Unbreakable?
 

"How ya doin', dollface?" asked Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, Voyager's top engineer as she approached Seven of Nine's biobed where the ex-Borg continued to lay, practically motionless. "The Doctor said you wanted to see me?"

"Correct. I want you to inform Kathryn that I cannot remain in this position until her shift ends tomorrow," Seven stated plainly, attempting to keep her voice even and without the acid she had shovled for the majority of the day. "She will not listen to me, and neither will the Doctor. Perhaps you could persuade her?"

"Sorry, Seven," Torres responded shrugging, sadly. "The captain already told me that I'm not allowed to try to get you out of here any earlier. You know I'd do it if I could…but I don't need Red steamed at me today. She's got enough problems as it is." Pulling up a stool, she asked, "What's going on? Why do you want to leave so bad? Is the Doctor driving you crazy?"

"Yes," answered Seven completely incapable of hiding her displeasure. "I find that the longer I am here in his presence, the more I wish to reprogram his vocal processors. He insists on…humming as he works and he continually talks to himself. He is irritating. Perhaps you could assist me?"

Smiling crookedly, Torres questioned, "Are you trying to get me thrown in the Brig?"

"No," Seven sighed. "I merely wish to be…less disturbed. Will you assist me?"

"No way, babe," Torres shook her head. "The captain would have my butt in the sling faster than I could spit."

"B'Elanna Torres, please determine the designation you wish to address me by and stick to it," Seven came back sharp. "I am having difficulty keeping up with all the these 'names.'" When Torres bite down on her lip and held back a laugh, Seven asked, "What is it about this situation that you find humorous?"

"You know, Seven, you can be a real bitch sometimes," Torres smiled wickedly. Patting her on the arm, she said, "And that's why I like you so much. Now…is there anything I can get you or do for you…that won't piss the captain off?" Before Seven had a chance to reply, Nicole Fowler walked through the door to Sickbay. Surprised, Torres said, "Hey, Nick…you sick or something?"

Spotting Torres, the amazon, green-eyed pilot walked over to her, explaining, "No…I was on my way to the holodeck, and I just thought I 'd stop by for a minute to say hi to Seven." A little tentative, she poked her head over the top of the biobed and said, "Hi, Seven."

"Lieutenant Fowler," Seven responded evenly. The not paying the tall woman any more attention, she turned her head to Torres and stated, "B'Elanna Torres, if you will not help me reprogram the Doctor, then I do not require your assistance. You may leave."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Torres informed the blonde, throwing her attitude right back at her, "Well, unless you can get your skinny butt off that biobed and move me…I’m not going anywhere. My duty-shift is over…so there's no where else I need to be."

Nicole bit down on her lip, trying not to snicker and asked, "So, Seven…how are you feeling?"

Seven turned her head toward Nicole again, raised her eyebrow and responded, "I am functioning." Then turning back to Torres, she said, "If you will not leave, then will you bring my data to me so that I may have something in which to occupy my time?"

"I think I can handle that," Torres said. "Where'd you leave it?"

"It is in Ka…it is in the captain's Ready Room," Seven answered, amending her response since Nicole Fowler was in the vacinity. Seven of Nine was aware that the pilot knew of her relationship with the captain, however, that didn't mean she was comfortable displaying her love for Janeway in front of a woman she did not know. "The PADD is located in the cabinet near her couch, unless she has moved it."

"I'll go get it," Fowler jumped in, not wanting to be left alone with Seven who seemed to be doing her best to ignore her. Before Torres or Seven could object she was out the door and heading toward the turbolift, sighing and saying under her breath, "What in the world does Janeway see in her anyway?" Then thinking about Seven's rather impressive physique, Nicole surmised to herself, "Must be the sex."

Stepping off the turbolift after being whisked up to the Bridge, she said to Commander Tuvok who was still on duty and overseeing things on the Bridge, "I'm just going to see the captain for a minute." When he nodded at her and told her to proceed, she walked down the stairs and pressed the door call sensor. When the captain granted her entrance she walked through the doors and said, "Sorry to bother you, Captain…I’m here at Seven's request."

Sighing, Janeway leaned back in her chair, titled her head and asked, "She didn't send you here to convince me to let her go early too, did she?"

"No, Ma'am," Fowler smiled slightly, "I doubt Seven thinks I have that much pull with you." When that got a small, silent chuckle out of the captain, the tall pilot explained, "She's requesting a PADD containing her ‘data.’ She's says she left it in here…in a cabinet. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Oh, yes," Janeway recalled getting out of her chair and walking up the steps, saying, "I'm surprised she sent you, Nick…usually she doesn't ask favors of people she isn't very good friends with…that’s a pretty big compliment coming from Seven, you know?"

As the captain bent down and searched through her cabinet, Nicole responded honestly, not able to let the captain think that Seven thought of her as anything other than an irrelevant acquaintance, "She actually asked Torres, but I offered to get it…I don't think she was too interested in my company anyhow."

Finding the PADD, Janeway stood up and said, smiling crookedly, "Don't take it personally…she more or less threw me out of there earlier today when I told her I wouldn't let her go home early. She's just not comfortable being so dependent…it's not very efficient." Handing the PADD to Nick after briefly glancing at it out of curiosity, but then seeing several complex algorithms, she didn't attempt to understand it further, having too much of a headache to think that hard, Janeway said, "And thank you for taking the time to see her. I know you're not doing it for me…but I appreciate it nonetheless."

"You're welcome, Captain…I better get back before she talks B'Elanna into reprogramming the Doctor."

"Of course," Janeway laughed walking back to her desk. "Would you tell her I'll be by shortly?"

"Certainly, Captain."

"Here's your data, Seven," Fowler said handing the small data device to the lounging Borg, scanning the room for B’Elanna who was no where to be found. "The captain said she’ll be by to see you soon."

Before Nicole had a chance to say anything else, Seven of Nine said clipped, "Very well." Then furrowing her brow, she asked, "Lieutenant Fowler…why have you done this for me, when I did not request your assistance?"

A little taken back by the question, although reminding herself that she should stop being surprised by the Borg’s forwardness since everyone in their own way warned her about Seven, Nicole said, "I just thought I'd try to be of some help…I know how much it stinks to not be able to do things for yourself."

"You have never displayed an interest in my wellbeing before…why would you start now?"

Crossing her arms over her broad chest, Nicole took a slightly defensive position as B'Elanna Torres came out of the Doctor's office and answered, "Well, I wasn't a senior officer before…and I worked the night shift, so we never had a chance to work together. Also, I happen to be a pretty nice person, and I honestly feel bad about what happened to you."

Quickly, Seven asked, "Then this behavior has nothing to do with the fact that you are attempting to use me to persuade the captain into extending your temporary status?"

Before Nicole had a chance to respond, Torres jumped in and said, "Hey…what's going on here, dollface?"

Looking over at Torres, Seven stated, "B'Elanna Torres…I believe that Lieutenant Fowler is attempting to deceive me. I require your assistance."

Now feeling really confused and more than a little put off by the blonde, Nicole said, "Don't bother…and by the way, Seven…you're welcome." Turning, she said to Torres who called out to her to wait so she could explain, "I'll see you later, Torres." As she walked out of Sickbay talking a deep calming breath and turning the corner, she didn't see the small form of her commanding officer until she was plowing into her. Recovering quickly, Nicole reached out and grabbed the captain by the shoulders at she fell backward, saying, "Shit…I'm sorry, Captain…I didn't see you." Once she had stood the much shorter redhead back up, she released her immediately and asked, "Are you okay?"

Brushing back her hair, laughing a little, catching her breath, Janeway said, "Thank you…yes, I’m fine."

"I apologize, Captain…I should have been watching where I was going."

Smirking, Janeway patted Fowler on the arm and said, "Don't worry about it, Nick…no harm done. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Captain," the pilot answered. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go get something to eat before the Mess Hall closes for the evening."

The captain stepped aside and said, wryly, "By all means…I wouldn't want to stand between you and your nutritional requirements, Lieutenant." Then slapping her back lightly as she walked away, Janeway said over her shoulder, "Have a pleasant evening."

"You too, Captain."

Rubbing her neck lightly as she walked smiling into the Mess Hall, thankful that Fowler had such quick reflexes since she was certain that she would have ended up on her bottom, Janeway's smile faded as she heard Seven's defiant tone and saw Torres rubbing her forehead, obviously frustrated. When she heard Seven say that Torres' explanation was irrelevant, Janeway said a little sharply, "What's going on here?"

"Captain," Torres turned around quickly, looking more than a little nervous. "Um…nothing…I was just visiting Seven…here."

"Sounds more like you were arguing," Janeway remarked as she came up to the biobed. Looking back and forth between them, she asked, "Would someone care to tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothing important, Captain," Torres answered, looking down at Seven, trying to telepathically signal to her to keep her mouth shut before she made things worse.

Raising her eyebrow, unconvinced, Janeway looked down at Seven and asked, "Seven…is something going on that I should know about?"

"Yes, Kathryn," Seven said as Torres sighed and threw her hands up walking away, cursing in Klingon under her breath. "I believe that Lieutenant Fowler is attempting to deceive me. However, B'Elanna Torres does not. Although, I believe she is being deceived as well."

Janeway looked over at Torres who was shaking her head at her, searching for answers. When Torres’ body language gave nothing away but the feisty engineer’s frustration, Janeway looked back at Seven, and questioned, "Why do you think she's deceiving you?"

"She came here today to greet me and showed concern for my welfare. She has never displayed this behavior before," Seven explained. Then looking over at Torres she stated defiantly, "Despite what B'Elanna Torres says, I believe that the lieutenant is attempting to use me to persuade you into permanently promoting her."

"Seven…she's not like that," Torres sighed in frustration. "She was just trying to be nice. Captain…honestly, she wasn’t trying to do anything like that. That’s not like her."

Looking back over at Kathryn, Seven raised her eyebrow and stated, "As I said, I believe she has deceived B'Elanna Torres as well."

The captain maintained her composure, despite that she suddenly felt like she was having to play parent, and asked carefully, taking up a seat next to the Borg where Torres had been before she stomped off, "Seven…did you ask Miss Fowler why she was coming to see you before you accused her of lying?"

"Yes."

"And what did she say?"

"She stated that she was attempting to be helpful, and she expressed remorse for my situation."

Nodding, Janeway asked, "Well, that sounds about right...why don’t you believe her?"

The Borg looked away for a moment and then stated, her voice smaller, "I believe she is using me. I believe that she does not care for my wellbeing but only her own." Sighing, Seven said looking at Kathryn, "I am tired of being used, Kathryn. This deception is unacceptable."

Bowing her head, Janeway said quietly, "Seven, I know this is hard for you…but I don't think Nicole Fowler is deceiving you. She's a very kind woman who helped you while you were ill. This is just her way of reaching out and trying to become your friend. And I'm pretty sure she knows that how well she gets along with you isn't going to determine whether or not I keep her on as a senior officer." Smiling a little, she continued, "Darling…I don't think you're giving her enough credit."

"How do you know that she is not deceiving me?"

"I know because I'm her captain, Seven," Janeway stated clearly and surely. "She's a Starfleet officer. You're just going to have to trust me on this."

Remaining determined to continue with her argument, Seven came back, "Tom Paris is a Starfleet officer, is he not?"

The captain took a deep breath and counted to five, equally determined to not argue with Seven, understanding that her mood wasn’t something that could be helped, and the captain honestly couldn’t blame her for being cranky. After she was certain that she could answer without any trace of frustration in her voice, Janeway answered, "Yes, he is. However, you asked me to help you when you believed you were being deceived, and that’s what I’m doing. Nicole Fowler has done nothing to warrant you, me, or anyone else to think that she is anything but an upstanding member of this crew. It’s not fair to punish her because you don’t know her."

"Very well, I will not confront her on this matter again," Seven sighed. "However, I do not trust her, Kathryn."

Closing her eyes, Janeway nodded and said ruefully, "That's all I can ask, Seven…do try to give her a chance, though. Everyone deserves at least one chance…if you didn’t give me and chance, or visa versa…things would be quite different around here."

Seven looked away and thought about the captain’s words for a few moments and then replied, "I will contemplate this." Then turning back to Janeway, she continued, softer, "Kathryn, I apologize for becoming angry at you earlier today. It was not my intention to fight with you. I am having…difficulty remaining patient in this place. Will you please inform the Doctor that I am well enough to return to your quarters?"

Shaking her head, Janeway sighed, "Seven…you know I can't do that. The Doctor says you need to stay here until tomorrow evening. I know you're tired and want to come home, but it's only one more day. I think it’s for the best if you stay so the Doctor can look after you. I can’t take care of you like he can."

"Kathryn, this is unacceptable!" Seven said adamantly and quite a bit louder. "I am tired of staying in this position. It is uncomfortable. The Doctor seems to care little about the fact that I have been unable to move my legs in two days," Seven of Nine clipped. "I do not understand why I must remain here when I can go home and lay down just as easily?"

"Seven…"

When the captain continued to resist, she changed tactics and pleaded, looking at the ceiling, "Please, Kathryn…please ask the Doctor. I am…it is difficult to function this way. I am uncomfortable in this room. It does not feel safe. I want to go home. I will not tax my body…on my honor. Please ask him."

The captain, never one to be able to resist Seven’s heartfelt pleas, sighed and nodded, saying, "Okay…okay." Patting her hand, she informed, "I'll ask him …but I can't make him agree. You are his patient…and I won't, nor can I order him to do any different. Do you understand that?"

"Yes. Will you explain to him as to why I wish to return?"

"Yes…try to relax…I’ll get him in a moment," Janeway said as she kissed Seven on the forehead. Then turning around, the compact redhead went over to Torres who was sitting on a biobed with her arms crossed over her chest and asked softly, "What happened?"

"I don’t know," Torres shrugged. "Nick came in and Seven was her typical cool customer, but when she came back with her PADD, I had gone to the bathroom, and walked in on Seven telling Nick that she thought she was trying to use her to get to you. The Nick took off…she seemed pretty pissed…and I can't really blame her."

Sighing and rubbing her forehead, Janeway said, "Damn…I can't believe I've been this stupid."

"Huh?"

"About Seven…first Tom lies to her and tricks her into helping him…and what do I do, I make her deal with it by letting him come over and install the television. And then, the A.I. violates her and essentially kills her, and I ask her to not only get over it, but to remain in here all day long without anyone that loves her to be around," Janeway whispered harshly. "Of course she’s uncomfortable in here…I can't believe I've been this selfish."

"Whoa," Torres said grabbing her shoulders and looking down so she could catch her stare and lift it. "I think you're being a little hard on yourself, Kathryn. Seven's been through some big changes lately. You can't protect her from everything…she's got to learn how to deal with this stuff on her own too."

"I'm not trying to protect her from everything," Janeway came back quickly. When Torres looked at her informing her that she was aware that she was lying through her teeth, Janeway sighed and said, "Okay, so I'm trying to protect her from everything. I can't help it…people don't realize how fragile she is underneath all that Borg arrogance. I'm just afraid for her."

"I know…but nothing you can do can change what's happened," the engineer reminded. "And you can't beat yourself up over this too. You've done more for Seven than the rest of this ship has put together…probably ten times over. Let's just try to convince the Doctor to let her go home…I think she's just working herself up into a panic being cooped up in here. She'll be okay, Red…she's just a little cranky."

Janeway ran her fingers through her hair and said, "You're right. " Then sighing she chuckled some at herself, "Thank you…sometimes I think I'm my own worst enemy."

"No, you’re just trying to be Wonder Woman again," Torres smiled. "Which is why I love you so much…but you can’t always save the universe, and get the girl. Seven’s going to be okay…and I’ll talk to Nick and tell her that she needs to just let it go. She’s seems pretty laid back…I think it will fine."

Shaking her head, Janeway said, "I hope so…I don’t think I can be referee too."

Torres took a minute to rub the captain’s back and said, "Why don’t you let me handle that…I have a little experience dealing with this kind of situation. It will be fine…trust me."

Smiling crookedly, Janeway whispered, "’Lanna…what did I ever do without you?"

Torres winked and said standing, then leaning over and whispering into the captain’s ear, "I keep asking myself that same thing, Red."

Poking Torres in the ribs, Janeway teased, "I’ll bet." Then straightening, she said looking up instinctively, "Computer, activate EMH."

"Please stat…" the Doctor began, then looking around quickly, he spotted the captain and Torres standing rather close together and said, "Captain…Lieutenant Torres…can I help you with something, or is this just a family reunion?"

Taking an aggressive step toward the hologram, Torres glared at him and said, "Nice attitude…keep it up and I’ll program you to with pig tails."

As the Doctor looked shocked and ran his hand over her bald head, Janeway shook her head and sighed, saying, "Doctor…I’d like you to consider releasing Seven to my quarters immediately. She’s having…"

"Really, Captain," the Doctor interrupted, "I don’t think one more day is too long for you to wait."

Not many people of Voyager could attest, but the few that could would do so adamently, stating that it generally was a very bad idea to interrupt the captain. Furthermore, it was most definitely not wise to do so while making an assumption about her personal life in front of a member of her crew. Apparently, the Mark One, the Doctor's EMH model, was not aware of that information..at least, he wasn't until now.

"Miss Torres, would you excuse us for a moment?" Janeway asked immediately, not taking her eyes off the Doctor.

The lieutenant nodded and left with knowing that no reprogramming she could do would come anywhere close to the lecture the Doctor was about to receive, saying, humbled just by the look on her captain’s face, "Yes, Ma'am."

"In your office…now," the captain hissed low and deep pointing crisply, the snap of her arm and the material surrounding it clear in the air. Once they were inside, she ordered,"Close the door." After he had done so and started to take a seat, Janeway barked, "I don’t believe I gave you permission to sit, Doctor." Pacing around the room, her arms folded across her chest, Janeway said, "I’m a reasonable woman, Doctor. I realize that this situation is…complicated." Then turning around to face him, she schooled, "However, I am the captain of this vessel, and I will not tolerate you, or anyone else to make flippant comments about how I choose to spend my private time in front of my staff. If you have a problem with me…then I suggest you take this opportunity to voice your concerns, because this is the last time we will have this conversation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain," the hologram responded quickly without even thinking about the words.

Continuing the stare him down, the captain finally looked away, sat gracefully in the chair in front of his desk and said, "Have a seat." Once he did so, and proceeded to fidget, she titled her head and said, "Well…let’s here it…I don’t have all day, Doctor…as you know, I am a very busy woman."

"There’s no problem, Captain," the photonic projection informed, backpeddling as fast as his matrix would allow.

"No?" Janeway asked, her body language edgy and irritated. "Funny…it seems to me that you’ve had a problem with my relationship with Seven of Nine for the last week…or is this," using her hands to show her displeasure by being equally flippant as the Doctor, "attitude just your way of wishing us well?" When the hologram still continued to remain silent, she finally stood and leaned over her desk some, and said in a loud, raspy whisper, "Just a little suggestion, Doctor…the next time you feel like expressing an opinion…make damned sure you have something important to say." Then sitting back down, she said, "Now, as I was saying, I would like for you to consider releasing Seven of Nine to my quarters." Holding up her hand to signal that she wasn’t finished and did not wish to be interrupted again, she continued, "She’s very uncomfortable here, Doctor. It’s not so much physical as it is psychological. She doesn’t feel safe here…and frankly, I can’t blame her. This is where she was attacked…where she was killed. You and I both know how susceptible Seven is to those types of feelings. She feels violated, and she’s having a tough time with it. She wants to go home…and I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to make that happen…but only if you’re agreeable."

Recovering slightly from the captain’s lecture, the Doctor said, "Well, if I said yes…there would several things that would have to occur."

Nodding once, Janeway said, "Of course…"

"I’d need to have access to your quarters every two hours," the Doctor informed first, thinking that would be enough to deter her.

"That’s fine."

Raising his eyebrow slightly, then quickly hiding his surprise for fear the captain would turn her semi-pleasant gaze back into her force ten death ray, and continued, "She’ll have to remain in bed…no exceptions, until tomorrow evening. Her new skin is still too sensitive and the medical packs must remain on her stomach." When the captain continued to nod, he went on, "I’d prefer it if you took the day off tomorrow…or at least worked from your quarters. She doesn’t require constant supervision, but I don’t want her alone for more than a few minutes at a time."

"Done…what else?"

"She must consume liquids once every two hours, and she needs to have a least one nutritional supplement tomorrow. I’d like her to have two, but I haven’t had much luck getting her to have anything today," reported the hologram. "You’ll also have to perform a little physical therapy on her legs…just to keep them from becoming painful. She won’t be able to lift them because the strain will be too much on her abdominal muscles, which are weak and will have to be redeveloped. Her legs are very heavy, Captain," he reminded.

"That won’t be a problem…I’ll have B’Elanna help," said Janeway. "Anything else, Doctor?"

"No…I guess that would be all you would have to worry about tomorrow. Once the gelpacks come off, we can talk more about her recovery," said the hologram. Then sighing he said, "Well, if you can assure me that all Seven’s needs will be tended to…then I don’t see a problem with her going to your cabin tonight, if that’s what she needs."

Standing, Janeway said, "It is. Thank you…I’ll go tell her the good news."

"And Captain…" he offered before she exited, "I apologize for what I said out there."

Opening the door, Janeway said over her shoulder, cool, "Save the apologies for Miss Torres, Doctor…she’s not as reasonable as I am."

"Kathryn?" Seven asked turning her head to look at the captain that was silently reading in the bed next to her, still dressed in her uniform, minus her tunic and boots.

Closing her book, but holding the page with her thumb, Janeway said looking over at Seven, and speaking warmly, "Yes?"

"Will you scratch my foot…it itches and I cannot bend to reach it?" asked the Borg.

"Sure," the captain replied setting her book down and getting off the bed, trying not to chuckle, finding this whole situation completely backwards from what she was used to just a month ago. Going to the foot where Seven’s feet were almost reaching the end, she tossed back the blanket covering her legs to expose her feet and asked, sitting on the side of the bed, "Which one?"

Seven wiggled her right foot slightly and said, "Near the ankle on the inside." When Janeway started scratching the skin lightly, the tall blonde sighed and said, "Thank you…that was uncomfortable. It is unfortunate that part of regaining my Humanity includes the need to scratch."

"What…you mean the Borg don’t take time to scratch?" smirked that captain.

"That would be an inefficient use of time," Seven informed, raising her eyebrow. Then wiggling the other, she said, "Please continue in the same manner on the other one. I believe the itch has spread."

Chuckling, the captain started in on the other foot and said, "You know, darling…I’ve been thinking about something, and I wanted to talk to you about it…are you up for serious conversation right now? If you’re not, that’s fine…but for some reason scratching your feet made me think of it."

Setting down her data PADD on the bed, Seven responded eagerly since she felt as though she hadn't had a good serious discussion with anyone in far too many days, "I am ‘up for it.’"

"Do you still itch?"

"No…but please continue…it is pleasant," Seven informed.

Smirking, Janeway moved up the bed a little bit and started scratching Seven’s shins, running her fingers over the ultra thin, practically translucent hair on Seven’s legs. The captain, as was the case for most women born on Earth, underwent a procedure after puberty, which permanently stunted the hair growth on her legs and under her arms, but since such a procedure seemed rather unnecessary where Seven was concerned considering she didn’t grow up on Earth, and had really no cultural connection to the Federation, she and the Doctor both agreed that they would let Seven make that choice once she started to care about such matters as personal appearance, which took a lot less longer than they had figured. And not to the captain’s surprise, Seven had stated that there was no need to remove the hair on her body, and of course inquired why Earth females were encouraged to do so…something that the captain never really understood at all, but went along with since it was just something that was done. As she slowly scratched Seven’s long, thin legs, although, not as able to make as much of an impact since she has but her nails all the way down just yesterday, the captain smiled and said, "Well…I’ve been thinking about what you said in Sickbay the other day…about wanting to stay here…with me…permanently." Looking up at Seven, she asked, "Was that a serious statement…or just your way of trying to tease me like you do?"

"It was both," Seven informed hurriedly becoming excited. "Do you want me to reside here, Kathryn?"

"Before I answer that…can I ask you a few questions?" asked the captain, hoping her younger, and much less experienced, lover would understand that she was simply trying to find out what was behind her motivations…both of them knowing that Seven of Nine often did things simply because they pleased the captain, and this wasn’t a decision that the captain wanted to be made in such a way. She understood that it made Seven happy to make her happy, but she also knew that sooner or later, Seven was going to learn that there were things in her life that made her happy, separate of the captain, and Janeway didn’t want to have to go through letting Seven go discover those things when she’d already been so used to having her around.

"You may," the reclined blonde responded, understanding perfectly.

Moving over to Seven’s other leg, Janeway asked, "Can I ask you why you would want to live with me?"

"The answer is simple…I love you," Seven stated. "I enjoy your company. I enjoy knowing that you are near…even if I cannot see you. I enjoy regenerating with you, and I enjoy waking up with you more. I like our conversation…I find it stimulating and I learn a great many things from you. I enjoy watching you when you do not know I am watching you. I enjoy our time together in the morning before the start of your duty shift. I like the taste of coffee on your lips in the morning, and how you mumble to yourself."

"I don’t mumble to myself," Janeway laughed, "Do I?"

"Yes…but I can rarely understand what you are saying. I assume that you are simply used to dwelling alone that it is habit. However, if you are particularly tired, you often curse at the replicator for being so far away, as well as the shower’s floor for being so cold."

Janeway stopped scratching Seven’s legs, covered her back up and climbed toward the head of the bed, lying on her side toward her lover, smiling and saying, "Now that…I believe. Any other reason you want to live here?"

"There are more reasons than I wish to recite at this time, but mostly, other than simply because I love you, I like to prepare for the day with you because I find it soothing to know that the next day, we will begin again."

"Darling…you really are a true romantic…and the sweetest talker I’ve ever met," Janeway cooed, kissing her shoulder lightly. "But, aren’t you worried that maybe you’ll be missing out on a lot of things that I just can’t do because I’m the captain?"

"Such as?"

"Well," Janeway said laying back, "what about Naomi? You know I’m very fond of her…but I can’t really let her sleep over…it’s just something a captain should do."

"I understand, Kathryn…however, I have contemplated this already. Is it not possible for you to stay in B’Elanna Torres’ quarters on the night’s when Naomi and I have ‘sleepovers?’"

"Well…that’s something that we have to talk about as well," Janeway said. Propping herself back up, she said, "B’Elanna and I haven’t talked about it…but I feel that if I offer to let you live here…then I have to do the same for her. And not out of obligation…but because I honestly love her, Seven…and I don’t want to exclude her just because she already has quarters. I want to share my life with the both of you…not just one of you."

"I am aware of this," Seven smiled in respone. "I am not disagreeable in the least, however, B’Elanna Torres will not wish to move her quarters."

"No?"

"No…she is very fond of her quarters," Seven explained. "She prefers her quarters to be in a constant state of disarray. And as your quarters are near the Bridge, hers are near Engineering, which she also prefers. We have discussed this."

"You have?"

"Yes, before you became aware of our ‘plan,’ she and I discussed the possible living arrangement on Voyager, and she stated from the beginning that she did not plan to leave her space, no matter what occurred. She is very fond of it, Kathryn." When a somewhat sad expression feel over the captain’s classic features, Seven continued, "She says that her ‘personal space’ makes her happy…and that she requires it to function. She needs to be ‘messy.’"

"Well, if that’s what she wants…then I’m certainly not going to push her," Janeway replied softly. "Although, I’m worried that if you and I live together, and she doesn’t that…well, that she’ll feel left out."

"I do not believe that will be the case," Seven responded. "She will undoubtedly spend a great deal of time here, as she has done this past week. She informed me that if this relationship were to occur, which it has, that she would not have a problem staying over several nights during the week, but still required a place to herself since as you know, it is rare that all of us will have the ability to spend time together due to our duties…especially yours."

"Well, I guess for now…that’s perfectly acceptable…I mean, there’s still a lot to talk about and we can’t really do that until B’Elanna is here as well," Janeway sighed. "I any event…I’m still worried that you will be missing out, darling. Living by yourself can be a very wonderful thing. I’m not trying to push you into anything you don’t want to do…but I’m just trying to look out for your best interest too. That’s still my job, you know?"

Smiling softly, Seven placed her hand on Kathryn’s hip and said, "It is a job that I rely on greatly, Kathryn…and I do not wish that to change any time in the near future. You will always be the one to whom I turn when I do not understand. It is part of our relationship, and I am pleased that B’Elanna Torres understands that and does not feel threatened by it. If she did not, I do not think we could maintain an understanding."

"I am too," Janeway said entwining her fingers with Seven. "Are you at all interested in maintaining your own quarters…maybe just to try it out for a while?"

"No, Kathryn, I am not. I have spent the last three years alone in the Cargo Bay. Considering that you spend very little time in this dwelling, I believe I will have adequate time to experience many hours of ‘privacy.’ I will also undoubtedly spend time alone with B’Elanna Torres in her quarters."

Smiling a little shyly, Kathryn asked, "Darling…am I allowed to ask how ‘things’ are going with you and B’Elanna? I know it’s been difficult for you two to spend time since you’ve been ill…but I know that you two spend a lot of time together before you had to come stay with me."

"Our situation is unclear as of now," Seven sighed. "As soon as I recover completely, she and I will need some time to ourselves to discuss our situation. I am not certain how to proceed at this point; however, I believe that is merely due to the circumstances."

"Well, if you want my advice," Janeway offered softly, "Just be yourself, Seven. B’Elanna cares for you very much…and the two of you are…well, you make quite a pair. I’m sure you’ll find your way…and I promise to give you both all of the time you need to reconnect. I love you both…I just want you to be happy."

"Kathryn, we have strayed from the discussion again," Seven reminded, cute but pointedly, as was her way with the redhead captain.

Squeezing, Seven’s hand she said, "My mistake…okay, so where were we?"

"I had just informed you that I have no desire to maintain my own quarters. However, I also want you to know that if you do not wish to for me to reside with you, that I will not object," Seven informed. "It is something that would please me a great deal, but not at the cost of your comfort. There is no ‘rush.’"

"Well, actually, there is a little bit of a rush to have this conversation…but that is with regards to the functioning of this ship," Janeway sighed. "If you wanted your own quarters, well, I was absolutely prepared to give them to you. You’re a senior officer on this ship, and senior officers don’t have roommates, unless they chose to have them. Although, it was going to require a little remodeling by ship’s maintenance." Then smiling, she said, "And, I wanted to have this conversation with you because…well, because I don’t want you to leave. Having you here…it’s just very special to me, Seven. You make these rooms feel more like home than they ever have…and this bed," Janeway breathed, feeling emotional, "used to be the most unbearable place sometimes. I haven’t slept here this many nights in a row…in probably two…maybe three years. I don’t want you to leave, I want you to stay. Will you stay with me?"

"I will stay, Kathryn," Seven whispered. "I will stay forever with you."

Smiling, sniffling a little, Janeway leaned over and kissed Seven gently and whispered, "Oh, how I love you, Seven of Nine."

"As I love you, my Kathryn."

"Has it been two hours already?" Janeway asked the door call sounded and she disengaged from Seven’s soft lips.

"No, it has only been one hour and thirty minutes," Seven noted. "Perhaps the Doctor is early?"

"Hmm…" Janeway murmured as she got up from the bed and smoothed back her hair, hoping it wasn’t the Doctor showing up early, which would make the rest of her night less certain that it already was. Coming up to the door, she pressed the sensor. When Torres appeared in the doorway, Janeway smiled brightly and nudged her in. Then hugging her tightly, Janeway whispered, "Darling…you really don’t have to knock you know?"

Hugging the captain back readily, Torres said, "Sorry, Red…it’s habit…don’t count on me breaking it either, but I’ll work on it." After kissing Janeway on the cheek quickly, she pulled away and unzipped her jacket asking, "Is she awake?"

Taking off B’Elanna's jacket for her, she folded it neatly and answered, "Uh huh…she’ll be glad to see you."

As she took off her boots, Torres said loudly so her voice would carry into the bedroom, "Hiya, dollface. I see that Red broke you out of the joint? Feeling better?"

"Yes…I am feeling a great deal more comfortable, B’Elanna Torres," Seven answered, also speaking loud. "Will you bring me a glass of water when you come in here? I require liquid refreshment at regular intervals."

"Yep…you know," B’Elanna winked at Janeway, "you could just say, "Hey, Torres…I’m thirsty."

"Such a statement does not inform you what it is I require," Seven answered.

Laughing, the engineer went over to the replicator and said to Kathryn, "I give up…I can’t ever win." Ordering a glass of water for Seven, a beer for her, she asked, "Want something’, Red…it’s on me?"

"Hmm, I could make a comment, but I won’t," Janeway smirked. "I’ll have coffee…thank you."

"Why do I even ask?" teased the brunette. "You know, if these replicators ever crap out on us…you’re gonna be a bitch on wheels."

Taking her coffee, Kathryn said walking toward the room, "I guess it’s good thing that you’re the Chief of Engineer then, huh?"

"Note to self," Torres laughed, "run a full diagnostic on the replicators tomorrow." Then walking into the bedroom, she smiled at Seven as she walked over to her and said, "Well, you certainly look more comfortable." Handing the water to Seven, glad she had remembered to order a straw with it, Torres leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips, asking, "Is that a smile I see?"

"That is correct," Seven stated after Torres stood up straight. "I am pleased that you have joined us."

Walking back around the bed and talking a seat at the foot, the brunette said, "Wow…you’re smiling…you’re pleased," looking over at the captain who was sitting on the bed cross-legged sipping her coffee, she asked, "What the hell did you do to her…spike her water or something?"

"I have merely returned home," Seven stated, sipping her water. "There were no narcotics involved."

"I can understand that," Torres said taking a swig of her beer and crawling up the bed some. "There’s no place like home. Everyone needs some place to dance around naked."

Cackling, Janeway said, "’Lanna, why is it that I’m not surprised."

"What…you don’t dance naked, Red?" asked Torres seriously.

"I try to be clothed as often as possible aboard this ship," Kathryn explained still sipping her beloved beverage. "It’s an occupational hazard not to."

Shaking her head, Torres looked over at Seven and said, "Don’t believe her, Seven…she dances naked too."

"I believe I would enjoy observing such an event," Seven responded sipping her water.

"Yes, I’m sure you would," Janeway sneered playfully sipping her coffee. Then putting on her best stubborn face, she asked, "Why is it that I’m the one who gets picked on?"

"Cause you’re such an easy mark," Torres announced pinching her leg. "Seven just argues until she makes you give up…and me, well, it’s pretty tough to embarrass me."

"I’ll have to remember that," Janeway smiled wickedly.

"Gotta get up pretty early in the morning, sweetheart," the brunette warned, then seeing the glint in the captain’s eyes, she amended, "Although, I’m sure you’ll make me pay one of these days." Sitting up, Torres asked, "So, what’s the setup here? How’d you talk the Doc into letting you out?"

"I must remain in this position until tomorrow evening," the Borg explained. "And the Doctor will be checking up on me every two hours until then."

Looking over at Janeway and frowning, the testy, and sometimes unforgiving engineer asked, "So, when’s Mister Personality’s next house call?"

"He should be here in a few minutes," Janeway responded plainly. Changing the subject, Janeway put down her coffee and summoned Torres to sit between her legs. As she started rubbing her shoulders gently, remembering that Torres’ back was still probably pretty bruised, Janeway asked, "Glad to be back in Engineering?"

"Yes," the brunette said readily. "Although, I’m not so sure my staff is as thrilled about it." Looking over her shoulder quickly, she smirked, "Apparently, there was some problem while I was gone and the captain had to come down and break a few noses. Let’s just say that if the captain happens to make one of her surprise visits tomorrow, she’ll be able to see her cute reflection in every console and bulkhead."

"Is that why you’re so late?" asked the captain softly. "And why you’re hair smells like plasma cleaner?"

"Yep…gotta lead by example," Torres answered. "The captain taught me that one."

Wrapping her arms around Torres’ waist, Janeway kissed her shoulder and said, "It’s a good philosophy." Then whispering in her ear, she asked, "Am I hurting you?"

"No…I’m fine today," the Klingon answered. As Janeway moved her hands back to her shoulders, making more of an effort to massage the stiffness out of them, Torres asked, "So, dollface…how does it feel to be thirty pounds lighter over night?"

"I cannot yet determine the difference with these medical packs on my abdomen," Seven answered still slowly sipping her water. "Although, there is a significant difference in the strength of my abdomen."

"Well, yea…you don’t have a metal plate there any more, " the engineer laughed. "But you’ll get your muscles back…I’ll help you. We'll go workout once you’re up to it. And take my word for it when I say…you’ve got plenty of motivation."

Slipping one arm around Torres’ stomach and palming her abs, Janeway rested her head against Torres back, looking over at Seven and mouthed, "I love you." When Seven nodded her head as she sipped her water, Janeway chuckled and sighed, "Mmm…it’s nice having you both here. I really am a very lucky woman."

Before Torres could comment, the door call sounded softly from the other room. When the oldest started to remove her hand from her stomach and stand up, Torres said, "Don’t move…I’ll be right back."

"Just remember…he’s a hologram, darling…you can’t break his nose," Janeway teased as Torres marched into the other room, obviously wanting to inform the Doctor just whose woman he was talking about when he made comments about the captain.

Answering the door, smiling brightly, on purpose, Torres said loud and pleasant, "Well, look who it is? Honey…it’s Gumby. Should I let him in?"

When she heard a rather stern clearing of the captain’s throat from the bedroom, Torres moved her arm away and said, "Guess that means yes."

"Who’s Gumby?" asked the hologram, unknowing.

"He was a big, green, cartoon character made out of clay," answered Torres sipping her beer walking back toward the bedroom, "emphasis on green, Doc."

