Out of the Blue Part 4

Kathryn never heard the window close on the second story above her. She sat down on the porch swing next to her sister and let out a long breath.

 “At least, that was the plan.”

Phoebe sighed in relief and leaned forward. “I was going to say Kathryn. I know what I saw in the barn the morning after your party. I thought maybe the Delta Quadrant had turned you into a real jerk.”

“Sometimes I’m even confused…but not about the jerk part.”

Phoebe was sitting with both of her legs tucked up underneath her cross-legged on the swing. Her hair was in a ponytail and her features were a bit different than her sisters; she had a sort of elfin quality that made it hard to discern her age. In the clan Janeway however she would always be the younger sister, especially in light of her sister’s accomplishments. Subjects like starships and diplomacy, the things that made up Kathryn’s universe, did not interest her in the least however. Her interests lied more in the internal journeys of body and soul, rather than interstellar ones. She knew her sister saw her as a flighty, hippy, artsy type and probably always would; such are the mental challenges of older siblings. Right now she was gazing across the yard, slowly turning over the scenario Kathryn had described to her in her mind, exposing it to the flames of her analysis. Finally, after a long moment she nodded to herself and turned to face her sister.

“Kathryn,” she said seriously, “You need to get you heart and mind to come to a consensus about Seven of Nine, they need to be on the same page. As long as they are on different frequencies only conflict will result; chaos will always ensue.”

In the past, Kathryn could only find argument with anything that came out of her sister’s mouth; black had to be white and there was no two ways about it. Had it taken the Delta Quadrant to teach her how to shut up and listen? Or maybe a certain blonde who was as horribly stubborn as she was?

“How did you get so wise my little sister?”

“Believe it or not I was learning as I was ‘gallivanting around the globe’ as you used to put it. Believe it or not there is quite an abundance of wisdom on this planet to be found if you look for it.”

“What do you think I should do to fix this situation?”

Phoebe turned in her seat to face her. “You poor thing, you really are lost aren’t you? Unexpected things can really throw us for a loop can’t they?” She took a moment to let some recollections drift by before continuing. “Be married, Kathryn.” She took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You have virtually nothing to lose and everything to gain. Now, where is that cool drink of water formerly of the Borg collective?”

Kathryn stood slowly and stretched her back. Her small frame was wired with too much energy sometimes to sit for too long without feeling the effects. “I’ll go see what’s holding her up.” She opened the screen door to the house and stopped for a moment, pausing to look at her sister.“Thanks for the advice, it was exactly what I needed.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s good to have you home.”

She nodded and stepped inside.

“Seven, what’s going on up there?” She jogged quickly upstairs and opened the door to the bedroom. When she did the blue metal gaze waiting for her on the other side skewered her with such force that she could feel her chest constrict in fear. The blue eyes boring holes into her weren’t of the former drone she knew. Instead of cool logic and precision they shimmered with tears and something else very human: fury.

Seven stood leaning against the windowsill. She had been overcome by sudden emotions so strong her enhanced hearing did not register Kathryn coming up the stairs. There was also a throbbing ache that started at her temples as soon as she laid eyes on the red head.

Finally, Kathryn found some words within her quaking insides and forced them to the front. “What’s wrong?”

“How could you say it?”

She swallowed hard. There was genuine fear racing through her veins unlike anything she had ever experienced. “Say what?”

“Is that what you tell everyone when you speak of me?” she snapped. “That our situation is a cover and nothing more? I know how it started but-”

“No, wait. That was taken out of context. Let me…” She held her hands up to try to ward off Seven’s fury but there was no stopping it now.

“I’ve heard enough explanations from you Captain, enough to satisfy the rest of figurative lifespan. It is…physically uncomfortable to even look upon you.” She lunged forward and grasping Janeway by her shoulders began pushing her backwards towards the room’s threshold.

“Seven wait!”

“Out! Now! Do not speak to me further!” Once she had pushed her clear of the doorway she slammed the door shut in her face and locked it soundly.

Staring at the stark white door just inches from her face Janeway now felt her own anger bubble to the surface.

“Don’t you dare slam this door on me without hearing me out! Do you hear me? Open this door!”

“I’m not obligated to hear you out, Captain.”

“Just give me a chance to explain! There was a context that was spoken in,” she told the door.

“I’m manually blocking my audio reception now.”

Janeway furrowed her brow. “You’re putting your fingers in your ears! Are you telling me you’re putting your fingers in your ears! Now you’re just being childish.”

“That’s my prerogative,” came a slightly louder reply.

Janeway stopped for a moment and tried to collect herself and her thoughts, which seemed to be veering and bouncing around in a most distressing manner.

“Seven, why can’t you just let me explain? All I ask is for one minute, just one minute.”

“I cannot. I must try to minimize the physical pain you are causing me at this moment.”

Oh God, what had she done to this darling creature? She only wanted to comfort her, to chase the doubts away and soothe the pain. If there was just a way to get into that room without kicking the door down… If this was Voyager she could simply do a site to site transport. Her mind was still working on a plan when she rejoined her sister on the porch.

“What’s going on? I thought I heard shouting.”

