Seven absorbed the information, wondering at the heroism of her lover's counterpart. But she was startled when Dani cited the time index.
"That is three years from now."
"I'm from the future of an alternate timeline."
"I did not realize that was possible."
"But I'm here." Dani began to pluck nervously at the hem of her mother's blouse. "My Cappie's last message was that the commander of the armada's name was Sa'feer."
"Sa'feer?"
"I knew that name when I heard it on the Mencari ship," Dani finally admitted between sobs. "He killed my Cappie and I was afraid he was going to kill her again."
"Is that the reason you attempted to run to the Mencari? Because you believed they would keep you safe?"
She shook her head. "I thought they could keep my new Cappie safe."
Seven trailed her fingertips along the girl's jaw. Whatever the issues she had with her counterparts, one thing was certain. The girl loved them deeply. As she loves us, she thought.
"But we live," Seven declared. "In this realm, Sa'feer failed."
"Did he?" Dani asked. "What about the poison in Cappie?"
"The Doctor has attempted a treatment that will assist Cappie until Voyager—"
Dani's eyes widened and then she jumped up, one fist in the air. "Whoop!" She danced in a circle, shaking her bottom and shaking her fists. "That's the best news I've heard all day!"
Seven smiled softly, watching her little victory dance and noting how she could revert so easily to her childlike state without the Borg input.
"Eridani, you must heed me," Seven said, trying to clasp the bouncing girl's hand to capture her attention. When Dani stopped, she was panting. "You must never speak of what we have discussed here. Not to anyone, not even Cappie. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, but why?"
Seven stood and brushed the girl's hair. "It must be our secret."
"You're not gonna tell me," she said.
"I do not know the answer," Seven admitted. "But you must tell me everything you know of Devic's Disease. And you must trust me."
"Okay, but I wanna cookie to seal the deal."
=/\=
The Doctor raised a hypospray. "Are we ready?"
Seven took her place beside Kathryn's bed, taking the unconscious woman's hand. "Yes, I believe I am ready."
"Let's hope so." The hypospray hissed and nearly instantly, Kathryn's eyes began to flutter under her lids. Seven felt the woman squeeze her own hand. Her eyes flew open and her lips parted.
"Kathryn?" The Doctor said quietly. "How do you feel?"
"I'm...." She glanced around, blinking at Seven several times before she looked up at the Doctor. "Am I on Voyager?"
He frowned, hoping that her disorientation wasn't a sign of permanent neurological damage. "No, Kathryn. Do you remember where you are?"
Her eyes widened slightly. "Where's Dani? I must have fallen asleep again." She tried to sit up but the Doctor restrained her with a tap to the shoulder.
"Please, Captain," he said. "Please. Try to lie still."
"What has happened?" She said laying back. She turned to focus on Seven again. Her voice was gravelly, like it usually was first thing in the morning. "Darling, what is wrong?"
Seven leaned forward, trying to shut out the Doctor from her periphery. "You lost consciousness approximately three weeks prior."
"Is Dani all right?" Again she tried to sit up, but Seven put a hand to her shoulder, patting her.
"Yes, Kathryn," she said. "Dani is fine."
"I must have fainted," she said vaguely. "Doctor, what is wrong with me? And how did you get here?"
"Seven completed repairs to my mobile emitter and activated me. I have been working non-stop to determine the extent of your illness."
"And?"
"It is as you feared, Captain." He allowed her to absorb the words and then proceeded. "The Ket'zali injected you with an engineered mutagenic virus. It is attacking your central nervous system."
Understanding dawned as she correlated her symptoms to his diagnosis. "Will I be okay?"
The Doctor's face tightened and his brow rose. "I've managed to give you approximately ten more months before you begin another spiral—"
"But we will find Voyager by then," Seven said.
Kathryn took Seven's hand, raised her knuckles to her lips. Kathryn bounced Seven's hand against her puckered lips. "It must be really bad because even Seven looks worried."
"Your attempt at levity is inappropriate," Seven replied.
Kathryn rubbed Seven's cheek. "I'm sorry, darling. I just don't like waking up to sulking."
"I apologize if I appear to be sulking," she said.
"May I continue?" The Doctor's voice was piqued.
"Please," Kathryn said, continuing to hold Seven's gaze.
"You have Devic's Disease," he said. "You really have fewer than forty weeks."
"Forty?" Her eyes tracked up, following the shadows made by tools when this room was carved out.