"Hmph," he responded following the Klingon a few paces back, but didn't attempt to say anything else since he didn't want to be in these quarters with these three women any longer than he had to be.

"Yea," Torres clipped and then went back over to the bed where the captain hadn’t moved as requested, hoping that he would say something more just so she could have an excuse to lay into him.

"Well, how’s my patient?" asked the Doctor, having a hard time looking at anyone but Seven of Nine.

"I am functioning, Doctor," responded Seven pleasantly.

Running his medical tricorder over her abdomen that was covered by the blanket, he asked quietly, "Seven, I’ll need to remove this blanket to get a better look at your new skin. Do you require privacy?"

Before Seven could respond, Torres said, "Come on, Honey…we’re making the Doctor sweat."

Sighing, Janeway followed Torres out into the living room and whispered, "Remind me not to piss you off."

Sitting on the couch, the Klingon said, "I’m sorry, Red…but he was out of line today…I mean way out of line."

"I know, but can we just leave it be?" asked Janeway sitting down beside her. "I think he got the point."

"I’ll consider it," Torres said putting her arm around the captain. Then kissing her on the temple, she asked changing the subject, "So, you and Seven…you two shaking up together or what?"

Placing her hand on Torres’ stomach out of habit now, Janeway answered, still whispering, "Yes…she’ll be staying. How do you feel about that?"

Smiling, Torres kissed Janeway’s head again and responded, "I’m relieved. I was worried about her living by herself…honestly. I think it’s for the best. How do you feel about that? That’s a big change for you?"

"Yes…but I want her to stay," the captain explained. "It means a lot to me to be able to help her this way, and well…I like having her around…it just feels right." Lifting her head so she could kiss Torres’ mouth, she informed, both of them continuing to be very quiet, "She’s not the only one I like having around here too, you know?"

Taking a moment to kiss the captain properly, B’Elanna finally pulled away and said, "Mmm, Red…you know I’ll be around."

"But you’re going to keep your own quarters," the captain stated rather than asked.

"Yes…I need my private space. It means a lot to me right now…gotta have somewhere to dance naked, remember?"

"Ah yes," Janeway said softly. Then snuggling with her brunette lover, Janeway said, "I understand, darling…and I’m not going to pressure you, I promise…but I don’t want this to come between us…any of us."

"It won’t," Torres said surely. "In case you didn’t know, I am a total nut-job over you…and it’s going to take more than a few decks to come between us. I’ll be here often, I promise…shit…that way you work, it will be more like me begging you to come home." Then lifting the captain’s chin so she could kiss her again, Torres whispered, "Besides, there are some benefits to me keeping my own place, you know?"

"Like what?" asked the captain, non-committed, honestly a little disappointed that Torres hadn’t changed her mind since she talked to Seven last, but doing a pretty good job to not let it show, knowing that it this was going to work, which at this point was a must for the captain since she was very far gone on both ends, everyone had to make compromises.

"No matter what, there will be nights when all I'll want is you," Torres whispered. "I love you too much to share you all the time, Red. Just like you'll want nights to be alone with Seven, and she and I will need to be away from you." Kissing her cheek, she smiled, "I know you understand when I say that sometimes…we'll need to be away from the captain, and be a little irresponsible…messy."

"I know…I know it's hard for you two," Janeway acknowledged. "As long as I'm on this ship, I'll never be able to give you everything…and even though part of me wishes I could…I'm still the captain…and I still love this ship and this crew. That's never going to change." Smiling softly, Janeway breathed, "And I'm very, very glad that you and Seven have each other. You two don't need to be bogged down in responsibility all the time…I want you two to have fun…I want you to play, and even though I can't always join in, I'm satisfied just knowing that you can. I satisfies me professionally and personally." Then leaning in a whispering in her ear, she cooed, "By the way, there will be plenty of nights when I'll need you…need you to love me. Where I won't want to be the teacher, not in control…messy. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Baby, messy is what I do best," Torres whispered back her pulse quickening slightly as they sat closely and murmured to each other.

When Torres started kissing her ear and tickling her, Janeway chuckled slightly and said, "Baby?"

"Uh huh," Torres answered, not letting up on the kisses. "When we're like this…when you come to me…you're my baby. Do you think you can handle that?"

Biting down on her bottom lip and Torres' tongue gave her the chills, which inflamed her body in an instant, the captain whispered, turning are head so Torres didn't have such easy access to her most favored spot to be kissed and said, looking at her face longingly, "Oh, I think I can manage" Kissing her lightly, Janeway said against her lips, "You can call me whatever you want…just don't ever stop being you."

"Deal," said Torres who pecked her quickly. Then pushing herself up, she said, "I need another beer…you want some more coffee?"

"No, but thank you," Janeway sighed as she watched Torres walking away, unabashedly racking her eyes up and down the short, stocky but trim, Klingon's backside. When the engineer came back to the couch, the captain racking her up and down again, Janeway resumed her curled up position as Torres sat next to her and asked, "Did you have a chance you talk to Nick?"

"No," Torres answered. "She was in the simulator when I left Sickbay, and after I left Engineering after helping with the clean up, she was in her quarters, and I didn't think I should disturb her. If she's anything like me…she'll need a few hours to cool off." Sipping her beer, Torres continued, "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Red. I'll talk to her."

"I’m not really worried about, Nick," Janeway said, "she can take care of herself, and doesn't seem to be too concerned with what people think about her." Sighing, the captain put her head on Torres' shoulder and said, "I'm worried about Seven. I worried that she'll question everything that she does…that anyone new in her life does. Not only is that going to make her job difficult…but it's not going to make her personal life much better." After a few moments of silence, the captain continued, "But maybe it was just being in Sickbay and being so unhappy that set her off? She had been doing better, right?"

"Yes, after the first two days, she got better, but Nick is the first person that Seven's had to adapt to in a while. Let's face it, Red…the senior officers are pretty tight in this ship…it' rare that someone, other than Wildman or Carey, is even around us all that much. And down in Astrometrics…well, other than Megan Delaney, and a few others, she doesn’t interact with that many people."

"It's possible that is part of the problem," Janeway offered, "but she received several get-well messages from many of the crew, and didn't react the same way. She was curious as to why they sent them, but certainly not hostile." Sighing, she said, "I guess only time will tell? She's probably acting on several instincts…wanting to protect me, the most prevalent, I’m sure." Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Janeway whispered, "When it comes to protecting my best interest, or how she sees them…she's impossible to reason with."

"Sounds familiar," Torres smiled. "You're pretty intense when it comes to protecting her too, you know? Or did the whole, 'hey Queenie…come eat my phaser rifle' incident slip from your mind?"

Poking Torres in the stomach lightly with her thumb, Janeway laughed and said, "'Lanna, where in the world do you come up with these names?"

"I'm talented," Torres responded grinning, grabbing her hand and bringing it to her mouth to kiss the knuckles as the Doctor walked out of the bedroom, clearing his throat.

When Janeway saw Torres' eyes narrow and flash with anger, Janeway put her hand on her shoulder and asked, hurriedly before Torres made anymore rude, although warranted, comments, "How is she?"

Coming closer to the couch in the dimmed light of the captain’s quarters, the hologram said, keeping his distance from the hostile engineer. Certainly he was aware that she could not actually hurt him, but after living around organics for so long, it was a response he had learned without really realizing it, "She’s progressing very well, Captain. Her vitals are all constant and acceptable. Her nanoprobes are working overtime to make the necessary adaptions to her ‘new’ digestive system and her surrounding muscle tissue and epidermis. She’ll need plenty of rest tomorrow…without regeneration, she’ll grow weary quickly." Then finally looking at Torres, he said, "I’d like to meet with you tomorrow, Lieutenant and discuss the possibility of modifying her alcove to accommodate for the changes in her physiology so that she will be able to regenerate."

Confused, Janeway twisted forward and questioned, frowning somewhat, "I thought she didn’t need to regenerate anymore?"

"It’s not a necessity," the Doctor explained, "but if we could modify her alcove to interface with her cortical node and conduct the regeneration process that way, it would be helpful to her. Her nanoprobes still maintain several of her body’s functions, and without any form of regeneration, which send signals to the nanoprobes to stop working and absorb energy from the ship, it’s likely that she’ll suffer from the Borg form of chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s something that we could probably treat with medication, but I’d like to try to ‘natural’ way first."

Sighing, Janeway stood and pulled the Doctor over away from the couch and said low, "Doctor, I’m not even going to ask why I am just now finding out about this…again."

Defensively, the Doctor responded, "This isn’t something that I could know for certain until after her procedure. We might be able to work with Borg technology fairly well, but it’s still very experimental for us. We just never know for certain what her nanoprobes will and won’t do. I was hoping that they would cease attempting to do so much for her, now that most of her physiology is Human, but that’s not the case. They’re adapting to the changes efficiently, keeping her still completely dependant on their regenerative properties."

"I understand, Doctor," Janeway whispered, "however, if there is ever any doubt about her ability to perform her tasks, then I need to know about it. She’s a vital member of my crew…and I don’t have the luxury of hailing Starfleet command and requesting another Astrometrics officer to fill in for my current one because she simply can’t work that much." Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, "I know why this is hard for you…I understand that you feel an obligation to not break confidentiality where Seven is concerned, but what you don’t seem to understand is that she is my responsibility…more than any other person on this ship. I brought her here…I severed her from the Collective, that means I have to know what’s going on, even if you don’t want to tell her about it. I have to be prepared to meet all of her needs. No more surprises, Doctor…I simply can’t afford them."

"Aye, Captain," the hologram nodded. "However, if Seven objects to informing you, and I deem it unnecessary to do so, I will not break that confidence. No offense, Captain…but you’re not her spouse."

Clenching her jaw, Janeway hissed, "That’s very astute, Doctor…thank you for informing me." Then sighing and rubbing her head, she said louder, "So, what if she can’t regenerate…where do we go from there?"

"She’ll need at least one full day off a week to sleep," the Doctor responded promptly. "And she’ll have to come by Sickbay each morning to receive treatment for her lethargy. I’ll also have to monitor her other implants much more closely to make certain they aren’t suffering any consequences."

"How optimistic are you that we’ll be able to modify her alcove?"

"I’m fairly confident we’ll find some way to allow Seven to interface with the ship, Captain," the Doctor said rather confidently. "Once Seven’s on her feet, I’m sure she’ll be a tremendous help to our efforts."

"Okay…so if we get this to work, how often will she have to regenerate?"

"Probably not more than a few hours a week," the hologram answered. "As long as she sleeps and eats on a regular basis, the regeneration process will mostly be to recharge her nanoprobes…which doesn’t take long at all." Crossing his arms over her chest, he said, "I’m guessing, but probably no more than five hours…more of course if she doesn’t fall into a routine."

Janeway said nodding at him and turning back toward B’Elanna, "Lieutenant, I want you to work with the Doctor on this as soon as possible. As soon as Seven’s up to it, I’ll have her come down and offer her assistance."

"Aye, Captain," Torres said easily, although keeping her fists clench tightly at the thought of having to work with the Doctor again, especially now that he continued to directly insult her lover.

"Well, if there’s nothing else…I’ll see you in a few hours, Captain," the Doctor said moving toward the door.

"Very well, Doctor," Janeway said quickly over her shoulder coming to a halt in front of Torres. Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked quietly, "You have something to say?"

Sighing, Torres threw her head back and said, "No, Captain." Then lifting her head, she growled, "But you can’t make me be nice to him."

Shaking her head and pursing her lips, she said, "No…no I can’t. But I don’t want you two at each other’s throats, either. If you have a problem with him, you take it up with Chakotay, understood?"

"Yes, Captain," Torres sulked, then standing, she took her half-full beer to the replicator and recycled it, saying, "If there’s nothing else, Captain…I think I’m going to say good night to Seven and take off."

Having a feeling that was coming, Janeway stifled her sigh and said, "No, that’s all…thank you." When Torres left the area of the replicator, Janeway also recycled her beverage, replacing it with a glass of ice water, whispering to her replicator, "Something tells me that I’m not going to get much sleep tonight." Then walking over to her desk, she leaned back against it and waited patiently for Torres to emerge from the bedroom, purposefully putting herself near the engineer’s things, not wanting to end the night on such a sour note. When Torres stomped out of the room and headed directly for her, looking at the ground, Janeway asked, softly, "Am I allowed to ask where you’re going?"

Snatching up her jacket and throwing it on angered, Torres said, short, "I’ve got a date with a punching bag." After putting on her boots quickly as Janeway remained silent, leaning against her desk, Torres stood up and said, "I’ll come by tomorrow to see Seven after your duty-shift." Leaning in quick, she kissed the captain’s down-turned lips smartly and left without saying another word.

When the doors closed behind Torres, the captain’s face turned into one of great distress. Setting down her drink, she covered her eyes with her hands, and then slowly brought them down until they were resting, pressed together under her nose as she sighed heavily. Pushing off from the desk to go check up on Seven, Janeway was just about to grab her drink when she heard the soft hissing sound of her doors. Turning around in the nick of time to see B’Elanna Torres before she was embraced and lifted slightly. It only took the redhead a second to recover from the surprise before she began kissing the Klingon back with equal intensity.

Slowly letting the captain slide down her body and come to a rest on her feet, Torres grabbed her face and said urgently against her lips, "I’m sorry, Red…I told myself I’d never do that. I’m sorry…I love you. I’m not mad at you."

Resting her forehead against Torres’, keeping one hand planted behind her neck, Janeway whispered, "I love you too, ‘Lanna. Thank you for coming back." Then kissing her again, softer this time, she smiled and said, "Now get out of here…and take a few swings for me, alright?"

"I will…"

"Good night, darling…have fun."

"It’s guaranteed to be messy," Torres said walking out backward winking.

"Good…again," demanded Nicole Fowler to B’Elanna Torres as she stood behind the black punching back, holding it steady so the engineer could make contact with it solidly. Absorbing the impressive impact easily as Torres threw a solid left jab, follow by a quick right hook, the pilot asked, "So…whose face are you rearranging anyway?"

"The Doctor’s!" Torres snarled as she pounded the bag a couple of times cursing in Klingon.

"What the hell did he do? Grab your butt or something?" asked Fowler regaining her grip on the bag as Torres knocked it to the side with a spinning backhand.

Taking a moment to back away and center herself, Torres wiped the sweat off her rigid brow with her bare forearm and responded, "He opened his fucking mouth one too many times." Checking over her shoulder, making sure that no one else had entered the ship’s gynasium, she continued as she beat steadily on the heavy bag, "I tell ya, Nick…the man’s damned luck he’s not made of flesh and blood." Attacking the bag with reckless abandon now, Torres growled, in her own fevered world, "How dare he dishonor her! If I could kill him…I’d kill him."

Knowing Torres well enough, or at least her temper through the ship’s rumor mill, to believe her, at least partly, Nicole asked, "Dishonor who?"

"Red!" Torres snarled swinging wildly one final time. Connecting with the bag a little harder than she thought possible, she clenched her teeth, her shoulder screaming for mercy, and inhaled, letting the pain work itself through her body, absorbing it happily.

"The captain…he dishonored, Captain Janeway?" asked Fowler surprised. Then throwing Torres a towel, she asked, telling a halftruth hoping to get more information out of the Klingon so she didn't have to assume anything, "Torres…I’m not really up on the Klingon culture…how did the Doctor dishonor the captain?"

"The asshole implied that she wanted to let Seven go home early simply because she couldn’t wait to be with her again," Torres spat. Then wiping her brow with the towel, rolling her sore shoulder to test it out, she said, "He just said some things that he had no right saying to her, and it pisses me off!"

"Whoa, time out," Fowler said coming up to B'Elanna and looking down at her. "The Doctor made some jack-ass comment about the captain and Seven…and you want to kill him?" Crossing her arms over her broad chest that was clothed with a tight, grey tank top, she said, "Don’t take this the wrong way, Torres…but don’t you think you should just leave the maiming to the captain? I’m no Janeway expert, but I saw her on the Bridge with the A.I….she’s not a Klingon, but I think she can hold her own."

Her shoulder feeling better, Torres went over to the weight bench and said, "Spot me, will you?"

Letting the question go for now, Fowler already having a pretty good idea of why Torres was so angered, but wanting her to admit it for herself, the tall brunette said, "Sure…how much do you want?"

"Twenty kilos," answered the engineer, laying back on the flat bench after chalking up her hands.

Putting on the weights and tightening them down, she waited for Torres to settle her grip on the bar, then lifted it for her, keeping her palms near the bar watching Torres closely for fatigue. She knew the Klingon could probably bench press three times that amount, but after she had pounded on the bag for the last half an hour, and considering the small bruises and scratches on her back and her abdomen, Fowler wasn’t sure how long she would last. As Torres pressed the bar up with little effort a couple of times, Fowler asked, "So, you didn’t answer my question…why are you so steamed?"

"Because," Torres answered, pressing the bar up again and exhaling, "she’s my captain. I...respect her. She doesn’t deserve...to be...dishonored…and she’s my friend…so I have a personal stake in...the matter." After a few more reps, she continued, "And, Seven is my friend as well…he just crossed the line. It," exhaling again, "pisses me off."

"Right…I got that part," Fowler said putting her hands on the bars and lifting very lightly, saying, "Alright…ten more…let’s go."

After ten more reps, Torres let her take the bar from her and grabbed the towel on her leg. Wiping her head and her arms, she asked, "You want to go?"

"No…I already did my set," Fowler answered taking the weights off and putting them down. "I was about to leave when you showed up ready to tear someone’s head off…so I thought I’d stick around in case you needed some help. So, what’s next…squats, leg lifts…?"

"No squats today…my shoulders are too sore to carry the weight," Torres said rubbing her left shoulder where the captain’s fingers had punctured the skin. "Let’s do leg lifts."

Going over to the machine, Nicole waited for Torres to lie down in the seat and pressed her legs flat against the foot press, then asked, "How much?"

"Thirty…for now," Torres said, placing her palms under the small of her back to keep it straight.

As B'Elanna started pushing up on the foot press, Fowler squatted next to her and questioned, "Okay…call me nosey…but I have to ask…did you get those scratches…uh, you know?"

Exhaling and smiling, Torres said, "No…nothing that exciting…although, if you want to start that rumor for me, go right ahead. Keeps my reputation in good shape." When Fowler laughed but continued to remain curious, Torres said, half truthfully, "It’s a Klingon thing, Nick…part of being a good little warrior."

"Well," Fowler said standing back up, "you had me worried for a minute, Romeo…I thought maybe I you staying all night in the captain’s quarters wasn’t what it seemed."

Letting the foot bench come down with a thunderous clang, Torres snapped, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? And why the hell are you keeping tabs on me?"

Standing her ground, Fowler said, "I’m not keeping tabs on you. I came by your quarters the next morning to see if you wanted to grab some breakfast. When the computer said you weren’t in, I asked it where you were…thinking maybe you were already in the Mess Hall…or went to Engineering early." Then squatting back down, she said, "You’re not fooling me, Torres. I see the way you look at her. Hell, I can’t blame you one bit. As a woman who likes similar women…I understand." Then standing back up, she asked, "You want ten more, or what?"

Nodding, the engineer said, "It’s not what you think, Nick."

"If you think I think you’re screwing the captain behind Seven’s back…well, you’re wrong," the tall brunette said moving the pin up to forty kilograms. "And I’m not judging you, Torres…I’m just trying to offer you some friendly advice."

Lifting the foot press, enjoying the slightly burning sensation in her quads, Torres asked, a little irritated, "And what advice…would that be?"

"The same advice your old boyfriend gave me…don’t fuck with Seven," Fowler said seriously.

Huffing, Torres gritted her teeth and pushed up on the press again, starting to grow tired and said, "Oh, so now…I’m fucking…Seven?"

Cringing on the inside at the thought since the tall Borg was probably her least favorite person right now, Fowler replied, "No…just don’t try to fuck Janeway…and you won’t be fucking with Seven…get it."

Finally having enough of the leg lifts, Torres let the press come down with less force that before and said, "What makes you think want to screw the captain anyway?"

Throwing the towel at Torres, Fowler said, "Gee…I don’t know. Let’s see…I find you in her quarters, picking up wine glasses, and acting more than a little nervous…and don think for a minute I didn’t see the candles littered all over the place." Squatting down again, she went on, "Then you send her roses…nice cover with the favorite color, by the way…and you practically droll all over yourself the whole night every time she leaned forward. Yea…I caught that too…and if she wasn’t my captain, and completely head over heels for that bitch of a girlfriend she has, I’d have admired the view more than once myself. Then, you stay all night in her quarters…for moral support, I’m sure…and you come in here, mad as a hornet because the Doctor made some bullshit comment. I’m sure there’s more if I thought about it…but I think you get the point?" Then standing, she offered a hand to Torres who took it a little begrudgingly, and said, "Like I said, I’m not judging you…in fact, I admire your gumption, and you’ve got good taste, but I think you should think about what you’re doing before you find yourself in a bad situation."

Torres grabbed her water bottle and said, "Nick…I know it looks bad, but…"

"You’re damned right it looks bad…looks real bad. And what I want to know is…what the hell is Janeway doing, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" asked Torres taking a seat on the mat, preparing to work on her abdomen.

Holding onto B'Elanna’s feet, Fowler said, "Come on, Torres…she’s a Starfleet captain, which automatically makes her cunning. She’s what…forty?"

"About that."

"Well, that means she’s been around the block a few times…she’s no fool. Shit, if I can see it…then you know she has to see it," Fowler said.

"So, what’s your point?" Torres asked coming up for her first round of crunches.

"She’s using you," Fowler explained. "She likes the attention…so she’s playing you like a piano. Hell for all I know…maybe she does want you to fuck her?"

"She’s not using me, Nick," Torres sighed. Exhaling and coming up she said, "That’s not Red’s speed…trust me. And you were right…she’s crazy about Seven." Propping herself up on her elbows, the engineer offered, "I know you don’t know Seven like I do…but even though she can be a first rate bitch sometimes…she really is a good person, and she and Red…well, they’re amazing together. You just haven’t seen them like I have. It’s the sweetest thing you’ll ever see in your life."

Shrugging and shaking her head, non-committed, Fower said, "Well, I’ll take you word for it…but I still think that the captain isn’t being exactly…honorable with you. I don’t have a problem with someone being attracted to another person, even when they’re completely in love with someone else, but it’s wrong to string that person along just because they make you horny." Patting Torres’ legs, nodding at her to continue her crunches, she said, "Take my word for it from someone who’s been where you’re at…it’s trouble. And it’s double trouble when you’re messing around with the captain."

Now starting to find this whole situation rather funny, Torres started her crunches and said, "Nick…why the hell do you...care if I want to screw up my life...by screwing Red?"

"Because we’re two of a kind, Torres," the tall brunette smiled honestly. "I like you…and I think we could become pretty good friends…and I just don’t like to see good people get stepped on. Women like us have to look out for each other…we’re a dying breed around this joint."

"Well, I appreciate your concern, Nick…and the feeling is mutual, but," she said coming back up into a full sit-up and stopping for a moment, "I’m not trying to break them up, and Red’s not using me…and there’s nothing to worry about."

"So…you’re not in love with her then?" asked Fowler pointedly as Torres went back down.

Unable to answer that question because she couldn’t lie, feeling as though that would be the worst kind of dishonor she could pay Kathryn, even if she was trying to protect her, Torres sighed, "You’re not going to give this up, are you?"

"Only if you tell me that you’ll back away," Fowler answered. "I know Janeway’s alluring…but she’s not the only woman…or man on the ship. There are lots of other people on this vessel. You just need to get out more and forget about ‘Red.’"

Curious, Torres propped herself up again and asked, "Nick…this isn’t your way of…asking me out, is it?"

Laughing, Fowler took a seat next to Torres and said, "Torres…don’t get me wrong…you’re a damn fine looking woman…but we’re too much a like, and I don’t date people I work with every day. It’s a personal choice I made a long time ago."

Torres punched Fowler’s thick arm and said, "Glad we agree…and thanks…you’re pretty easy on the eyes yourself…for a brick wall, that is."

Laying down and doing some crunches herself, she asked Torres once they were setting the same pace, "So, are you going to give this up or not? I want to be prepared I have to keep Seven from trying to assimilate you…or bust you out of the Brig for fondling the captain."

"Seven’s not going to try and assimilate me…and Red’s not going to throw me in the Brig for fondling her, " Torres laughed. "Don’t worry about me…I can take care of myself."

"Denial is not a river in Egypt, my friend."

"Kahless, you’re stubborn!" Torres huffed laying flat

Fowler turned over and said as she started doing push ups, "It’s called…being… a friend."

"Yea, we’ll who says I want you as a friend?" Torres asked flippantly turning over and following suit.

"I do," Fowler came back quickly. "And believe me…if you keep this up…you’re going to need a friend like me."

"For the last time…I am not trying to have an affair with the captain!" Torres growled. Then laying flat on her stomach, she admitted, "Because, I’m already sleeping with her."

"What?" Fowler shouted, pushing herself up. "I thought you said…"

"I never said anything, Nick," Torres laughed getting up and throwing the towel into the pilot’s nonplussed face. "You’re the one that’s been doing all the talking."

Grabbing the towel and jumping up, Fowler rushed over to Torres and whispered, suddenly worried that someone could hear them, even though the room was completely empty except for them, "Jesus Christ, Torres…does anyone know about this?"

"Well, the Doctor does," Torres growled, "but other than Chakotay and you…no. And that’s how it’s going to stay, right?"

Rolling her eyes, Fowler slapped Torres upside the head lightly and said, "Thanks a lot." Then crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall, she asked, still whispering, "How long has this been going on…didn’t you just break up with Tom a couple of weeks ago?"

"Why are you whispering?" asked the engineer drinking her water, snickering.

"Shut up," Fowler spat, speaking louder. "So…give it up…how long?"

"Not very long," Torres answered. "Things kind of started a long time ago, but nothing really happened until we went camping…then it just kind of escalated from there."

Snatching the water up from Torres, Nicole said, "Damn woman…you’ve got more guts than I thought!" After taking a long drink, she said, "And so does the captain…Christ…I figured she was into you, but I never thought she’d actually do it. Don’t take it personally, but she just doesn’t seem like the type to sleep around."

Laughing out the rest of her anxiety and frustration, Torres patted the tall brunette on the back and said, urging her toward the back of the facility where the showers were, "She’s not, Nick. Come one…let’s go shower, and I’ll explain before your head explodes."

Sighing heavily, and groaning just a little as she heard the hissing sound of her door, the captain made certain that she was covered by the comforter on her bed, not wanting the Doctor to see more than he should, even if he was her physician, and said, groggy, "Has it been two hours already, Doctor?"

"Not exactly," B’Elanna Torres whispered crawling from the foot of the bed and up until she was hovering above the captain who was on her side.

Opening her eyes to see her engineer moving toward her, Janeway turned on her back at the Klingon perched above her and whispered, her voice thick and raspy, "Well, hello again."

Easing down onto the captain, keeping some of her weight off to the side, Torres smiled and said, "Hi…I’m sorry I woke you up…but I’ve got to tell you something, before I lose my nerve."

A little concerned, Janeway rubbed her tired eyes and asked, trying to force herself awake, again, since the Doctor had been by less than an hour ago to wake her up and check on Seven, "What is it? Something wrong?"

"No…well, I hope not," Torres responded. Then bringing up her hand, she brushed a few rebels strands of auburn hair from the captain’s forehead and said, "I saw Nick tonight in the gym…and we had a conversation."

Sighing, the captain titled her head a little and closed her eyes, saying, "How bad is it…does she hate her?"

"No…we talked about that too, but that’s not the conversation I’m talking about," the brunette answered. Using her hand to push Janeway’s head to center, so she could look at her directly in the eye, Torres finally said, "She knows, Kathryn."

It only took a moment for the captain, despite that it was the middle of the night, to figure out what exactly it was that her newest pilot knew. Sighing a little, Janeway asked, "How did she find out?"

Chuckling a little, the engineer eased off to the side and propped her head up on her elbow, kissing Janeway’s cheek and said, "Well, she thought that I was trying to get into your uniform, and she came to me to tell me that that probably wasn’t the wisest idea considering your relationship with Seven. So, after dodging questions for a half hour, I finally had to tell her." Sighing, Torres continued, "I’m sorry…I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think it was for the best. She was all over my butt about it…and well, I just didn’t feel right denying it. I can’t deny that I love you…not to anyone. I’m not gonna go tattoo is on my arm or anything, but if someone asks…well, it just seems dishonorable to you not to say yes."

"I’m assuming you told her…the whole story," Janeway smiled a little shyly. "I certainly don’t want my crewmen to think I’m some kind of philanderer."

"Yes…she knows all the torrid details…well, you know what I mean." Taking a moment to kiss Janeway properly and soundlessly, Torres explained, "And Nick’s not going to say anything…I trust her, and you know how I am about trusting people." When Janeway nodded, the brunette finished, "I’m sorry I woke you…but I wanted to tell you before I talked myself out of it. Are you upset?"

"No," Janeway whispered, reaching up and rubbing Torres’ bare arms. "I don’t know if I’m ready to make it public knowledge yet either…but if you feel like you can trust, Nick…then I will too. Besides…this isn’t just my decision, and I realize that you need someone to talk with as well." Kissing Torres again, she said against her lips, "Sounds like you and Nick are hitting it off?"

Nodding, Torres acknowledged, "Yea…she’s pretty okay. She’s tough…so, you know…we mesh well." Then sighing, B’Elanna looked over at Seven who was fast sleep on her back and asked, "I know we can’t hide this from her…but do you think we have to tell her right away? I’m worried she’s not going to like it at all."

"Well, unlike you," the captain teased nipping at B’Elanna’s chin, she replied, "I’m not going to tell her tonight…but I’ll tell her tomorrow. And maybe it will help her change her view of her since she was obviously trying to look out for your best interest. I think Seven would appreciate that." Snuggling up next to the brunette, Janeway said putting her head down and closing her eyes, yawning, "So, how does Nick feel about Seven?"

"I think she’s pretty weary of her, and won’t be going out of her way to do her any favors," Torres responded rubbing the captain’s back, since she was now turned toward her. "But, she also understands a little more about Seven, and how if she wants to get to know her, she’s going to have to ‘adapt,’ to her personality, and learn to understand why she does the things she does."

"Well, if you and Seven could find and understanding…I’m sure she and Nick can as well," Janeway chuckled. Then leaning in more, she kissed Torres’ neck and asked, "Darling…are you staying, because if you are…I’d like for you to get under the covers with me now."

"No, I’m gonna go home tonight…I’d really rather not see Gumby until tomorrow," Torres snickered, "besides…I don’t think his photonic heart could handle the sight of all of us in the same bed."

"Okay…but will you do me a favor before you go?"

"It’s possible."

"Kiss me," Janeway smiled, pulling her head away enough so she could see B’Elanna’s face. "Kiss me like you mean it."

Pressing the captain back, Torres climbed up on her again and said before she granted the older woman’s request, "My pleasure."

After the Doctor left the captain’s quarters again after making a quick check up, Seven of Nine took a few moments to become fully aware of her surroundings. Now resting with her head turned to the sleeping form of Kathryn Janeway, who was lying on her side next to Seven, her small form wrapped around her left, Borg enhanced arm, she smiled slightly as she watched her lover. The captain was a curious sleeper, Seven of Nine had become aware. There were moments when she was so completely peaceful, that if Seven couldn’t see her chest slowly rising and falling, she would have believed that she was dead. In those times her face, a face that expressed and concealed so much at the same time, was the epitome of serenity, all signs of the stresses in her life washed away with unconsciousness. However, more often than not, the captain was not a peaceful sleeper. Most of the time her face was marred with creases of worry, anguish, and sometimes regret, and her body remained fairly rigid. Seven had also learned that at these times, the captain was more likely to talk in her sleep, and twice as likely to cling to the Borg tightly throughout the night. Currently, the captain seemed to be somewhere between the two. The cool blonde surmised that the captain could not completely relax because even though she wasn’t aware that the Doctor had just been there, in the back of her mind, she knew he would be in and out of her quarters, and because she had to be careful how close she got to Seven considering the condition of her new torso. So, even though she was somewhat aware of those two things even though she was asleep, there was a certain placidity gracing the redhead’s classic features.

Surprised when the computer announced the time and the captain didn’t move a muscle to acknowledge the event, Seven said softly, "Kathryn, it is 0630 hours." When Janeway finally showed the first signs of awareness, her face immediately turning to one of displeasure, Seven put on her best smile when Janeway opened her foggy eyes and greeted, "Good morning, my Kathryn."

Inhaling deeply and turning up her frown around somewhat, Janeway said, her voice gravely due to lack of use, "Good morning, sweetheart. Have you been awake long?"

"No," explained the Borg, only mildly displeased that she couldn’t reach over and embrace the captain since if she hadn’t convinced the Doctor to let her come home early, she wouldn’t have been able to wake up beside her. "The Doctor left seventeen point three minutes ago."

Accustomed to her Astrometrics officer’s precision, Janeway scooted a little closer to Seven, placing her head against her shoulder and asked, "Only seventeen point three minutes huh? I didn’t even hear him come in." Then yawning and kissing Seven’s bare shoulder, she questioned, "How are you feeling?"

"I am functioning much better," Seven stated with a certain amount of cheeriness to her clear tones. "I look forward to standing for several hours, once I am able."

"I can’t say I blame you," Janeway responded working her kisses up to Seven’s neck and chin, "and I know how much you…prefer to stand."

"Correct…however, this is an acceptable position at the moment," Seven smirked as the captain showered her with affection. "I have missed morning non-kisses. I believe this is my favorite aspect of waking up."

"Mmm…mine too, darling," Janeway cooed closing the distance between herself and the Borg again, focusing her lips just below Seven’s chin. "Although," the redhead whispered, feeling a little frisky this morning after Torres’ short, but pleasing visit and the fact that for one morning, Seven wasn’t terribly disoriented, "there will be plenty of new things I can do to you in the morning…very soon, that you might find that you like even better."

"I believe I will enjoy your demonstrations," Seven came back turning her head again so that Janeway could see the look on her face.

Propping herself up on her elbow, the captain smirked back and said, "Oh, I think you will…I haven’t any complaints so far."

Seven raised her eyebrow at the redhead’s show of confidence with such matters, and said, "Indeed."

Laughing, the captain rubbed her eyes as she sat all the way up and asked, "Darling…how are your legs…do you need some exercise?"

"Yes," Seven answered quickly, "however, I will not be able to assist you. The Doctor says that my abdominal muscles are too weak to attempt to lift them." When Kathryn nodded as if she was aware of that, Seven continued, "Kathryn, my legs are quite heavy…I do not believe you will be able to lift them on your own. Especially my left leg…"

Rolling her eyes, Janeway huffed, "I swear, between you and B’Elanna…you two make me sound like I’m made out of glass." Then sliding off the bed, she explained, "But, don’t worry…I didn’t plan on trying to do it alone. I think between B’Elanna and I, we can manage." Taking a moment to stretch, Janeway said after she exhaled, "Do you need anything before I go get ready?"

Sighing as the captain extended her thin, wiry limps over her head, displaying her firm body that was thinly covered by her silk night gown, Seven stated, beginning to feel more than a little sexually frustrated, "Unfortunately, what I require most, you can not give me at the moment." When Janeway smiled crookedly, Seven answered again, "Other than your body, I require a nutritional supplement and a glass of water…please."

"Coming right up," Janeway said over her shoulder as she disappeared. Reappearing, carrying a coffee cup which was firmly attached to her lips, and two glasses which she was carefully cradling in her right palm, she walked around to where Seven was and offered the supplement to her lover and set the water on the nightstand. After Seven took a few sips through the straw, Janeway leaned down, kissed her lips for a moment, and said, "I’ll be in the shower…holler if you need anything…and don’t choke."

"Kathryn, it is not possible for me to suffocate on a nutritional supplement. It is not dense enough to become lodged in my throat," Seven explained plainly. "However, I will call you if I require your assistance."

Pinching her arm lightly, Janeway said standing up straight, "You know what I mean, Miss Smarty-pants."

After her shower, the captain requested that the computer play her favorite wake-up music, a compilation of feel-good, gospel music with a few of her favorite, upbeat country/folk tunes mixed in. During the evening Janeway preferred jazzy instrumental tunes, but in the morning, she liked to have something with a little more of a beat, and something she could hum the words to as she prepared for her day. Kathryn was very aware that her vocal talents, with regards to singing, were far from pleasing to the ears, but as long as she didn’t open her mouth, she knew that her small humming wasn’t anything that would set Seven’s teeth on edge. Downing the rest of her coffee before applying her lipstick, the captain rubbed in the brick-red color, checked her teeth for any bits of the waxy substance, and then actually smiled in the mirror as she took a look at the finished product. "Not bad, Kate," she said to herself and then chuckled under her breath at herself as she grabbed her coffee cup and headed back into the living room. After recycling the mug, she donned her tunic and boots that were at the constantly at the ready at her desk and headed back into the bedroom where Seven was still slowly sipping her supplement, having finished approximately half of it, and staring at the ceiling, most likely putting the current tune in the air to memory. Coming up beside Seven, Janeway said, "B’Elanna’s probably in the Mess Hall, so as long as your comfortable, I’m going to step out for a few minutes and have breakfast with the crew. Do you want me to turn off the music?"

"No, it is pleasant," Seven answered looking over at Kathryn as she perched on the side of the bed. Then smiling some, Seven said, "You are exceptionally beautiful today, my Kathryn…the crew will undoubtedly be pleased you decided to join them."

Blushing and dipping her head shyly, Janeway responded leaning down, "And you are too sweet to me…but thank you." Kissing her on the cheek, and then rubbing off the remnants of her gratitude off of the Borg’s alabaster cheek, she said, "And I love you…be back soon."