"You were right, Phoebe, and your advice was very timely. Chaos is now ensuing. Come to the barn with me, I need your help.”

Phoebe put her hands on her hips as she watched her sister wrestle with the ladder resting against the wall inside the barn. “Kathryn, I don’t know about this. Maybe you should just let the situation cool down for a little bit.”

“You don’t know Seven. Here, grab that end. She’ll obsess on it. I just need to get everything sorted out.”

Phoebe hefted up the ladder. “So, you’re going to crawl in through the window? You’ve lost your mind, do you know that?”

“I have not, this is a perfectly reasonable solution. Come on, let’s get this over to the side of the house.”

“Okay, now I know you’ve lost it, you’re already rationalizing crawling up a ladder two stories and trying to sneak in a window. Let me try to talk to her, I can explain the conversation. I’m a neutral party.”

Kathryn wasn’t listening. She was eyeing the side of the house and calculating the best position for the ladder. “Ok, here is good. Help me get it in position.”

“I know what it is, you’re having some sort of second adolescence. Of course, you never had a first one really, always busy being studious and proper. Certainly not crawling up ladders to your lover’s window.”

Something in sister’s words stopped her cold and she paused, holding onto one of the rungs of the ladder. She looked up at the blue Indiana sky above her and felt tears welling in her eyes. She shut them quickly and cursed quietly to herself.

“I’m such an ass, Phoebe.” Her heart thumped loudly and she pressed her hand to her chest. Her eyes still closed she leaned her head against the ladder and took a shaky breath.

Phoebe wasn’t sure what she had said that seemed to have cut her sister like a knife. There was something like regret flooding her features, and she looked like her own legs could barely hold her. She was drowning in her own fears and regrets. It didn’t take much sometimes, a few misspoken or misheard words were all it took to send everyone flying off the rails. Especially a vulnerable Starfleet Captain painfully in love with her Astrometrics officer. This was one of those moments when Phoebe felt it would be a good time to channel the spirit of their deceased father and make her sister snap to. She leveled her gaze at her sister, who was still leaning against the ladder with her eyes shut tight.

“Done feeling sorry for yourself?”

Kathryn’s head snapped up and her eyes flew open.

“I said, are you done feeling sorry for yourself, Katie Janeway? If so, you have a mission to complete, so I suggest you get to it. I’ll go upstairs and see if I can get her to open the door. We’ll hit her from two sides.”

Kathryn flashed her a grin and hurried up the ladder.

As she walked towards the house Phoebe took a moment to look at the site of her sister scrambling up the ladder. Lesbian drama. This was why she didn’t date women.

As Phoebe stood in front of the bedroom door she took a moment to marvel at how she had managed to get herself involved in this whole convoluted situation. One minute, she was sitting on the porch relaxing and the next she was helping her sister try to break into a second story bedroom. Now she was trying to confront a six foot ex-Borg and she found the prospect a bit nerve racking. Was she into logic, like a Vulcan? Should she try that angle first? Kathryn must already be at the window. She put her ear to the door and heard some muffled noises, and then suddenly Seven shouted.

“You will not break through a window on your mother’s house!”

She tried the door knob and it was unlocked. She opened the door and swung it open to first see her sister on the other side of the window with what appeared to be something like a hammer in her hand. She had it poised to strike the window and stopped cold when she saw her sister with a look one her face like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Seven looked simply aghast and slightly irritated. She turned smoothly to look at the other Janeway.

“I would not let her into the room so now she is threatening to break the glass of the window.”

“Kathryn! Back off for a second. Seven, let me explain, I know what you heard. If you don’t want to listen to her then listen to me. Everyone has gotten way too upset over this. Please, I’ll be completely honest with you, I have no reason not to be.” She held her hand out to her. “Please?”

Seven looked at her, her brow knitted in confusion. Mostly the offered hand threw her off. Was she supposed to take it? Human interaction still puzzled her and the current situation now had her cortical node working overtime. She had one Janeway making her furious and threatening to break a window and another one holding her hand out to her. She chose the one who was not giving her a headache at that moment, and took Phoebe’s offered hand in her own.

Phoebe didn’t expect Seven to take her hand but was thrilled when she did. It sent a charge through her that was a bit surprising. She looked up at Seven’s blue eyes and had to stifle a sigh. Good God this woman was stunning, her presence was electric and exotic. What was she doing again? Explaining, that was it.

“Let’s go to the living room and sit down.”

“Very well, but I’m not speaking with Kathryn, she is currently causing me a headache.”

“Fair enough,” she smiled, and led her downstairs.

The sun was setting and Kathryn was enjoying the view from her vantage point on the porch when the screen door opened. Seven stepped lightly onto the wood decked so as to not make a sound and stood quietly, simply waiting for Kathryn to acknowledge her presence.

Kathryn stood from her seat and turned towards Seven. “Do you forgive me?” she asked quietly.

The setting sun made Seven’s blonde locks radiant, even more so when she turned her head to face her Captain. “It was a misunderstanding. There is nothing to forgive.”

“But I shouldn’t have said it anyway. Forgive me, I have been…scattered when it comes to you. You’ve been throwing me into confusion for sometime now, and it’s my own fault.”