Seven could see a pool of unspent tears filling Kathryn's eyes. She tightened her grip on the woman's hand. "Tell me, Doctor," Seven said. "Can Devic's Disease affect one's emotions?"
The Doctor seemed a little disoriented with the question. "Why do you ask, Seven?"
"Kathryn has displayed unusual emotional states since we left Voyager." Will she stop loving me on Voyager? Will she hate me when we leave? Will she abandon Dani when we return to the ship? All these fears coalesced inside of the ex Borg, simmering just below the surface.
"Any disease can, but my data files show no such link."
Kathryn brushed her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve. She found Seven's eyes and they exchanged an unspoken vibe of peace and protection. "I'll survive," she whispered. Then to the Doctor, Kathryn's voice resumed its sharp whip of command. "You mentioned a treatment?"
"Seven and I disagreed over the particulars of your treatment." He glanced at the Borg, giving her a razor glare. "But I would like my objection noted for the—"
"So noted," Kathryn said curtly with a wave of a hand.
"With Seven's consent—as your...." He glanced at the Borg again. "As your, ahem, partner—we have developed a treatment plan...."
Kathryn kept her eyes level with Seven's, but noticed their meaningful exchange. "Am I going to die regardless?"
Seven moved closer toward Kathryn. "No, Kathryn. You are not."
"But I haven't performed miracles yet," the Doctor said quietly. "The unorthodox treatment will give you exactly 40 weeks, give or take. Hopefully, Voyager will find us by then."
"And if Voyager finds us you can offer a more permanent solution?"
"I believe so, yes," he said. The Doctor's holographic eyes flicked again uncomfortably to Seven. "But in either case, there will be side effects?"
Kathryn had physically relaxed. "What kind?"
The Doctor began to tick off a list with his fingers. "Weight gain, irritability. A parasite..."
"Parasite?! You didn't introduce me with any intestinal—"
"Oh, no," he said, sharing another meaningful look with Seven. "Nothing intestinal."
"Your indifference to self-congratulations is worrying me, Doctor," Kathryn admitted as she watched Seven carefully. "Is the cure worse than the disease?"
He crossed his arms, with one hand stroking his chin as he peered up in thought. "I've never heard anyone complain of the cure... Well, never complain and actually mean it."
The Captain noted that Seven's face was stony and she appeared to be anxious. "Spit it out, Doctor! Now!"
"Very well," he said. "But remember my objection.... Captain Janeway, you have been impregnated."
Janeway bolted up, her mouth was open. The expression tore at Seven, perceiving it as betrayal and fear.
"As I was saying, we did not have access to inoculations that could instruct your body to repair the myelin loss."
"And pregnancy cures this predicament?" Janeway's sarcasm was biting and she was careful to turn it onto the holographic doctor.
"That's right," he said. "The hormones produced during pregnancy have the same result. You should see some of your functions restored at best or at least the deterioration halted at worst."
Kathryn stared at the wall, completely motionless.
"Kathryn," Seven whispered quietly. "You were close to death."
Kathryn pushed her legs off the bed, forcing Seven to stand up. She bolted to her feet, walking to the Doctor, looking up into his face. "How close?"
"Your breathing was erratic and your pulse was irregular. Your body could not sustain your vital functions, Captain."
Kathryn absorbed the scientific data, but that's all it was. Seven knew she would have to bring it home for her. "Eridani found you unconscious," she said in a monotone that belied the turmoil of facing the consequence.
Kathryn turned, her blue gown swirling with her. "Dani? What did she do?"
"She and Grub ran to the restaurant," Seven said. "I activated the Doctor."
"You were impregnated quickly," the Doctor said. "The myelin repair would take time enough already. Just as I hoped you stabilized. It's a wonder it worked at all here in the Stone Age planet."
Kathryn lifted a brow, nearly relieved to hear the subtle self-applause. "So I'm pregnant," she said, resigned. Then a horrible thought came to her. "Who's the father?" She had visions of giving birth to a child with an aquatic heritage.
The Doctor's body shook, his face animated in excitement. "Well, I was able to use some of Seven's adult stem cells along with my medical genius to induce sperm production—"
Kathryn peered down. "This is Seven's baby?" She covered her abdomen with a hand.
"Yes, both of yours." Encouraged by Kathryn's acceptance of the situation, the Doctor added: "And in some small way I like to think the child is mine as well—"
"Doctor," Kathryn said sharply and closed her eyes. "May we have a moment alone please?"
The Doctor looked around the room. "But we are alone—"
"Seven and I, Doctor."