"I love you as well," Seven said intercepting the captain’s hand as she pulled it away, bringing it to her lips as she had seen B’Elanna Torres do once before. When the captain’s eyes sparkled with mirth, Seven realized that there was something exceptionally pleasing about this display of affection. Filing the information away to memory, planning on repeating this gesture in the future, Seven finished, "And there is no need for you to rush. I am comfortable. If there is something I need, I will contact the Doctor."

Nodding, knowing that Seven was attempting to tell her that she could take care of herself and that any protest or deviation would not make her happy, Janeway stood up and said, "Alright," then over her shoulder, she shook her finger in the air, "But don’t choke."

"I will comply," Seven came back quickly, speaking loudly so the captain could here her as she approached the exit.

Laughing to herself as she left her quarters, understanding that Seven was as fond of having the last word as much as she was, and happy to give it to her, this time, Janeway tapped her communicator to be certain and asked, "Computer, locate Lieutenant Torres."

"Lieutenant Torres is in the Mess Hall."

Stepping up to the turbolift, she crossed her arms over her chest as the display panel informed her that she was required to wait as all carriages were currently in use. After less than a minute because anytime the lift was requested from this section of Deck Three it was considered a high priority since the command staffed lived there, she stepped into the empty carriage and said, "Deck Two." The ride up took less than half a minute, and when she stepped between the doors into the small group of male officers waiting for the lift, all of whom immediately straightened and parted like the Red Sea for their compact captain, Janeway nodded and greeted, "Good morning, gentlemen…thank you," politely as she passed them and continued down the hall, very tempted to look back to see if anyone was watching her. Since Torres had informed her of how marvelous she thought Janeway looked in her uniform, and after Seven’s experiment, the captain realized that she was becoming a little more aware of herself, and how other’s reacted to her. However, since she was the captain, she certainly wasn’t going to turn around and gratify herself in such a manner. Even though she was certain it would lift her confidence even higher than it already was, she didn’t think it was prudent for her as the commanding officer on this ship to give into such things, nor did she think it was wise to let her crew know that she cared. No matter what Seven or B’Elanna said, when she was the captain, especially when she interacted with others other than her senior staff, whom she could be more relaxed with, she had to remain aloof and do her best portray herself as someone who only cared about her duty, her crew, and her promise to get them home.

By the time she got to the Mess Hall, the captain was practically radiating vitality after being stopped three separate times by various members, some just to wish her a good morning and inform her what on the menu to stay away from, and some to tell her that it was good to see her. Spotting Torres and Fowler immediately, Janeway was about to make her way to them when Neelix popped up from behind the counter startling her.

"Captain!" the Talaxian rejoiced fiddling with his apron. "What a pleasant surprise. Can I get you something…coffee, eggs…I’ve got some vegetables…I could make you an omelet?"

Blushing a little as the entire crew turned around to see what the fuss was all about, Janeway quickly moved over close to the bar and said quietly, "I’ll have some coffee…thank you."

"I’ve got a fresh pot in the back," Neelix winked knowing what a virtual coffee connoisseur his captain was. Returning with a steaming cup, he handed it to her and asked, "Are you sure I can’t get you something to eat, Captain? It’s no trouble really."

Sighing lightly, Janeway gave in and said, "Alright…I’ll have a scramble egg…just one. I’m not very hungry."

Nodding once, Neelix smiled and ushered her away from the bar, saying, "Coming right up, Captain…have a seat, and I’ll bring it out to you."

Leaning over and whispering before she left, she said, "You know, Neelix…you’re too good to me."

"Nonsense," Neelix whispered back and then turned quickly and headed back to the kitchen humming cheerfully.

Nicole Fowler looked over her shoulder for a split second as Torres stopped talking and grinned against the rim of her coffee cup. Then shaking her head, she whispered getting back to her food, "Torres, you’re hopeless…truly hopeless."

Blinking and looking back at Nicole, the engineer asked after she took a swig of her coffee and let her eyes linger back over to the captain’s back as she conversed with Neelix, "What are you talking about?"

Fowler had the urge to reach across the table and slap her friend upside the head again, but knowing that would definitely draw attention away from the captain and Neelix and to them, and to Torres who was still admiring the view, Nicole murmured, "You’re like some kind of puppy who’s mistress just appeared to feed you. Pull yourself together, woman…please…for my sake."

Clearing her throat, Torres put down her coffee cup and said, "Sorry." Taking a bite of her toast, she looked quickly back to the captain who had turned to the side and looked to be heading away from the kitchen area, then back to her food, and whispered, "She would have to pick today to eat with the crew…Kahless…she looks good."

Nonchalantly, Fowler picked up her coffee cup and panned around the room as if she was just aimlessly observing nothing in particular, she took a second to give the captain a proper once over, then turned back around and said, casually, "She certainly does look rather tasty today."

"Watch it, Nick," Torres snarled playfully. Then glancing up again seeing the captain leaving a small group of scientists at a table near the door, and heading their way, she said under her breathe, "Shit…she’s coming over here…act natural."

It took everything Fowler had not to fall off her chair in laughter at her friend’s nervousness, but since she was feeling a little anxious herself, she picked up her coffee and said, raising her voice back to normal conversation levels, "So, I was thinking…how about we pick a time a couple of days a week and workout together? It’s always better when you’ve got someone to motivate you."

"Yea, sounds good," Torres said looking down at her food seeing the captain approaching out of her peripheral vision. Looking up, she said straight-faced looking at Fowler and then over to Janeway who was only two steps away, "I prefer to workout late at night…not so many people there. Hey, Captain."

Smiling warmly, not being fooled by Torres or Fowler in the least, she said provocatively, "Good morning, ladies. Am I interrupting?"

Fowler swallowed down her coffee quickly before it came back up at the captain’s sexy tones, she said, rushed, "Not at all, Captain." Looking around quickly for an empty chair they could pull over, Fowler asked standing, "Do you want to sit down?"

"Yes, thank you, Lieutenant," Janeway said to the tall woman as she commandered a chair from a table of three without asking if it was being used and pushed it behind her. Sitting and pulling the chair closer to the table, she acknowledged the gesture kindly, "Thank you."

Sitting back down, Fowler was about to tell the captain that it wasn’t a problem, when she felt Torres’ heal come down rather hard on the top of foot. Clenching her jaw, so she didn’t curse due to the slight pain she inflicted, Fowler nodded her head and picked up her coffee up quickly. After taking a swig and sending Torres a silent message with her eyes and Torres did the same, she put it down and turned to her food hoping the captain wouldn’t attempt to talk to her since it seemed that her lover was none to happy with inviting the captain to sit with them. Thankfully, for the pilot, just as Janeway turned her piercing and rather humbling, yet alluring stare on her, Neelix appeared at the table and saved the pilot from any more pain.

As Neelix set the plate of food in front of her, Janeway furrowed her brow slightly and looked up at Neelix who was setting out utensils around the dish, "Um, Neelix…I said one egg. Not two eggs and two pieces of toast."

Folding the napkin on the captain’s lap, the furry Talaxian shook his head and mumbled before he left, "Well…I could have sworn it was two. My mistake, Captain…enjoy."

Janeway rolled her eyes and scooted closer to the table, picking up her coffee and said to Torres who was doing her best to not see the captain, as she took one of her pieces of toast a placed it on B’Elanna’s rapidly disappearing pile of food, "You’re awfully quiet, B’Elanna…everything okay?"

"Fine, Captain…just hungry," Torres responded quickly. "Thanks," she nodded at her plate, accepting the offering.

"Mmmhmm," the captain murmured against her coffee cup, still not being fooled, but willing to let it go, understanding that Torres was simply trying to protect the captain’s best interest by not paying her any attention in such a public area. Setting down the mug, she picked up her fork and stabbed a hunk of egg, while asking, "Seven needs a little attention this morning…do you have time to help me?" When both Fowler and Torres both started coughing and reaching for their coffee mugs, Janeway smiled wickedly, impressed with herself for showing up her normally fairly brazen lieutenants and chewed her food, asking, "Was it something I said?"

Getting up from the table, Fowler said while rising, "Excuse me, Captain…I’m going to go see if I can talk Neelix into seconds." Walking away still coughing a little, Fowler couldn’t help but shake her head at her commanding officer, whom she was quickly learning to stop underestimating.

Once Fowler was gone, Janeway leaned in a little, looking down at her plate and whispered, "Darling…I think you’re overdoing it just a tad. You usually pay me at least a little attention."

Looking up and then laughing, Torres whispered back, "Sorry, Red…I was just scared if I looked once, I wouldn’t be able to stop." She reached for her coffee cup again and mumbled, "By the way…you look…really nice."

Janeway followed Torres motion for her cup and responded against the rim, looking around the room as if they were talking about something completely different, "That’s what Seven said…must have been that late night visit that did the trick?" Then setting her coffee down and turning back to her food as Fowler approached slowly, taking her time to chat with a few other crewmembers, "So, can you come by for a while before you have to report to Engineering…that wasn’t just a bad joke."

"Sure, just remind me to call Vorik and tell him that I’m going to be late," Torres responded, staring to feel a little more comfortable. "How is she doing this morning?"

As Nicole sat back down, Janeway smiled happily and answered, "Well, I missed the Doctor’s last visit…slept right through it, but she’s in good spirits and says that she’s looking forward to getting back on her feet. So, I’d say she is doing rather well, all things considering."

"That’s good news, Captain," Fowler offered drinking her coffee, doing her best to not let Seven of Nine be a sour spot for her, even though she still wasn’t sure how she felt about the Borg, but considering she liked Torres a great deal, and was fairly fond of the captain as a person, although, she still wasn’t certain how she felt about her professionally, she assumed that there had to be something about her that these two women liked, other than her body. "Any idea when she’ll be able to return to duty?"

"Not yet," Janeway answered finishing her eggs and trying to decide if she wanted any toast. Then breaking it in half and handing the other piece to Torres as well, she said before she took a bite, "I think it will be at least a week before I’ll be comfortable letting her get back to a full day’s work, but I imagine that in a few days, she’ll be well enough to spend a few hours in Astrometrics." Chuckling to herself, she continued bringing her coffee to her lips, "And even if she’s not, I’m sure she’ll demand that I let her go for a few hours."

As Nicole stuffed a few pieces of food in her mouth to keep from making a comment as to how she had no doubts Seven would make such a demand of her commanding officer, Torres said changing the subject when the captain seemed as though she was happy to drink her coffee and not say anything more about Seven, "Hey Nick…do you like to box? Chakotay and I usually try to meet up once a week and go a few rounds…you’re more than welcome to join us."

"Well, I’m not much of a traditional boxer…but yea, I could do that," Fowler answered finishing the small second helping of eggs she requested. When Torres looked at her, asking her to explain by the expression on her face, she informed, "I’m a kick boxer."

"Kick boxing, huh?" Janeway smiled against her cup. "Are you any good?" When Fowler raised her eyebrow a little surprised by the question, Janeway laughed once and explained, "I just ask because…well, a woman of your…fortitude…seems like perhaps my Chief of Security could use your assistance. He’s been hounding me for months to let him gather a small group of officers and create something of an elite force. Is that something that you would be interested in?"

Tensing, Nicole answered, trying not to become annoyed that the captain would assume that just because she was an above average woman, she would automatically prefer to be in Security rather than pilot a starship, "With all due respect, Captain…I’d prefer to maintain my current post. Security isn’t something that interests me…but thank you."

Automatically sensing that Fowler had misunderstood her intentions, Janeway responded quickly, "Oh, I don’t want to take you away from the pilot’s seat, Nick…I’m sorry if that’s what you thought." Setting down her coffee, she explained, "This elite force would need a pilot. Commander Tuvok would probably be the only member of Security a part of it. He wants to gather just a few members from each department that we could use on Away Missions that required a little more of a…tactically skilled crew. He has a few shipboard plans as well, but it’s all in just the planning stages at the moment. Of course, he would make the final decisions as far as who would be included, but if you’re interested…I’ll be sure to let him know."

Feeling like an ass for assuming that the captain was trying to find a way to get her out of the pilot’s seat on her own so that she didn’t have to make the decision herself, Nicole nodded, humbled and said, "Captain…I apologize for being so hasty. Yes, thank you…I’m honored that you would even consider me for such a post. Please inform the Commander that I would very interested." Then clearing her throat, she grabbed her plate and coffee cup and said, standing, "Well, if you’ll both excuse me…I have a few things to take care of before my duty shift. Thank you again, Captain."

"Of course, Lieutenant…I’ll have the commander contact you with the specifics as soon as we work them out," Janeway said nodding and looking up at Nicole. When she left, she turned to B’Elanna and whispered, "B’Elanna, you seem to know her the best out of all of us…is something going on that I don’t know about?"

"She’s a little edgy right now, Captain," Torres informed quietly. "She really wants this job…she hasn’t told me so, but I can see it in her reactions to you. I think she’s just waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under her feet." Setting down her coffee cup, Torres asked, "Am I allowed to give my opinion?"

"You’re a senior officer on this ship, Lieutenant," Janeway said surely, "that means your opinion always matters to me…and it means that I trust that you’ll always put the welfare of this ship before your personal feelings." Leaning in on her elbows, the captain said, "So, what are you thinking?"

Quietly, Torres explained, "Well, she’s not as skilled of a pilot as Paris, but I think she can get pretty darn close with a little practice. She’s a hard worker, knows when to keep her mouth shut, and seems to be a lot more reliable than Paris. The way I see it, I think she’s the best person for the job for several reasons."

When Torres paused, Janeway nodded and said, "Go on."

"Well, Tom has medical training, and we’re always short staffed in Sickbay…especially if we have problems. I think it would be good for this ship if he stayed down there and advanced his medical training," the engineer explained. Feeling much more comfortable having this kind of discussion with her commanding officer, who happened to be her lover, suddenly realizing that her opinion was just as important as anyone else’s, and liking that feeling especially since the welfare of this ship meant exponentially more to her than it did before, which had always been of great proportions, Torres went on, "Plus, if Nick gets a spot on this elite force, which I have a feeling won’t be a problem, she’ll need to keep on her piloting skills, and I don’t think any of our other pilots are up for advanced tactical training…not even Paris. And if she’s away from the ship, Paris can always fill in. You could have two damned fine pilots at your disposal. It could be a win, win situation."

"I’m not so sure Mister Paris would agree with that," Janeway responded evenly, "However, you do have several valid points. It’s still much too early to make a decision, but thank you for insight, Lieutenant. Do me a favor and keep on her…let her know that she’s still very much in the running. I can’t promise her anything, but I don’t want that to stop her from making a statement."

"Aye, Captain."

Sighing, she said, "Well, I think we better go see to Seven’s exercise." As she stood, she whispered, "Why don’t you inform your staff that you’re needed elsewhere and I’ll clean up? I’ll meet you in the hallway." After Torres nodded, Janeway picked up their dishes and walked them quickly into the kitchen, hoping to grab a fresh cup of coffee from the pot in the back. Rounding the corner, she came up to Neelix who was happily washing dishes in the back kitchen area, and said, "Neelix…where do you want these?"

"Just set them right there, Captain," the Talaxian nodded toward the counter that was filled with the morning’s dishes. Noticing that both plates were empty, he smiled and said, "I see that you were hungrier than you thought."

Not having the heart to inform him that she gave half of her food away, Janeway nodded and said frowning at the mound of plates, hating that she had to have her staff wash dishes instead of just recycling them to save energy, but knowing it was a necessity, "Neelix, that’s an awful lot of dishes for one person to do…don’t you want some help? I’m sure Chakotay could start scheduling someone to assist you throughout the day."

"Oh, I’m fine, Captain," Neelix smiled easily. "Samantha and Naomi usually come down in the afternoon and help out, so it really isn’t necessary. I’m at home back here…it’s very relaxing."

Coming over to him and putting her arm around the Talaxian, Janeway hugged him lightly and said, "Neelix, I don’t know how you do it…but I am forever grateful. You’ve really been a godsend to us all. This ship wouldn’t be the same without you."

"The feelings mutual, Captain…there’s no place else I’d rather be," Neelix said rinsing a plate and putting it in the strainer. "Except maybe with my family on Talax…but since that’s not possible, Voyager’s the next best thing."

Smiling openly, Janeway patted him on the back and said, "Okay, then I’ll leave you to your relaxation…but if you need assistance…all you have to do is ask. Understood."

"Aye, Captain," he responded surely as she walked away. Before she left, he asked quickly, "By the way, Captain…how’s Seven doing?"

Stopping her stride, Janeway turned half way and said, grinning crookedly, "You know, Seven…she’s adapting quickly. I’ll tell her you asked about her." Then waving goodbye, Janeway went out the back door to see Torres walking down the hall and poking her head down another corridor, obviously wondering where her captain had gone off to. Hurrying over to her, Janeway did a quick check to make certain no one was around. Then smacking her engineer on the fanny soundly, Janeway continued on her way toward the turbolift saying, "This way, Lieutenant."

Turning bright red, Torres stood amazed for a second as she watching Janeway walk away like she hadn’t a care in the world. Then as two officers rounded the corridor to her left, Torres sighed and took off after Kathryn, walking quickly to catch up to her. Once she did, she whispered through clenched teeth, "Thanks a lot, Captain."

As she stepped into the turbolift that way empty, Janeway said turning around, "You’re welcome. Deck Three."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Torres rolled her eyes at the captain’s smug look as she stared forward and informed as the doors opened after the lift came to a halt, "You’ll pay."

"I’m sure I will," Janeway said walking out of the lift still staring straight ahead.

Torres kept her pace even with Janeway’s and just as they approached the end of the corridor, Chakotay emerged from his room, obviously on his way to the Bridge. Sensing an opportunity, since she knew that her old friend was aware of the situation, and never afraid to take part in needling the captain, Torres said, "Hey, Chakotay…off to work?"

Stopping just outside his door as Janeway and Torres came to a halt next to him, he said, "Yep…another day another dollar. What are you two up to?"

Quickly, Torres jumped at the opportunity and answered before Janeway had a chance to. Slapping him on the arm soundly, she said, "Apparently, the captain’s shower is broken again…so she needs me to tinker," winking, "with it." When Chakotay coughed as Janeway turned a hundred shades of red all at one time, Torres jumped behind the cover of the tall, darkly handsome man as the captain made a move for her, and said, laughing hysterically, "Call Security, Chakotay."

"Oh you think that’s funny, do you?" Janeway said heatedly, but trying hard not to laugh herself, reaching around Chakotay as the tall commander did his best to get out of the way. Then finally giving up and sighing, the captain crossed her arms over her chest and said, "What Ensign Torres meant to say was that we were going to help Seven with her physical therapy." When Chakotay finally lost it and covered his mouth so that he wouldn’t laugh at loud, Janeway rolled her eyes, and pushed them aside heading for her quarters acting like she was put off, but the slight up and down movement of her shoulders gave her away.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Chakotay managed walking backward after patting Torres on the back for a job well done, "Well…give my regards…to Seven. Have fun, you two."

Once Torres approached her, wiping the tears from her eyes as well, and holding her stomach, still laughing, the captain opened her door and said, grabbing Torres and shoving her in without malicious intent, "Get inside before I throw your butt in the Brig."

Turning around, Torres sighed, recovering from her laughing fit and asked, approaching the captain cautiously, preparing to dodge a smack upside the head, "Are you going to punish me, Captain?" When Janeway smirked at her, she quickly stepped up, grabbed her by the waist, and pressed her body against her, saying quietly, "Because if you are, I’m willing as long as you’re the one giving the tongue lashing."

Wrapping her arms around Torres’ shoulders, Janeway said keeping her lips very close to her engineer’s, "Oh, so now you’re getting a tongue lashing…and I thought you came here to tinker with my shower?" Then leaning in close, smiling wickedly, Janeway flicked Torres’ slightly parted lips with her tongue before she kissed her passionately. Then pulling away, she said, "I can’t believe you did that? He’s never going to let me live that down."

"Just trying to keep you honest," Torres said back, reaching around and patting the captain’s backside.

"Right," Janeway sneered walking toward the bedroom saying, "Seven…are you still awake?"

"Yes, Kathryn," Seven said from the bedroom, putting down her PADD, and looking over at Janeway as she entered the bedroom, which Torres close behind her. "Good morning, B’Elanna Torres."

Stepping around the captain who was moving toward the foot of the bed, Torres said coming around to Seven’s side of the bed, "Hiya, dollface…Red says that you’re feeling better?"

"That is correct," Seven nodded her head at Torres who was now perched on the side of the bed. Bringing up her hand and placing it on Torres’ forearm, the blonde continued, "I am glad to see you, and my legs will appreciate your assistance as well." Looking over at Janeway who was taking off her boots, Seven stated, "They are beginning to be painful."

Patting Seven’s hand, Torres said, "We’ll fix you up…right, Red?"

"Absolutely," Janeway smiled taking off her tunic and grabbing her boots and carrying them back into the other room. Placing them by her desk, she quickly logged on for duty, grabbed another cup of coffee since she had forgotten to get one after talking to Neelix and headed back into the bedroom, asking, "You ready to begin, Seven…or do you need some more time? I don’t think there’s any hurry…is there ‘Lanna?"

"Nope, I told Vorik that I’d be there when I’d be there…and the Doctor and I aren’t meeting until the late afternoon…so I’m all yours for a while."

"B’Elanna Torres, would you hand me my liquid refreshment before we begin?" asked Seven. "Thank you." As the brunette took off her tunic as well, tossing it across the room where is landed on the captain’s lounger, Seven said after a few sips, "You may proceed."

Seven’s physical therapy consisted of Torres lifting and bending Seven’s long, thin, but heavy legs, while the captain sat with her, held her hand through the pain of stretching her new skin and abdominal muscles, talked to her, and reminded her to breathe through the burning sensation. After a half an hour, Seven had had enough, and so had Torres, and furthermore, so had the captain, having a hard time seeing Seven experience any sort of discomfort that she could do nothing to abate. Then after a half an hour rest, during which the Doctor stopped by again and informed them that they were doing a good job, but that Seven should have another fifteen minutes of exercise before Torres left, the three of them began again, this fifteen minutes going quickly since Seven’s muscles were warmed up now and used to the movement. Torres had stayed a few more minutes after that to have glass of water and chat with Seven as the captain took a moment to check her messages, not surprised to find yet another one from Commander Tuvok informing them that he would like to schedule a meeting this week to discuss the advance tactical squad idea.

After Torres said goodbye to them both, the captain went back into her bedroom and spent a while with Seven, rubbing her legs to keep the blood flowing and the muscles warm. Then once her patient started showing signs of sleepiness, the captain crawled up next to her and stroked her arm lightly until she went to sleep. After that, Janeway headed back into the living room, sat at her desk and put her mind to her job, knowing that she probably had several hours before Seven woke up, and since the Doctor had informed her that he didn’t need to stop by until it was time to remove her medical packs, she scheduled a lunch meeting with Tuvok in her quarters. If Seven did wake up, she could just close the door on the bedroom, knowing that Seven was well enough now that she didn’t need to worry about keeping such a close eye on her.

At 1130 hours, the captain walked back into her bedroom and woke Seven for a moment to inform her that she had a very important meeting with Tuvok, so she was going to close the door, but that if Seven needed anything, all she had to do was request that the computer open the door and call out to her. The Borg was still very tired, but she was able to wake up long enough to acknowledge the captain’s words and request a kiss, which Janeway gave with pleasure. When Seven’s hand moved quickly up her torso and began kneading her breast lightly, Janeway chuckled against Seven’s lips and said, "Well, nothing says you’re feeling better than that, I guess." Allowing the exploration for a few more minutes as she continued to kiss Seven sweetly, the captain finally pulled away, kissing Seven’s knuckles and said, "Go back to sleep now, darling."

Sighing heavily, Seven turned her head to the side, folding her hands at her chest and said, "Very well…perhaps I will continue to sleep until I am able to remove myself form this position and embrace you with both hands."

Janeway couldn’t help but smile at Seven’s words that continued to warm her heart like nothing she had ever experienced as she left the bedroom, closing the door on her way out. Quickly, she took a moment to clean off her table before she set it, replicating two large soup bowls and smaller salad plates, sticking to the habit she and her Vulcan friend had acquired of having soup and salad whenever they had the rare opportunity to eat together privately. Then bringing down the lights somewhat and lighting the two candles on her table with the box of matches in her desk drawer, also sticking to the habit of eating by candlelight since they both preferred it, finding the flames a calming respite from the normal stresses of their day.

Just as she finished programming a medium bowl of salad and slightly smaller bowl of soup, her door call sounded, right on time, she knew. "Come in," she said from the replicator as she ordered a glass of Vulcan spiced tea, which she knew he would request if she asked.

"Good afternoon, Captain," Tuvok said as she stepped into her quarters and came to a halt just inside. Looking over at the closed door to her bedroom, he asked, "How is Seven of Nine fairing?"

"She’s a sleep right now…but she’s doing much better," Janeway answered bringing him his tea. "Make yourself at home, Commander."

Accepting the tea, nodding, Tuvok sat down at the table and said, "Thank you, Captain. How are you fairing? This has undoubtedly been a difficult experience for you."

Ordering herself a glass of iced tea, Janeway said, "Oh, I’m fine…much better now that Seven’s safe at home where she belongs, and the A.I. is long gone." Coming back over the table, she sat down, folding one leg underneath her so she could push off and serve them, saying, "Difficult is an understatement, however."

Tuvok set down his tea and remarked and the captain served him first, "It is curious, Captain, that you would refer to your quarters as Seven’s home."

Smiling crookedly at Tuvok as she dished up two ladles of soup, Janeway responded, "That was fairly subtle, old friend. Why don’t you just ask me what you want to know?"

Raising an eyebrow, he said, "As you wish, Captain. Will Seven of Nine be sharing these quarters with you permanently?"

"Yes," Janeway answered easily as she piled a healthy amount of salad on his plate. Then glancing up at him, she laughed once, and said, "Go on…ask the next question…I know you’re wondering."

"Have you and Seven of Nine embarked upon a romantic relationship, or is this merely your way of attempting to help Seven adapt to her new situation?"

Sitting down all the way now and scooting closer to the table, Janeway said softly, "Yes…to both answers." As she folded her napkin on her lap, she watched Tuvok do the same, his face, which was unreadable to most, like an open book to her. Once he looked back up at her, she smiled fondly and said, "I want you to know, that you’re approval means a great deal to me…thank you."

Tuvok picked up his spoon, and nodded his head, understanding that Janeway somehow always seemed to understand his expressions which were limited, to say the least, and said, "You are welcome, Captain. I must say that I am not surprised by this series of events in the least, however. I had suspected that you and she were progressing to this point for quite some time. Although, I am surprised that you seem to be at peace with the situation so quickly. Perhaps that is Seven of Nine’s influence?"

"Actually," the captain countered sipping her soup, "I was the one who approached her first. Of course, she had been thinking about it for a while…but I think she was hesitant because of my position."

"Fascinating," offered the Vulcan sipping his soup as well. "I have clearly underestimated your feelings for her. I was under that assumption that if such a relationship were to occur, she would approach you and have to present the situation in a logical manner until you ceased to resist." Thinking for a moment, he finally decided that the captain would not be terribly upset if he asked, so he questioned, "How is B’Elanna Torres taking this information?"

Sighing a little, Janeway shook her head, grabbed her iced tea and muttered, "You never miss a beat, do you?" When Tuvok lifted his eyebrow at her and titled her head, she explained, "Well…um," then laughing at herself for suddenly becoming so shy with her oldest friend on the ship, she went on, "B’Elanna is fine with it…in fact…we’re all…very happy."

"Indeed," Tuvok offered and proceeded to give the biggest look of shock Janeway had ever seen grace her dark commander’s stoic features. Then turning back to his food, starting in on his salad he thought about what he knew of the captain and the types of people that she seemed to be attracted to, and said, "It is a logical resolution considering that the three of you seem rather fond of each other and are all distinctly different individuals. Although, I am surprised yet again at your open-mindedness. I believe Seven of Nine has had a profound influence on you."

Smiling crookedly, not taking offense to his implication that she could be rather set in her ways, at least in the past, Janeway chuckled and said, "Profound would be another understatement, Tuvok." When he nodded in agreement, she sighed and said, "Well, now that you’re all caught up on my love life, why don’t you tell me about your ideas for this…elite force."

After they had finished their lunch, they retired to the couch, Tuvok sipping another tea and Janeway going back to coffee, since she adamantly professed that it helped her think, among other things. Curled up in the corner as Tuvok sat at the other end, straight and proper, the captain continued to listen to his reasoning as to why such a group was needed on Voyager. Once she was convinced that this was an idea that could be put to very good use, despite the man hours and resources that its inception would require, she asked, "Okay, you’ve sold me, Commander…so, any ideas as to whom you want to take under your wing, or is this an open tryout kind of thing?"

"No, I would like to approach several individuals and put them all through a preliminary training test," Tuvok answered. "I believe that would give me a better idea of whom I wish to choose for the actual squad." After taking a sip of his tea, he set it down on the end table, folded his hands together and continued, "There are several candidates already. Lieutenant Byers from Security, Ensign Wang from Geology…"

Holding up her hand, Janeway asked, confused, "Samuel Wang?" Shaking her head once, the captain explained her surprise, "No offense, Commander…but he’s awfully…well, passive, don’t you think?"

Nodding, Tuvok responded readily, "Yes, Captain…the ensign is a rather reserved individual. He is not easily provoked, and demonstrates a laudable adherence to protocol and the chain of command. However, he is also a fifth degree black belt in Aikido, Jujitsu, and Judo."

"Really?" the captain asked completely unknowing.

"Yes," Tuvok answered. "His martial arts training is undoubtedly the reason why he is considered so…passive. He is highly disciplined, and will only use his abilities when all else fails. He is precisely the type of individual that is required to maintain order amongst the Elite Force, since other, more aggressive individuals will also be included."

Shaking her head in bewilderment, the captain always thinking of Ensign Wang as sort of a sheepish man, she nodded and said, "Well, I guess you know best…who else?"

"Speaking of more aggressive, of course, B’Elanna Torres from Engineering," Tuvok answered looking at the captain. When her face tightened slightly around the eyes, as she looked down, obviously not liking that idea at all, Tuvok was about to inform her that Vorik was also a consideration from Engineering, but quickly the captain got over her initial, and instinctual fear, and nodded, telling him she agreed. Nodding as well, Tuvok went on carefully, "Not to further you unease, Captain, however, I would be remiss if I did not suggest Seven of Nine. I am aware that her current status is unknown, but assuming that she is returned to health, there is no other person on this ship that I would rather have on such a force. She is logical, precise, does not easily succumb to fear, driven to succeed, and her Borg enhancements make her a deadly opponent. I know that without her abdominal implant, she will not be as durable as before, however, even without her implant, she is still the strongest, quickest, most tactically skilled member on this crew."

Part of the captain wanted to wink at him and say, "That’s my girl," but the other part of her was stomping her feet in a first class temper tantrum. Sighing, Janeway said softly, "If I didn’t know you like I know you, I’d say you were trying to give me a heart attack." Then rubbing her forehead and forcing her fears aside, knowing she was going to have to come to grips with this sooner or later, she said, "Well, I agree with you. If anyone on this ship is suited for the job, it’s Seven…but since we don’t know yet how she’ll be, let’s put her on the back burner, and I don’t want you to mention it to her until I’ve cleared it."

"Of course, Captain."

"Any one else?"

"Not as of yet," Tuvok answered. "I still have several crew members to observe before I can consider including them in the preliminaries."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Janeway said, "I’d like you to include Nicole Fowler. I’ve gotten to know her a little in the last week, and not only is she a formidable woman, but she’s also a kick boxer. Plus, going with the discipline track, she’s been in command before, she’s tough, out-spoken, but not disrespectful, and committed to her duty. She’s served under several different captain’s, all of them pleased with her various tours of duty, and…well, she’s a pilot…and I’m assuming you’re not interested in Mister Paris."

"No, he was not a consideration," the Vulcan answered quickly. Then titling his head and moving it a little as he obviously contemplated the captain’s words, he finally said, "I had not considered Miss Fowler, however, I believe that I was in error not to do so. I will invite her to the preliminaries."

"Good, I think she might just surprise you, Commander," Janeway smiled wryly.

"That seems to be the theme for the day," Tuvok said standing up. "I will update you on a regular basis as to my progress, Captain. Thank you for lunch and for accepting my proposal. If there is nothing else, I believe that I should return to the Bridge so that Commander Chakotay my take him afternoon break."

Standing as well, Janeway answered, walking him to the door, "Of course, Commander. You know, we should try to do this more often…it’s been too long."

"Agreed," Tuvok stated in the doorway. "Please send my greetings to Seven and inform her that I wish her a speedy recovery."

"I will…and thank you, for every thing," Janeway smiled, squeezing his forearm. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

"You’re fifteen minutes late, Lieutenant," the holographic Doctor reminded, standing up where he had been seated on the dais of Seven of Nine’s Borg alcove as B’Elanna Torres came through the large doors of Cargo Bay Two.

Sighing, Torres spat, "If you’re trying to piss me off…keep it up, Doc. You know, some of us have a hell of a lot of work to do around here. Now, do you want my help or not? There are ten other things I could be doing right now."

"Hmph," the Doctor allowed. Then turning toward the alcove, he said, "Well, since you know the most about this piece of technology, other than Seven, it seems I’m without options."

"Believe me…the feeling’s mutual," Torres threw back, coming up to the alcove. "So, what are we trying to find out anyhow?"

"Well, I thought I explained that already, Lieutenant," the Doctor said snidely, "but I guess you had other things on your mind last night?"

Spinning around, clenching her fists, Torres growled, "Just what the hell is your problem?" Then backing away a little, she swung her hands, flippantly and laughed, "Is it because this shatters your little fantasy of having all of us falling all over you? Is that it? Or is it just plain old jealousy? Are you jealous, Doctor? Jealous of me…the captain? Which one do you want for yourself?" Then marching away, she volleyed, "Don’t bother…I already know…too bad for you she prefers the captain’s bed, rather than Sickbay?"

"Where do you think you’re going?"

"I’m going to talk to Chakotay and tell him that I can’t work with you until someone sets you straight," Torres said stopping near the door. Then turning around, she growled, "And by the way, thank you very much for putting me in this position. I’m sure the captain will be thrilled when she finds out." Before she had a chance to start through the doors, they parted evenly revealing the redhead captain herself. Straightening instinctively, Torres unwound her fists and said, "Captain…what brings you by?"

Eyeing Torres, and then the Doctor, Janeway answered, cool, "Just thought I’d pop in and see how things were progressing." Looking back and forth between them again, she remarked, "Looks I came just in time…what’s going on here?"

Torres looked up at the captain, and then sighed, not having the heart to put her through having to lecture them both, and said walking back toward the dais, "Nothing, Captain…I just got here. I got a little tied up in Engineering." Coming up to the dais again, she shot daggers at the Doctor telling him to keep his mouth shut and asked, "So, Doctor…can you explain to me, exactly, what it is that we need to attempt to do? I need technical information…not generalities."

Clearing his virtual throat, the Doctor explained, "Before Seven’s procedure, she interfaced with her alcove through her abdominal implant. Two small nodes were located on the back of it, which transmitted signals between her body and alcove. Since Seven doesn’t have those nodes anymore, I’d like to see if we can modify this alcove to generate a signal that can be received through her cortical node. It should basically work the same, but the interface nodes," the Doctor pointed to the small nodules near the center of the back of the alcove, "will need to be physically moved. I was thinking that we could move one on each side of the alcove, so they could send signals from both directions."

"Alright," Torres nodded grabbing the tricorder out of the Doctor’s hand. "That doesn’t sound too hard…although, we’ll definitely need Seven’s help before we do anything. She’s the only one that can tell us if we’re damaging something by removing it." As she ran the tricorder over the interface nodes, she stepped over a little to make room for the captain who climbed on the dais with her and was examining the data as it came in, and asked, "Will Seven’s cortical node need to be modified?"

"I’m hoping that we can modify the alcove to adjust for the difference," the Doctor reported, "but if that is unsuccessful, we’ll have to see about trying to modify it, yes. I’m hoping it won’t be necessary, though."

"Very well," Janeway said walking off of the dais. "Lieutenant, do as much as you can without Seven’s help, and keep me informed. Doctor," Janeway said as she headed toward the door, "I think Miss Torres can take it from here. If she needs your assistance, she’ll call you. Please report back to Sickbay."

"Aye, Captain," the Doctor nodded as Janeway disappeared behind the large doors.

Before the hologram had a chance to depart, Torres said, "By the way, you’re welcome." Then closing up the tricorder, she jumped off the dais and said coming up to him, "I’m sorry if you’re heartbroken over Seven, Doc…don’t think I don’t understand how that feels, but if you think that I’m going to let you dishonor the captain or Seven by making jack-ass comments about us, then you’ve got another think coming. And the next time you feel as though you have something to say, why don’t you come say it to me, and we’ll leave the captain out of this and settle the score properly. There are plenty of modifications that can be made to your matrix that can make that possible, you know?"

"Are you threatening me, Lieutenant?" asked the Doctor rather pompously.

"No threats, Doc…just promises," Torres said turning around. "Just remember who you’re dealing with when you decide to open your mouth."

Crossing his arms over his chest, the hologram came back, "Perhaps I’m the one who should go to the commander?"

"Go ahead," the engineer dared over her shoulder continuing her scans of the alcove. "I’m not the one who’s being the asshole…and I’m sure the captain would be interested to know just what it is you’re so burned about."

"Well," the Doctor huffed turning away, "if you’re going to be vulgar…I’m leaving. You know were to find me. Good day, Lieutenant."

"Come in," Janeway said from her desk in her quarters, looking up from her workstation at the door as it opened. When the Doctor appeared, she blinked and asked, "Is it that time already, Doctor?"

