Kathryn Janeway watched as foam formed in the bathtub, savoring the smell of fresh flowers that filled the room. Few glasses of her favorite wine and she was already feeling a nice buzz, enjoying the fact that she was finally able to relax after a strenuous month. The meetings and debriefings were over, all the immediate issues resolved, and the newly-promoted Admiral had some time to devote just to herself and her overworked body for the first time since they returned to Earth. And there's nothing like a nice bath and fine wine to take the edge off, she thought as she pulled down the straps on her nightgown and let it fall to the floor, enjoying the feel of silk as it slid down her skin. After a few moments of thought, she picked up a small towel and wrapped it around her head, knowing that she probably wouldn't have enough strength to dry her hair once she was done. She slowly slipped into the water, a soft, satisfied purr escaping her lips as hot liquid engulfed her tense body. This is close to heaven, she thought, already starting to feel the positive effects on her aching muscles.

Several minutes and another glass of wine later, her mind wandered back where it usually landed these days, to her Astrometrics Officer. Well, technically, she's not really my anything anymore, she thought as a small sigh escaped her lips. After a few tense meetings and some strings pulled by the Captain, Seven's acceptance into Star Fleet went rather painlessly. She was assigned a post in Star Fleet's Science Division, a position that took the young woman from under Kathryn's command. Now she had a job, a place to live, and her relationship with Chakotay seemed to be developing nicely, leaving less and less room for Janeway in her life. I guess I didn't open my eyes in time, Kathryn thought, remembering the feelings of loss and jealousy that surfaced every time she saw Seven with her First Officer. She wanted to be angry at her best friend, but she knew she had little right to be. It's not like I would have had a chance even if he wasn't in the picture, she thought dejectedly, determined to stop that line of thinking. She relaxed back and simply let images of Seven dance around her mind for a few minutes, before a small smile graced her lips. No harm in indulging in a small fantasy, she thought through a drunken haze, as she felt a warm feeling start in the pit of her stomach. She imagined what it would be like to have the beautiful Borg there with her, massaging her feet, kissing her way up her legs... Suddenly, thinking that she felt the water shift, Kathryn opened her eyes and gasped, half in wonder, half in pure pleasure. This is some strong wine, she thought as she drank in the incredibly lifelike sight in front of her. Seated on the opposite side of her tub was Seven of Nine in all her naked glory, her upper body covered only by a few not-so-strategically placed bubbles, her skin flushed from the heat. Just as she mentally thanked Tom for the wine and was about to continue enjoying her fantasy with a more "hands-on" approach, Kathryn felt her foot brush against soft skin under the water, and that, combined with a confused voice, brought her crashing back to reality, as implausible as it seemed to her at the moment.


"Captain?"

"Seven! What in the world are you doing here?! Or more importantly, how did you get in here?" The usually stoic Borg looked as confused and shocked as the Captain at their current situation and Kathryn could have sworn that she saw her blush and swallow nervously before her usual demeanor returned.

"I am not sure I can answer that question Captain. One moment I was preparing to regenerate and the next I found myself here." She paused for a second, assessing the situation before adding, "Naked, apparently."

"Apparently," Kathryn replied dryly, not really needing a reminder of Seven's nudity, of which her whole body was very aware of, judging by her highly aroused state. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she lifted herself into a seating position, not noticing that her sudden move caused Seven to stare at her naked breasts with an unusual lack of propriety.

"Q! I know you are here somewhere!"

That brought Seven from her trance-like state and she took a second to compose herself before she finally asked as neutrally as she could. "Captain? You think that Q had something to do with... us sharing a bath?"

"Trust me Seven, this wouldn't be the first time he did something like this."

Seven's ocular implant rose impossibly high as she asked, unable to hide her slight annoyance. "He regularly transports naked women into your bathtub?"

"No!" Janeway looked at Seven in shock and realizing that she was showing a bit too much of herself, slinked back into the water. She attempted to explain her previous comment but her inebriated brain refused to cooperate and most of the sentences that formed in her mind quickly disintegrated.

"He used to... What I meant is... Oh, forget it. Remember our many discussions on trust?"

"Of course I do Captain."

"Well, this is one of those times you'll simply have to trust me. Q!"

Seven smiled slightly, making sure that her amusement was hidden from the other woman. She was enjoying seeing the Captain like this, a lot less in control than she was used to.

"Even if it is Q who is behind this Captain, I doubt that he is going to answer you right now."