"Very well. But please, don't thank me," he replied sarcastically. "I was just working in Byzantine conditions to halt a life-threatening disease. All in a day's work." Then he dematerialized.
Janeway finally stared at Seven, unable to form a coherent thought. The weight of the expression bore down on the ex Borg. This wasn't new. They'd disagreed on many occasions. She had, in fact, come to relish the repartee. But this was different. She was different. Seven felt different about Kathryn and pain the Captain felt was the same for her.
"It is shocking," Seven whispered. "But you were nearly terminated. I could not permit that. I threatened to decompile the Doctor's matrix unless he found a cure."
When Kathryn continued to stare, Seven's face began to lose its ironclad composure. "When Voyager finds us and, if you wish to terminate...." She sobbed a half beat and then stilled herself. "I will adapt."
Kathryn touched her scalp with her fingertips, scratching lightly. "Oh, Seven," she said. The Captain closed her eyes, rolling her head around. She nearly moaned in pleasure when her neck cracked. When she opened them, Kathryn was surprised to see a stream of tears falling down the beautiful face. "Please don't cry," she whispered, drawing closer. But they didn't touch. Not yet.
"I regret this decision," she replied.
"Was I really so far gone? I mean, I was fine one minute. Dani went out to play and all I remember after that being overcome by darkness."
"I contemplated assimilating you," Seven responded.
"So my choices were...death...which I don't think I would really care for..."
"I would agree with that assessment," Seven said.
"Assimilation and life as a Borg drone.... And I'm going to go out on a limb to say that I probably wouldn't enjoy being a drone."
"Nor would you make a particularly compliant drone," Seven said with a sardonic lilt.
Kathryn stepped closer, looking up into the amused eyes with one of her own. "Hmm, I'll take that as a compliment."
"As it was meant," Seven replied.
"Or pregnancy." Kathryn dropped her eyes, studying her hands.
Seven followed Kathryn's gaze, longing to touch the woman and run her hands over her belly. But something told her not yet. "Kathryn," she said. "I regret the necessity for a unilateral decision. But you were unconscious and...."
Kathryn placed a hand on Seven's hip, pulling her close. Seven closed her eyes to be able to feel the arms wrapped around her waist and the small breasts pressing into hers. Kathryn's mouth hovered to Seven's. "Thank you," Captain Janeway whispered.
Seven smiled, a tender expression that Kathryn had never quite seen before. It warmed and enveloped her so fully, that Kathryn realized for the first time that she truly loved this woman. It was not just lust, but a profound affinity blessed by similarities and spiced with differences. Kathryn placed her hands at the back of Seven's neck, pulling her down for a soul-scorching kiss of open mouths. The brief caress of tongues and the exchange of breath was enough to comfort Seven more than any words Kathryn could have shared.
Kathryn's eyes were brimming with tears, taking Seven's human hand and placing it on her lower abdomen. Then the older woman covered Seven's hand with hers. Kathryn closed her eyes when Seven's lips touched her neck. She tipped her chin back to give Seven more room to lave her throat. Seven's hand slowly circled the woman's belly. "I think," Kathryn whispered. "You are positively feudal, my darling."
"Futile?" Seven pulled back, watching the orange flames of the torch dance in the gray eyes.
"No, feudal," she said, spelling the word. "A period in Earth history when men built castles and knights conducted war from a horse while the women stayed home having babies and tending the hearth."
"Ah," she said, a glint of pleasure in her eyes. "This analogy makes me the knight."
Kathryn smirked. "Yes, darling," she said, rubbing the woman's shoulders. "You've managed to do what no one—man or woman—has ever done."
"The wench will explain," she said tersely. To Kathryn's curious expression, Seven added: "I was indulging in my role as knight-errant."
Kathryn crinkled her nose. "Too much," she whispered.
Seven pulled Kathryn to her, kissing her temple, her cheek and then her lips. "Tell me, Pips."
Kathryn's hand roamed lightly over Seven's back, as her eyes held Seven's. "You've tamed me. I warm your bed. I cook your meals. I care for your child and now I will bear another. It's positively feudal."
Seven cupped the back of Kathryn's head as they began to sway together. "You do not resist this feudal arrangement."
Kathryn's lips curled to a faint smile. "Oh, no," she whispered. She pulled Seven's head down, engulfing her in a molten kiss. "Not yet, anyway," she mumbled against the woman's mouth. "Not until Chakotay brings me my ship."