"Yes, Captain," the Doctor answered rather plainly. Heading toward the bedroom, he said, "I’ll only be a few minutes, Captain…and then you may see her."

Janeway resisted the urge to frown and bobbed her head once, turning back toward her workstation, "Of course, Doctor." Once he was inside her bedroom and closed the door again behind him, Janeway sighed, and removed herself from her workstation, needing another cup of coffee, this time to maintain her patience. She knew she really had no room to protest the Doctor’s behavior at the moment, since she was not Seven’s spouse, or domestic partner, but that didn’t make her feel any better really. She was so many things to Seven, that simply because she wasn’t really anything to the ex-drone by law, not even her captain technically, seemed of no significance. In her heart, she felt that of course she should be allowed to be present for any of Seven’s procedures. It wasn’t that she felt as if Seven of Nine was her property, but more like her treasure. Her gift to protect and cherish…to guide and make certain she was treated fairly and with the respect, and that she would never, ever feel alone again. Before she the time to work herself up into an anger-ball over this technicality, the Doctor emerged from her bedroom and said, "Captain, Seven’s asking for you…please come in."

Janeway set her coffee down on her workstation and hurried into the bedroom, anxious and eager at the same time, not certain what to expect. When she saw Seven still in the same position, the blankets removed from her body, but the medical packs still piled on her torso, the captain was slightly confused until the mostly naked Borg, except for the grey, Starfleet issue underwear covering the bare minimum, reached out her hand and motioned for the captain to come sit with her. Understanding that Seven was nervous to see herself without her abdominal implant for the first time, Janeway came quickly around the edge of the bed and took up a steady post next to her, holding her hand and twisting her body so that she could give Seven a rundown of what was happening since it was difficult for Seven to see her flat torso over the impressive swell of her bosom when she was lying flat. Once Seven nodded to her, informing her that she was ready, Janeway nodded as well to the Doctor and said, "Alright, Doctor…we’re ready."

The hologram leaned over the bed and said, "Okay, Seven…I’m going to take these off one at a time…let me know if you’re experiencing any pain."

"I will comply."

Janeway brought Seven’s hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles gently as the Doctor removed the first medical gelpack, exposing a small amount of pink flesh that pebbled immediately once exposed to the cooler air of the captain’s cabin. When Seven twitched a little, Janeway reassured her and said, "It’s alright, darling…that’s natural…it looks very good." After the Doctor took a moment to run his tricorder over the skin, and then touched it with his finger, asking Seven if that hurt, which she responded no, but she could feel it, he removed the middle medical pack. When the entire middle section of Seven’s abdomen was exposed, now completely free of the metal, corset-like, implant that covered it before, and looking like the stomach of a fully human woman, minus a navel, Janeway smiled brightly and reported, "It’s beautiful, Seven…it’s perfect."

Sighing, Seven asked quietly, "It is like yours, Kathryn?"

"Yes, darling…just like mine," the captain smiled brightly, kissing her hand again. "Except, you don’t have to worry about lint getting in your belly button."

"Okay, last one," the Doctor smiled some after scanning the entire middle section of Seven’s abdomen. Then looking up at the captain, swallowing down his selfish pride, he said to her, "Captain, would you like to do the honors?"

Surprised, Janeway looked to Seven for reassurance. When the blonde nodded, Janeway bobbed her head quickly, let go of Seven’s hand and asked, "Do I just…pull it off?"

"Yes…nice and easy…they tend to adhere to the skin a little," the Doctor answered.

"Okay…here it goes," the captain said grasping the end of the of the large medical pack, surprised by how heavy it was, and slowly pulled it away from Seven’s upper torso, feeling a little shy about having to lift Seven’s breasts slightly since the pack came all the way underneath them, but getting over it quickly when she felt Seven’s hand on her back, encouraging her. Pulling it off, she handed it to the Doctor and softly ran the back of her hand over the new, perfect flesh saying, "Doctor…you’ve done amazing work. Can you feel that Seven?"

"Very much, Kathryn," Seven smiled feeling the touch of her lover acutely for the first time. "It is…curious. It does not feel the same as it did before when you applied the lotion. It is more sensitive."

Running the medical tricorder over the entire area now, the Doctor explained, "That’s because most of your nerve endings were removed when your abdominal implant was created." Looking up at the captain, he said, "I’m guessing, of course, but I assume that her sense of touch before was something similar to someone touching you through several thick layers of clothing." Now talking to his patient again, he said, "You’ll want to be very careful for a while, Seven. Since you’re not used to feeling such intense sensations here, and since you’re abdominal muscles need to be strengthened, I assume that you’ll be quite susceptible to…well, you’ll probably be ticklish, and it could be uncomfortable to you since it will be very uncontrollable." Closing up his tricorder, he offered, "If you would like, I can modify a biosuit to give you some extra protection in this area until you’re more accustomed to it?"

"No thank you, Doctor," Seven said surely, grabbing the captain’s hand and placing it back on her stomach with her own. Looking at Janeway, she said, "I believe I have been…protected for long enough. I will adapt." When her skin pebbled again, she twitched slightly, and smirked, "Besides…it is not unacceptable." When Janeway winked at her and smiled, she asked, "Kathryn, will you retrieve a shirt for me? I wish to stand up now."

"Of course," Janeway said quickly, getting up from the bed and going into the closet to get one of Seven’s cotton shirts that she had ran through the recycler to clean and then hung up a few days ago, even then secretly making plans to share this closet with her. Pulling the blue one off the hanger, she came back over to the bed where the Doctor had helped Seven sit up. After she handed the shirt to Seven, she asked, "Do you need some help?"

"I believe I remember how to dress, Kathryn," Seven smirked playfully. Then carefully she pulled on the shirt over her head and slowly pushed her arms through, not surprised when the captain offered her assistance anyway. Once that was complete, she firmly planted her feet on the floor and said, "I am ready to stand. Please assist me." When the Doctor took one elbow and the captain took the other, Seven nodded and used her legs to start the upward motion. When the weight became too great, she relaxed a little and let her assistants guide her the rest of the way up. She leaned heavily on them both, putting her arms around their shoulders and slowly eased into the stance, letting her muscles get used to the weight. Once she was standing on her own, she looked down at Kathryn and said, "I am much lighter than before…I can feel the difference. It is curious."

"Well, you won’t be quite as unmoveable as you used to be," the Doctor chuckled a little. "However, there’s still plenty of you left. I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry about being blown over by a strong gust of wind." Then letting her go, he took a few steps forward and said, "Seven, I want to you try to walk to me…the captain will help you."

The first step was very tentative, but after getting used to not making such a strong impact, she took another, and finally another until she had approached the Doctor. Then sighing, she said, pushing away from Kathryn and walking into the closet slowly, "It is good to stand again. I have missed it. Kathryn, will you assist me? I no longer wish to go without adequate clothing."

"I’ll be right there, Seven," Janeway said. Then looking at the Doctor, she patted him on the arm and said, "Thank you, Doctor…you’re done an amazing job. Is there anything else?"

"No, just tell her to be careful, and to get plenty of rest for the next few days…then we’ll have to start her on an exercise routine to build up her stomach muscles," the hologram answered. "She should continue to eat only her nutritional supplements for the next few weeks as well. Let’s see how her digestive system does…and then will start her on solid food again. I’d like her to come by Sickbay tomorrow morning for a full physical."

"Of course…thank you again, Doctor, " Janeway nodded.

Grabbing his tricorder, he said, "Don’t worry…I know the way out. Good-bye, Seven…don’t overdo it."

"I will not, Doctor…thank you for your assistance," Seven said from the closet.

"Well, that’s new," he mumbled leaving the bedroom and heading out the door.

The captain poked her head around the opening of the closet, smiling a little playfully, and said, "Darling…you are a sight for sore eyes. It’s so good to see you up an about like this." Then coming fully into view, she pointed to the shelf where Seven’s pants were located, and said, "Are you up for a little walk…maybe just to the Mess Hall and back? I’m certain that there are lots of people that would love to see you up and about…everyone’s been asking about you?"

Grabbing her pants off the shelf, Seven came over to Janeway and said, putting them on once the captain steadied her, "Yes, I wish to leave this room as soon as possible." Then quickly, she amended, "Do not take offense, Kathryn…I.."

"Shhh," Janeway hushed her quickly, placing a finger to her lips as the Borg pulled the pants up to her waist. "I understand. Once Seven was standing on her own, Janeway bent down and retrieved Seven’s slippers and helped her step into them. When she stood up and saw Seven’s hand rubbing her stomach underneath her shirt, she asked, "Do you want to see it before we go?"

"Yes."

Closing the door on her closet, she pulled the panel covering her full-length mirror open and explained, "Every now and then, I do care about what I look like…just don’t tell anyone."

Seven raised her eyebrow and said, looking at her reflection, "I will not. Please assist me with removing this garment."

Smiling widely, Janeway came up in front of her and slowly helped the tall Borg take the shirt off over her head, being extra careful not to make Seven stretch her new skin too much. Once it was off, she allowed herself a moment to rake her eyes up and down her fully Human chest and torso, and then stepped aside so that she was not blocking Seven’ view of the mirror. As Seven examined her new belly, Janeway came up behind her and checked out her back, pleased that the Doctor had been able to remove that scar tissue from Seven’s back, as well as the metal bands that were wrapped around her ribs. Not because she thought that they were unattractive, but because she knew that Seven disapproved of her imperfections. Reaching around, she slipped her hands under Seven’s waistband and pulled her pants down to her hips so that Seven could see all of her new body. Then poking her head around so she could look at the reflection of her lover as well, Janeway smiled brightly, and said, "Seven of Nine, Annika Hansen…you are a vision of loveliness." Looking up at Seven’s face in the mirror, she asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"I am…without imperfections," Seven said nonplussed. Excitedly, she asked, looking down at Kathryn, "What does my back look like?"

"The same, darling…it’s perfect," Janeway said overcome with joy that this ordeal, no matter how traumatic, was giving something back to Seven that the Borg had taken away from her. To some she realized that it probably seemed shallow to put so much emphasis on personal appearance, and ordinarily she would have to agree, but with Seven it was different. This was her beauty that was being returned…this was her Humanity…her body before the Borg violated her, and because of that, there wasn’t a single part of this experience that Janeway could object to. Helping Seven turn around slightly so that she could see part of her back, Janeway said, "See…nothing, but flesh…perfect, soft, beautiful flesh."

Facing forward again, her movements excited and eager, Seven grabbed Janeway’s arm and wrapped it around her stomach, saying, "This sensation…it is…difficult to describe." Looking down, and then back to Kathryn through the mirror, she smiled, actually showing teeth and said, "I am beautiful, Kathryn…I am beautiful."

Tears forming in her eyes, the captain whispered, "Yes, darling…you’re very, very beautiful…I’m glad you think so."

Seven sighed and said, turning away from her reflection and looking down at Kathryn, "It is a great relief. I was concerned that I would not believe I was beautiful anymore. I was worried that…I would be different. It was an unpleasant thought."

Hugging Seven lightly, Janeway said, "Darling…you will always be beautiful…always, always…nothing can ever change that." Then pulling away and rubbing Seven’s stomach very lightly, she said, "But I’m glad that you realize that just because you look different…you’re not really different." Janeway leaned forward again and took a moment to kiss across Seven’s collar bone, running the back of her hands over Seven’s chest, not staying away from her breasts, but not focusing on them. Doing the same for her back, she said, "Seven of Nine…you are so beautiful to me…I love you so much, darling."

"Kathryn," Seven shuddered slightly, "I have waited a very long time for you to touch me in this manner." Reaching back, she grabbed the captain’s hands, brought them firmly to her breasts, then clasped onto her face and kissed her passionately, saying before her lips made contact, "Put your hands on me, Kathryn Janeway. I wish to feel you."

Laughing slightly against Seven’s lips until the blonde’s kisses worked their quick magic on the captain, Janeway carefully explored her lover’s breasts properly, humming happily in the back of her throat as their kissed grew deeper and more sexual. When Seven finally released her mouth, the captain had to take a small step backward for a moment to keep from toppling over, feeling a little light headed, gasping, "Heavens." Then exhaling heavily, she looked up and grinned, swallowing, "That…was quite a kiss, Seven." Then jumping slightly as three knocks sounded firmly against her closet door, she chuckled when she heard Torres’ distinct voice saying, "Knock, knock…what’s going on in there anyway?"

Bringing her mouth to her hand to keep from laughing too loudly, she allowed Seven to usher her behind her, grabbing her arms and wrapping them around her waist, as Seven said, "You may enter, B’Elanna Torres."

Opening the door, Torres crossed her arms over her chest and said, leaning against the doorframe, "Making out in the closet again, I see…kinky, Red." Then as Seven pulled her hands away from her stomach, as well as the captain’s, Torres smiled brightly and said, "Well, damn, dollface…look at you!"

Seven smiled proudly and said, "I am without imperfections, B’Elanna Torres." Then turning around, she showed the Klingon her back and said, "My back is also no longer scarred." Then nodding over her shoulder, she said plainly, "You may touch it."

Laughing happily, Torres came over and tentatively placed her hand on Seven’s back, saying, "Well, if you insist. By the way…sorry if I interrupted anything."

"You did not," Seven answered. "Kathryn was merely taking an opportunity to examine my new skin closely…at my request." Then turning around, she said to Torres, "You may touch the front as well."

Blushing a little, Torres placed her hand on the Borg’s flat stomach and said, clearing her throat, "You know…I think maybe you should consider joining a nudist colony when we get back home…because like I said before…you’ve got really nice…feet." Not able to keep herself from laughing anymore, she grabbed her stomach and bent over slightly, saying, "And certainly no problems showing them off." Recovering for a moment, Torres stood back up, got another eyeful of the blonde’s lovely bosom, and spurted out, cracking up again and having to walk away, "Shit…I need a drink."

Laughing as well, Janeway leaned up and kissed Seven, explaining, "Darling…I think you’ve managed to embarrass our friend." Then patting her on the butt lightly, she smiled and said, "Why don’t you put your shirt back on and we’ll all go take a walk."

Smirking, Seven took the shirt that Janeway had bent down to retrieve and said, "For someone who claims to not be easily embarrassed, it seems that it did not take much to do just that."

Janeway helped Seven put on her shirt and said quietly, making sure to fondle the blonde’s breasts slightly as she pulled the shirt down, "Darling, don’t underestimate yourself…I’d say it took…plenty."

After a lengthy trip to the Mess Hall, where Seven of Nine proceeded to lift her shirt, albeit having enough sense to not expose her chest, for the group of well-wishers and explain the difference in her torso, how it used to be completely almost covered with mesh and metal, at least in the front, and after the three of them sat down and ate dinner, Seven sticking to her nutritional supplement, the threesome returned to the captain’s cabin in rather good spirits. The blonde was wide awake and kicking still, having slept most of the day, and practically giddy to be able to stand, which she continued to do throughout the evening until Janeway finally put her foot down and ordered her to sit as Torres looked on and tried not to laugh. Since the captain had told Tom Paris he could have his television back two days ago, they spent most of the evening talking about the work Torres was doing on Seven’s alcove, how things in Engineering were going and a small amount of ship’s gossip.

Toward the middle of the evening, the captain removed herself from the couch and retrieved a coffee saying that she needed to finish up a few minor things since the Doctor’s visit had interrupted her. So, as she sat at her desk, slowly sipping her favorite liquid, Torres sat with Seven on the couch and talked more about Seven’s alcove and a few other projects that she said she could use Seven’s insight on. After Janeway finished reading Tuvok’s weekly security report, which was rather detailed this week after the incident with the A.I., the captain put on her boots and tunic again, recycled the small amount of coffee she hadn’t finished, retrieved a glass of water for Seven and said coming over to the couch, "I’m going to go on my rounds since I haven’t been able to do it for a while…drink this." Then leaning down, she kissed Seven and Torres both quickly on the lips and left quickly hoping to give them some time together to get reacquainted.

Forty minutes into her nightly routine, feeling finally like things around Voyager were starting to get back to normal, she rounded a corner to find quiet a large crowd of her crew gathered around the doorway to the ship’s gymnasium. Curious, Janeway came up to the crowd and tapped one of the Science officers on the shoulder, querying, not able to see over the crowd, "Ensign, what’s going on?"

"Captain," the ensign said quickly, startled, not expecting to see his commanding officer roaming the decks so long after the end of her shift. Then relaxing a little as he saw that she was merely curious as to what was happening, he answered, "Fowler is sparring Wang. It’s quite a battle in there."

Frowning because she couldn’t see, the captain cleared her throat and barked, "Captain on deck." When everyone froze where they were and straightened immediately, she said a little softer, "Make way please." Then once she was in front of everyone, she turned her gaze to the mat where it looked like the match had stopped for a quick break. Over her shoulder, she asked, "Who’s winning?"

"It’s a dead heat, Ma’am…Sam was up for a while, but Nick came back. They’re about to start the final three rounds."

Janeway nodded and gave her thanks and then walked to the weight bench that was unoccupied that was out of the way, and took a seat, tapping her communicator, saying, "Janeway to Tuvok."

"Tuvok here, Captain."

"Sorry to bother you, Commander…but there’s something happening down in the gym that I think you might be a little interested in seeing," Janeway said quietly.

"I’m on my way. Tuvok out."

Crossing her legs and her arms, Janeway tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, not wanting to distract either on her officer’s since it seemed that we both doing there very best to ignore the growing crowd. When Nicole Fowler turned around toward her corner and grabbed her towel to wipe the profusion of sweat from her brow and arms, the captain couldn’t help but be impressed by the woman’s physique. She had admired her from the get go, but now seeing her without her uniform, wearing only a sports bra and a pair of black pants that looked to be the bottoms of some kind of kita, which were decorated at the waist with a black belt that donned four red stripes, the compact captain was more than duly impressed. There didn’t look to be a ten grams of fat on the woman’s entire body. Her muscles were toned and highly visible, but not too bulky, and even though in her current outfit, her chest was practically flat as her abdomen, she was still very much a woman. Her long hair that was in it’s typical long braid down her back helped, of course, but even if she didn’t have long hair, her face was very feminine, and so was the slight curve of her hips. When Fowler threw down her towel and looked her way, Janeway couldn’t help but smile crookedly and nod her head once in respect. As Tuvok made his way through the crowd at the same time and came over to stand near the captain, Nicole bowed, slapping the sides of her legs at them both as the mediator informed them that they were to resume their bout.

Quickly before the match began, Janeway informed her commander, "They’re even right now…I just got here."

As the referee moved his hand between them after they bowed and took their stances, Wang’s more defensive and Fowler’s clearly aggressive, Janeway turned her attention back to the mat and watched closely, learning a great deal about two of her officers just by how they chose to spend their free time. Fowler was on the attack immediately and spun into a round house kick, which Wang ducked easily due to their height difference, but before he was able to counter, Fowler, was up in the air, dogging his attempt to knock her off her feet, and backing him away with her other foot. Once they were back on their feet, they circled each other a few times, Wang apparently happy to continue to counter her for the moment. After exchanging a series of punches, all of which were blocked, countered, and blocked again, Wang was able to get the upper hand and trip her up, but since he hadn’t finished her off yet, no point was awarded. Just as the captain thought she had had it, Nicole spun on her back, using a scissor-kick to knock Wang to the mat as well, the smaller man not able to get away from her long, powerful legs, and followed up with a chop to the chest, which won her the round.

Fowler flipped to her feet, offered a hand to Wang who was unaffected by the blow since they weren’t trying to actually hurt each other, and then they both bowed in respect and took their spots, ready to go again. It seemed that Wang had underestimated Fowler somewhat because this time as the match started, his stance looked much more aggressive, and as soon as the ref dropped his arm, Wang was airborne in one step, filling the quiet room with a crisp, high pitched call. Fowler immediately blocked Wang’s foot from impacting with her cheek, but the momentum of the attack was too great and she topped backward from the mat, automatically giving the point to Wang, and cracked the back of her head fairly soundly against the unforgiving floor.

The captain reacted automatically at seeing a fallen crewman in pain, but as she made a move to stand, she felt Tuvok’s insistent hand on her shoulder keeping her from offering assistance. Quickly Janeway looked at him, confused, but when he shook his head very slightly, not wanting to draw attention to them, she somewhat understood that such a offer of help at this point would not be welcomed. So, she sighed in a certain amount of agony and merely watched Fowler push herself to her feet, shaking off the impact to her head as she asked the ref for a moment. The ref then asked Wang, since if he objected, the match would have to continue, but Wang bowed in respect and allowed it. Fowler made no attempt to rub her head or show that she was in any distress. She simply took a sip of water, wiped her forehead and hands, rolled her neck around as she always did, and then informed them that she was ready to continue. Since the captain had heard the impact of her head with the floor, she knew that Fowler had to be in pain, and the thought of that made the captain slightly ill to her stomach since she had hit her head several times before on the deck of her Bridge after be caught walking around during a battle, and she knew very well how hard Voyager’s floor could be.

As the third round began, the captain found herself holding her breath and actually silently cheering for her female pilot. Fowler maintained her aggressive stance, not changing tactics once, so far, but Wang went back to his defensive ways, probably figuring that he wasn’t going to catch Fowler like he did the last time anytime soon. When the match started, the tension was tangible in the air, and as Janeway clutched the side of the weight bench tightly, she had to bite down her tongue to keep from cheering Fowler on. Nicole immediately attacked Wang, delivering a series of rather well put together punches, all of which Wang blocked, except for the last one, which he was just barely able to sidestep. There was a moment of hesitation, and both of them sensing it, jumped back quickly and set up for another go, Wang not centered to deliver any counter effectively, and Fowler’s missed jab throwing her a little off balance. When Fowler started bouncing slightly on her heels, the captain could see her easily as a kick boxer, and when she spun and delivered an impressive round house kick, lowering her foot, so that Wang couldn’t duck underneath as easily, the captain thought for certain Wang had had it, but he was tough, and blocked it in the nick of time. Fowler immediately dropped her leg and brought it back up with lightning fast speed, but that was defended too. She tried one more time to catch Wang off-guard, or so it seemed, but as soon as he blocked that furious kick as well, the impact of it crisp in the air, Fowler jumped up with her free leg, and attacked him from the left.

Wang just seemed too quick for the tall pilot today because he somehow managed to grab her foot with both hands, and spin her around in the air. Fowler braced herself and her strong arms to the brunt of the fall as she came crashing down. As soon as her whole body was on the ground she rolled to her left, barely missing a foot in the ribs, and as she came to her back, she caught Wang’s foot in midair and pushed in forcefully into the air. Wang flipped backward as if it was something he did every day, and came in for a landing on his feet as Nicole jumped to her feet as well. They circled each other for a few seconds, and as Wang attacked, Fowler moved in as well. Blocking his front snap kicks with her arms, and then two of his punches, she twisted her arms around on of his, rolled to her back, and just as was about to launch him in the air, she stopped, and easily let him fall just behind her. Everyone froze for a moment, not sure if the match was over since if she would have tossed him like she could have, he would have easily cleared the mat, but when Fowler jumped to her feet and said, "Come on," Wang understood that she wished to continue and happily came back at her for all he was worth. It took less than thirty seconds for the smaller man to overpower the tall pilot with his advanced skills, and as Nicole attempted to counter with a right cross, Wang grabbed her arm, flipped her over his back, and cracked her soundly over the ribs with his forearm. When the match was called, he offered his arm and after pulling her up, they bowed and then shook hands.

After shaking Wang’s hand, she pulled him into a head lock and said, "Next time, Wang…we’re putting the gloves on…I’m tired of this karate shit."

Laughing, Wang twisted away, patted Fowler on the back and said, "Deal, Nick…how’s your head."

"It hurts…how do you think it is?" Nick laughed wincing in pain and rubbing the back of her head finally. When Sam looked at her like he was sorry, she elbowed him lightly and said, "Wipe that look off your face…you knew what you were doing."

"Hey, that doesn’t mean I wanted to hurt you," he offered, patting her arm again. "How about I buy you a drink later and make up for it?"

"Deal…and it better be a big one," Fowler came back grabbing her towel as the crowd started to disperse, some of them coming up to talk to Wang and congratulate him. Brushing off the few that came up to her quickly, she patted Wang on the back, offering her thanks for a good match one more time, grabbed her water and headed toward the captain who seemed to be waiting for her. Glad that Tuvok had left, although not sure if that was a good or a bad sign, she threw her towel over her shoulder and said, looking down at the captain, "Captain…I’m surprised to see you down here."

Standing up, Janeway responded, "I was just on my evening rounds…thought I’d stop by and see what all the fuss was about." When she felt that people were starting to watch her and Fowler closely, she whispered, "Walk with me for a moment, Lieutenant." Then quickly exiting the room, Fowler not far behind her, she asked over her shoulder once they had some privacy, "How’s your head? I’ve been known to greet the deck the same way…I know it can’t feel good."

"It smarts, but I’ll be fine," Fowler said quickly before she took another sip of her water. "Where are we headed?"

"I still have to check out Deck Fourteen…you up for a little more exercise?"

"I don’t know…walking around Deck Fourteen? Sounds exhausting," the tall brunette joked. Then stepping into the turbolift with the captain, she asked after Janeway requested the appropriate deck, "I’m assuming that you really aren’t all that fond of my company…am I allowed to ask what this is about?"

Stepping through the doors slowly, Janeway titled her head up and said, "You still don’t trust me, do you?"

"Honestly, not completely," the pilot answered easily, "but, I’d be lying if I said that some things haven’t changed…for the better, Captain."

"There’s no hidden agenda here, Nick," Janeway explained slowing her pace to a crawl, glad that Deck Fourteen was pretty much a graveyard. "If there’s one thing you can trust about me, is that if you want to know where you stand with me, I’ll tell you. I don’t like brown nosers, and I’d rather get dirt than bullshit you."

Nodding, Fowler wiped her face with her towel, and asked, "So, where do I stand?"

Janeway came to a halt and answered surely, "You don’t have any strikes against you. The fact that you don’t trust me completely isn’t a problem. I spent the first two years on the ship with half of this crew thinking that at any moment I was going to throw them to the wolves to save my own ass. You don’t let that stop you from following my orders, so there’s nothing I can or will say about it. Don’t get me wrong," the captain smiled a little crookedly, "I’d prefer it if you trusted me, but I’m not going to cry over spilled milk." Then continuing down the hall, she said, "If I had to make the decision today, there would be only one thing holding me back from giving you the nod."

"Tom Paris," Nicole answered quickly and a little acidly. "He’s the better pilot."

Janeway stopped again and responded, "No…it’s the fact that you keep assuming that Tom Paris is standing in your way." As Fowler started to counter, Janeway held up her hand, stepped up closely and said, in a low, but not unfeeling voice, "I know you feel like you got the short end of the stick, Lieutenant. I know you blame me for allowing Paris to excel at the expense of every one else. And you know what? You’re right…that was my mistake. What’s holding you back is that you’re letting that be an excuse." Lowering her voice again, her tone barely a whisper, she finished, "Stop crying over the past, and change it now. Stop thinking that this job isn’t yours…stop waiting for me to take it away from you and take it for yourself." Then backing away, she said crisply, walking away, "You’ve been in command…make a decision, and don’t look back." Just as she was about to turn down the hallway, Janeway stopped, turned slightly, and said, her voice returning to her normal, although somewhat playful, tone, "By the way…I imagine that Samuel Wang will think twice before stepping into the ring with you…well done, Lieutenant."

"There you are," said Torres from the couch, "I thought I was going to have to call Security."

Unzipping her tunic and kicking off her boots, the captain asked as she hung her jacket on the back of her chair, "Where’s Seven?"

"She just headed off to bed not that long ago," Torres answered as Janeway went over to the replicator. "All the excitement finally caught up to her, I think."

Coming over to the couch with a whiskey and soda, keeping this one light on the alcohol, adding just enough to give is a slightly sweet flavor, Janeway asked sitting down next to Torres, "Did you two have a chance to…talk?"

"Yep," Torres smiled sipping her beer, "as soon as she gets back to work, she’s going to come stay with me for a little while…we’ve got some things to work out." When Janeway looked slightly concerned, Torres placed her hand on her leg and said, "Red, stop worrying already…Seven and I can take care of ourselves."

Sighing, Janeway rolled the glass around her hand and said, "Okay…I guess I’m not the only one who’s waiting for the cards to come toppling down." Looking down, Janeway snuggled into the corner of her couch and said softly, "I guess…well, I guess I feel selfish. You love me, Seven loves me…I love you both…"

"But, Seven and I don’t love each other? Is that what you were going to say?" asked Torres quietly.

Nodding, Janeway said, "As much as I wish I could say that if that didn’t happen, I could back away and just return all of our relationships to a state of friendship…I’m not sure I could." The captain looked up at Torres and said, "I don’t want to give you up…I don’t want to give her up…but I couldn’t live with myself if I had you both, but you two didn’t love each other."

Torres grabbed the drink from the captain’s hand, set it on the end table, then pulled her onto her lap, so that she was straddling her and said, "Kathryn, there is something that you’re really going to have to accept, and that is you are always going to be our center. As far as Seven is concerned, I love her very much…for lots of reasons. I love her because she’s honest, she stands up to me…she makes me laugh, makes me mad as hell…we have fun…and because she is the only person in this universe that turns you into big pile of mush." Brushing the hair out of the captain’s face, Torres kissed her and said, "I’ll never love Seven the same way I love you, and that’s okay. It doesn’t lessen it…just like you’ll never love me that same way you love Seven. It’s totally different. We all give different things to each other, and that’s how it should be. And just because you happen to be the one we both lean on the most, doesn’t mean anything other than you’re the one out of all of us that can handle it. It doesn’t mean it’s unequal…it just means that you pull us together. She’s the proton…I’m the electron, and you’re the neutron."

"Then what is it that you two have to work out?" asked the captain still speaking softly.

"Seven and I need to have some fun together," Torres explained. "There’s been so much shit happening lately…we need to just relax and pick on each other for a while. We’ve just got to get comfortable again." Then laughing, the Klingon explained, "Which, probably won’t take very long at all. She has a few secret weapons where I’m concerned…and she uses them well."

"Okay," Janeway bobbed her head slightly, letting it rest against Torres’ ridged forehead. "I’m sorry I’m being so dramatic…I’m not trying to cause problems, I promise." Kissing Torres’ face, she explained, "I just want you two to be happy together…there’s going to be so many times, as long as we’re on this ship, that I won’t be able to be there for you like I wish I could. I want you to be there for each other."

"I know, Red…and we will," Torres whispered, kissing the captain’s chin. "Seven and I have learned to stick together through all of this…and as soon as she gets back on her feet, you’ll understand better. It’s just hard right now because you’re always here with her, and I’m just stopping by when I have the time. When things get back to normal, you’ll see." Then pulling Janeway down and kissing her lips, she grinned against them and said afterward, "If anything, it’s going to be you trying to find time for us, Red…you’re the one that has to be a hundred people all at once."

"Uh," Janeway murmured against her lips, "don’t remind me. I’m tired of being the captain tonight…let’s not talk about it."

"That bad, huh?" asked Torres pulling up on her lover’s shirt so she could slip her arm underneath and touch her back.

Sighing, Janeway said, "Not really…but some things are more difficult than other things." Reaching back for her drink, she said, "I can’t really talk about it…it’s just something that I have to deal with…do you understand?"

After Janeway sipped her drink, Torres took it and took a sip as well, saying, "Yes…I mean, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about…but I understand that you can’t share everything. As long as you’re okay with it…then I’m okay with it."

The captain finished her drink in one swig, set the cup back down and said, "Yes, I’m okay with it…its comes with the territory, and thankfully I’ve been a captain long enough to be able to separate the two." Turning back to Torres, Janeway ran her hands over her shoulders and chest and asked, "So, are you staying tonight?"

"No, I’ve got work to do," Torres responded, running her hands up and down the captain’s back easily. "I want to do some work on the holonovel…and I want to take a trip down to Engineering and check up on the night shift."

"Right…the holonovel," asked the captain leaning down and kissing Torres neck. "Mmm…how is that coming along?"

"Good," Torres sighed into Janeway’s hair. "Probably two more week’s of work and I’ll be done. Mmm…that drives me crazy, Red."

As she nibbled on Torres’ earlobe as she pulled up on her shirt enough so she could push her hands underneath the garment, Kathryn asked, breathing into the engineer’s ear, "Do you want me to stop?"

"Not particularly."

"That’s good, because I don’t want to stop," Janeway smiled as she continued her loving assault on the brunette’s neck. "Do you think you can stay long enough to play with me for a while…or must you go right away?"

Torres pulled up on Janeway’s shirt, easing it off her head and said, "I’ve got some time to play, but not much." Then pulling off her shirt as well, since the captain was struggling to do so, Torres threw it to the floor and then quickly rolled over, pinning the captain beneath her. Pressing her body hotly between Kathyrn’s legs that were wrapped around her, she leaned down and asked, "Half naked work for you?"

"Works for me," Janeway smiled tracing her hands over the muscles in the Klingon’s arms and shoulders. As her strong lover, turned her body slightly and began pressing her hip into the captain’s body while they kissed, hungered, Janeway whispered once Torres moved her mouth to the captain’s neck, "Mmm…this works very well, ‘Lanna." While the brunette kissed her way down Kathyrn’s neck, Janeway rubbed her hands against Torres’ back, that was almost completely free of all her bruises and scratches, focusing on the muscles of her lower back, which in turn ignited Torres’ passion, and within minutes they had found a steady rhythm. Lifting her hips and pushing them down against the younger woman’s hip, Janeway gasped into her neck, "Darling…that’s so good…mmm…don’t stop," and then to further her growing cause, Janeway pressed her hands harder into B'Elanna’s back and bit her neck, not enough to draw blood, or cause real pain, but using enough pressure to leave a healthy mark, knowing her half Klingon lover would appreciate the sensation. When Torres threw her head back and snarled, driving her hips harder at the stimulation of the redhead’s hands, Janeway pressed backward with equal force, keeping the pressure constant as they undulated. Feeling her body respond immediately, he inner muscles starting to tighten and ache just slightly, the captain took one hand from Torres’ back and latched onto her bottom, pulling her still closer, as she hissed into the night air, "Yes, ‘Lanna…mmm…don’t stop, darling…I’m so close."

Spurred on by that, although, she had already had a pretty good idea that the older woman was enjoying this encounter enough to climax, Torres redoubled the efforts of her hips and her mouth, lavishing the captain’s skin, but staying away from her mouth simply because she enjoyed Kathryn’s never-ending encouragement far too much to stifle. Tasting the salty sweat that was beginning to bead on her lover's neck, and feeling the wetness between their bodies which helped them to move smoother, Torres growled into Janeway’s ear as the captain started to whimper slightly, the movement of Kathryn’s bucking hips becoming, quick, more erratic, but still focused, "Yes, baby…right there...come on."

"Red Alert. Captain to the Bridge," came an officer’s voice over the speakers in the ship, which informed the captain, and the rest of the ship that something important was happening and that they all should be prepared for anything.

"Fuck me!" Torres spat acidly sitting up immediately and pulling Janeway, who looked somewhere between ecstasy and her own private hell, up with her. "This better be a big fuckin’ deal or someone’s losing an arm…at least."

As Torres dragged her by her arm off the couch, Janeway’s mind struggled to catch up to what was happening since she knew she was approximately ten seconds from losing all focus just a few moments ago. Catching the shirt that Torres tossed at her in her face, Janeway fumbled with it, eventually pulling it on, sighing as she heard at least two of her pips fall off and scatter on the floor. No time to worry about that, the tore the remaining discs off setting them on the coffee table as she hurried over to her desk, to grab her shoes, and said, finally regaining her composure, "Wake up Seven and tell her what’s going on, and then report to Engineering." As Torres was hoping on one foot, trying to put on her boots, Janeway rushed up to her, boots in one hand, tunic in the other, kissed her quickly and said, "I love you," before she rushed out the door.

Tearing down the hallway in her stockinged feet, Janeway rounded the corner, trying not to slip, cursing silently under her breath for being interrupted in the middle of a such a wonderful event, again. As she neared the end of the hallway and just before she reached the turbolift, Kathryn heard heavy footsteps ponding out an eratic beat behind her. As the doors opened, she turned around to see Chakotay barreling down the corridor toward her, looking only slightly better than she did…at least he still had his rank insignia on, though. Stepping inside, she held the door until he was in and said, sitting on the floor so she could put her boots on quickly, "Bridge." As she got one boot on, she asked, "You have any idea what’s going on?"

"None," Chakotay replied, tersely, zipping up his tunic. Then as Janeway stood up, threw her tunic at him, so she could tuck in her shirt, he said, "You’re missing your pips."

Sighing, she said cranky, "Don’t ask." Just as the lift came to a halt, she finished tucking in her shirt, zipped up the side of her pants, and grabbed her tunic as the doors parted. Charging out of the lift, more than a little pissed off, she barked as the second lift opened revealing Tuvok and Kim, "Report!"

"We’ve got an unknown vessel directly off our port bow, Captain," the lieutenant that manned the Gamma shift answered quickly. "They’re right on top of us, and they aren’t saying why. They just came out of no where."

Pulling on her tunic and zipping it up, she said to Tuvok who was now manning Tactical as Fowler came out of the lift, her quarters still far away from the Bridge, "What are they up to, Commander?"

"Unknown," Tuvok answered. Then looking up, he said, "Their weapons are charged, Captain. As are ours."

"Harry, hail them," the captain ordered quickly turning back around and walking down toward the helm as Fowler bumped the ensign who had been in the post.

"No response, Captain," answered Kim from Operations still adjusting his uniform after he stopped working his fingers on his board.