As she spoke, Seven's breasts kept escaping their already thin layer of foam coverage and Kathryn found it increasingly difficult not to stare openly at the younger woman's attributes. Think about turn-offs Kathryn! Okay, really, really cold shower. Standing naked at the North Pole. Neelix in a thong...

Not noticing Janeway's distress, Seven continued to speak and rose from the tub, promptly putting all of herself on display for Janeway to admire.

"The most productive thing would be for us to get dressed and..."

"Seven! Sit down, now!"

Startled by the Captain's vehement reaction, Seven immediately complied, not sure what she did wrong. Noticing the questioning look in her eyes, the now profoundly blushing Janeway continued to speak, trying to calm her wildly beating heart at the same time.

"You can't just stand up all naked like that! We need to get you a towel..." She thought for a moment before remembering that she had one wrapped around her hair. "Here, take this one."

Seven looked at the small cloth, clearly puzzled. "You expect me to wrap... this... around my body? You don't think it's a bit... inadequate?"

No, actually I think it's perfect, she thought and promptly suppressed that train of thought.

Bringing her raging hormones under control, Kathryn sighed resignedly, admitting that Seven was right and swore to badly disfigure Q or whoever was responsible for her current predicament as soon as she got her hands on them.

"You have a better idea?"

"You could close your eyes Captain. It would be more efficient."

"Oh. I..." Close my eyes. Why the hell didn't I do that in the first place, Kathryn thought, feeling her cheeks get even redder, if that was possible by this point. Oh, the hell with it, she thought before speaking again, her censoring senses obviously offline. "Seven, I am just a normal human being, very close to being drunk and I have a gorgeous, naked woman with me in my bathtub. Please don't expect me to be able to think rationally!"

Realizing what she just said, Janeway leaned back as far as she could, wondering if her new Admiral insignia gave her the authority to qualify this situation as an official crisis and request an emergency site to site transport anywhere else. A few seconds of silence passed before Seven finally spoke again.

"I believe we need to talk Captain."

"Look Seven, I'm sorry about what I just said. There's no need to..."

"Please Cap... Kathryn."

At the tentative mention of her name, the older woman looked up, curious as to why Seven seemed she was the one who just made the slip-up and not Janeway.

"I'll do all the talking, just listen to me, please."

Trying to push aside the ridiculousness of the whole situation, Janeway just nodded her head, trying hard to keep the rest of her body from moving, making sure that she avoided any additional not-so-unwanted contact with Seven.

"Since we began dating, I have felt little or no desire to expand my relationship with Chakotay into the physical realm."

Okay. Not what I thought she was going to say, Kathryn thought, but kept it to herself, along with the very inappropriate cheer that spontaneously almost made it out of her mouth.

"We have engaged in kissing and while it was pleasurable, it was hardly an earth-shattering experience." The Borg's cold and analytical voice suddenly wavered and Kathryn couldn't help but shiver at the huskiness that accompanied Seven's next words. "However, when I just materialized in your bathtub and your foot brushed against my thigh... I had this sudden urge to grab your legs, pull you onto my lap, and..."

Feeling the heat rise inside her, Janeway hurried to stop Seven before her own body decided to enact young woman's words all on its own.

"All right Seven, I get the picture!" Her breathing became ragged and she had to take a few deep breaths before continuing, wondering all the while what gave her the strength not to take advantage of the situation. "Look, it's natural to feel sexual desire for another person in such a... charged situation. That doesn't mean..."

"You told me that you would let me speak Captain..." After the other woman reluctantly acquiesced and nodded her head, Seven continued. "This was hardly the first time I felt that way with you. When we played Velocity, participated in the Da Vinci program, not to mention whenever I saw you in that blue top you wear under your uniform..." Seven's eyes glazed over and a few seconds passed without anything else being said, causing Kathryn to clear her throat several times to get her attention. Shaking her head for a moment to regain her focus, Seven continued. "Anyway... After I settled for the Commander as my romantic interest, I thought that time would..."

Not able to stop herself as the words registered with her, Kathryn interrupted her again, her protective streak for the younger woman immediately reasserting itself. "Wait, what do you mean settled?"

Seven looked at her for a few moments before answering, obviously willing to put all her cards on the table. "You were the one person I was interested in romantically and since you were not available, the logical step was to scan the crew for the next best potential choice."

"Logical step?" And that's really not the thing I should be concentrating on. "What do you mean I was not available?"

"You never showed any physical interest in me and..."

"I didn't!? I mean, I didn't, of course..." I guess I am better than I knew, she thought, still trying to wrap her mind around what Seven was saying.