Kathryn felt Seven stiffen and pull back, though she tried to appear nonchalant. "I will find Eridani," she replied. "I worry."
"Good idea."
=/\=
When Seven stepped back into the bedroom, all but one of the torches were extinguished. Kathryn lay bare shouldered with the covers up to her chest. Seven stared at her, lust pulsing through her body, even her circuits and implants were pounding in tune to the point between her legs.
"Is Dani okay?" Kathryn asked in a gravelly voice.
"Yes, she was completely unconscious," she replied, as she carefully fastened her belt. "Are ready to...." Seven wasn't sure what to ask. If she asked her to make love after recovering so soon from a cataleptic state, would that make her uncharitable at best or a scoundrel at worst? But if she asked her to sleep, would Kathryn assume she was not interested in touching her in the intimate rhythm they'd mastered together.
Seven's belt fell to the ground, along with her pants to reveal long, creamy legs.
"Am I ready to what?"
Seven reached up to unbutton her blouse. "Ready to—?" She tasted her mouth. It was dry, all of the moisture having migrated south. Had it been only three weeks since they'd made love? It felt like three millennia. With Chakotay, Seven never felt driven to mate and the process required for more time expenditure than the pay off merited. But with Kathryn, it was different. Seven found her thinking of the woman all day, anxious to be in her arms, regardless of whether they made love. Their lovemaking was sometimes sweet, many times rushed, oftentimes voracious but always passionate. Seven had been surprised to find a certain pace that alternated adagio or allegro, depending on who led. If someone had told her that Kathryn would take the submissive role more than half the time during sex, Seven would have found the hypothesis flawed and bereft of data. Yet, Seven was thrill to lead and to be led, just as Kathryn appeared to enjoy switching modes as well.
"Darling?" Kathryn asked again, throwing the covers open to reveal her naked wiry body.
Seven's eyes transfixed on the luscious triangle of auburn hair that was enticing her.
"Seven," Kathryn repeated, verbalizing very precisely.
She jerked her eyes upward. "Yes, Kathryn?"
"Come to bed," she said. "Now."
"Aye, Captain," she said with a touch of humor. Naked, she crawled on all fours, the mattress creaking and groaning under weight. Seven stopped over Kathryn, following the lines of the woman's strong chin along her jaw line to the strands of auburn splayed out on the pillow. "Are you well enough to...?" Seven dropped her eyes, watching the woman she loved through her dark blonde lashes.
"To make love?" Kathryn asked, placing her hands on the large breasts dangled in front of her. Her hands cupped them, squeezing slightly. She heard her own moan echoed in Seven's throat. "The hell I'm not. It's been three weeks."
Seven straddled the woman's hips. "That is the longest deprivation we have experienced."
Kathryn patted Seven's legs and she rose up slightly, while Kathryn scooted up to sitting. "All right, darling," she said. They were sitting face to face, with Seven in her lap. Kathryn tried to rearrange her pillows, but failing, Seven accommodated her. "Much better. Now I have you exactly where I want you."
Kathryn leaned forward taking a fat nipple in her mouth; she bit down and swiped it with her tongue. Seven arched into the touch, as she felt Kathryn's hands roaming her bare back. One of Kathryn's hands caressed down Seven's legs to her hip. She stretched her thumb, allowing it to dance in the short wiry blonde hair as she caressed Seven's thigh. She other hand cupped the full breast, bringing it to her mouth. Seven loved attention on her breasts and Kathryn loved to provide it. A perfect match, she thought.
With every pass of her thumb, Seven would rub her sex against the Captain's thigh, spreading her excitement in a scented line. Her breathing became ragged and her strokes more urgent. Kathryn looked up to watch Seven's face transform when she finally slipped her fingers inside. Seven's mouth dropped open, her eyes tightened and her neck fell back. "Do you like that?" Kathryn asked, knowing it was a ridiculous question.
"No," Seven replied, with a pinch of humor and a generous heaping of desire. "Not at all."
Kathryn slipped her hand out. "Shall I...?"
"No!" Seven snapped her eyes open, seizing her lover's small wrist. "You must proceed along this course. The journey is nearly complete."
Kathryn's lopsided smile told Seven that she wasn't in command in this scenario. "What if I want a detour?" Kathryn looked down, pinching a coral colored nipple as she painted it with her own moisture. "Do a little sight-seeing?"