"Of course there isn’t…does no one talk anymore?" asked the captain to no one in particular coming up behind Fowler. Then checking the course they were on, she ordered, "Lieutenant, drop us out of warp and change our heading…let’s see how eager they are to follow us around like a shadow." As Fowler did so, she asked loudly over her shoulder, "What can you tell me about them, Tuvok?"

"Duranium hull, Captain," Tuvok answered as the data from his scans came in. "I’m detecting a total of five weapon arrays. Their shield matrix is modulating at a consistent frequency, Captain…we can modify our weapons signature to match."

Liking the sound of that, she patted Fowler on the shoulder once and said, "All stop." Then walking up to the command deck, she pointed to Tuvok and said, "Set our phasers to match and target their engines. Open a channel on all subspace frequencies, Mister Kim."

"Channel open, Captain."

"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager to the vessel off our port bow. Please respond to this communication," she said rather authoritatively which did little to make her plea sound anything close to a request. Crossing her arms over her chest, and standing with her feet apart, staring out at the viewscreen, she looked over to Harry to see if they’d received a response. When he shook his head, she sighed and said, letting her irritation show, "Alright…then perhaps I can persuade you by informing you that we have scanned your ship, and have modified our weapons to your match your shield modulation? State you intentions, and I’ll consider not destroying you." Then signaling to Harry to cut the channel, Janeway tapped her communicator and said, "Janeway to Seven of Nine."

"I am here, Captain," Seven said quickly, obviously very much awake.

"Seven, can you see the ship that’s following us from the window?"

"Yes."

"Do you recognize it?"

"No, Captain…I do not."

Sighing, Janeway said, "Thank you, Seven. Go back to sleep. Janeway out." Then turning back to Operations she asked, "Anything?"

"Nothing, Captain."

Walking around to the stairway, she barked, "Well, I’m assuming they do have the ability to communicate?"

"Yes, Captain," Kim answered quickly. "All scans show a functioning communications array, and eighty-seven unknown lifeforms aboard. There’s no damage that I can detect, and even though I can’t be certain, I’d say that they look alive to me."

Rubbing her fingers together in her right hand as she leaned against the console, she finally looked over at Harry and nodded, "Open another channel, Mister Kim." Once her ensign did so, she said, remaining where she was, "This is Janeway again…we know that you’re reading us, so I’ll make this brief. I’m a reasonable woman, and more than willing to offer you assistance, if you require it…or reach some kind of diplomatic agreement on whatever it is that you want. But if you don’t talk to me, then I have to assume that you’re intentions are less than honorable. I’ll give you one minute to respond, and then I’ll make certain you won’t be bothering me for a long time." Making a cutting motion across her throat, she walked up the stairs to Tuvok and asked, "Any sign that they’re planning something…or that we’re just playing into their hand?"

"No, Captain…unfortunately, I am as stymied as you are."

"Harry…let me know when it’s been a minute," Janeway asked quickly, keeping her post by Tuvok. "Commander, I don’t want you to damage them beyond repair…just make sure they can’t follow us for a couple of days, alright?"

"Aye, Captain."

"Captain…I’ve got something," Harry Kim said hurriedly as the seconds ticked down. "They’re responding…audio and visual."

"Well, it’s about time," Janeway said walking down the steps back to the command deck. "On screen." Coming up front and center, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her face stern and rather unfriendly because she certainly didn’t want to give whoever these people were the impression that she appreciated this form of diplomacy, she said when a rather large male appeared on the main viewer. He was humanoid in appearance, with thick, but straight black, long hair than came well past his shoulders. He had bony ridges on the sides of his forehead and down the slope of his nose, and he had a short, well manicured beard. His eyes were cold and black, very unfeeling and really impossible to read. His attire was black as well, but seemed to be fairly loosely fitting. He wore several earrings in both his ears, and one in his nose, similar to a bull, and also had more than a few silver colored chains wrapped around his neck. Clearing her throat, Janeway said, "Well, hello. Now, do you want to tell me just who you are, and what you want with my ship?" When the man did nothing but continue to stare at her, and her only, Janeway looked over at Kim and asked, "Are they receiving us?"

"Yes, Captain," Kim said rather angered as he looked at the man staring at his commanding officer in a way which told Kim he did not have good intentions.

Not liking the look on the man’s face any more than the rest of the Bridge staff, Chakotay jumped to his feet and came up next to Janeway, hovering close and said, "Just what the hell do you think you’re staring at?"

But still, the man continued to look only at the redhead captain, even as she walked down the stairs toward the helm, his eyes followed her, and her alone. Not about to be intimidated by anyone, least of all this smarmy alien, Janeway came up behind Fowler and said, "I don’t have time for these games, Mister. Now either state your purpose, or I’ll do it for you."

"Kathryn, yes?" the man said barely moving his lips and continuing to stare at her.

Pursing her lips and putting her hand on her hip, taking a rather flippant stance, annoyed that he would use her first name, but remembering that depending on their culture, it wasn’t always clear how to address someone, Janeway clipped, "That’s very good…and you are?"

"I am prepared to make a trade," the rather pale man responded dubiously, still watching only the captain and moving only his lips.

"I’m sorry, maybe you didn’t understand the question.What …is…your…name?"

"You have something I want…and I am prepared to make a trade," the man said, still stoic and unmoving as ever.

Crossing her hands over her arms again and turning around, walking back up to Chakotay, she said, "It seems to me, that if I have something you need…then you probably shouldn’t continue to avoid my questions." Turning around, she glared at him and said, "For the last time…what’s your name…or this conversation is over?"

"My name is unimportant…what I want is all that matters," the alien man hissed. Then standing he came up close to his viewscreen, his hair and garments flowing easily and explained his intentions clearly, "I want you."

When Janeway saw Chakotay make an aggressive and instinctive move forward, she stuck out her forearm, stopping him dead in his tracks and said approaching the screen herself, her face the epitome of the controlled anger, "I don’t think so. Harry…" Once the screen went back to a starfield, she marched down to the helm and said, "Get us out of here, Nick. Tuvok," Janeway hissed over her shoulder, "if they follow us, shoot’em."

As Nicole engaged the warp engines, not taking any chances and taking the ship to a warp factor of eight, prepared to go faster if it was required, she spat under her breath, "Pig."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, she asked, "Are they following?"

"No, Captain," Kim said from Operations. "They’re not following."

"Stand down, Red Alert," Janeway ordered sighing. Then patting Fowler, she said quietly, "Lieutenant, stay at this speed until Engineering starts to complain." Then turning around, Janeway climbed back up the stairs and said, "I’d like you all to stay at your posts for the next hour. I want you to continue to track them until they’re out of range…I’ll be in my Ready Room."

Janeway barely had a chance to hang up her tunic over her chair and grab a cup of coffee before her door call sounded. Rolling her neck back and around, she said, "Come in, Commander." Not even looking over her shoulder, certain that it was Chakotay, she said, "Well, that certainly was different." Then turning around, she brought the mug to her lips and asked, "Want some coffee?"

"No, thank you," Chakotay said slightly rigid. "Kathryn…what the hell just happened?"

Sighing, Janeway laughed slightly and said, "I’m not exactly sure…but I highly doubt that Mister…X…was propositioning me." Sitting down at her desk, purposefully lax, trying to calm Chakotay down since he seemed more anxious than normal, the captain continued, "It doesn’t make sense…I can’t say what he was really after, but I don’t think it was me."

Chakotay sat down on the chair in front of her desk and asked, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes…it doesn’t make sense," Janeway said surely. "We don’t know them…and unless he’s some type of bounty hunter, I don’t think they know us either." Then sipping her coffee again, the captain leaned back in her chair and continued, "And if he is a bounty hunter…we’ll he’s not a very good one. I think he was just trying to intimidate me…and not very effectively, I might add. I think he just came across us and thought he take a peak and see if he could take advantage of the situation."

"So, you don’t think we’ll see them again?"

"I don’t think so," Janeway said quickly and confident. Eyeing her command for a few moments, she asked, "You don’t agree?"

"Maybe I was just a Maquis for too long," Chakotay offered leaning forward, "but I’ve seen people like that before. He came here with a purpose, and as soon as he appeared on that screen, it was clear to me that the purpose was. He came here for you, Kathryn. I don’t know how he knows of you, but he knew what he was doing. I think we should take this as a serious threat…"

Janeway leaned forward as well, setting her coffee down and said, "I won’t pretend that I haven’t ruffled a few feathers in the last seven years, Chakotay. Hell, I’ve got half the quadrant cursing my name, I’m sure…but I don’t see how this is any more of a problem then the others."

"This is the first time someone has come after you," the commander came back. "Specifically you…I think that makes this different."

"So, you think he’s a bounty hunter?"

"Maybe," Chakotay answered, "and I think he’s a lot smarter than he played himself off as. That whole bit with the shield harmonics…that was right out of the Maquis training manual. The next time we see them, I’m sure it will be a different story." Sighing, he continued, "He knew that you wouldn’t destroy him…that tells me that he knows a little about who he’s dealing with. He hung around quiet, watching until he had to say something…and then he strung the meeting out longer, and then he didn’t pursue, knowing that if he did, you’d put the hurt on him. He’s testing you for weaknesses. I know it’s not our way, but part of me wishes we would have just done away with him when we had the chance."

Shocked by such an admission, Janeway’s face suddenly changed and she said, "Chakotay…you’re really worried about this guy."

"Kathryn, my stomach is flip-flopping like you wouldn’t believe…my instincts tell me that we have a problem." Reaching across the desk, he placed his hand on her arm and said, "And it scares the hell out of me that he has his eyes set specifically on you. I don’t want to take any chances this time."

"Fowler to Janeway."

Keeping her eyes locked on Chakotay, Janeway tapped her communicator and said, "Go ahead."

"Lieutenant Torres is breathing down my neck about the speed…do you want me to slow down yet?"

When Chakotay continued to look at her like she had never seen him do, Janeway answered, "No…keep us here for another fifteen minutes, and if Miss Torres gives you any more problems, inform her that you’re under direct orders form me. Janeway out." Finally looking away from Chakotay, Janeway grabbed her coffee cup and stood up saying, "Alright, Commander…you have my attention. What do you have in mind?"

"Seven of Nine to Janeway."

Noticing the insistent tone in her lover’s voice immediately, Janeway froze were she was, tapped her communicator and asked, "Seven, what is it?"

"Captain…I believe someone has been in these quarters recently."

As all of the color drained from her face, Janeway set her coffee down on the desk and said at the same time, "Seven…get out of there right now…I’m on my way!" Then running out of her office with Chakotay, she said to Tuvok, "Commander…get a security detail to my quarters…we may have an intruder. Nick…you have the Bridge."

Kathryn rubbed her forehead roughly as she paced back and forth at the foot of her bed, staring at a note that was left there. It wasn’t the note that scared her so much as the fact that Seven had been 'resting her eyes' in that bed when it was placed there. With acid on her tongue, she said, "I want to know how the hell that got here, Commander. I want to know if someone was here, or it was simply transported…and I want to know two days ago, do you understand me?" Then looking over to Chakotay as Tuvok nodded and left her quarters quickly informing the armed guard to not leave the captain’s side for any reason, she said, "Chakotay…I can’t have Seven stay here. Can she stay in your quarters for the night?"

"Of course, she can stay as long as need be," Chakotay nodded and said quickly. "If you want, you can both use my quarters…I can bunk with Tuvok."

"No…I’d feel better if you stayed with her…she’s not well enough to protect herself, and I’m not going to put her life in danger by staying with her," Janeway answered. "I’d send her to Sickbay…but I’m worried that could just make more problems."

"No problem, Captain…I’ll look after her," the commander responded. "What about you? You’re not going to stay here alone are you?"

Janeway shook her head looking at the note on her bed that said, "I want you," something they were able to translate after running a scan of the alien writing, and answered, "No…until we know how that got here, I’ll remain on the Bridge…if I get tired I can always sleep in my Ready Room." When she heard Chakotay about to protest, she snarled, "I’ll leave the door open." Then holding up her hand in apology, she walked out of her bedroom and went over to Seven who was lying on the couch. "Seven, the commander is going to take you to his quarters. You’re going to stay with him until this mess gets straightened out." And when Seven showed the first signs of protest, she said, "Lieutenant Byers will be with me for the foreseeable future."

Standing, Seven followed Chakotay out of the captain’s cabin, but stopped next to the lieutenant toting a phaser rifle and said, cold, "Do not fail." When Janeway barked at her to be on her way, Seven sighed and followed Chakotay without further protest.

Pushing herself up from the floor where she was kneeling, retrieving her missing pips, Janeway turned toward the door, looked around her quarters slowly and then left them, closing and locking the door with her command code. Silently she walked down the halls of her ship, putting her pips back on her collar and pretending not to notice the man following her at her left. The captain had never been fond of having a security escort, but understood the need for one from time to time when she went to potentially hostile places. However, having to have one on her own ship did not bode well for her mood, or for the poor lieutenant that was given the task of protecting the captain’s life. Knowing that her fuse was practically non-existent at the moment, she figured she should just try to ignore the man for fear that if he attempted to speak to her, she would cut him down harshly, simply because she despised feeling unsafe aboard her vessel.

After returning to the Bridge, she immediately went to her Ready Room, setting the door to remain open. Then informing the lieutenant that she had to use the restroom, she held back her irritation as he checked it out first and then took up a post just outside the door. Once inside, Janeway resisted the urge to pick up the first thing she saw and chuck it, simply because it didn’t have far to go and would undoubtedly rebound off the wall in hit her in the head. After using the bathroom, she washed her face and neck with ice cold water and then exited. After retrieving her coffee from the steps and recycling it for a fresh one, she went back onto the Bridge, taking over command from Fowler who immediately proceeded to the helm and took a seat in her command chair, waving Byers away and back up to the upper level, and out of sight. Then glancing around, noticing that Harry Kim had retired for the evening, being replaced by Susan Resse, Janeway said to Fowler, "Miss Fowler, you’re free to go."

Nicole turned around in her chair and said, "With the captain’s permission, I’d prefer to remain on duty."

Nodding, Janeway said, "Very well, Lieutenant…but you’re free to go whenever."

Fowler turned back around and acknowledge, "Aye, Captain," and prepared herself to remain on duty until she was certain that there was not an intruder aboard hunting down her commanding officer. Captain Kathryn Janeway may not be her favorite person in the world, or even her favorite captain, but she’d be damned if she was going to allow some man to lay a hand on her without doing everything in her power to break every bone in his body first. Predatory behavior of any kind was something that Nicole Fowler absolutely would not stand for.

At 0400 hours, Captain Kathryn Janeway was briefed on the security situation. The commander had ordered a ship-wide search, deck by deck and turned up absolutely no traces that anything other than the note had been transported, but recommend that for security sake, a decoy be set up in the captain's quarters for the next few days, which meant that the captain had to keep a low profile. Reluctantly, Janeway finally agreed, but only after an hour of arguing with Tuvok and Chakotay about how she absolutely was not going to let some slimy excuse for a man send her hiding away on her own ship. Once they convinced her that she would not be hiding, just attempting to draw the 'intruder' out, if there was one, she accepted the plan as sound and acquiesced, since they still had no idea of how the rogue vessel's technology had managed to penetrate their shield's without their knowledge, or elude their sensors until the vessel was right on top of them. Using the medical data collected from her last trip to Sickbay, and recent transporter logs, they were able to create a holographic representation of the compact commander, since there really was no member of Tuvok’s security team that even remotely resembled Kathryn Janeway. Programming the hologram wasn’t difficult at all since all ‘she’ had to do was walk around the captain’s cabin and lie in the bed at regular intervals, and react to visitors by calling out for assistance to be convincing enough to any would be attacker. To pull this off, they requisitioned the Doctor’s holoemitter, which he gave up willingly once he became aware of the specifics. Another security officer would take refuge in the closet just in case someone other than a member of Voyager popped in for a ‘visit,’ and they would change shifts using the transporters, never having to be seen unless they were actually needed.

Furthermore, they modified her communicator to emit a scattering field which would make it impossible for her to be transported anywhere without knowing the exact frequency, which only Tuvok and Chakotay knew, keeping all other instances of the information completely out of any ship's logs and storing the data only in their brains. When she asked just where it was that she was going to be hiding out, Chakotay informed her happily that Lieutenant Torres had offered her assistance readily since her quarters were far away from the captain's and in a fairly well populated section of the ship, which was needed since keeping an armed guard posted outside the door all the times would eventually give them away. The longer they talked about it, the more the captain became completely irritated at the notion, but once her thoughts turned to Seven of Nine, and how she had been in the captain's bed sleeping when the note was dropped off, she stopped resisting completely and put her mind to sticking to the plan and making certain that this never had to occur again. Since Torres would still remain on duty, they decided that Seven of Nine could easily be transported to the engineer's quarters where she could remain with Kathryn while she recovered, and then returned in the evening once Chakotay had finished his day. Janeway went along with that easily, not attempting to ask if a larger bed could be added to Torres' quarters so Seven could simply remain with them because she knew that Seven and Torres wanted some private time together before they made their relationship complete, and the captain was damned if she was going to let this mess interfere with their plans any more than it already was. Besides, Janeway didn't like the idea of spending too much time with Seven of Nine at the moment for fear that if there was an intruder aboard Voyager, and they discovered where the captain was staying, it would be putting her life at risk. The captain didn't like the idea of Torres putting her life at risk either, but at least she wasn't recovering from major surgery, and could be rather gnarly in a fight when provoked, and she certainly liked the idea of her Klingon lover as her nighttime protection rather than Lieutenant Byers.

Before she left, Chakotay told her that he would stop by each day for lunch and they could discuss ship's business and any security updates. Just before she was about to leave her Ready Room, Tuvok stopped her and ordered an intership transport, since 'the captain' had already retired for the evening. Sighing, she nodded her head and allowed the Vulcan to used the special code which allowed her to be transported, remembering the string of numbers automatically out of habit, and before she knew it, she was opening her eyes to the slightly familiar quarters of Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres.

An eerie sensation automatically fell over the captain when she realized that for the first time in what seemed like ages, she was alone. An event that normally comforted Janeway now gave her the chills slightly, even though she could already feel the distinct difference in temperature between her office and her engineer's quarters, B’Elanna’s being much warmer to accommodate for her Klingon physiology. Quickly, she ordered up the lights, put a high security seal on the door, and ordered herself a cup of coffee, feeling much too uneasy to even attempt sleep until Torres returned, and hating the feeling very much, but not able to help herself at the moment. Setting down the phaser that she had been 'ordered' to carry with her at all times, on Torres' nightstand, Janeway finally forced herself to remove her boots and her tunic. Then her curiosity getting the better of her, she queried the computer as to her lover's location, and was not surprised to discover that she was in Main Engineering, still. Knowing how dedicated her engineer was to her ship, Janeway took a moment to look around Torres' quarters, trying to find something to keep herself occupied. Since she hadn't had a chance to gather any of her personal belongings, and couldn't very well access any of her logs or messages at the moment, the captain settled on housework, since if she didn't do something, she'd undoubtedly work herself up into quite a frenzy over this situation.

After picking up the empty cups and few plates scattered liberally around the small, one room cabin, the captain took it upon herself to recycle a few of the engineer's uniforms that were crumpled on the floor, and folded them neatly, stacking them in the small closet, having to laugh at the disaster area she found there. Then after that, she went into the bathroom, picked up more clothes on the floor, recycling them as well, making sure to put all of replicator usage under 'captain's privilege', so no one would have to be put out any more than they already were due to this highly unfortunate incident. After that, she stripped the bed, replaced the sheets and pillow cases, straightened the engineer's table which was scattered with various tools and PADD's, taking time to put the tools back in their carrying case, and finally watered and trimmed a few of the plants Torres kept hanging from her ceiling in the corner, next to a shelf that displayed various nick knacks, several of which were clearly Klingon in origin. As she carefully picked up some kind of ceremonial knife, she heard the door hiss open. Spinning around, the captain exhaled when Torres appeared, stopped mid-stride and held up her hands.

"Hey, don't shoot." Smiling as Janeway looked down at the knife in her hand as if she just realized it was there, the engineer said, looking around her quarters and folding her arms over her chest, "You cleaned."

Nodding quickly, Janeway turned back around, set the knife down and explained, "I'm sorry…I just needed a distraction." Then looking over her shoulder, she cleared her throat and said, pointing to the knife, "This is very beautiful."

Shrugging, Torres said coming over to the captain, sensing that she was attempting to hide her feelings by changing the subject away from why she needed a distraction, "It was a gift from my mother…hey, are you okay?"

Janeway nodded hurriedly, again, and said pretending to be fascinated by all of Torres' items that she had on display, "Oh, I'm fine…just had too much coffee to sleep. What's this one?"

"That's a rock," Torres answered fast and flat. "Red, you drink coffee like it's going out of style…and suddenly you can't sleep because of it?"

"Contrary to what I might say, sometimes it is possible to have too much caffeine," the captain responded, turning her back on her temporary roommate and going over to the bed. Sitting down, she leaned back on her elbows as asked, looking down at her feet, "Everything okay in Engineering?"

The engineer sighed, and took off her tunic and then her shirt, leaving on her thin, tanktop, making a point to throw them on the ground. When Janeway looked up at her and chuckled once, Torres explained, "Sorry, Red…I can't think with all this cleanliness…it's not right." Then sitting down on the bed next to her, she kicked off her shoes, sending one scooting across the floor, then said, turning toward the captain, "Everything's fine in Engineering. I didn't want to come in here and make you think that I was hovering over you…but now I'm thinking that maybe I should have been here waiting for you."

"I'm fine, 'Lanna….really," Janeway said still looking at her feet as she raised them level and rolled them around at the ankle. "And I'm sorry for cleaning up your place…I won't do it again."

Having enough of this, Torres slid off the bed to her knees, came in front of the captain and said, "I don't care about that…just gives me more to mess up." Spreading the captain's legs apart, she pulled Janeway closer to her and said, "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you…I won't make that mistake again." When the captain was about to protest, Torres continued rather authoritatively, "No, Kathryn…I know this bothers the hell out of you…it goes against everything that you are, but things are different out here, and we've got to face that. I'd be freaked out too if someone dropped a note off in my home. I'm sorry I assumed too much…I just didn't want you to feel like I was being over protective…and didn't trust that Tuvok and Chakotay would take care of you."

Sighing, Janeway said lying back, "You're right…this bothers that hell out of me." Putting her hands over her face, she said, "I'm hiding out in your cabin while a hologram pretends to be me. I'm a Starfleet captain…I'm not supposed to hide…but here I am." Her arms ending up on her stomach after throwing them in the air, she whispered, "And what's worse, is that I'm potentially putting your life in danger by doing so…not to mention that Seven was in that bed when the note was placed there." Sitting up, she said, "So you see…this does indeed go against everything I believe in…but I can't think of any other way to go about this without putting more people in harm's way until we know for certain."

Torres put her head in Janeway's lap and asked, "So, you think that by trying to protect yourself, which directly protects this crew…that you're somehow a bad captain?" Then lifting her head again, she said, "Kathryn, I understand why you feel that way…but no matter what, we can't lose you…it just can't happen. You might as well initiate the self-destruct as you go because we'd never make it."

"You don't give yourselves nearly enough credit…I'm the one who couldn't make it without this crew," Janeway responded surely. "Chakotay is a fine leader, well respected…if there's any expendable person on this ship, it's me."

"Kahless, Chakotay could barely hold our ship together," Torres laughed, not unkindly. Sitting down on the floor looking up at Janeway, she said, "Don't get me wrong, Red…I love Chakotay, but Voyager is your ship. This is your crew…ask anyone. Maybe we've been out here too long under such stressful conditions, but this crew doesn't work like that…not any more. If you would have kicked the bucked during the first year, then yea…maybe we would have recovered, but not now…not after all this time." Torres sat up again and came up close to Kathryn, resting her hands on her hips, "This has nothing to do with the fact that I love you either…I also love you as my captain. I don't want another captain…not until we get home, and then maybe, I’ll think about it. This is not how Starfleet likes it, I know…but it's how we've managed to stick together. We need you, Captain…like we need life-support. When we're scared, we look to you…we see that you're scared too, but you fight your way through it anyhow. It's not the same with anyone else. Yes, you couldn't do it without us…but we can't do it without you. We all need each other. Christ, Chakotay was practically having a coronary earlier…demanding that I let you stay with me." When the smallest of upturns of the captain's thin lips, occurred, Torres smiled and said, "Apparently, he thought that I'd get cranky about it or something…"

"It's been known to happen," Janeway whispered, smiling just slightly. "Darling, I know how much you need your space…there are other places I can go."

"Red, if you think for one minute that I'm letting you stay anywhere but in here where I can see you all night long…then you're crazier than I think you are," Torres grinned leaning up to kiss Janeway softly. "I love you…there's nothing I wouldn't do for you…except maybe clean…and even that I might do…from time to time."

"I know…I know you're right," the captain admitted barely speaking. "It's just very difficult to accept sometimes. As much as I love this crew and this ship and feel as though I wouldn't know what to do with myself if they weren’t around…there's still a part of me that is very much Starfleet…that will always try to resist until there is no other option. It's how I was raised…it's instinct. The captain goes down with the ship…the captain is expendable…the captain does not run and hide when her life alone is in danger."

"Just think of it as…if you go down, this ship goes down…you're doing your duty to protect your crew, by protecting yourself," Torres whispered back. "And if this…fucker…thinks that there is anyway any of us, especially me, are going to let him hurt one hair on your head, then he's got another thing coming. This isn't the Federation, Kathryn…this is Voyager…and we look after our own. You've done it for us a hundred times…now let us do it for you."

"I'm not going to fight it, I promise…just don't expect me to be happy about it, okay?"

"Happy?" Torres laughed hugging Janeway’s body as she knelt in front of her. "I expect you to be mad as hell, Red. You’re Captain Kathryn Janeway for Kahless sakes…that means people ought to know better than to fuck with you…and if they don’t…then that’s their mistake." When the captain rolled her eyes modestly, Torres kissed her chin, then nipped at it saying, "You can be whatever you want to be about this…just don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing the right thing. Not just the safe thing…but the right thing. Understood?"

Raising her eyebrow, Janeway asked, her voice low and rather husky, "Is that an order, Lieutenant?"

"That would be an order, Captain," Torres said seriously, but keeping her light-hearted personality to her tone. Then kissing the captain’s lips again, she said against them, "And don’t make me throw your skinny ass in the Brig, either…I like you much better right here." Once their conversation died down for a moment as they took the opportunity to enjoy being together again, the engineer slowly left Kathryn’s mouth, her lips making a well known path across the captain’s strong jaw line to her ear and then to her neck, right at the hair line. Tasting the salty sweetness of Janeway’s perspiration, Torres asked, "Is it too warm in here for you?"

"Mmmtnmm," Janeway said lazily, kissing Torres’ neck and shoulders. "I feels nice. I feel safer in the warmth."

That admission driving a stake into the Klingon’s hearts, Torres had to take a second to take a deep breath to keep herself from letting her rage get the best of her. Even though she had a feeling that the captain was feeling slightly uncomfortable for her own personal safety, she wasn’t absolutely certain because Janeway had only spoke of how she was afraid for her crew, and for not living up to her own standards…or Starfleet’s. Now knowing that inside this body, behind the uniform…underneath the protocol and prestige was a woman, of flesh and blood, that was scared for herself, even if only moderately, enrage every protective instinct in the brunette’s body. Part of her had the urge to lock the captain inside some kind of impenetrable forcefield, take control of the ship, then hunt this man down and take a great deal of pleasure watching him beg for mercy before she crushed his skull with her bare hands. But since she knew that she absolutely could not do that, simply because it would undoubtedly cause a rift probably too great to negotiate between her and this woman she loved, Torres did the next best thing. She picked up the captain, eased her into the bed, and wrapped her in protection of her loving, strong arms until she feel asleep.

Once the captain was asleep, Torres removed Kathryn’s pants, and stockings, but kept the rest of her body clothed, somehow understanding that Janeway probably wouldn’t prefer to be entirely without the sensation of protection that clothing offered. Torres did not disrobe any more for what was left of this ‘night,’ wanting to be prepared for anything, and feeling a little uneasy herself, she snatched up her ceremonial knife, and tucked it under her pillow before she pulled the covers over them and let herself fall into a half sleep until she had to wake up and return to duty. Since she had been up the whole night, she had informed her staff that she probably wouldn’t return to duty until the early afternoon, and as the captain turned over and latched onto her tightly, even in her sleep, Torres knew that she probably would be lucky if she managed to make it back to duty until sometime well into the start of the Beta shift.

Chuckling softly, Janeway smiled blissfully and said after she inhaled deeply, arching her back, slightly, feeling her lover’s moist tongue skidding across her navel, "Mmm…good morning, darling."

"I want you," hissed a menacing voice into the thick, humid air of the engineer’s cabin.

In a trice, the captain’s eyes flew open as she simultaneously surged up and back, struggling to get away from her attacker, crying out instinctively…not screaming, but definitely allowing a gasping sound of shock and fear. Scrambling backward, the compact captain was firmly pressed against the headboard in the corner of the room before she realized that no one was proceeding after her. As Torres began to stir quickly, Janeway glanced around the darkened room, frantic, not certain as to if what had just occurred was a dream as she put her hand on her stomach trying to find some hard evidence that someone had been licking her stomach. When she felt moist skin immediately, the captain reached over for her phaser as Torres jumped off the bed, knife in hand ordering up the lights and crouching, readying her body for battle. Without even thinking what she was going, the captain cranked up the setting on her phaser to maximum, which would vaporize organic material instantly, and held it out in front of her panting, still pressed up into the corner.

Torres didn’t bother to ask what was occurring and quickly, she snarled, dove to her knees checking under the bed. When she found nothing, she circled around until she was certain no one was in this part of her cabin and then took off for the bathroom. Tearing in there, knife first, it only took a second for her to realize that there was no one in there as well. When she came out, still tense but not as coiled to see the captain throwing down her weapon and jumping off the bed, heading for the replicator, the engineer realized that the captain had merely had a bad dream. As Janeway went up to the replicator and ordered a glass of water, Torres exhaled for the first time and tossed her knife on her bed. Hurriedly she came over to Janeway who was guzzling the water, letting it freely seep out of the sides of her mouth and fall down her sweat soaked chest, the Klingon waited until she finished before she attempted to touch her. Tentatively, Torres placed her hands on Janeway’s hips, and decided she would wait for her lover to initiate any further contact. Janeway poured the rest of the water in her hand and then tossed it in her face. Then running both hands through her hair, slicking it back, the captain pulled up her shirt, wiped her face free from moisture and said, "I’m sorry…I’m fine."

When Janeway let go of her shirt and Torres saw that her hands were shaking just slightly, something she had never, ever seen occur, even at the most trying of circumstances, the engineer grabbed her hands, and wrapped her arms around her tightly and said, "Don’t be sorry, baby…don’t be sorry." When Kathryn sighed, turned around and wrapped her arms around her neck tightly, Torres held her equally tight and slowly rubbed her back until the captain started breathing easier. Noticing that the captain’s back was almost completely damp with perspiration, the brunette asked, "Hey, do you want me to lower the temperature a little? It’s not a problem."

"No…thank you," Janeway said rather devoid of emotion, her command mask now firmly in place, it being the only thing in the universe that could keep her feeling somewhat like the woman she was. She pulled back, kissed Torres quickly on the cheek and said, pulling away, not looking at her lover, "I’m fine…let’s go back to bed." Crawling back into the full sized bed, the captain asked, "What time is it anyhow?"

Unmoving, Torres watched as Janeway climbed into the bed, pulled up the covers as asked about the time. Frowning, Torres wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and said, sighing, "Computer, state the time."

"Time is 0746 hours."

"Is that all?" replied Janeway turning toward the wall away from B’Elanna. "I feel like I’ve been asleep for hours." After a few seconds when the engineer didn’t return to the bed, Janeway looked over her shoulder and questioned, "Aren’t you coming back to bed?"

Torres swallowed down her questions, her concerns, and especially her fears and said, "Yep…I’m just going to use the bathroom." After using the facilities, keeping the door open just in case, Torres threw some cold water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror, reminding herself who exactly it was that she was involved with and how something like this would sit doubly uneasy upon her lover’s shoulders, simply due to the fact that she was trained to never show fear. She was captain, which meant she was supposed to laugh fear in its face, even spit at it, challenging it test her reserve, and even though she was allowed to feel it, she wasn’t allowed to show it, or succumb to it. That attitude seemed rather Klingon in nature, which Torres admired, even if she thought it was a really insane way to live one’s life. Taking a couple of deep breaths, doing her best to put her fear aside and remain calm and collected for her captain and her lover, Torres exited the ensuite and went back over to the bed. Putting the captain’s phaser back on the night stand, lowering the setting silently back to a more reasonable, high-stun level, just in case Janeway had another nightmare and mistook her for someone else, she slid her knife back under her pillow and crawled into bed. Coming up behind Janeway, she placed her hand on her hip and asked, "Is this okay, or is it too hot for you for me to be so close?" That, of course, was her way of asking if she was allowed to touch her, but she hoped the captain would miss that attempt at subtlety and not answer the implied question.

"I’m fine, darling," Janeway sighed. Taking her hand in her own, she brought it up to her lips, kissed it quickly and pressed it to her chest, snuggling back into the brunette’s chest. "Computer, lights off."

With her hand pressed to the captain’s chest, her own pulse began to quicken as she felt the older woman’s slightly elevated heartbeat. Janeway was breathing evenly, but it was clear to Torres that she was having to think about it since her whole body was abnormally tense considering that they were snuggling. Just when she didn’t think she could take it anymore, the captain sighed heavily, turned around and buried her face into her neck. Janeway didn’t say anything, so neither did Torres, who freely admitted to feeling rather inept at consoling emotionally conflicted Starfleet captains, purely because she had never done so before. She tried to simply let her instincts take over, but considering that Kathryn Janeway was probably the most complex, multi-faceted being she had ever met, she found that rather difficult and ended up second guessing herself every time she decided on something to say or do. Finally just holding her close, Torres whispered, knowing the captain was not asleep since she continued to breath in and out with definite purpose, "I’m sorry, Red…I’m really terrible at this."

Janeway actually laughed once, it coming out in a short, quick bark which sounded more like her getting rid of anxiety rather than expressing amusement, "Clearly, I’m not either."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Don’t you think that’s a little early, ‘Lanna…even for a martini lunch?"

"Who gives a shit!" Torres came back, hopping to break the death grip tension. Kissing the captain’s brow, she eased away and said, "I need a drink. Computer, lights…half." Padding over to the replicator, ordering two whiskey and sodas, not really having a grand taste for hard liquor, but not wanting beer either, and feeling like she should drink what the captain was drinking, she snatched up the high balls, and came back over to the bed where Janeway was sitting up, still under the covers, despite that her forehead a clearly visible sheen to it. Handing a glass to the captain, who accepted it readily, she clinked her glass to the captain’s and said, "Dogh!"

Repeating the phrase, Janeway took a healthy swig, and then asked swallowing the amber liquid down easily, "What did I just drink to?"

"It means to be foolish…or silly," Torres explained. Smirking, she said, drinking again, "Seemed appropriate." Then scooting back and leaning up against the wall, she motioned for Janeway to join her. Putting her arm around her lover and drinking with her, she asked after the captain opened her throat and downed the rest of her drink in open gulp, "Another?"

Shaking her head a little at the strong alcohol being forced down her gullet, Janeway said, coughing slightly, "No…thank you."

Torres took the glass from the captain and set it aside and then resumed her position and sat quietly for a few moments, drinking the liquid before she asked, quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Janeway sighed heavily against B’Elanna’s shoulder and said, "Not really."

The captain’s less than definite answer and the fact that her body was tensing again as she held her told Torres that she did want to talk about it, but she was having a difficult time reconciling the need. Finishing her drink, Torres set the glass down at her side, letting it fall on its side on the bed since there was nothing left in it to spill out, and said, kissing Kathryn’s temple, "Okay…then what do you want to talk about?"

"I can’t think of anything."

"Then why don’t you tell me about it," Torres responded, trying not to sound demanding, but hoping she put enough emphasis in her tone to persuade the captain to take a back seat and let Kathryn emerge for a little while. When the captain continued to persist, Torres said, "Okay…how about we make a deal? You tell me about it…and I’ll tell you something…something that I don’t tell anyone…not even you." When she felt the captain chuckle once against her chest, she looked down and explained, "And it’s not something that a Klingon should ever admit to." But still, Janeway resisted, and finally Torres said, "Okay, I’ll go first." Through clenched teeth, the engineer took a deep breath and exhaled, admitting, "I’m afraid of the dark." Going on further, she said, knowing that Kathryn knew she was uncomfortable in it some times due to the time they spent the first night of their camping trip hunting for firewood, "Like…really afraid of it. I hate it…sometimes I have to keep the lights on when I sleep…for days at a time. It’s one of the reasons why I like to keep my own quarters."

Sitting up, Janeway said, rather shocked, "No wonder you were so edgy that night when we went looking for firewood." Placing her hand on Torres’ leg that was still covered with her now wrinkled uniform trousers, Janeway squeezed it gently and said, "I’m sorry, darling…I had no idea."

Looking away for a minute, Torres said, "Like I said…it’s not something I let people know. I do my best to deal with it…but sometimes, I just get freaked out." Then laughing at herself, she looked back to Janeway who was smiling ruefully, "Klingon’s aren’t supposed to be afraid of the dark…in fact, we’re supposed to love it. We’re supposed to like it hot and dark…hot I can deal with…dark, that’s another story."

Janeway curled up with Torres again to offer her support and asked, "Is there any reason why you’re afraid of the dark?"

