Disclaimers: See Chapter I
Nature of the Beast Chapter VIII
by Kerisempai
Torres to Seven of Nine
Go ahead Lieutenant Seven couldn't have kept the soft smile of her face had the Borg Queen herself been standing before her. The sound of her new lover's voice evoked both sensual memories from the previous night as well as excitement for the coming evening.
How does diner in my quarters sound? B'Elanna asked. Neither of the holodecks were free, and I don't really find the mess hall the most romantic of dining venues.
Romance is to be the theme of the meal this evening then? Just a hint of irony laced the usual Borg monotone of Seven's voice.
Seven, are you flirting with me? The former Borg thought she could actually hear the smile in B'Elanna's voice.
Indeed Lieutenant, I am. This time Seven's enhanced hearing picked up a very low growl over the comm-link. The former Borg waited for B'Elanna to respond, but was met with no further comment. Lieutenant?
The engineer's voice was slightly deeper when she responded. Um… sorry Seven, got a little distracted for a moment. How does 1700 hours sound?
Seven vaguely wondered if Lieutenant Torres was experiencing similar moments of recollection regarding their activities from the night before. Acceptable.
And Seven
Yes, Lieutenant? Before B'Elanna responded a single red rose materialized on top of Seven's console.
Enjoy the rest of your shift. Torres out.
The remainder of Seven's shift was anything but enjoyable. She alternated between twirling the stem of the flower between her fingertips, replaying every touch and caress of her interlude with B'Elanna, and anticipating what the coming "date" would bring. Her efficiency was down by 33.2972 . She had finally managed to complete her assigned tasks when Jennifer Delaney came through the doors to Astrometrics.
"Hi Seven," the other woman greeted cordially.
"Good Afternoon." Seven's entered in several programs into her console, as she wished to monitor a possible plasma storm several light years off.
The brunette took up a position at the console next to the former Borg. The bright splash of color in the otherwise drab room caught her attention. Jennifer was not in the habit of initiating non-work related conversation with Seven of Nine, but the incongruity of the rose on the other woman's console made her ask.
"Where did you get that rose Seven? It's beautiful."
Done entering her commands, Seven picked up the flower once again and allowed a small smile to grace her features. "It was a gift."
"Really? Wow, do you have a secret admirer?" Voyager was far from a vacuum, and Jennifer was quite aware that many of the crewmen, hell many of the officers for that matter, appreciated the blond's good looks and harbored not so secret crushes on her.
"It is no secret," Seven stated, "Indeed we have a date this evening."
Jennifer clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful Seven. What are you going to wear?" She was genuinely happy for the ex-drone, and extremely curious as to who the lucky guy might be, but Seven hadn't volunteered a name, and Jennifer wasn't about to push the newly forthcoming woman by pressing for details.
A confused look crossed Seven's features. "I intended to wear my current attire. Is this unsuitable?"
Jennifer pursed her lips. "Well you could wear that, but dates are special. It gives us an excuse to dress up a little. Feel beautiful. You know."
"I have never "dressed up" before." The confusion had been replaced by equal parts anxiety and anticipation. "Since being severed from the Collective this," Seven gestured down at the light blue biosuit, "is all I have worn."
It was all Jennifer could do not to shout "make-over." "I could show you a few things in the replicator," she offered in a calm voice.
"Acceptable."
For the next hour, Jennifer Delaney showed Seven different outfits, accessories, and even possible hairstyles. Seven scrutinized her options carefully, finally selecting a pale blue knee length dress in a soft knit fabric. After thanking the other woman for her assistance, Seven made her way to Sick Bay ready to commence preparations for her evening.
The EMH smirked slightly at the blond's entrance from the doorway of his office. "No blood I see, must be a slow day in engineering." Although he had spoken in low tones, the doctor was perfectly aware of Seven's acute hearing, and had no doubt been trying to tweak her.
She ignored him, crossing instead to the replicator and calling up the dress she had decided on. Seven took her new dress with her into the en-suite and began the sonic shower.