Seven hissed through her teeth when Kathryn sucked in the turgid and wet nipple. She held onto the headboard as she arched back, raising a knee to offer herself. Kathryn's nose flared when Seven's natural spice reached her. Her scent was heavy and her viscous excitement seeped forth in glorious invitation. Watching her fingers glide across the sopping opening, Kathryn groaned again at every little whimper and sigh that she evoked from Seven. When she touched the swollen center, Seven growled. "Those are the correct coordinates," she whispered.
"Right here?" Kathryn said, lifting her eyes to see an angelic expression overtake her lover. "Or here?"
"The former," Seven said, growing frustrated. "A diagnostic should be performed on your helm. It is off by...." Seven sobbed in pleasure.
"What did you say, darling?" Kathryn asked the enraptured figure hovering over her.
"Perfection!" Seven murmured against Kathryn's temple. "Efficient perfection!" When Kathryn slid a finger inside, Seven's voice dropped a few octaves. "Oh, baby...."
Kathryn lifted her hooded eyes, a corner of her mouth smirking. "I love it when you come for me, Andy," she whispered. Then she covered Seven's mouth with hers, tangling wet tongues and hot breath and lonely souls. "Come for me," Kathryn whispered against her open mouth. The older woman intensified the rigorous gliding of her fingers and she bit down on the woman's shoulders.
Seven exploded in a torrent of fire and lights, bits of herself exploding in her own personal Big Bang. She was hurtling outward in every direction at the speed of light, shattered into a million tiny bits of orgasmic energy. She didn't realize she was screaming Kathryn's name until every atomic sub-particle returned to herself.
"Kathryn! Kathryn!" Seven cried. "Please Kathryn!"
The Captain squeezed her lover tight, running her arms up and down the woman, purring her name. "I'm here, Seven," she whispered, watching the amazing transfiguration of the woman and her slow return to mortality. "Right here, darling."
Seven cupped both of Kathryn's cheeks. "If you ever left me I would become like an Omega molecule," she whispered, drops sliding down her face. "Vanish from existence."
Kathryn kissed her tears until Seven had spent ever last one of them. "I'm not going anywhere you can't," she said in a husky voice. "I promise you." She punctuated each word with a solemn kiss.
Seven allowed Kathryn to continue to caress her. She held the older woman close and sunk deeply into her touch. But soon, her own fire was rekindled and her hand began to wonder. When she touched Kathryn's stomach, her eyes snapped open. "I want to touch you, Pips," she whispered. "Touch you and the baby."
Seven fell beside Kathryn, both lying pressed against each other, breast tips touching, legs intertwined. Seven slide her hands up and down the Captain's hip, dipping to rub just above her belly button. She knew that her lover was already so excited, but accepted the exploration with patience. Finally, Seven pushed the woman on her back and began a slow, light trail of kisses down her chin, across her throat and to her nipples, where she lingered. Seven circled each peak in turn. Her hand brushed lower and Kathryn bent her knees, opening up. With every stroke, she moaned and begged her to go lower. Finally, Seven continued down and began to kiss between the women's hips, carefully outlining her idea of Kathryn's uterus, where their child was being nurtured. "Miraculous," she whispered against the freckled stomach.
"Seven!" Kathryn implored.
Seven tangled her fingers briefly in the short auburn curls before descending to her goal. The moisture so abundant two of Seven's fingers sunk in effortlessly. Kathryn bucked her hips, needing more, so much more.
"I love you," Seven whispered softly to her goal before she took the woman in her mouth.
The contact made Kathryn gasp and plunge into instantaneous pulses of pleasure. The undulations rippled across an ocean taking Kathryn farther and deeper than she had ever known. And even then, they still went on.
When Kathryn returned, she was floating in a place so light that contentment seemed all around her. But it was the circle of Seven's embrace and there the happiness persisted, even when her body had been wrung of every spasm. "You are so amazing," Kathryn said, with her eyes closed.
"That appears to be a programmed response after we have made love." Seven cuddle up to Kathryn, drawing the covers around them.
"It's also true," Kathryn murmured, her mind beginning to fog.
"Thank you," Seven finally allowed. "I believe you are also extraordinary."
"Good thing we found each other." By the end of the comment, Kathryn had lolled off to sleep, her breathing steady.
Seven placed a palm over the woman's heart, taking comfort in its rhythm.
=/\=
A/N: Okay, so now this chapter is out there, and we're nearing the stories grand finale, I can tell you that I'm considering that this story isn't over. I could do a trilogy. One of the obvious subplots from this chapter would be picked up in the next story. Is anyone interested in two sequels to this story?