"No…I just always hated it," Torres answered quickly and with a great deal of regret in her voice. "It got even worse when I was in that Cardassian prison for a while. I’m especially uncomfortable in tight, dark spaces, but it’s mostly the dark that bothers me." Kissing Janeway’s head, she said, "Chakotay knows…he tried to help me with it…using my ‘Spirit Guide.’" Laughing sardonically, the Klingon explained her amusement, "But we didn’t get along so hot…and I was asked to not take anymore vision quests." After they both stopped chuckling, she finished, "It’s not so bad, anymore…but I still have my moments. You’re not going to tell Tuvok, are you?"

"Of course not," Janeway came back quickly. "You’ve been a senior officer on this vessel for seven years, and it hasn’t affected your performance once. If you prefer to have the lights on when you sleep, well, that’s none of his, or my business." Then lifting her chin, she kissed Torres’ jaw and said, "But from now on, I’ll do my best to accommodate you, when I can."

"It’s not a problem, Red…honest, " Torres explained. "About the only time I’m really freaked is when it’s completely dark…I mean pitch black, can’t see your hand in front of your face, dark. That kind of dark scares the shit out of me. The rest of the time, it’s more of a preference now. If I’m feeling nervous about something, or upset, then I like to keep the lights on…it’s not as bad as it used to be."

"Well, I can’t say that I’m fond of pitch blackness either," Janeway said easily, not knowing a single person who was, except maybe Seven of Nine, and that was just because her enhanced hearing gave her an advantage over the average person, but without any ambient lighting, even her night vision was useless. "And what I meant was, that whenever we’re together, if you need to keep the lights on…I don’t want you to feel like you can’t…I’ll just leave them on and let you decide if you want them off, okay?"

"Alright," Torres nodded accepting that as more than fair. Then squeezing, Janeway, she kissed her forehead again and said, "You’re turn, cowgirl."

"I had a nightmare."

"Yes…I think I got that part," Torres joked, hoping to keep the mood as light as possible. Rubbing Janeway’s back she urged, "Go on."

Pushing off from the bed, Janeway stood up and rubbed her neck, needing to move around to get this out. Now rubbing her forehead, she explained, pacing back and forth, "I was lying in bed…just like I was in reality. I felt…what I thought was you," now rubbing her neck with both hands, "kissing my stomach." Sighing heavily, Kathryn turned toward Torres and explained further. "It was so real, ‘Lanna. I could feel your tongue at my navel…your breath on my skin. I woke up to that. It was…nice, and I wished you a good morning." Looking down, Janeway put one hand on her hips, while the other one held her stomach, as she whispered, "And then…someone, not you…said, ‘I want you.’" Lifting her hands to her sides, she sighed, "And then I woke up." Shaking her head, she admitted coming back to the bed and perching on the side, "But honestly, I don’t remember there being a difference from waking up in my dream and waking in reality. It was like someone was there…and then they weren’t." The captain looked over at her shoulder to B’Elanna and said, "I immediately put my hand to my stomach, trying to feel…if it was damp, and when it was…well, you know the rest." Janeway shook her head, lying back, sighing, "Of course it was wet…it’s damn hot in here…I just didn’t make the connection until a few moments later when I looked down at my shirt to see it soaked through."

"This…someone…was it that…man?" Torres asked, snarling.

"Yes…I think so," Janeway admitted. "At least…it sounded like him. That’s what he said to me on the Bridge." Turning on her stomach, she explained, "When he said it then…well, it didn’t bother me. It wasn’t the first time, and certainly not the last someone has tried to intimidate me that way…it comes with the territory. But…when we found that note…on my bed, and it said the same thing," sighing, she shook her head, "well, I’ve never really be threatened, personally, in that way…at least not to that degree. I guess it got to me more than I thought."

Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres was a woman whose temper and habit of destroying, small and large breakable objects was well documented. Before the captain’s recital, she had only known that this man was after her captain and had made it clear that he wished to do her harm. Perhaps Chakotay had been simply so upset that he had forgotten to mention that he made threats that alluded to violating the captain in the worst way possible, or more probable, he had purposefully not mentioned it because he knew that such an admission would send the Klingon into the rage she was currently in. Picking up the first thing she saw, which was the glass lying next to her leg, Torres launched it across the room, growling hotly, "That mother fucker!" As the glass shattered against the far wall, Torres jumped to her feet, storming around the room, ranting and raving like a lunatic, as the captain sat up quickly, startled by the reaction. "I’ll kill him…oh my god…I’m gonna make that fucker pay!" Growling, swinging furiously at the air, searching for something to break, she exclaimed, "I swear to Kahless, I’ll rip his heart out and stuff it down his throat!"

Sighing as Torres continued to pound her fists against her thighs and paraded around the room shouting one profanity after the other, Janeway rubbed her forehead and said, "I’m assuming you weren’t aware…of the…details?"

Bracing herself against the wall, Torres hissed, "No." Then pounding on the wall once solidly, she backed away, fists clenched, muscles bulging, and teeth clenched, "How dare he threaten you like that! God…he is so dead! I mean dead…like not even born dead." Then rubbing her forehead and pacing around again, she continued to mumble, "Fuck…no wonder Chakotay was so freaked." Turning around to look at her lover who was patiently and quietly sitting at the edge of the bed, letting Torres have her moment, she asked, "Jesus Christ, Kathryn! How can you just sit there?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Janeway said calmly, "B’Elanna…throwing things isn’t my way of dealing with my emotions."

"Well, maybe you should start?" Torres came back resuming her pacing. "How can you not want to find this…this…vethlh…and make him pay?"

"Oh believe me, B’Elanna…the thought has crossed by mind," Janeway offered looking down, and then bringing her gaze back up to Torres, she went on, "but that wouldn’t make me any better than him."

"The hell it wouldn’t!" Torres yelled. "He has dishonored you by even saying what he said. Period. That means he has to die! The right is yours…you are defending your honor."

"Darling, I’m not a Klingon…I have no ‘honor’ to defend," Janeway continued to explain calmly. "I’ve been threatened before…this is no different. I can’t put this ship at risk just because I’ve been threatened with violence."

"You do have honor, Kathryn," Torres pleaded, still angered. "And this is different. There is NO honor in it…none."

"Oh, I agree that it is a rather…dishonorable way to behave, but I’m not going to hunt him down just because he thinks he can wield some power over me simply because he’s male and I’m not," the captain responded. "We have no real idea what his agenda is. It’s possible that he’s a bounty hunter…just trying to shake me up, hoping to scare me enough that I’ll make a mistake? Maybe he’s after the whole ship, and trying to get at me because I’m the captain? We just don’t know…and it’s very probable that we’ll never see him again." Clearing her throat, Janeway allowed, "And if we do see him again, I promise you…we will not take any chances. He’s lost all benefit of the doubt. If they comes within weapons range, I will not hesitate to cripple his ship for the foreseeable future…but I’m not going to hunt him down just because he’s threatened to abuse me. No matter how dishonorable it is…it’s not something I’m going to do. I understand how you feel about this…believe me…I don’t like it at all…but I can’t treat the threat any differently just because it scares me more than outright death."

Standing in front of Kathryn, Torres vowed, "Fine…but if that filthy pig comes aboard this ship, I swear on my honor that I will kill him dead where he stands." Turning away and continued, "And you can hate me…throw me in the Brig for the rest of my life…I don’t care. I will not let him touch you…ever."

Janeway slowly rose to her feet and said clearly, "Lieutenant, as your commanding officer, it’s my duty to remind you that such behavior isn’t considered becoming of a Starfleet officer…and such an action would be go on your permanent file." When Torres turned around and stared at her, defiant, she stepped up to her and continued, toe to toe, "There would, of course, be an investigation…however, even though you are not an official member of Security, I’m sure you’d be cleared of any charges, since you would simply be protecting a member of the crew from probable bodily harm. However, because such an incident could potentially damage your service record, I cannot responsibly suggest that you do so without my direct authorization, which at this moment I cannot give you. I am not, and never shall be in the habit of allowing a member of my crew to kill another being unless there is no other alternative." After Torres nodded her head once, acknowledging her captain’s words, but them clearly not changing her mind in the least, Janeway softened, saying, "But as your lover…and someone who accepts wholly that this…honor…you have bestowed upon me is part of you…part of your culture…which is something I cherish and hold in the highest regard…" now bowing her head in submission, she whispered, "all I can say is…thank you for promising to defend it, if I can’t do so myself." Then throwing her arms around Torres, she sighed and said, "Thank you for protecting me…I love you so much for that, B’Elanna Torres. I really do…even if I can’t show it all of the time. And I will never hate you for it…I love you for all of you…I don’t want to change just because it makes my job complicated." Pulling away, sniffling, she kissed Torres and said, "I’m just not used to it."

Torres brought her hands up and said, wiping the tears from the captain’s cheek, "Well, get used to it, Red…it’s not negotiable. As long as there is air in my chest, I will defend you. It’s not something that can be helped…that’s just the way it is." Then hugging her fiercely, rocking her side to side slightly, Torres cried slightly, laughing some as well, "Kahless…Kathryn…my mother is going to think I’ve hit my head." Then backing away again so she could look Janeway in the face she admitted, "I don’t know what it is about you…but you bring this side out of me like no one I’ve ever met. And for once…it feels good." Smiling, she said, "It feels good to be B’Elanna Torres…Klingon."

The captain smiled through her tears and said, raising her finger to Torres’ forehead ridges, "I love you, B’Elanna Torres…Klingon. I love you very much." Then wilting like a flower exposed to intense sunlight, Janeway sighed, pressing her head to the engineer’s ridges, "All this shit makes me tired…can we go back to bed?"

"Shit?" Torres laughed, walking Kathryn backward toward the bed. "Since when do you say things like that?"

Crawling into bed, Janeway yawned and responded, "Since I fell in love with a potty-mouthed Klingon." Snickering, Janeway curled up next to her feisty lover, and asked, "Darling, can we leave the lights on?"

"Well, if you insist," Torres smiled, "I guess I can accommodate you…this time."

"’Lanna?"

"Yes, Red?"

"I can’t wait for you to meet my mother…she’s going to love you."

"Oh Christ."

"She is still regenerating?" asked Seven of Nine, furrowing her brow, dressed in her plum cotton outfit and slippers, after she materialized inside B'Elanna Torres' quarters and gazed at the curled up form of her commanding officer. Then looking over and down at the engineer, the cool blonde stated evenly, "This is an unusual occurrence." Walking up close to Kathryn's body, Seven noticed the slight dampness of the redhead's brow, and the dark grey ring around the captain's collar and said, "She is malfunctioning. I believe the temperature in this environment is too great for her."

"I tried to get her to let me cool it off in here a little, but she insisted that she was fine," Torres whispered, urging Seven away from the bed and toward the table. "If she's uncomfortable, she'll say so. I think we should let her be for a while."

Sighing, Seven nodded and said, quieting her tone as well, "Very well." As Torres sat down at the table and resumed drinking her coffee, Seven asked, seeing the dark circles under Torres' eyes and the downturn of her lips, "You are distressed as well. What has occurred?"

Torres took a few moments to drink her coffee before she said anything, attempting to weigh her options, surmise just how much the Borg knew about the situation, and decide if telling her everything was any thing remotely like a good idea. Torres knew how protective she, herself, was of Kathryn, but she also knew that there was no one in the universe more willing to risk herself, and everything else, to save the captain. If Torres had to guess, although she'd never say it aloud, she'd say that Seven of Nine could easily become a ruthless, and rather unfeeling woman if so provoked. She simply didn't have the moral center that the majority of the crew had thanks to the Borg Collective, and even though she could be absolutely the sweetest, more innocent person Torres knew, she also knew that if anything or anyone threatened the few things and people that she cared about, she would not hesitate to terminate their existence immediately and without warning. The Klingon in Torres admired that in Seven because it wasn't cold-blooded, or dishonorable…it was just who she was, but the officer in her, and the lover in her knew that at least where Kathryn was concerned, that could possibly be a problem. Torres was different than Seven. She wouldn't disobey orders outright unless she felt like she had no other option, and even though she truly loathed the man who was threatening Kathryn, she wouldn't go after him. She'd leave him be, as long as he left Kathyrn be…and if he didn't then she would act. Of course, her first instinct was to hunt the man down and kill him, but she realized that such a reaction was purely instinctual and something that she probably would never follow through with. She had absolutely no qualms about ripping him apart limb from limb if he stepped foot aboard this vessel, but that was a different circumstance. Seven was another story. The engineer could easily envision the Borg taking off in a shuttle, hunting down the vessel, and squeezing his neck with her enhanced arm until head came off…and then walking away as if nothing extraordinary had occurred, simply stating that she is Borg, and resistance is futile…or something similar. Finally deciding that it wasn't her place to inform a member of the captain's crew as to the specifics of the situation, in case she wasn't aware, and that such sensitive information should be left to only the captain's discretion, Torres pulled the mug from her mouth and said, "It was just a really long night, dollface…but I'll be okay." Then trying to change the subject, she asked, "So, how's it like bunking with the old man?"

Still standing, Seven placed her hands behind her back and responded, "The commander is a pleasant individual. His company is acceptable, and even though I can detect that he is slightly uncomfortable in my presence, he is making an effort to hide it. His nightly rituals are curious, and much different from Kathryn's."

"You mean he prays."

Nodding, Seven acknowledged, "Yes, I believe that term is accurate. I was curious as to what he was doing, so he allowed me to observe the ritual, but under the stipulation that I leave my questions until it was complete. Apparently, interruptions hinder the experience." Letting her hands fall to her sides, Seven swung them slightly as she spoke, "We had a lengthy conversation regarding his rituals, and even though I do not completely understand the need for them, I find the process intriguing. He stated that if I wished to learn how to contact my 'Spirit Guide' that he would assist me. I informed him that I was not aware that I had such an individual, but that perhaps one day I will deem it necessary to meet him or her." Then tilting her head, she asked, "B'Elanna Torres, what is happening with Kathryn? The commander was vague, to say the least. When I attempted to access the ship's logs regarding this situation, none were found." When Torres seemed resistant to tell her, Seven explained, "I am aware that she has been threatened. Even if I had not been present when a guard was posted to her after the message was found in her quarters, it is clearly a personal threat considering the computer is giving false information as to her whereabouts, and such measures are being taken to ensure her safety. Are you aware of the situation?"

"Why don't you have a seat, Seven," Torres said nodding at the chair. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I prefer to stand, and I do not require liquid refreshment at this time," Seven stated quickly. "I do require exact data regarding Kathryn's situation, however."

Sighing, Torres said, "Dollface…you're not making this very easy on me, you know?"

"Irrelevant. What is the situation?"

"Well…if you're going to be like that…would you at least sit down…please," Torres whispered, looking over quickly at the captain who was still in the same position.

"Very well," Seven responded at sat down in the chair next to Torres. When something caught her eye on the floor, she looked over and down at it. "There is a shard of glass on your floor," Seven stated. Then noticing two other smaller ones nearby, she continued, "There are several."

"Oh," B'Elanna allowed getting to her feet and muttering under her breath about how she had thought she picked them all up. Spotting two of them, but having to have the Borg point out the third, she said, "One of my glasses broke here."

Seven of Nine was one crew member in particular that was very much aware of the engineer's easily inflamed temper. So, knowing that, and putting a few of the pieces together, she stated, rather than asked, "You have broken this glass out of anger for Kathryn's situation."

Ignoring the question, Torres came back over to the table after putting the shards of glass in the replicator to be recycled, placed her hands on the Borg's shoulders as she stood behind her and said, rubbing them softly, "Yea…I did that." Then sighing, she said, "Dollface…you know I love you, right?"

Seven brought her hand up to her shoulder and placed it on Torres', saying, "Yes, B'Elanna Torres. I am aware that you love me…and I believe that you understand that I love you as well."

"I do," Torres said wrapping her arms and Seven's neck and kissing her temple. "So, I don't want you to think that by me telling you that I can't tell you everything, unless the captain okay's it, it has anything to do with you."

"The situation is severe," Seven stated, sighing heavily and looking down. "Kathryn would not attempt to hide things from me unless she was concerned that I would have a negative reaction and put myself in danger to protect her." Looking over at Torres, the blonde said, "She has demonstrated this behavior before."

Coming over in front of Seven, Torres kneeled on the ground in front of her and said, "Yes…that's part of it, I’m sure. Also, I know she doesn't want you to be upset…you've still got a lot of recovering to do. And, the situation is tense at the moment…but…the honest truth is that we don't know what is really going on…and that's the truth, I swear."

"Is there an intruder aboard this ship stalking her?"

"I don't know…we don't think so, but honestly, we don't know."

Feeling like Torres was beginning to be a little more specific in her answers, or at least willing to do so, Seven began asking questions quickly, "Has the intruder threatened anyone else?"

"No…not that I know of."

"This individual has left a message for Kathryn in her quarters, while I was present, which seems illogical. If this individual wished to anger or disturb her, they could have done so easily by harming me. Yet, they did not. What is this individual's intentions?"

"Honestly, we don't know. The captain thinks that maybe he's some kind of bounty hunter…maybe hired by someone who doesn’t like her," Torres answered. "It's possible that he wants to kidnap her, especially if he's a bounty hunter…and it's possible that he wants to kill her."

"Why leave a message? Why not leave some device that could harm her? It is illogical. His thought processes lack consistency."

Torres and sighed and said, "That's why every one is so upset, Seven. We have no real idea what this guy is thinking…he could be crazy…he could be just plain evil…he could be the stupidest fucker in the universe. That's why we're being careful…that's why Red is being careful. Until we know, or are certain there is no longer a threat…we can't take any chances."

Seven's voice was quiet, but grave as she said, "This is unacceptable, B'Elanna Torres."

"I know…believe me, I feel exactly the same way," she said, resting her head in Seven's lap. "But, she's the captain and we're doing everything we can to keep her safe at the moment…and nothing…and I mean nothing is going to harm her as long as she is here with me." Grabbing Seven's hand, she kissed her knuckles and said, "And I know you want to do more…but right now, this is what is best."

"I wish to do something…it is difficult to feel this…useless."

Torres sat up straight and said surely, "What you have to do is get better as soon as possible. I don't mean rush…what I mean is really take care of yourself…so if this guy comes back later looking for her, he'll have to get through me and you…and let's face it dollface…you can be one bad ass bitch when you want to be."

Nodding, Seven urged Torres to the side, stood up and went over to the replicator. Turning around with water in one hand and a nutritional supplement in the other, she smirked slightly and said, "Then I will not fail. I am Borg."

"Mmm…is that my darling Seven I hear?" the captain asked from the bed, her voice quiet and smoky. Then turning around and smiling as she wiped her forehead, she said, "Good morning."

"Good afternoon, Kathryn," Seven smirked setting down her beverages for a moment. "The time is 1205 hours. Do you require coffee?"

"Mmm…you read my mind, love," Janeway answered before she yawned and stretched in the bed. "I can't believe I slept that long…must be the heat…heat always makes me sleepy." Then finally sitting up, she wiped the small amount of perspiration from her hairline, looked over at Torres and asked, "Have you been up long?"

"Nope…maybe an hour and a half," Torres answered, grabbing her coffee from the table and then taking the one from Seven's hand over to the bed, handing it to Janeway. "Do you want me to lower the temperature?"

"No, I'm fine," Janeway answered sipping her coffee. "Maybe after I shower though…I'll let you know." Then looking over at Seven who had taken a seat at the table and was drinking her supplement, Janeway asked, "Seven, is it too hot in here for you?"

"No. My nanoprobes are capable of adapting to the change efficiently."

Clicking her tongue and smiling, she said, "Beauty bugs out in force today, darling?" When Seven smirked confidently, Janeway chuckled and asked, "So, how are you feeling? I see that you're eating…"

"I am functioning under acceptable perameters," Seven stated easily after sipping more of her supplement. "My primary objective is to return to duty as soon as possible. I am required to consume these beverages in order to meet my objective. I no longer wish to resist what is required of me."

"Sounds like…resistance is futile?"

"You are correct."

After winking at Seven, Janeway looked over at B'Elanna over the rim of her quickly emptying mug, and asked quieter, "And how are you?"

"I'm good," Torres answered leaning back on the bed and placing her hands on the captain's feet that were under the covers. "If you two don't mind the company, I'm thinking of just talking a personal day…there's nothing to be done that can't wait until tomorrow, or until Seven is well enough to start work on her alcove. I'm pretty much at a stand still with that project."

Setting down her coffee and laying back in the bed, Janeway sighed and said, "Well…now let me think. Do I want one or two beautiful women to spend my day with…gee, 'Lanna…that's a tough one. Seven…one or two?"

As Torres surged up and crawled over the captain, both of them laughing, Seven stated, "I believe two will suffice."

After throwing the covers off the captain's body, Torres climbed on top of her, then flipped them over, kissing Janeway as she laughed. Then pulling away, she asked quietly, "How are you?"

Kissing Torres back quickly, Janeway said, "I'm fine, sweetheart…I promise. I feel much better today." Then easing off of her and to the side, she rested halfway on her chest so she could talk to both Torres and Seven who was now in her line of sight, and asked, rubbing her hand aimlessly across the Klingon's firm stomach, "So, what do you girls want to do today? Unfortunately, our options are rather…limited."

"You mean you just don't want to sit here and sweat all over me?" Torres laughed running her hand through the captain's hair, keeping it off her forehead. "I kind of liked that idea."

Poking Torres in the ribs, she sneered, "You would. Seven, any ideas?"

"I have several…most of which require a much larger bed than currently exists in this room," Seven stated plainly and then proceeded to start on her water, since her supplement was done.

Laughing in amusement, Janeway finally asked, "Darling…was that a joke?"

"No, Kathryn…it was not," the Borg explained which caused both women to bust out in a fit of hysterical laughter.

Finally able to control herself, the captain sat up, grabbed her coffee cup again and said, clearing her throat, "Well…as wonderful as that sounds, darling…I was thinking of something…possibly less physically taxing for you. What were the other ideas?"

"Are we required to remain in these quarters?"

"Yes," Janeway nodded immediately, sticking to her promise to herself to not be upset about this and just let it run its course, and take advantage out the good that could some along with it…which actually looked to be somewhat more than she had thought since it seemed that she had a whole, free day to spend with her lovers. "Apparently," Janeway said somewhat humorously, "’the captain’ is having some kind of ‘issue’ and needs some personal time to herself. Usually, on those…rare…occasions, she doesn’t come out of her quarters for several days at a time." When both Seven and Torres didn’t seem to be finding anything funny about what she said, Janeway sighed and said, "Ladies…if I’m not going to let this get me down, then I don’t want it to get to you. Let’s just think of it as an unfortunate situation…and make the most of it, hmm?" Sitting up straighter, grabbing Torres’ hand and entwining her fingers with the engineer’s, she asked again, "So…what were you thinking, Seven?"

"The Doctor has suggested that I attempt to rebuild my abdominal muscles…slowly, beginning today since my nanoprobes are adapting more efficiently than he had assumed," Seven informed. "I will require assistance with this procedure, since I am not certain how to ‘rebuild’ them." She looked directly at the firm Klingon and continued, "He has suggested that I should seek assistance from you specifically."

"No problem, dollface," Torres smiled patting her stomach. "I need a bit of a work out too." Glancing up at Janeway who was enjoying what remained of her coffee, the engineer asked, "You think you can handle sweating a little more, Red?"

Nodding, she set down her now empty mug and said, "Sounds good…I’m sure I could use it more than anyone. Okay, so what else?"

"We could play cards," Torres suggested. "I’ve got a deck in my closet…somewhere."

"Well, if you can find them…amongst all of your glorious…mess," Janeway teased laying back down and cuddling with Torres, her hand back at her stomach by habit, "That sounds fun. I haven’t played cards in…years. Seven…have you ever played cards?"

"Once with Naomi Wildman," Seven answered finishing her drink and picking up her glasses, as well as the captain’s mug and taking them to the replicator. "We played ‘go-fish.’" Then coming over to the bed, she perched on the edge and explained, "It is a simplistic game…I did not enjoy it, other than for the fact that Naomi Wildman did."

Using her feet to rub Seven’s leg softly, Janeway smiled and said, "There are much better games that we can teach you, Seven…much more challenging…and much more…adult."

"Let me guess…you know a thing or two about poker?" asked Torres rolling her eyes.

"I’m fairly decent, yes," Janeway answered.

"Seven…that’s code for ‘I’m a card shark, and could have both of your butts naked in less than an hour,’" the brunette informed the tall blonde laughing.

"If Kathryn wished me to be naked, it would only take as long as the time required for me to disrobe," the Borg responded easily and exact. "What does that have to do with her ability at this ‘poker’?"

Laughing and blushing at the same time, Janeway cleared her throat and explained, "Darling, what ‘Lanna was referring to was a variation of poker, called strip-poker. Instead of betting possessions or something of value on whether or not you believe you will win, you bet your clothing." Then poking Torres in the stomach and titling her head, she smiled wickedly, nipping her chin and said, "And, Miss Torres…that’s not what I was referring to."

"Uh huh," B’Elanna chuckled, "keep talking, Red…and maybe I’ll believe you by the time I’m eighty." As Janeway snuggled her neck and kissed it lightly, Torres looked over at Seven of Nine who was watching them closely, smiling somewhat, and gestured that she should join them.

Raising her eyebrow, Seven smirked and crawled up next to the oldest woman, and snuggled up to her back, wrapping her arm around her, but letting it rest on B’Elanna Torres’ stomach, next to the captain’s hand. When Janeway didn’t resist, protest, or stop kissing Torres’ neck, Seven pushed up just a tad, leaned over and began embracing the Klingon’s mouth softly and fairly quickly since she did not wish to escalate the encounter. Then settling back down on the bed near the captain who had also ceased her kisses, for the most part, Seven stated, "It fortunate that I no longer maintain an abdominal implant because I believe that the three of us are maximizing this bed’s weight capacity."

Janeway kissed Torres quickly one more time and managed to turn herself back around so that she was facing Seven of Nine. Bringing her hands to Seven’s waist, she rubbed her stomach gently and said before she kissed her lips, "Hello darling."

After Janeway stopped kissing her, Seven smiled down at her and responded, "Greetings, Kathryn. I am…sorry that you must remain in these quarters, however, I am pleased that we are able to spend the time in such a way."

As Torres rolled over and firmly planted Janeway between herself and Seven of Nine, Janeway sighed rather happily and said, reaching back and rubbing Torres’ thigh, "Me too. This is…nice." When Seven leaned down to kiss her sweetly and Torres reached under her shirt and held her stomach firmly against her as she pleasured her neck, the captain hummed in the back of her throat until she was able to say, "And you two are spoiling me."

"You deserve it, Red," Torres whispered snuggling her neck close. Then pushing up and kissing Seven again, lingering at the Borg’s full lips for a few moments, she pulled away and chuckled, "besides…you’re the only one small enough to be in the middle…get used to it."

"Oh, I’m not complaining," the captain reminded easily. "I’m just worried that I’ll never want to leave. The two of you might just be more temptation than even I can resist."

Leaning down again, Seven ran her hand languidly over the captain’s bare thigh and said, "Resistance is futile, my Kathryn." Then just as she was about to lean in and kiss the redhead again, Seven stopped mid kiss and froze. When Janeway smirked and reached up to urge Seven’s lips back to hers, Seven brought up her hand to the captain’s lips, stopping her and trying to inform her and Torres to remain silent. When Janeway started to query her, Seven said quickly, and softly, "Remain silent…I hear something."

B’Elanna Torres could not lie down and remain quiet while Seven figured out what it was that she was hearing. The memory of the captain’s nightmare still very close on her mind, she quickly reached under her pillow, grabbed the handle of her knife and got up, yanking the captain with her. Then pushing Janeway behind her and backing up until they were back against the wall, Torres whispered to Seven who was getting to her feet as quickly as her still fairly weak body would allow, "Seven, grab the phaser." When Seven did so, but continued to look toward the ground, obviously trying very hard to concentrate on what it was that she was hearing, she kept pressing back on Janeway who was starting to squirm trying to get out. When Seven raised her phaser and looked toward the closet, B’Elanna hissed, super quiet, "Kathryn…please."

As Seven approached the closet, Torres whistled quickly, to get her attention. When Seven turned her head, Torres motioned that she should come over to her. Once she did so, she pulled Seven’s head down to her and whispered in her ear, "Is something in the closet?" When Seven nodded her head, she whispered a second time, "You stay here with Red." Then turning around to Janeway who’s jaw was clenched tightly, she was about to say something, when the slippery, compact captain grabbed the phaser out of Seven’s hand and proceed to march up to the closet. Charging up behind her, Torres was about to protest when she saw the distinct look on the captain’s face that told her that there would be no argument.

Motioning with her hand for Torres to go over to the side of the closet, Janeway stood in front of the doorway, about one meter from the opening and said rather easily, "So, girls…how about we get some exercise, and then have some lunch…I’m starving."

Catching on, Seven said quickly, keeping her tone even and normal, "That is acceptable. Will you assist me, Kathryn?"

Janeway looked over at Torres how hand her ready at the sensor which would open the door, and said as she nodded to Torres, informing her to open the door, "Of course I will, darling." With her finger balancing carefully above the trigger for her phaser, Janeway didn’t flinch in the least when the closet door opened. When she didn’t see anything immediately, the small, disheveled space not immediately becoming illuminated, keeping Torres just behind the doorway with her eyes, each woman working silently, Janeway barked quickly, approximately a second after the door opened, "Computer, all lights full."

But there was nothing but a pile of Torres’ junk.

Still somewhat cautious, Janeway proceed toward the closet’s opening. Since B'Elanna hung almost nothing up, there was no where for anyone to hide. When Torres came up behind her, Janeway went inside, still cautious but quickly sighed and said, rubbing her forehead, "False alarm, ladies." Then turning around, she looked at Seven who was furrowing her brow, obviously in confusion and asked, "What did you hear, Seven?"

"I am not certain," Seven stated, "however, it was coming from the closet…I am positive. It…it sounded like…respiration." Then nodding her head adamantly bringing up the sound byte from her memory and replaying it to herself, "Yes, it was the sound of someone breathing… heavily…"

That information giving her the chills, Janeway instinctively walked away from the closet and asked, trying to stifle her unease, "Are you certain it wasn’t one of us…we were rather…close?"

"It was not one of us…I am aware what the sound of each of your respiration patterns sound like…even when we are close, Kathryn," Seven said certainly. Then sighing in frustration, she admitted, "However, I no longer hear the sound, so I cannot prove it to you."

As Torres slapped her hand against the closet door, shutting it soundly, Janeway rubbed Seven’s arm in comfort and said, "It’s okay, Seven…I believe that you think you heard something." Then looking over at the closet, she said, "But…there’s nothing in there." As Torres wiped her rigid forehead with one hand, clearly still very much on edge, she asked, "’Lanna…who lives next to you…I forget?"

"Nicoletti," Torres answered quickly. Before she went any further, Torres tapped her communicator and said, "Computer, locate Ensign Nicoletti."

"Ensign Nicoletti is in Main Engineering."

Sighing, Torres explained, "Okay, so it wasn’t Nicoletti…and she lives alone." Then wanting to make certain, Torres tapped her comm-badge a second time and asked, "Computer, is there anyone is Ensign Nicoletti’s quarters?"

"Negative."

Not quite happy with that, the captain tapped her communicator and asked quickly, "Computer, run a scan of this deck…are there any unknown lifeforms aboard it?"

After less than three seconds, the computer responded, "Negative."

Finally, the captain forced herself to relax, even if she didn’t at all really feel relaxed and set down the phaser on the nightstand. Then sitting down on the bed, she looked down and the carpet and said, "Well, if no one has any more ideas…short of tearing this ship apart room by room…I suggest we all try to calm down. False alarms are natural occurrences during times of stress."

Seven sat on the bed next to Kathryn and said, "I apologize. The sound was brief…perhaps I was in error."

Janeway put her arm around Seven as Torres sat down on the bed and did the same, saying, "Darling…it’s fine, really. And don’t let this bother you…if you ever think something is amiss, I want you to speak up…always. We all get scared, and we all hear things that really aren’t there, or think that they’re something that they’re not. It’s perfectly natural."

When the door call sounded, all of them, even the stoic Seven of Nine twitched. With her hand immediately on her phaser again, Janeway was on her feet, standing in front of the blonde, keeping her back behind her with her free hand as Torres, dagger in two, approached the door quickly, but silent and agile.

Pressing the door call sensor, Torres barked, "Who is it?"

"It’s Chakotay…is that you, B’Elanna?"

"Hold on, Chakotay…give me a minute."

Sighing, Janeway set down her phaser angered and said reaching down at the floor to retrieve her pants, "This is completely ridiculous!" Then tucking in her shirt, she explained, "He’s supposed to come by every day for lunch to update me on ship’s business." Once she was fairly decent, although knowing she had definitely seen better days since her shirt was still showing signs of her body’s attempt to cool itself in this raised temperature, she nodded at Torres to open the door.

Still not completely convinced that it was her old friend, Torres opened the door and remained out of sight, ready to drive the knife into the flesh if it was anyone other than the ship’s first officer. When Chakotay came in with a slightly confused look on his face, Torres exhaled and loosened her grip on the knife, hitting the door sensor immediately, closing the door directly behind him before the computer had a chance to respond, saying, "You scared the shit out of us, Chakotay."

Seeing the ceremonial dagger in the engineer’s hands and the sweat soaked captain pacing around the room, he asked quickly, "What’s going on?"

Marching over to the table, Torres set her knife down, moving toward the replicator and said, "Seven thought she heard someone breathing heavily in the closet, and last night Kathryn thought someone was kissing her stomach."

"’Lanna!" Janeway barked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ordering a glass of water, Torres said, "Kathryn…this is no time to be modest." Turing around, she said to the nonplussed commander, "Chakotay…I think something really…weird is going on."

Janeway forced herself to calm down and speak evenly as she approached her first officer, "The only thing that is going on, Chakotay, is that we’re all on edge. No one was touching me last night…and there isn’t anyone in the closet."

"Are you sure about that, Kathryn?" Chakotay asked putting his hand on her shoulder and looking at her square in the eye.

Lying, she said surely, "Yes, Commander…I’m positive." Then turning around, she continued, "And I think it’s time that we all just calmed down and took a deep breath. I understand that this situation is out of the ordinary…which is causing us all to be jumpy, but we are all logical, sane people." Then walking over to Torres who looked less than convinced, Janeway grabbed the water from her hand, kissed her lips quickly, not feeling shy in front of her commander, and said, "Now, why don’t we all sit down and have a nice lunch…and just relax, huh?"

Storming into the bathroom, Torres spat, flailing her arms about, "Right relax…relax while there’s a lunatic running around the ship…good one, Red." And before Kathryn, or the captain, could say anything, Torres slammed her hand against the door sensor, shutting it quickly, but could still clearly be heard cursing a string of vulgarities that made Seven of Nine raise her eyebrow in surprise.

As Janeway rolled her eyes and set down the glass, throwing her hands in the air in frustration, Chakotay looked over at Seven and asked, "So, Seven…how’s your day been?"

"Unusual, Commander," Seven answered walking up to Janeway. Grabbing her firmly by the shoulders as she continued to pace and rub her neck, Seven said surely, "Kathryn, do not be upset at B’Elanna Torres. She is merely concerned for your safety. I will speak with her when she ceases throwing her towels at the wall." Again before Janeway could say anything, Seven stated, "She has finished," and then turned and went into the engineer’s fairly small ensuite, where another round of vulgarities were spouted, and Seven’s crisp voice could easily be heard speaking above it.

Walking over to Kathryn, Chakotay smiled ruefully and said, "Remember how I said before that you were lucky…I take it back." When Janeway groaned and covered her face, Chakotay didn’t resist pulling her into a hug and said, "Kathryn, I’m sorry…I feel like this is my fault. I should have known she’d react this way."

Laughing in frustration against his chest, Janeway said, "What in the world has happened to everyone…and when did I lose complete control of the situation?" Pulling away, she shook her head once and patted him soundly and the shoulder and said, "Commander, those are my girlfriends in there…and my crewmembers…and this is still my ship. So, please stop babying me…because I can’t take it from you too."

Nodding, understanding completely, he said, "Aye, Captain…do you want me to get out of here?"

"I’d prefer it if you stayed for lunch…but I’m not going to force you," Janeway sighed as the conversation in the bathroom died down to an incomprehensible murmur. "I’d like to talk about this though…at least sometime today. I think it might help bring this back to a manageable level."

"Well, I don’t have any other plans…so I’ll hang around," Chakotay smiled. "I’m guessing I’m cooking…unless Seven has hidden talents?"

"You’d be surprised," Janeway came back walking toward the bathroom. "Please do though…Seven still can’t eat solid food." Then knocking on the door, she said soundly, "Seven…I’d like you to come out now." When she heard her Astrometrics officer say, "In a moment, Kathryn," Janeway sighed and amended, "Seven, that’s an order." Instantly the door opened, and Janeway said, "Please excuse us for a moment." Then stepping inside, she closed the door again and said to Torres back, "B’Elanna…we’ve got to talk about this…right now."

Torres didn’t turn around, but she did cross her arms over her chest and lift her head and said, "I’m listening, Captain."

The sound of her rank being muttered irritating her at this moment, Janeway sighed and said, coming over toward Torres and sitting on the toilet, "’Lanna…I know that you’re upset, but I need you to remain calm."

The engineer turned around to face the captain, knowing that this was more of a private, personal conversation, than a captain to crewmember one, and asked, squatting, "How can you remain calm?"

"Because I have to," Janeway answered easily. "If I let this get to me…then he wins! Without ever laying a hand on me…he has already greatly impacted my life. I can’t let that happen…not as a captain, and not as a person." Putting her hands and Torres’ shoulders, she said, "But I need your help to make certain that we remain as normal as possible. If something happens, like the closet thing, then we’re going to react. It’s natural, and that’s how we should react, but if it turns out to be a mouse, I don’t want that to send us screaming down the hall, okay?" Now leaning forward, she kissed Torres’ forehead and said, "We need to remain focused on what is really happening here…not letting a bunch of nothing turn our whole lives upside down. Don’t let this guy scare you…you’re stronger than he is…and I need your strength right now more than ever. Can we please try to not let this happen again?"