Seven spent a full twenty minutes in front of the mirror that had so repelled her several days ago. She touched the reflection momentarily. B'Elanna had called her beautiful. Seven hoped fervently that she still felt the same. While Seven had come to respect the engineer's opinion in matters paramount to Voyager's engines and structure, her feelings on other matters hadn't concerned Seven overly much. It was astonishing how much that had changed, and while analytically Seven knew she should not place so much importance and trust in a person who had until several days ago been her chief antagonist, her heart said differently.
One last look and Seven turned and left the en-suite. She was halfway across Sick Bay, when a slightly strangled noise made her turn toward the EMH's office. The hologram's mouth was hanging slightly open, and Seven heard one more splutter before his matrix flickered, and he simply blinked out of sight.
Seven raised her eyebrow at this turn of events, but resumed her course out of Sick Bay and to the turbolift.
B'Elanna was lighting the last of the candles when the door chimed. Instead of calling out permission to enter, she walked across the room to the door. It slid open, revealing the gorgeous form of Seven of Nine. Had B'Elanna been present minutes earlier in Sick Bay, she would have immediately understood what happened to the EMH. Her own systems seemed to be experiencing an overload due to the beauty of the woman before her.
Seven's hair fell to her shoulders in soft golden waves, framing her face. Her eyes were bluer than the engineer had ever seen them, reflecting the matching color of the dress Seven wore. And what a dress it was. It hugged the other woman's form, clinging to her upper body, then flaring out below the waist. B'Elanna was uncertain how long she stood there taking in the apparition, but eventually she regained control of her faculties and stepped back to allow the former Borg entry.
"Wow, Seven. You look… amazingly, incomprehensibly beautiful."
A look of joy fell over the blond's face momentarily. "Thank you B'Elanna, I find your appearance aesthetically plea…" she stopped and rethought her phrasing. "You are very beautiful tonight as well."
Seven's attempt as less formal speech was not lost on the Klingon. B'Elanna had picked her outfit carefully as well, knowing that the soft cream-colored linen pants and sleeveless tunic complimented her skin tone. She'd even added a bit of gloss to highlight her lips, and possibly make them appear more kissable?
"Thank you Seven. If you'd like to have a seat, I'll just get the last of things together." B'Elanna gestured toward the living room area, where she set out several plates of light appetizers. The room was enveloped in the soft glow of a dozen or so candles B'Elanna had lit. Seven seemed even more ethereal in the soft light, and B'Elanna took a moment to watch her walk to the couch before resuming the last of her tasks.
She joined Seven a few minutes later, carrying two glasses of fruit juice. "I know that synthenol plays havoc with your Borg systems, so I thought you might enjoy this instead," she said, handing Seven the glass.
Both women drank, and by the smile on Seven's face, B'Elanna knew that her drink selection had been a hit. A moment or two passed, and neither woman broke the silence. Nervous tension settled around them, and B'Elanna had no idea how to relieve it. Every time she looked at Seven, intending to begin conversation, her mind deserted her. She didn't want to talk about ship's business. Not tonight. Why had things seemed so much easier when she'd been yelling at Seven one minute, and kissing her the next?
Shifting on the couch made B'Elanna take her eyes from her glass, and focus on the woman next to her. Seven had slid over so that she was close, but not quite touching the Klingon. B'Elanna's hearts, already keeping a steady beat, sped up even more.
Seven placed her glass on the table in front of the couch, then took B'Elanna's glass from her hands and did the same. "I am uncertain if it is the correct protocol, but I would very much like to kiss you right now B'Elanna."
"Kahless yes," B'Elanna groaned.
Seven's hand caressed B'Elanna's cheek before moving around to cup the back of her head and draw her closer. Her lips, soft at first, became more emboldened.
B'Elanna felt she could happily spend the rest of time being kissed by Seven. The all consuming passion of the night before had mellowed for now to an all encompassing warmth that spread through B'Elanna's entire body. They stayed that way for a while, letting the kiss come to an end naturally.
Surprisingly, when they separated enough to look at each other the tension from before had dissipated. B'Elanna leaned in for one more quick kiss, leaving a smile on both their faces.
Conversation flowed naturally after that.
To Be Continued.