"When I concluded that you were not interested in me romantically, I didn't want to risk losing your friendship, so I decided to try and emulate a relationship with the Commander, hoping the love I felt for you would eventually revert back to platonic."

Love? She loved me? Loves me?

"Our relationship was adequate but as time passed, getting over you didn't seem to become any easier. On the contrary, you were more on my mind than ever."

As she continued to speak, Seven inched slowly towards the Captain, brushing her body against the older woman's as she did so.

"However, your reactions to me since we have found ourselves in these strange circumstances," feeling the Captain shiver under her, she added with clear satisfaction, "as well as present reactions of your body, have caused me to believe that I have made a grave mistake in judgment."

"Oh?" was the only thing Kathryn managed to say, and even that came out more as a moan than an actual word.

Seven smiled and continued, her lips now only a fraction away from Kathryn's. "Your reactions have caused me to believe that you might not have reacted adversely had I followed my first impulse upon finding myself in your bathtub."

Still trying to hold onto at least some rational thoughts, Janeway tried to slow down the situation but not really sure herself why she was still fighting it. "Look Seven, I'm not sure we're doing the right thing..."

Seven paused for a second, an unusual vulnerability clear in her eyes. "You don't love me?" "No... I mean I do... Love you, that is... But..."

A brilliant smile graced Seven lips at that, making Janeway completely lose herself in the beauty before her.

"Then maybe I can help resolve your indecision..."

With that, the former Borg crossed the rest of the distance and pressed her lips to Kathryn's, capturing the small gasp that escaped the older women upon the contact. The feeling was exquisite and soon the kiss deepened, letting both women get completely lost in each other. When they finally separated due to the need for air, Janeway leaned her head on Seven's shoulder trying to clear her mind. She tried one final time, needing to be sure for her own sake.

"Seven... What I meant before... Chakotay..."

"I will notify the Commander of the termination of our relationship tomorrow. I do not think it will surprise him much. But right now he is the last thing I want to think about."

"But..."

"No more buts Kathryn." She nipped at the older woman's earlobe as she whispered, a note of uncharacteristic mischief in her voice. "Fun will now commence."

Shivering at the delightful feeling that encompassed her body at Seven's ministrations, there was only one thing left for her to say. "Oh, by all means Seven... By all..."

* * * * * *

"I'm waiting..."

Q looked at his offspring, a mixture of pride and annoyance evident in his features.

"Fine. You were right. It wasn't Chakotay, it was Seven she lusted after and you were right to transport her instead of him as I told you. Happy now?"

"You have no idea how happy Dad."

"I wish I knew this before... I knew the Borg had a thing for her, but I never thought it ran both ways. I might have increased some other attributes instead of that damned tattoo... Well, you get your vacation on Risa after all boy."

His son patted him sportily on the back, enjoying the moment for all that it was worth. "Glad to see that you are finally willing to admit that the younger generation is indeed smarter than you old-timers."

"Don't push it young man! This was a lucky guess." A few moans made their way from the bathroom and Q decided that it was time to leave. "Anyways, c'mon Junior, our work here is done."

"Aw, Dad, but now comes the fun part."

"Watch your mouth young man. That's your aunt you're talking about!"

"But she's my honorary aunt. We're not really related or anything." He looked at his father expectantly. "And you saw how good they look together... Just a peek?"

A moment of indecision crossed Q's face, but the thought of possible consequences if Janeway ever found out they observed her in such a delicate moment made his determination reassert itself immediately. The wrath of Janeway wasn't something he would submit to willingly.


"Don't get cocky with me young man. I can still turn you into an amoeba if I see fit..."

Seeing that there was no changing his father's mind, Junior finally decided to give up, but not without a decent amount of grumbling.

"That's my boy." Q continued, satisfied. "Just make sure that she knows it was us after all. Since she had us pegged from the beginning, it would be a shame if she started running gazillions of scans once she is completely sober instead of enjoying the delights her Borg has to offer."

Junior smiled, and then asked as a thought occurred to him. "You think she'll invite us to the wedding?"

"It'll take her a while to stop seething, but once she realizes that we did her a favor...

Considering how stubborn and damn noble both of them are, they probably would never have come to this point on their own. I think that'll warrant a best man spot at least."

With his final words, Q winked at his son and snapped his fingers. As they vanished towards their next destination, a note materialized on the kitchen table, with a few simple, explanatory words.

You are welcome Aunt Kathy...

The End