"You’re right…you’re right," Torres said hugging the captain. "Oh, I’m sorry, baby…I’m sorry. You’re the one whose being threatened, and I’m the one who’s running around like a crazy woman."

Hugging Torres back, she said into her head, "Don’t be sorry…let’s just move along with our lives, and not give this guy this kind of power over us. He doesn’t deserve it."

"You’re right…and I won’t," Torres responded. Then kissing Janeway’s lips sweetly and lovingly, she said, "I love you…and I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Just whack me upside the head if I get out of line."

Laughing against Torres’ mouth, knowing that the Klingon was trying to be humorous, Janeway said, "Okay…I love you too." Then kissing her forehead again, she sighed and said, "Now, let’s go eat something before I fall over."

The next three days came and went without incident. Chakotay stopped by every day to have lunch with the captain and Seven of Nine who continued to spend her days recovering and keeping Janeway company in Torres’ quarters, but retired in the evening to the commander’s cabin, still at the captain’s request. Torres and Janeway continued to sleep with the lights on, until the final night, both of the feeling the need to conquer the last of their fear. In the middle of the night, Torres had awoken and brought the lights back up after having a bad dream, but it hadn’t had anything to do with the captain’s stalker, so neither of them thought much about it other than sometimes, bad dreams happened.

During those three days the captain had resisted the urge to pick up after her lax lover, understanding that it wasn’t her place to do that, even if she felt that she was going to scream if she didn’t have something to do to keep her busy when Seven was away and Torres remained on duty. Janeway and Seven spent a lot of their time talking about Earth, and the captain’s home and how she grew up, while they played cards, and by the end of the third day, not only did Seven of Nine know almost everything there was to know about her commanding officer, but she had become quite an efficient poker player, because Kathryn was convinced that the Borg had the best poker face none to man; she was completely unreadable.

As far as ship’s business went, nothing much was occurring. There had been no further contact with the rogue ship, and after the second day, it had completely disappeared from the ship’s long range sensors, which meant that at top speeds, it would take the vessel nearly a week to catch up to Voyager. The more space they put between them, the better the captain, and the rest of the crew that were aware, at least partly, of the situation felt. The landing struts were now compltely repaired, and Chakotay informed the captain that Tuvok and Carey had finished their analysis of the malfunctioning plasma injector, discovered the problem, and were able to completely rule out foul play whatsoever. It had been just been normal, everyday wear and tear that finally caused the device to malfunction, so other than informing her engineer that perhaps they should take a little more care in their routine maintenance, nothing more came of it.

Seven on Nine was well on her way to making a full recovery it seemed, and by the end of the third day, she was definitely showing signs of boredom. After her morning checkup with the Doctor, the hologram reporting that she was fit to return to duty, but to do her best to take it easy for the rest of the week, Janeway couldn’t say no, and informed her that in the morning, she was to report to Cargo Bay Two and begin working with Torres and the Doctor on her alcove, because they still needed to find a way to let the Borg regenerate, at least for a couple of hours a week. Her stomach muscles were still fairly weak, but every day she and the captain performed a series of exercises, and Torres had also informed her that once things got back to normal, she could accompany her and Nicole Fowler to the gymnasium to continue her exercises. Seven didn’t seem all that pleased with the idea of Fowler’s company, but since the captain wasn’t big on working out strenuously, at least not in that manner, preferring to get her exercise by playing Velocity or swimming, Seven agreed, if somewhat reluctantly.

As the captain exited the engineer’s quarters for the first time in almost four whole days, she surmised as she walked rather cheerfully to the turbolift and prepared to return to active duty, that all in all, the last three days had been fairly pleasant. She had been able to sleep in, spend a small amount of time with both her lovers together, and a great deal of time with them separately. She felt trim and healthy, knowing that she had probably burned off approximately two and a half kilograms from the constant heat, the workouts she enjoyed each day with Seven, and one rather lengthy, and fairly athletic lovemaking session with B’Elanna two nights ago. As she walked down the hall quickly, the captain could feel the difference in the air temperature, even with her full uniform on, and part of her missed the feeling of being surrounded by warmth. At first it had been quite oppressive, but since Janeway had felt so uneasy the first night, and because she remembered that Tom Paris used to complain about it all the time, she had forced herself to get used to it, and try to take comfort in it. By the second day, the captain barely noticed it at all, and now, she wondered if when she returned to her quarters, if she should think about raising the temperature some. It certainly wouldn’t bother Seven; she remained completely comfortable in practically any environment, unless it was extreme, and she knew it certainly would make Torres more comfortable. By the time Janeway entered the turbolift, headed for the Bridge, she decided that she would do just that…and at this point, it hardly seemed like much of a compromise at all.

Somewhere between Deck Five and Four, the captain realized that she was no longer alone in the turbolift, and so began Kathryn Janeway’s personal hell.

Captain Kathryn Janeway, the much admired, respected and cherished commanding officer of the Federation Starship Voyager, was found unconscious in the turbolift by Ensign Harry Kim as the pneumatic doors hissed opened on the Bridge approximately at 0800 hours; a discovery that catapulted practically the entire crew of Voyager into utter pandemonium. Every Security member was dispatched throughout the ship, once it was deemed that the captain hadn’t suddenly fainted, which took approximately five seconds to figure out once they got a look at her before she was rushed to Sickbay by Chakotay. The entire ship came to a screetching halt. Any crew members that weren’t Security or currently on duty being ordered to remain in their quarters with the doors locked, while Tuvok’s teams scoured the ship in search of the captain’s aggressor. Nothing was left to chance. All available computer resources were put to scanning the ship, practically down to the cellular level, searching for anything, or anyone that wasn’t one of their own. Level ten forcefields were set up on each deck, all but two turbolifts were shutdown and sealed, as were the hatches to the Jefferies Tubes. The operation was quick, precise, and went exactly as Tuvok had planned it, yet an hour later, they had still yet to find anything out of the ordinary, except for the fact that there commanding officer was currently in Sickbay being treated for as of yet, unknown injuries, except for the bite marks that were clearly visible on her neck when they found her lying on the floor of the turbolift, in a semi-fetal position.

And on Deck Five, in the ship’s infirmary, the mood was more than a little tense. Chief Engineer B’Elanna Torres had finally calmed down after practically fifteen straight minutes of screaming at the top of her lungs and using every fool word known to mankind, and then some, and having to finally be ushered out of Sickbay and subdued by her friend Chakotay. It had taken all of his skills as a counselor and as the irascible woman’s friend to get her to center herself and focus, but he had finally been successful, and she was now doing her best to remain patient and fairly controlled as she paced back and forth in the Doctor’s office as the hologram finished healing the captain’s injuries and running a series of in-depth tests on her, hoping that they could find something that would help them track down her illusive stalker.

Seven of Nine was a different story altogether, and when the cool blonde stood from the biobed where she had maintained a quiet post at during the entire ordeal with Torres and while the Doctor and Tom Paris worked on the captain, and walked out of Sickbay, saying to Chakotay, "You will inform me when she is lucid," he wasn’t sure if Torres or Seven was going to be a bigger problem for him if the being that attacked the captain was not found swiftly. From the moment she had entered Sickbay and gazed upon the captain’s body lying on the biobed, Seven had remained completely silent. She had paced back and forth for a few minutes, mostly when Torres was boiling over in the Doctor’s office, throwing every thing she could get her hands on. Since the Doctor was a hologram, he didn’t have much of a taste for personal effects, so the only damage done to anything was that a few viewscreens on several PADDs that had been launched into the air, and would have to be replaced. For a woman who broke the nose of Lieutenant Carey her first week on the job…it was hardly anything to make mention of. After Torres had been allowed to return to Sickbay under the stipulation that she calm down, Seven took up a spot on a free biobed and continued to watch everything that was happening with amazing concentration, and very much removed from the almost detached interest she brought to so many of her daily tasks. Then when she stood up and left, sounding her order crisply, Chakotay had the most foreboding feeling that much more was happening inside the hyper-intelligent Borg’s head than could be seen with the naked eye. However, since the ship was on such a high state of alert, it was unlikely that if Seven had anything up her sleeve that she’d be able to do much about it at this moment, and part of Chakotay almost hoped that Seven did encounter the captain’s stalker, because he knew that even in her semi-weakened state, he wouldn’t stand a chance, and the situation would be over quicker than it began.

"Commander," the Doctor said after dismissing Tom Paris, "I’d like to speak with you a moment before I wake her."

Chakotay stopped his pacing between the biobeds and immediately approached the hologram, asking, "What’s happened to her, Doctor?"

"It’s hard to say, exactly," the hologram said rather solemnly. "As far as I can tell, she was attacked from behind…possibly dragged into the turbolift. I know that the captain isn’t much of heavyweight, but she’s a Starfleet officer…she’s been trained to defend herself. By the bruises on her arms, it looks like she was grabbed from behind, and taken completely by surprise." After the tall commander nodded his head, acknowledging that he completely agreed, having seen the compact redhead fight her way out of several physical altercations, usually doing much more damage with her elbows and heels than was ever done to her, he knew that she must have had no idea what hit her, the holodoc continued, "Other than a nasty knock on the head, some bruises to her back and arms, and the bite marks on her neck, which looked a little worse than they really were, she’s fine " Sighing, he said, "She hasn’t been…sexually assaulted…I know there was some concern about that." Placing his hand on Chakotay’s shoulder as the commander sighed with relief, the Doctor said, "Right now, we need to get her statement…try to gain as much information as possible from what, if anything, she remembers, and I think you should be the one to take it…alone. She trusts you, your friends and you care for each other a great deal…but you don’t have a physical relationship, so she’ll have an easier time approaching this professionally. The captain’s been highly trained to deal with sort of thing…all Starfleet officers are, as you know…but an even greater emphasis is put on it with females…especially those in command. Let her do the talking, and ask only pointed questions. Do your best to keep any emotion out of it unless she expresses any. Take your cues from her…she’ll tell you how to act. Remember, she’s still the captain, and it is vital that she doesn’t feel like that is being threatened as well. I’m sure the captain can deal with this sort of thing better than just about anyone on the ship…so you need to let her handle it, and I have no concerns that she’s unfit for duty, physically or mentally."

"Thank you, Doctor…I’ll take it to heart," Chakotay nodded holding his stomach somewhat, just now breathing. Then patting him on the shoulder, he said, "Give me a minute to talk to B’Elanna and relax myself…and then we’ll wake her." After the Doctor nodded, Chakotay went into the office, explained the extent of the captain’s injuries and finally had to wrap his arms around Torres who broke down in tears. After several minutes of talking, Torres left willingly and informed him that she was going to her office in Engineering, and that was where she would stay until she heard from him or her that she was allowed to return, or was needed somewhere else. The commander took a few more minutes for himself in the Sickbay ensuite to relax and give his thanks that she had been relatively unharmed. After splashing his face with cold water and receiving an update from Tuvok, which didn’t tell them anything they already didn’t know, Chakotay left the Doctor’s office and came over to the biobed that cradled his fallen leader.

Once Chakotay nodded to him, the Doctor pressed a hypospray to the captain’s graceful, and healed neck. Once she started to open her eyes, he immediately said, softly, "Captain, you’re in Sickbay, but you’re alright. Commander Chakotay is here with you and wishes to speak with you. I’ll be in my office if you need me."

Opening her eyes to the bright light of the ship’s medical ward, Janeway blinked a few times. Just as she was about to bring up her foot to protect herself, she heard the Doctor’s soothing voice and immediately knew what was happening. After he finished speaking, she blinked her eyes once and said, "Thank you, Doctor. Can I sit up?"

"Of course," the Doctor smiled softly and helped her sit up. Once she was upright, he nodded to both of them and left without another word, closing the door behind him to give them privacy.

Needing to test out her legs, Janeway swiveled off the biobed and hoped down, facing away from Chakotay. When her thin, wiry limbs didn’t give out on her, she brought them up one at a time and shook out her hands afterward before she started pacing around. Going over to the medical replicator, she ordered a cup of coffee, and immediately brought the hot liquid to her lips. Then turning around to look at Chakotay who was now sitting where she had been laying, she asked, "Want some coffee?"

The commander put on his best smile and said, "Sure."

"Cream and sugar, huh?" she asked looking back at the replicator, her crooked smile equally fake.

"Two sugars," he answered, as was habit. This little back and forth questioning part of their daily routine that had turned into somewhat of a game; both of them knowing the answers and the questions before they were spoken.

"Two!" Janeway came back right on cue, the cup materializing almost before she got the words out, already having programmed the replicator to produced the sweet beverage. Then taking the cup in her free hand, keeping the other mug close to her lips, gulping it down as fast as her tongue could recover from the intense heat, she handed him the cup and then took a seat right next to him. Sighing, she asked, rubbing her forehead as she crossed her small legs, "Report."

"Well, we found you in the turbolift, unconscious about an hour ago," Chakotay said softly. "The whole ship is practically shutdown, but…we haven’t found anything…yet. But we will…whoever attacked you…they can’t hide forever. This ship’s too small, with too many people. The computer is scanning the entire ship, centimeter by centimeter…we’ve got level ten forcefields up everywhere we can put one up. The turbolifts have been shutdown, except for two, which have guards posted in each of them, and all Jefferies tubes have been sealed. There’s no where for him to go, Kathryn…we’ll find him."

Clearing her throat, she said gravely, "I’m not so sure about that, Commander….I mean, I’m sure we’ll find him, eventually, but I think it might take more time than we think." Sighing, she asked, "How’s the crew?"

Chakotay exhaled once quickly, surprised that he was surprised by that question since that was probably the most Janeway like thing she could have possibly done, except for order a cup of coffee, which she had already taken care of, and answered, "Well, we’ve pretty much run the gamut on emotions in the last hour. Some are scared, most are confused, but following orders, some are angry, some are quiet…and some are filled with vengence. We’ve seen better days…but everyone is sticking together on this one."

"Sounds about right," Janeway said hopping off the biobed, crossing her arms over her chest and sipping her coffee. "I’m not even going to ask how Seven and B’Elanna are…I’m just going to assume that every thing is okay and that they’re not in the Brig? I can assume that, can’t I?"

"Yes."

Turning toward him, she asked looking down at her boots, noticing that they were scuffed and frowned, "No one else has been threatened?"

"No…there’s been nothing."

"Good…but that’s about what I figured." Shaking her head, slowly, she continued, "And I don’t think that will change…at least not until we get closer to finding him…then who knows…but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it." Taking the final swig of her coffee, she set down the mug on a nearby chair and then hopped rather unceremoniously on the biobed, saying, "He is rather illusive, isn’t he?" As the captain’s anger started to boil in her stomach, she asked, flippantly, "Commander, I’m curious…is there a forcefield around Sickbay?"

"Level ten, Captain," Chakotay answered remembering the Doctor’s words and doing his best to remain calm and collected, even though the captain’s sudden change in demeanor was unsettling.

"And approximately when was it erected?"

"About two seconds after we brought you down here…which was less than two minutes after we found you."

"Hmm," Janeway mumbled hopping off the biobed again and slowly walking around it, tracing her finger along the edge. Quietly, her voice like ice, she hissed, "I know you’re watching me."

"Captain?" Chakotay queried, starting to wonder if the Doctor had overestimated the captain’s ability to remain focused after being rather brutally attacked.

Looking up at Chakotay, she chuckled once at the look on his face, purposefully forcing herself to exude and air of control and confidence, and explained, "Chakotay, don’t look at me like I’m crazy…he’s here…he’s listening." Then looking up and around the room she started to make bigger circles, her step powerful, commanding, with the slightest amount of a deadly hop to it, "You see…that’s what he does. That’s why we can’t find him…because he hides like the coward that he is."

Starting to finally understand, putting all the evidence together: the captain’s ‘dream’ that someone was touching her, Seven hearing someone in the closet, how the captain, a woman who Chakotay thought for certain had eyes on the back of her head, had been caught by surprise, the commander immediately tensed at the threat but did not speak, letting the captain do all the talking since she seemed to have some kind of understanding how to deal with this situation.

"For all I know," Janeway said looking at another biobed, "he could be laying right here on this bed." Then patting it with her hand, she jumped up on it, and laid down on it on her side, propping her head up on her elbow. Her face was blank, with hints of sarcastic wit sparking in her eyes, and even though her voice was fairly light and higher in pitch, it had a crispness to it that told the commander than underneath her calm, was a very deep, angry wrath just waiting to emerge. "He’s rather patient too…this Mister What’s His Name. Yes, he waited three whole days for me…watching me the whole time. He watched me sleep, play cards with Seven, eat lunch with you, dinner alone, shower…watched me fuck. Yes, he enjoyed that one quite a bit…can’t say I blame him, though."

The commander’s hatred starting to rise exponentially as well, never once remembering Kathryn using such a term, and knowing that for her to do so meant that there was definitely trouble brewing in her mind, he asked, coming up to her slowly, "You know this…for certain?"

"Mmmhmm," she nodded sitting up looking at Chakotay squarely. "He told me, as well as a few other things…right before he bit my neck…and unless he’s a telepath too, I’d have to say I believe him. Seems like something he would do…don’t you think?"

"I don’t know, Kathryn," Chakotay said sighing in frustration, feeling like this idea of the Doctor’s wasn’t as smart as they thought since the captain seemed much more interested in pushing the invisible man’s buttons than tell him what occurred. When the captain didn’t attempt to say anything more, he asked directly, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Yes, of course," Janeway bobbed her head once. Then leaning back on her hands and crossing her legs, she recited, "I entered the turbolift on Deck Ten, some time around 0800 hours, preparing to report for duty. I was alone…or at least, that’s what I thought. A few seconds after the turbolift began to ascend, it stopped. I ordered it to resume, which it did for a second or two, then stopped again. Just as I was about to hail someone and inform them that the lift was malfunctioning, I looked up and saw someone standing behind me…I saw his reflection in the door. In the same instance, he grabbed me from behind and ripped my communicator from my jacket, and covered my mouth with his hand. Unfortunately, he is a rather large man…so I wasn’t able to put up much of a fight."

Chakotay merely nodded once, silently urging her to continue along, not wanting her to linger on the fact that she somehow failed simply because she was a slight woman and was attacked without warning from behind by a much larger individual.

"Right after her grabbed me, I stomped on his feet with my heels, since that’s all I could do at the moment, and he spun me around and shoved me against the wall of the turbolift, face first. I was able to bite his hand…and I think I might have scratched his arm once…I’m not certain where I got him. And, I just recently cut my nails, so I'm not sure that did any good." Clearing her throat again, Janeway took a deep breath and continued, "He got his hand away from my mouth by throwing me against the other wall…that’s when I hit my head the first time. When I fell to the floor, he was rather upset. I wasn’t totally knocked out, but I can’t say that I was completely lucid either." Before she talked about the next part, she thought she deserved another cup of coffee, so bouncing down off the biobed, she continued, using the routine for manually programming a replicator to assist her, and keep her emotions in check. "When I fell to the floor, I was face down. We crawled on top of me, covered my mouth again immediately as I was attempting to inform the computer that an intruder was on board." Taking the coffee cup out of the replicator, then going over to where she left the other one to pick it up and recycle it she went on, "I was having some trouble speaking at this time. He knocked the wind out of me when the threw me against the wall, and as well as seeing a few stars, like I said, he is a large man, so I couldn’t catch my breath enough to speak clearly. He covered my mouth again, and that’s when he informed me that he had been watching me."

"What exactly did he say?"

"He said…and I quote, I’ve been watching you, Kathryn…I liked watching you fuck that bitch…but you’ll always be mine." With the smallest amount of acid in her tone, she explained, "I’m assuming that was some kind of male thing. Apparently it’s not the same if women have me?" Taking her seat back on the biobed, Janeway went on, her tone back to pure recital, without much emotion at all, "While he informed me that I was his property, he spread my legs and pressed himself against me, simulating a sexual encounter. Then he said something to the effect that no one else could have me like that. I tried to bite his hand again, and that’s when he bit my neck. Apparently, I didn’t taste very good because he picked me up and threw me against the wall again in the same manner. That’s that last thing I remember before I woke up in here."

Feeling somewhat light headed because his heart was pounding roughly against his chest, because he continued to hold his breath during most of the conversation, Chakotay pulled up a chair next to Kathryn and asked, forcing himself to remain as calm as possible, even though on the inside,something similar to a warp core breach was occurring, "It was definitely the man from that unknown vessel?"

"Yes, it was him," Janeway answered quickly and surely. "I looked exactly the same as when we saw him." Then looking down at Chakotay, she eyed him up and down and said, "He’s about your build, Commander…maybe a little taller, but not much. His clothes are completely black…and are fairly thick, but loose. I think they’re layered, because they flow…similar to curtains, or a gown. He wears thick boots…combat style, so I don’t think my heels did much damage. Um…he didn’t have any necklaces on, like before though. His facial and hand jewelry were still present, however…the necklaces would probably make too much noise, I’m sure." Bringing her coffee to her lips, Janeway closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the incident, going over every detail, trying to remember anything else. When her training reminded her to recall smells, she murmured, "Mmmt," then pulled the cup away and explained, "I think he smokes…some kind of herb, or something. It’s not stale…more sweet…I tasted it on his hands when I bit him…and could smell it on his clothes and in his hair. It’s strong, but not overpowering…so you wouldn’t smell it unless he were very close. It’s not any kind of cologne…it definitely had the smell of smoke…but like I said, it was fairly sweet…not like a flower, but more like a spice…maybe like vanilla…something like that."

"Do you know how he got into the turbolift with you?"

"I think he was either waiting for me…or more than likely, he followed me from B’Elanna’s quarters. He’d obviously been hiding there along with me…so that makes sense," Janeway answered. "He has to be using some kind of cloaking technology…but it’s not like anything we’ve seen before. It seems to be quiet advanced." Sipping her coffee more, she thought out loud, "And I don’t think he has the ability to pass through solid objects or anything like that. I was being sarcastic when I said that he could be on this biobed. I think if I was sitting on him, I’d know it. I’m guessing, but I’m pretty sure that he is solid all of the time. It’s just a gut feeling…"

"So, basically, he’s invisible, but not like some kind of…phantom?"

The redhead bobbed her head once and answered, "Yes…that’s what I think. I also think that he might be using some kind of transporter to move around quickly. Again, it’s just instinct, but he did get on this ship somehow. If he was able to penetrate our shields without us knowing…then its possible that he can transport himself through our forcefields."

Shaking his head, Chakotay said, "I agree with you that he’s probably moving around this ship using a transporter…or at least can if he gets in a tight spot, but I don’t think he can get past our forcefields. Borg can’t even get through them unless they access the computer…and no one has accessed the computer. That’s not something he can hide…we’ll know it the second he gets cornered and tries to get out." Once Janeway nodded in agreement after thinking it over, Chakotay asked, "How do you want to handle your security?"

Janeway hopped off the biobed, needing to get moving again and said clearly, "There’s an intruder aboard my ship…and that means my place is on the Bridge." Looking over her shoulder at the commander as she walked around the room, the captain continued, "And, if he wants to sit around all day and watch me work, let him…if he’s smart, he’ll get the hell of my ship…quickly, because I will find him."

"What if it takes a few days?" asked Chakotay standing back up, feeling a little better now. "You can’t possibly stay awake that long…it’s not safe for you to let yourself get worn down."

"I don’t plan on it taking a few days, Commander," Janeway came back quickly. "If I have to put every single member of this crew in environmental suits and decompress the entire ship…I’ll do it. We’re going to find him…and we’re going to find him today."

"Tuvok to Chakotay," came the Security commander’s voice over Chakotay’s communicator.

"What is it, Tuvok?"

"Internal sensors have detected an anomalous energy signature on Deck One…in the captain’s Ready Room. I’ve put a level ten forcefield around the Ready Room and myself and a security team are converging on the position as we speak."

Starting for the door, just as the captain spun on her heels and did the same, Chakotay said, "We’re on our way."

After the captain ordered the forcefield around Sickbay to drop, and then engaged it again after Chakotay exited, she grabbed the phaser in his holster and started trotting down the hall. Tapping her communicator, she said, "Janeway to Bridge."

"Fowler here, Captain."

"Lieutenant, transfer Helm and Tactical control to Main Engineering. Evacuate the Bridge and report to Engineering immediately. Janeway out."

With his shoulders and jaw rigid, Chakotay peered into the captain’s Ready Room and asked, "Do we have any idea what it is?" as he looked at a small, metallic cylinder sitting on the captain’s desk.

From behind Voyager’s command staff, the rest of the Security team dispatched back to their posts once the captain and Chakotay arrived, Seven of Nine said emerging from the turbolift and walking with purpose down the steps, eyes focused on the small, compact body of her commanding officer, "It is a communications device."

Each of them, Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok, all turned around at the sound of the turbolift opening, and pointed their phasers. When Seven of Nine came into view immediately and began speaking, Janeway lowered her weapon and asked, "How do you know that?"

Coming up in front of Kathryn, the ex-drone took quick stock of the captain’s body, checking for any injuries remaining from her attack as she spoke, "As you were recovering in Sickbay, Captain, I modified the sensors in your quarters and in your Ready Room to test a theory." When she saw the slightest upturn of the captain’s lips as she continued to examine her body closely, actually stepping to the side slightly and looking at side of the captain’s neck, Seven finally stood front and center, placed her hands behind her back and continued, "Since you occupy this room and your quarters most often, and are often required to be alone in them, I focused my efforts here to test my theory. Furthermore, since you are the lone target of this individual, and have not been on duty for the last three days, I postulated that this room in particular would be an acceptable refuge for the intruder since the commander rarely enters without your presence, and because it is self-sustaining, and one of the most secure rooms on this vessel. Considering that the intruder has been aboard this vessel since we first encountered his ship, I assumed that he would attempt to either contact his vessel or another vessel since it is unlikely that he plans to stay aboard Voyager after he accomplishes his objective."

Stiffening some, Tuvok reported, "It would have been prudent for you to have informed the commander and myself of your...theory."

Clearly annoyed, Seven looked over at Tuvok and said clipped, tilting her head and keeping her eyes pinned on him, "I did not think it was prudent, Commander since your team has been unable to discover the whereabouts of the captain’s attacker…such an action could have compromised my objective." When Tuvok raised his eyebrow and then backed down somewhat, Seven turned back to Janeway and continued when Janeway nodded at her, "After modifying the sensors, I focused their efforts on this room first. When I detected a slight phase modulation, I pinpointed the signal and was able to create a dispersion field, which disrupted the technology that this transceiver was using to keep itself unseen. Immediately, the sensors where able to detect the device’s power signature. After notifying the commander, I scanned the device and was able to determine that it is some type of communications device. It is not a threat, Captain…and I wish to examine it. I believe we may be able to gain information on the intruder’s cloaking capabilities."

Nodding quickly, Janeway said, "Good work, Seven." Then looking over her shoulder at Tuvok, he bobbed her head once, informing him to lower the forcefield, and turned back to the tall blonde and said, "Okay…but I’m going in there with you…just in case there are any surprises waiting for us." Spinning around, she pulled her phaser back out of the holster and quickly entered the room leaving enough room behind her for Seven to proceed inside before she ordered the computer to put the security field back up. When she felt Seven step from behind her and start toward her desk, the captain put her hand up to the blonde’s chest, stopping her and said, "Just wait." Then slipping her hand behind the Borg’s back, she patted it once, nodding toward the ensuite. Coming to a halt in front of the door, she nodded at Seven who had understood and took up a post against the wall, near the door sensor. Raising her weapon, setting it to a high stun, she lowered her chin quickly, and Seven opened the door. Not believing her eyes, knowing she couldn’t trust them, Janeway fired her weapon into the middle of the small room. The beam impacted squarely with the back wall, only doing a very small amount of damage since it’s setting was designed to incapacitate life, not destroy inorganic matter. Still not totally trusting, Janeway stepped into the room carefully, moving her weapon around quickly as she felt around the floor with her feet. Once she had covered the entire area, knowing that if he was in here, she’d know it, the room too small for him to hide, and too small for her not to smell the sweet smoky scent that clung to his clothing, she stepped out of it backward. Closing the door, she ordered, "Computer, seal and lock the door to the bathroom." Once that was done, she went on, "Remove all breathable air and disengage life support to the bathroom. Authorization, Janeway, pi, one, one, zero." Then turning around, she moved her eyes carefully over the rest of her office, looking for any other possible hiding, or surprise attack spots. Quickly going over to her desk, she pivoted to the back of it, firing her phaser underneath where there was room for her legs while she was sitting in her chair. Again, her phaser made no purchase except the side of her desk. With her feet again, she checked for any unseen obstructions. After it was all clear, she stood up straight and said to Seven, walking back to the doorway where Chakotay was watching them carefully while Tuvok keep an eye on the rest of the Bridge that was completely empty, "Seven…see what you can do from here…but make it quick."

"Yes, Captain," answered the blonde, walking quickly up to the captain’s desk and picking up the small device with her enhanced left hand.

When she came up to the doorway, keeping a little distance due to the forcefield, she said, "Tuvok, go to the Cargo Bay and get two environmental suits, and have them transported into my Ready Room…don’t let me know when you’re dropping the forcefield…and make it fast. Commander, when Seven’s done with the transceiver, take it to Engineering and wait for us there."

After looking at Tuvok who raised his eyebrow somewhat in surprise and then turned and left quickly, Chakotay looked back over at the captain and smirked just a little, knowing exactly what she was planning to do and merely said, "Yes, Captain."

Nodding at Chakotay, throwing the smirk right back at him, Janeway turned around and asked, coming back toward the desk, "Report."

"It is definitely a communications device, Captain…however, the technology is unfamiliar to me…it is sophisticated." Taking off a small panel on the bottom, she furrowed her brow as she examined it further and then looked up at the Janeway who was approaching the wall behind her desk, "There looks to be a memory module…it is possible that we may be able to recover any recent communications sent."

"Good," the captain responded looking at the wall. Then quickly, she said, "Computer, open my weapon locker…authorization Janeway, red, seven, five, delta." As a completely unseen panel, the seams masked as just seams from the wall partitions that made up the captain’s office, revealing three phaser rifles, two hand phasers and several power cells from each, as well as a few cases that undoubtedly contained plasma charges, Janeway put her hand phaser in her holster, grabbed on rifle, slung it over her shoulder, and then removed a second one, quickly sealing the compartment again. Setting one of the large weapons on the desk next to Seven, she said, "Take this…we’ll leave the rest of your analysis for later." When she and Seven approached the door to the Bridge, she said to Chakotay, "Commander, when I lower the forcefield, I want you to take the device and the phaser at my waist…quickly. Seven and I will make sure nothing gets through this door while the forcefield is down. Seven, as soon as Chakotay steps back…put it back up." After they both nodded and Seven held out the device so Chakotay could snatch it from her palm quickly, Janeway said, "Computer, disengage the forcefield around this room."

After Chakotay grabbed the device with one hand and the captain’s extra weapon with the other, taking less than two seconds and stepped back, Seven said quickly, "Computer, engage a level ten forcefield around the captain’s Ready Room."

"Chakotay," Janeway said as the commander started up the steps, "make sure nothing gets past you into the turbolift…or is waiting for you inside. We need that data."

Running up the steps, Chakotay said, "No problem, Kathryn…see you soon." Coming up to the door of the lift, he stayed out of the range of the sensor so it wouldn’t open until he was ready and fired a couple of pulses on his phaser around him, the impact slightly damaging the carpet on the command deck. Then quickly he lunged toward the door, pushing past the doors as they opened and said, an instant later, "Computer, close." When the computer responded and the doors stopped opening and squeezed back together right after he was through, he fired his phaser at the door. Then hurriedly, he circled he room, phaser at the ready and made certain no one had followed him, or was inside waiting for him. Then taking a second to inhale deeply, remembering what the captain had said about how the man smelled, he ordered the turbolift to take him directly to Engineering, and then return to the Bridge and not process any requests for service except for the captain’s or Seven of Nine’s.

Just as Chakotay disappeared from sight, Janeway heard the distinct sound of dematerialization. Spinning around, phaser rifle at the ready as Seven did so as well, a split second before her, the Borg’s hearing much more acute, she motioned for Seven to go over to the environmental suits that had appeared and said, "You first…make it fast."

Handing her rifle to the captain who was reaching for it, Seven said, preparing to step into the suits, "It is good to see you, Kathryn." There were many things that Seven wanted to say, but as the captain continued to demonstrate that she was in complete command of this situation, Seven understanding that she wished to not discuss that events of her attack, or any of the emotions around that, the Borg deemed it necessary to keep the conversation completely away from the topic and show the captain that although she found the captain’s attack completely unacceptable, she was perfectly able to maintain her composure to continue to ensure her safety.

Circling Seven, Janeway kept her eyes on the entire room and responded easily and steadily, "It’s good to see you too, darling." Feeling the need to keep the conversation light and away from the events, not wanting to give her plan away, even though she figured it was fairly obvious what she was planning on doing, and wanting to bring a small amount of normalcy back to her life, she asked, as usual, "How are you feeling today?"

Glad the captain seemed to understand what she was attempting to do, Seven answered zipping up the suit, "I am functioning well." As she bent down and retrieved her helmet, she said before she put it on, "The Doctor is pleased with my progress and believes I can return to a full duty shift as early as tomorrow." Then putting her helmet on, she turned it, locking it, and flipped her hand back and down and the small clip at the front, which put an extra measure of security on the seal. Then pressing the correct sensors on her arm, she set the white suit’s airtight seal to engage, which sealed up the zipper on the side. After than was done, she engaged the oxygen and the communications system. Tapping the captain on the shoulder, she reached for both the weapons, signaling that she was ready.

Janeway gave both guns to the tall, thin Borg, and then quickly put on her suit, remember all of her training from the Academy. In less than a minute, the captain was locking down her helmet and engaging all of the systems at the same time. When she took her first breath of purified air, she grabbed on of the phasers and said, "That’s wonderful news…it’s good to have you back."

"I am at your service, Captain."

"Come on," Janeway said starting toward the door, walking sideways, keeping her eyes on everything, just in case her intruder was in here and decided that if he didn’t attack them, he was about to find himself between a rock and a very hard place. "Computer disengage the forcefield around my Ready Room." Once they were both through, Janeway shut the door on the room and sealed it. Then turning around, she said, "Computer, seal the door to the Conference Room." Once that was done, Janeway said, "Seven, go stand by the turbolift…don’t open the door yet…just make yourself into sort of a wall…this guy is using some sort of cloaking device, but he’s solid…as far as I know."

"Yes, Kathryn…I ‘have your back.’"

Moving quickly over to the helm to make certain all control had been routed away, Janeway smiled, and said, "I feel better all ready, my love." Once that was done, she ran up to Operations as fast as she could in the rather bulky suit, and transferred all controls to Ship’s Operations and Communications to Astrometrics since that department was more equipped to handle the duties instead of Engineering. After that, Janeway came back down to her command console, finished routing and authorizing the last of her vessel’s system to be routed to Engineering and locked down all boards on the Bridge. As the room grew slightly darker, all of the boards powering down simultaneously, Janeway said, standing, "Seven…engage your gravity boots," as she did so herself. When her feet were firmly planted against the floor, Janeway said, "Computer, disengage life support on Deck One. Remove all breathable oxygen, and disengage artificial gravity. Authorization, Janeway pi, one, one, zero." When she heard the hissing sound of the oxygen being removed from the room, and saw a PADD that had been left over near Operations begin to float in the air, Janeway lumbered up to Seven’s location, and said, "Are you ready for some real fun?"

Raising her eyebrow, not realizing that there was more to the captain’s plan, Seven stated, "I am Borg, Kathryn…I am always ready."

Feeling quite confident in herself, Janeway said, "Computer, open the Bridge emergency escape hatch."

"That action is not recommended," informed the ship’s computer as programmed to do while the ships was in space.

"Override, authorization Janeway pi, one, one zero." Then looking over at up at her Astrometric's officer, she smirked and said, "Darling, remind me to change my command authorization code when this is done, huh?"

"I will comply."

"Warning, Deck One decompressing in five seconds…"

Since the ship was currently traveling at less than light speed, there was no worry of disrupting the ship’s warp bubble, and since Janeway had not shut off the inertial dampers, if Fowler decided to bring them to a stop, since the whole ship would be informed that Deck One’s compression had been compromised and the emergency escape hatch blown, there was no concern that she and Seven would be pulverized by the change in speed. As the hatched in the center of the Bridge, gave way, both Janeway and Seven instinctively held onto the hand rail on the upper deck as anything that wasn’t bolted to the floor was sucked out into space. Quickly, the captain closed her eyes and said a silent goodbye to some of her favorite possessions as she said, "Computer open the doors to the Ready Room and the Conference Room." In an instant, several flowers, their vases, her computer terminal, and picture of her sister and mother, and her favorite coffee set came flying out of her office and were sucked up into the hatch, blown out into space, where she knew she’d never be able to bring herself to spend the time or resources looking for them. For several minutes both of them remained quiet and attentive to their surroundings until Janeway finally said, "Computer, close the emergency hatch." Then turning around, she said to Seven, "Well, if he was in here…he’s not anymore."

As they stepped together into the turbolift, still cautious, but relaxed somewhat after it was clear that they were alone, Seven said to the captain as she informed the lift to take them to Engineering, "That was…efficient." When Janeway chuckled and began taking off her helmet, Seven removed hers as well and said, "Computer, halt turbolift," and before Janeway could do anything, the Borg grabbed her face, kissed her squarely and firmly, and finally said, pulling away, "I love you, my Kathryn. I wished to tell you that before…but it was not possible. Computer, resume."

Sighing, Janeway said, picking her helmet up since she had dropped it when Seven had kissed her, "Thank you, darling…I love you too." Then standing up straight and putting her captain face back on, she patted Seven’s shoulder and said, "By the way, Seven…your theory…was excellent work…and you did the right thing by not telling anyone."

"Thank you…it was a logical conclusion, however," Seven stated confidently, her manner returning to that of her usual cool, arrogant demeanor. "I was surprised the Commander Tuvok had not thought of it."

As the doors opened to Engineering and two guards turned their weapons toward them, then instantly relented, Janeway held out her hand for Seven to exit first and said under her breath, "Well, don’t tell him that…okay?"

"I will not," Seven stated stepping on the main deck of Engineering where Chakotay, Fower, Torres and Kim where waiting for them curious. "If the intruder was aboard the Bridge…he is no longer functioning under acceptable perameters."

"I’ll say," Torres said coming up to Seven. "What the hell did you two do…we’ve got alarms going off all over the place?"

"Nick…all stop," Janeway ordered before she answered the question. Once Fowler, who was standing at one of the sensor boards around the warp core, the captain set down her helmet and explained, unzipping her suit, "I decompressed Deck One and all adjoining rooms…we had to litter a little, but I think the universe will forgive us this time." Stepping out of the suit, she shook her head ruefully at Torres and said, "Once again, Miss Torres…I’ll be commandeering your engine room for a while."

"So, we don’t know if he’s space junk or not, is what you’re saying?" Fowler chimed in.

"Unfortunately, no," the captain stated folding her suit as best she could and sticking it out of the way and then quickly began barking orders, "Harry…report to Astrometrics and scan the debris field for lifesigns. Chakotay, inform Commander Tuvok of the situation, and evacuate Decks Two and Three immediately. Report back to me when it’s done. Seven…B’Elanna, you two get working on that transceiver and see what you can find. Nick, you have…the Bridge…and I’ll be in…my Ready Room."

As the captain moved towards Torres office, Seven and the engineer both said at the same time, "Captain!"

Throwing her hands in the air, Janeway cursed, frustration starting to show, "I’ll leave the door open, dammit!"

Two hours later, Janeway sat in the chair at Torres’ desk, her new Ready Room, and sighed, sipping her coffee. Decks Two through Four, as well as half of Deck Five had all been evacuated, all oxygen had been removed, and life-support and artificial gravity had been cut off. After a security team had finished searching each deck, room by room, the deck was completely sealed off and no one was allowed to renter until further notice. Seven and Torres had made some progress with the communication device, and currently they were in Astrometrics decoding the single transmission that they were able to recover from the device’s memory. As for the cloaking device, they had still yet to figure that out, but Carey and Vorik were working on it diligently. Chakotay had joined the Security team, as had Lieutenant Paris since the Doctor has turned one of the holodecks into Sickbay and didn’t require his assistance. In a rather presumptuous move, Nicole Fowler had ordered Ensign Samuel Wang to report to Engineering under the pretense that he could assist the engineer’s with the cloaking technology, but Janeway knew that even though the man could possibly be of assistance, he was there as protection first and foremost. If the captain hadn’t been impressed that Fowler had made such a decision on her own, obviously heeding her words from the other night to start acting like this job was hers, Janeway would have been fairly annoyed by the notion that she required extra protection. The part of this whole experience that was beginning to wear on the captain the most was the constant lack of privacy, and feeling and knowledge that she was probably being watched by an unseen, obviously unstable individual, as well as by her crew. But as much as she tried to exude the air of confidence that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, there was a small part of her the knew that she stood little chance of defending herself as long as she couldn’t see him. She knew that if she could see him, and had at least a second to prepare herself, she could put up one hell of a fight, but even then, considering his much greater size, she knew that it would probably be the fight of her life, so she continued to allow the extra security precautions, even if she did so a little begrudgingly.

Looking up from her coffee, she sighed as she saw Nicole Fowler standing outside of the door, far enough away that she wasn’t conspicuous, but it was obvious that whatever Fowler was pretending to do, she was doing it from that position so she could keep an eye on the captain. When Fowler glanced in the room, catching the captain’s eye, the tall woman barely nodded and then moved back to her post. Sighing again, Janeway set her coffee down and rubbed her forehead, mumbling under her breath about how ridiculous this all was. Although, she changed her mind quickly when the door to the office she was in closed without her touching the sensor to her left.

In a split second, several things went through the captain’s mind, and she reacted to each of them at the same time. There were several crewmembers just in the next room, but if she called out, they probably wouldn’t hear her since Torres’ office had a fair amount of sound proofing capabilities. If she went for her comm-badge, she’d probably not get much out of her mouth before she was silenced as before. She had left her phaser rifle out in the other room with one of the Security guards, so she didn’t have any conventional weapons on her, not really believing that she needed them while in Engineering since the room was impenetrable, or so she had thought. If her stalker acted consistently, which it seemed he was doing, he was behind her. As soon as the door closed, Janeway grabbed the fresh cup of coffee she had just replicated and tossed it behind her, jumping up at the same time and diving over the desk, throwing caution for her body to the wind. Doing her best to roll onto her feet she barked, "Computer, open the door!" and lunged for it. The door slid open quickly, and the captain was at it instantly, forcing it open and pushing her small body through, yelling to the first person she saw, "Nick…he’s here." As soon as she was out of the door, she yelled, "Computer, close the door to Miss Torres' office and seal it!"

Fowler, thanks to her closer location and longer stride was at the captain’s side first, but Wang was not far behind. Grabbing Janeway who was stumbling a little forward after forcing her body through the doors, Nicole rather forcefully, pushed her behind her body, and asked, "Did you see him?"

"No, but someone closed the door," Janeway answered grabbing the phaser around Fowler’s waist and stepping out from the large woman’s protection somewhat, but not completely as the security guards rushed over to the door with Wang who had reached it first. "Computer, remove all breathable air from Lieutenant Torres’ office…authorization, Janeway, pi, one, one, zero."

"Unable to comply. Lieutenant Torres’ office is not secure."

Sighing, Janeway explained as Fowler questioned, "The seal on the door…it’s not air-tight. We’d have to remove all the oxygen from Engineering."

"Alright, then we go in," Fowler stated, unzipping her tunic and throwing it down, nodding at Wang, who started to do the same. Looking at the guards, she said, "Protect the captain…Wang and I will go in." When Janeway attempted to hand her phaser back to Fowler, she shook her head and said quickly, "We work better unarmed, Captain…you keep it."

"You won’t be able to see him, Lieutenant," Janeway insisted, stepping in front on her and pushing the phaser to her stomach sideways.

"Captain, it won’t be a problem," Wang informed. "If he’s still in there…I’ll know it."

Janeway looked back and forth between Fowler and Wang, and when Nicole finally whispered, "Trust me," Janeway nodded her head and stepped aside, not really understanding, but assuming it was some kind of advanced martial arts tactic, remembering reading about how some people actually trained with blind folds over their eyes. "Alright…do what you have to do then."

As the one security guard came up next to the captain and hovered as close as she would allow him to, while the other one stood behind Fowler who was approaching the door walking quickly but quietly on the balls of her feet, Wang used hand signals to inform Fowler that he would go in first, being that he was more advanced in this type of sensory deprivation situation, and Fowler would follow immediately, sticking near the door and not letting anything through if it happened to get past the keen senses of the scientist. When they were both set, Fowler nodded to Janeway who said, "Computer, open the door to Miss Torres’ office."

The door opened quickly and Wang was inside in an instant, eyes closed once he was not able to immediately spot someone. Fowler came right after him and stood in the doorway in a ready stance, large enough of a presence that a small child would have difficult sneaking by her without her knowing. Approximately fifteen seconds into the ordeal, the captain got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that somehow, probably by transporting out of the room, her stalker had alluded them again. Knowing that part of his game was watching how she reacted to these situations, Janeway quickly pivoted and looked around the room, motioning to her guard to do the same, while the other one kept on eye on Wang and Fowler. After looking quickly around the main deck of Engineering, Janeway glanced up to the upper level, raising her weapon as well, just in time to see a shadowy figure disappear, only catching sight of his flowing robe and hair for a split second before he was gone, without a sound. Firing her phaser immediately, hoping to maybe catch him halfway through transport and possibly disrupt the signal, if not injure him, she barked, "Upper level!" When her phaser fire impacted with the wall behind where he had been, she spat to the guard who had also fired, "Hold your fire…he’s gone." Holstering her weapon, she turned around to see Fowler right behind her and Wang hurrying out of the office, and said, "Well, at least we know he’s definitely using a transporter…and a cloaking device. That’s something." Tapping her comm-badge, she said, "Janeway to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here, Captain."

"Commander," Janeway said clipped, "he’s still alive…and able to transport through our forcefields. Gather the senior officers and report to Engineering immediately. Janeway out."

"Captain," Chakotay sighed ruefully, obviously hating what he was saying, "it’s just not a viable option. We’ve got to make it last resort. There’s not nearly enough environmental suits for the whole crew. The rest of the crew would have to take shelter in escape pods…we’d have to secure each one, launch all of them, and open the hatches on all the unoccupied ones. Then we’d have to launch the shuttles and do the same for those…and I’m not so sure that he isn’t prepared for that."

Nodding and rubbing her neck as she paced around the warp core, Janeway said, "Agreed. Okay, then decompressing the ship is out." Continuing to pace, after she made that decision and left it behind her, putting her mind to other means of finding him, or luring him out into the open, Janeway asked, "Seven…Torres…what have you got?"

After Torres nodded to Seven, informing her she should answer, the Borg said, "We are still in the process of decrypting the text, Captain. The language is alien, and it is taking the ship’s language processor some time to interpret what we have been able to salvage. We have nothing definitive to report at this time, other than the fact that there is a message to be uncovered."

"What’s the time frame?"

"Fifteen hours at least, Captain," Seven answered.

Since they had yet to get anywhere with the cloaking technology, Janeway said, "Alright, Harry…you go with Seven and the two of you continue your efforts. Report to me as soon as you know anything at all. B’Elanna," the captain continued walking up to the engineer, "I need your expertise on the cloaking technology. Work with Carey and Vorik and see if you can offer assistance."

"Aye, Captain."

Patting her engineer on the shoulder, knowing the she was having a very difficult time keeping her temper in check, but doing a very good job, Janeway said to her commanders, "Commanders Chakotay and Tuvok…continue your security sweeps, and evacuate Decks Eleven through Fourteen…same as before. Open the hatch to the Shuttle Bay…I don’t want him hiding out in one of our shuttles on the that deck." After they nodded, Janeway said, "We’re going to make this work…I have every confidence in each of you. Stay on your toes and trust your instincts…we’ll find him. Dismissed." After everyone left and Torres left her side to go work with Carey and Vorik who were in the Science Lab on that deck but a few corridors down, the equipment more suited for their needs, Janeway informed the guards to keep their posts at the exits and near the turbolift and then made her way over to where Nicole Fowler was standing with her hands on her hips, talking to Samuel Wang. "Mister Wang…thank you for you assistance today, but I’d need your brain more than your brawn right now. Report to the Science Lab and assist with the effort there. Dismissed." Once Samuel acknowledged her and exited, Janeway said to Fowler, "Nick…I need some coffee…will you come with me, please?"

"Of course, Captain," Fowler nodded and followed the captain into the engineer’s office and stood by the door as Janeway moved around the office.

After going around to the side of the desk, Janeway leaned down and picked up the coffee cup she had tossed behind her saying, "You know, I’ve often felt like coffee was my best friend…who knew it could also come in handy as a weapon?" Then wincing slightly as she pushed herself up, finally starting to feel the impact of leaping across the engineer’s desk in her hip, where she had connected with the deck solidly, she explained, "I was sitting here at the desk when the door closed. I didn’t have any weapons on me," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders, doing her best to make light of a worsening situation and said, "so, I tossed my coffee cup back and jumped over the desk." Then ordering herself a fresh cup, she said over her shoulder, "I’m not sure how successful I was at warding him off though…part of me feels like this latest appearance was just part of his game. Want some?"

"No thanks, Captain," Fowler answered plainly, frowning quite a bit. "What do you think his game is?"

Turning around, Janeway eyed her over the top of her mug, then looked around the room and lied, "I haven’t been able to figure that out yet…but I’m sure it will come to me sooner or later." The pushing past her gently, she said, "Well, since we’re at a dead stop, there’s not a whole lot to do…let’s do a double check on the long range sensors, huh?"

Getting the feeling that there was more going on, but not sure what, Fowler, of course, followed her captain’s orders and walked with Janeway to the corner nook of Engineering where they could access the ship’s sensors. Together, they started to run a diagnostic of the sensors. Once that was done, Fowler tensed a little as she felt the captain’s hand on her back, still not quite used to constantly being touched by her commanding officer. It wasn’t that the feeling bothered her, it was just new for her. Most of the captain’s Fowler had served under had been much more withdrawn from the crew, and even though she knew that Janeway was just more of a people person by nature, she also realized that the longer they spent out here alone, the more and more comfortable and close she became with her crew, so such movements were completely natural for a woman of the captain’s personality.

Quietly, Janeway leaned in close to Fowler and whispered, "Nick…I need to talk to you about something…but it has to remain private, so I’m going to have to whisper directly into your ear. Respond honestly, but only yes or no…I can’t risk giving anything away." When Fowler nodded her head yes, just barely enough for anyone to see, Janeway moved in closer, her lips right over Fowler’s ear and she covered her mouth with her hands and asked, modifying her voice, "Is this too loud?" When Fowler shook her head, Janeway kept the same tone and said, "I’ve been thinking about this situation a lot. It seems that this man is trying to do a little bit more than just…assault me. I’m not totally sure what that is yet, but I think if he just wanted to have his way with me, or kill me, that would have happened already. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"He made mention of enjoying the fact that my lovers are women…I think he is comfortable, probably excited by that, but that he wouldn’t like it if I was involved, sexually, with a man. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"Do you think the attempt would occur faster if I stayed with a man once I can’t stay awake any longer?"

"No."

Sighing, Janeway asked, "You think he’ll feel too threatened by a male presence? It makes it too risky for him?"

"Yes."

"If I stayed with a woman…do you think he’d come after me?"

Unable to answer yes or no, Fowler pulled away and said, "Well, I know you won’t stay with Seven, so I’m assuming that you’re thinking Torres. In that respect, I’d have to say…maybe. You said that he is excited by that idea…since he’s been watching you interact with her. He might just continue to watch and hope that you get tired of being alone sometime again. Are you trying to lure him, Captain?"

"I’m thinking about it…seriously," the captain answered truthfully. "I want this over…now. There’s too much danger to this crew for me to let this continue…what if he gets tired of me and turns on someone else? There is a little girl aboard this vessel…I can’t risk it."

Back at her ear, Fowler said, "Okay, then if you want to do this…come home with me tonight. We’re not involved…he might see this as a golden opportunity, since he knows that you’re closing in on him. If he doesn’t show up, you’re no worse off…and maybe by that time, we’ll have figured out a way to track him down."

"Nick…this will put your life in unnecessary danger…serious danger since he would undoubtedly attempt to harm you first," Janeway said. "I don’t want that to happen to anyone…but I know that B’Elanna would want to make that sacrifice…and I feel obligated to allow it…for personal reasons that I can’t explain. Suffice to say, she would want to defend me…and so would Seven, but she’s not well enough just yet."

"I understand the whole honor thing, Captain…and I’m not making light of it…I’m just telling you that best chance that he’s going to show up, and not just sit back and watch the show is if you come home with me. As far as danger goes…you’re my captain just as much as you’re Torres’…and no offense, but I could kick B’Elanna’s butt. Seven’s…well, probably not." When Janeway sighed once, Fowler went on, "Captain…if you want to do this…then I am willing one hundred percent. This situation is completely unacceptable…and I can’t tell you enough how much it pisses me off."

"Okay…let me hear your ideas…and then I’ll tell you mine."

After approximately a half an hour of whispering back a forth, both women sharing their thoughts, ideas, strategies and concerns since this was the only time thought they should go over their ‘plan’ if he wasn’t found by late this evening, for fear if they kept whispering all day long, he would catch onto what they were doing. Janeway was fairly convinced that at the moment, he was probably watching the progress her two teams were making, trying to work out his strategy as well, but since she wasn’t certain, they made their conversation as brief as possible. Together they decided that to ensure that he would show up tonight, and not stay away thinking that the captain was simply seeking refuge, that they should exhibit some from of mutual attraction to each other, which would undoubtedly peek his curiosity enough that he would at least stop by. For the captain, it really wasn’t difficult at all, once she put her mind to it and reminded herself that she was doing this for the good of her ship, and the good of herself, and knowing that her true lovers would understand. Fowler had a little more of a problem being comfortable with the idea, but once the captain stopped whispering in her ear and started smiling at her, acting very easy and just slightly flirtacious, Nicole got over it and was able to react in her own subtle manner. They both knew that they couldn’t be blatant, that would be obvious. No matter how alluring Fowler found Kathryn, there were three things definitely working against her in this situation. One, Janeway was her commanding officer, and even though the pilot thought that she was rather beautiful, she had a tough time thinking of her as a sexual being for more than a few minutes at a time. Second, she was the lover of one of her friends, and third, she was the lover of a tall, stealth and deadly ex-Borg who Fowler knew was not all the found of her. It wasn’t that she hated Seven, and was only slightly fearful of the woman…she just didn’t want to give the blonde any more reason to dislike her. Fowler wanted the pilot’s job, which meant she would have to work with Seven all the time, and she didn’t think it would do anyone any good if they were at odds constantly.

Once an hour or so had passed, Fowler was starting to feel more comfortable with the circumstances, the captain doing a very good job to keep their conversation to a quiet, comfortable banter as they continued to keep the new Bridge running smoothly, which really wasn’t that difficult since the ship wasn’t doing much of anything except scanning the interior deck by deck and running life-support. Every now and then Fowler made a point to step away from the captain and pay her little attention as she pretended to be checking on something important, as was the plan. Both of them understood that if Fowler stayed with her constantly, then the captain’s stalker probably wouldn’t come after her tonight, since all anyone had to do was look at Nicole and know that she could hold her own in a physical contest, and they both knew that he had watched her go into the office with Wang, unarmed. What they were hoping, was that he would see that move as foolish and arrogant, and if Fowler continued to be ‘lax’ in watching the captain, the intruder would sense an opportunity.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by to Janeway. When she wasn’t in Engineering keeping things together and coming on to her pilot, while she cursed up a storm in her mind at the reasoning behind it, but knowing that she had to keep it up, she was in the Science Lab, escorted to each station by a security guard, or Astrometrics checking up on their work with the message, and making certain that Seven of Nine wasn’t overworking herself. As the evening grew on and they had made no progress tracking him down, the captain’s stomach began to coil mercilessly as she began to mentally prepare herself to put her body at risk in order to catch her stalker.

Making a final stop in Astrometrics, glad to see that Seven, even though still on duty, was sitting on the dais drinking a supplement, and obviously making an attempt to get a little rest, which was something that in the past, before her procedure, had been as rare as a star going super nova. She shared a few moments with Seven and Kim, keeping the conversation to business, needing to remain focused on her duty and nothing more, and informed both of her officers that if they grew tired, she absolutely wanted them to get some rest, telling them that Chakotay had set up temporary housing for them in various already occupied crew quarters, omitting that Seven was staying with Torres, because she figured that Seven already understood that. After that, the captain stopped by the Science Lab again, and was fairly pleased to learn that they were finally starting to make some real progress on the cloaking technology. It was advanced to say the least, but before she left, Torres informed her that by the morning, she would have it figured out, although, every one knew that that didn’t mean it would help them any. Knowing how something works is one thing, but being able to use that information to find weaknesses in it was another. The two usually went hand in hand, but the captain had been exposed to enough situations where she knew it wasn’t a guarantee.

Throughout the day, Janeway had thought she had caught glimpses here and there of her darkly dressed aggressor, but since they continued to be fleeting at best, she wasn’t certain they just weren’t figments of her imagination due to her heightened anxiety and the fact that she was spending a great deal of time in an area of her ship that wasn’t nearly as familiar, or comfortable to her as her Bridge. She had also sworn she had smelled his sweet, smoky fragrance a few times as well, especially when she was alone on the upper level of Engineering, but the captain continued to persevere through the moments, not letting herself react, waiting for him to make the next move and just hoping she would be ready. It really was pointless at this time for her to call Security every time she thought she saw, smelled, or heard something because they had no way to catch him. So, a little after midnight, Janeway approached Fowler as she had more times than she could remember throughout the day and said, leaning over her shoulder where the woman sat, making sure to let a good deal of her body come into contact with the pilot’s back, "Nick…there’s no need for you to stay on duty any more tonight…why don’t you go home and get some rest…have something to eat?" When Fowler resisted as was the plan, Janeway moved her hand up to her shoulder and then her neck, rubbing it slightly and said, softly, "I know you’re tired…you’re not fooling me, and you’re no good to me if you’re run down. Now go to bed…before I have you removed."

Sighing heavily, keeping up the act, Fowler turned and stood, hovering over Janeway and said, putting her hand on the captain’s arm, "Aye, Captain…I know you’re going to stay up all night, but if you need to shower…or to just take a few minutes…my quarters are right down the hall. You’re welcome to use them."

Janeway rubbed her neck, yawning on purpose, which wasn’t that hard since she was starting to feel the first waves of tiredness set in, "Thank you, Lieutenant…a shower sounds nice, actually. I’ll probably be over in an hour or so."

"Alright, Captain," Fowler nodded taking and moment to look at her, then pushed her aside gently and exited Engineering, looking back over her shoulder at the captain on purpose as she went though the doors.

During that hour, Fowler prepared her quarters. She put the hand phaser at her waist under one of the pillows on her bed, and then she retrieved the hand phaser that was stored in her quarters, next to her nightstand in the bathroom, underneath a rolled up towel. Once that was done, she changed in to her workout clothes, which consisted of a pair of nylon, wide legged, elastic waist pants and a tight tank top, put on some rock and roll music, and started to exercise lightly, to get her body awake again and warmed up. When her body was duly loosened and covered with a thin sheen of perspiration, Fowler spent the remaining time going through a series of martial arts moves for the purpose of honing her senses and keeping her focused, since she knew that she could not let her rage for this situation get to her at this moment. She had to be on guard every second and ready to react at the slightest provocation, prepared to use the deadliest of force if necessary, understanding that at this point, the captain didn’t really care if the man lived or died, as long as they got him before he tried to hurt anyone else.

As the door call sounded, Fowler relaxed her stance, got to her knees to simulate that she had been working out in a more traditional manner, not wanting to give away her martial art skills in case the intruder came through the door with the captain, and said, after turning off the music, "Come in." When Janeway appeared and rather harshly dismissed the security guard following her, barking at him that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and that she would call him if she needed him, reminding him that these were Fowler’s quarters and that the pilot would look after her for the time being, Fowler grabbed the small towel from her bed and wiped her face, hiding her smirk, just imaging what the look on the poor guard’s face was after such a quick and lethal attack by the captain’s sharp tongue. When she heard the doors close, Fowler pulled the towel away from her face and smirked, flirting some, "I hope you don’t mind that I waited up…I couldn’t really sleep anyway?"

"No, I don’t mind," Janeway smiled somewhat shyly, trying to make it seem that she was a little uncomfortable in the pilot’s quarters. Then clearing her throat, the captain unzipped her tunic and said, over her shoulder as she hung it on the back of Fowler’s single chair that sat next to her small dining table, "I hope I didn’t interrupt your exercises?"

Since they hadn’t discussed specifically what they would say do or once Janeway got to her quarters, other than the captain would take a shower, Fowler did her best to take her cues from her captain, since this was her show, and lied, "No…I was just finishing actually. Whenever I’m worked up about something…I have to practically run my body into the ground before I can even think about sleeping. Might not be the best way to do things…but it works, because I’m exhausted."

Knowing very well that that was a lie, but understanding that Nicole wanted to play like she couldn’t be of much assistance to Janeway if she were attacked, or that she could be easily subdued now that she was physically worn out, Janeway said, "Well, by the looks of things…I’d say that you’re an insomniac." Then crossing her arms over her chest and leaning up against the wall near the replicator, Janeway smirked and said, "Because…well, you’re in awfully good shape, Nick." Turning around, she ordered herself a cup of coffee and asked, "What’s your secret?"

Fowler sat on her bed and said, "Jumping jacks…five hundred a night," she lied again, not having done that crude form of exercise since she entered the Academy. "Wang’s always trying to get me to learn karate…but I’m not very interested in that kind of thing. Seems a little too brutal if you ask me."

Taking her coffee cup to her mouth and nodding as if she agreed, Janeway noticed a guitar leaning behind the chair in the corner of the room, and asked, walking over to it and plucking at the top strings, "Do you play?"

"Yea," Fowler smiled easily. "I don’t practice as much as I should…but I’m not half bad." Changing the tone of her voice and turning on the sexuality, she said, "I doubt your in the mood to be serenaded tonight…but next time you come by I’ll play a little diddy or two for you."

Janeway forced her trademark smile that was rather radiant, although, lacked the true sincerity that her close friends could identify, and informed, "I’d like that very much…I’ve always loved the acoustic guitar." Then smirked and she slowly left that side of the room and sauntered over to Nick, "Although…I don’t have a musical bone in my body." Stopping in front of the tall brunette, she asked, "Mind if I sit?"

"No…make yourself at home, Captain," Fowler responded quickly, scooting over so Janeway could sit on the edge of the bed with her.

Sitting down, Janeway turned and looked over at Fowler and smiled, "You know, Nick…it’s alright if you call me Kathryn…I don’t mind when were off-duty. I think we’re good enough friends…don’t you?"

Fowler shifted a little in her seat and smiled, leaning back on her arms, "Yes…well then, Miss Kathryn…are you off-duty…or is this just a quick stop?"

Janeway yawned and said, "Well, I thought I’d take a shower and see how I feel. Although, Engineering is like a graveyard right now…I’m not sure I could stay awake in there unless I blared music." Then chuckling, she said, "And since I won’t let my chief engineer do that…I don’t think I should either."

Sitting up, Fowler said, "Well, let me give you the grand tour of the shower…since it’s so huge and all." When Janeway laughed and stood up, Nicole went into the bathroom and said, "Alright…I’ve set a towel out for you right here. There’s shampoo and all that junk in there…use whatever you want. Do you want a change of clothes…even if just for a little while? I’ve got lots of t-shirts and comfy pants? They might be a little big…but I don’t think they’ll fall off."

Snickering, Janeway leaned in close to Fowler’s chest, flirting more as she laughed, sighing at the same time and said, "Yes…thank you…whatever you have is fine."

"Comfy clothes coming right up," Fowler said backing away and going over to her closet.

As her pilot did that, Janeway took a seat on the toilet and removed her boots and then her socks. Then sighing to herself, but not letting it show, she took off her shirt, leaving the bra on and started to unzip her pants as Fowler came back in the room. When her pilot stopped in the doorway and set down the clothes, looking away somewhat shyly, Janeway said, "Thanks."

"Yep," Nick allowed quick and nervous. Swallowing down her slight embarrassment which was fairly easy to do, but considering her commanding officer was half naked in front of her, no matter what the circumstances, and knew it would never totally go away, she steeled her body and reminding herself of what it was that could happened if she didn’t keep up the act, the took a couple of steps forward to the captain who had finished unzipping her pants and was about to pull them off, "You know, Kathryn…I know this seems forward, but if you need me to hang around in here…or if you’d like some company…I wouldn’t mind."

Smiling as she pulled off her pants looking down at the floor, Janeway said quietly, "Ordinarily, Nick," now standing up an moving closer to her, "I’d be awfully tempted to take you up on that…but I think right now…I’d like to have a little privacy." Then placing her hand on Fowler’s hard stomach, Janeway looked down and asked, shy, "Perhaps…you could keep me company when I’m finished though?"

Fowler couldn’t help but smile somewhat at seeing her captain act as she had never seen her. She was totally different now. She was shy, quiet…submissive, yet still confident. Impressed by the captain’s acting ability, Fowler redoubled her efforts and said, taking the captain’s hand and pulling it to her mouth, "I’ll be waiting for you…holler if you change your mind." Then leaning down, she actually kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Under the towel."

Janeway pulled her hand away and poked Fowler in the ribs, saying as she stepped into the shower and turned on the water, "You, stop trying to temp me…and get out of here already." When she turned around to see Fowler smiling at her, crossing her arms over her chest, playing her part very well, Janeway tore off her bra over her head, threw it at the tall brunette, closing the glass door in the shower and said, laughing, "I’m still the captain of this ship, you know? Don’t make me call Security."

"Can’t blame a girl for trying, Captain," Fowler came back exiting the room, but leaving the door open. Quickly, Fowler laid back on her bed, tucked her hand under her pillow and grasped onto the handle of the phaser she had waiting there and focused all her energy on listening to the noises the captain was making in the shower, and being acutely aware of her surroundings, knowing that he could appear at any moment, or attack unseen.

Janeway had to force herself not to hurry, since she wanted to make a point that she was being defiant, which usually caused her intruder to appear and remind her that he was watching her. She slipped off her underwear, tossed them over the shower door, and lazily stepped into the warm stream of water. For several minutes Janeway just stood under the facet, letting the water beat down on her back and neck as she braced herself against the wall, keeping her hands away from her sides where she could be wrapped up easily and waited patiently. It seemed like an eternity before she allowed herself to move, but after what she figured was approximately five minutes and there had been no sign of him, Janeway turned around and snatched up the bottle of shampoo. There was a quick moment of panic as she washed her hair, but then quickly realizing that it was Fowler’s shampoo that was tricking her senses, the captain sighed and quickly washed out the remains of the almost criminal liquid. After that she washed her body all over, continuing to take her time still, temping him to make a move while she was vulnerable. After fifteen minutes, Janeway finally gave up and turned off the water, having no idea now what she was going to do, but finally deciding that she would just spend the rest of the evening with Nick, continuing to put on the act that she found her pilot so fascinating that she decided to not return to duty. Although, as she thought about it more, she realized that since they had already done quite a bit of flirting and Janeway had practically disrobed in front of the tall woman as she offered to join the captain in the shower, she wasn’t certain how she was going to be able to keep up this act, since, if this were a real situation, she was certain that some physical contact would occur between them if she stayed. The captain was comfortable with flirting and even disrobing in the manner she had done since they were both female Starfleet officers and had attended the Academy where public showers and the like were standard, and she was even comfortable with the kiss on the cheek; however, she was not comfortable with anything more. Compromising her virtue was something the captain could handle on her own, but it wasn’t something she would drag a member of her crew into…ever. She knew she wouldn’t kiss or touch Fowler, or allow the woman to do that to her…so, as Janeway started toward the shower door, she sighed, still having no idea how they were going to pull this off.

When the attack came from the front this time, after she had turned off the water and approached the door, the captain understood immediately that he had been waiting for her to give up, probably not willing to risk disrupting his technology by entering the water stream. All the captain could do was cry out as loud as she could to Nicole in the other room as her body was thrown with brute force against the back wall. As the breath was once again knocked from her lungs and the blackness of unconsciousness overcame her quickly as she slumped to the floor, all she could think was that she never wanted to wake up.

Janeway’s heavy, foggy eyes fluttered open as she inhaled deeply, and then coughed at the pain such an action caused, the memory of what occurred rushing back to her instantly. When she attempted to roll over to her side and get off her back, feeling the distinct sensation of the comfort of a mattress underneath her body, she attempted to call out for help as she realized the her hands were bound above her head, but that was futile as well since her mouth was also gagged, and all she could manage was an urgent moan. Lifting her head, she checked her surrounding quickly, not surprised to find that she was still in Nicole Fowler’s quarters, bound to the bed, her arms above her head, but not her legs since there was no place to really bind them to. Her hands were tied with some kind of blueish grey material, which looked to be pieces of Starfleet issue sheets, but they were spread apart, so even though she could push up with her feet, she couldn’t get her head close enough to either hand to remove the tie around her mouth. She gave up on that instantly, still looking around for her attacker or Fowler, and froze when she saw him emerge from the bathroom.

He was shirtless, his large muscles on display clearly, even though his skin was deathly pale, almost grey, as he combed his long hair with Fowler’s hair brush, smiling at the captain’s naked body. He had many scars all over his chest, and the captain immediately guessed that they were undoubtedly caused from his other victims since he seemed to like to give them somewhat of a chance to fight back, which Janeway knew meant that he was indeed more dangerous than most sexual predators because they tended to attack people that wouldn’t fight back, or fled when any type of heavy resistance was given. He was too good at what he did…too purposeful, to willful for the captain to believe that she was his first victim, or that somehow, she could talk him out of it, even if her mouth wasn’t gagged. It was clear to her what he planned to rape her, but what was unclear was if he planned to continue to stalker her, or have his way and leave, or have his way and kill her afterward. Now that she felt that there was little chance that she was going to get out of this without being sexually assaulted, she put that out of her mind on focused on surviving. Even though she knew it was really impossible to completely train someone to be able to handle this type of situation and get through it without any emotional trauma, she was fairly certain that she could shutdown her body emotionally, go into full captain mode, and lure him into a position where she could get free and then kill him. That wasn’t something that Kathryn normally liked to think about, having the utmost respect for life, however, she knew that if she hesitated for an instant, he could get away, and this nightmare could start all over again.

Standing at the foot of the bed, the pale, tall man said, tossing Fowler’s brush on the floor, "Kathryn…I’m glad you’re awake. I was worried for a while that I’d tossed you a little too hard…sometimes, you see, I don’t know my own strength." Lunging forward, he grabbed both the captain’s legs and pinned them down at the ankles, squeezing her skin painfully, and said, "I think I know you well enough to know that you’re wondering where your crewmember is at? Well, don’t worry your pretty little redhead about her…she’ll be fine in a few hours." Then nodding over to the side of the bed, next to the captain on the floor, he explained, "She fell down and bumped her head pretty hard. Too bad too since you two seem to be awfully fond of each other." Then laughing, he smiled and bent down, kissing the captain’s knee, "Oh, I’m just kidding…I know what you were trying to do. I’ve seen it a hundred times. You’d be surprised what people will do to try and trick me. I’m curious, Kathryn…would you have fucked her…just to try and put yourself in a vulnerable position to draw me out?" When Janeway remained still, unfeeling and emotionless, he said moving up to her thigh, "I don’t think you would have, but I bet you would have fucked that other friend of yours…what’s his name…Chakotay? Yes…I bet if you thought I’d get upset at that and come after you if you would have fucked him. You like him don’t you?" Her attacker moved to her other leg, and continued, "That’s okay…I know you do…it’s obvious that you want him too…or maybe you’ve already had him? You certainly do get around…Red."

As Janeway continued to lie frozen, not fighting him at all and staring at the ceiling, her breathing controlled and steady, her attacker became frustrated because part of his plan was to break her down and wield his strength over her. If she didn’t fight, he couldn’t prove that he was stronger, so he said, biting at her lower thigh toward the inside, "Yes…that brunette…she’s nice, Red…feisty…a fighter…too bad someone’s not paying me to fuck her too, huh?" When the captain blinked, obviously surprised to find that out, he eased up on his biting and began licking the bruised area he had caused and explained, "I hope that doesn’t lesson the experience. Don’t really think of it as my job, though…sure I get paid, and paid well…but just like you, I live to work." The man surged up quickly, pushing himself onto of her before she could move her legs and said, grabbing her breast with one hand, keeping her legs separated with the other, "And just like you…I’m very good at what I do. Plus, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that I was given quite a bit of information about your culture. Things that women like…places where you like to be touched…all in all, this should be an enjoyable experience for you. All you have to do, Red…is let it be enjoyable." Reaching down, he slowly started to untie his garments that looked to be several layers thick and were intricate in their layered design. "Plus, I had the pleasure of watching you with the brunette…B’Elanna…so, I know what you like. You like it rather wild, don’t you? Yes…I saw you two clawing and biting each other…I heard you beg for her to fuck you more…harder. What was it you said," now working the last two ties of his pants, "…oh yes… ‘Please, darling…fuck me hard…mmm yes, please don’t stop.’ That was nice, Kathryn…I liked that part the best." Moving up farther, pressing his groin into hers roughly through his pants, moving his hand away for a moment and deciding to prolong her agony, he hissed, "I’ll fuck you hard too, Red…I’ll make you scream for more just like she did."

"Doubtful," snarled Fowler from behind him as she grabbed him by his hair, yanking the man off of Kathryn and throwing him against the wall. At him instantly, full of rage and anger like she hadn’t felt in years, Fowler grabbed him again and slung the stunned man into the corner near the bathroom. The large pilot was again at him quickly, and as he spun around, she brought around her fist that had be ready and threw a vicious right cross, connecting with his cheek squarely. The impact was slightly painful to the pilot, since she was used to fighting with gloves, but so full of adrenaline and pure unadulterated ire, she didn’t give it any thought and instantly brought the same hand back around, backhanding his other cheek. When he slumped forward just a tad, she grabbed his head and brought up her knee, connecting with his nose, knowing she had to have broken several bones in his face, no matter how dense his cranium was, although not seeing any blood. Stepping back, the amazon like pilot jumped into a front snap kick, but somehow, he was able to block it, grab her foot and push her back onto the bed where she landed somewhat on the captain who was doing her best to move out of the way and free herself. When he came after her, she kicked him squarely in the chest, pushing him back against the wall and was on her feet almost at the same moment. Once he lunged forward, she swiveled easily, reached up with her hands, took a hold of his head as he punched her in the rips quickly, and spun him and herself to the ground, twisting with all of her weight around his spine, and snapping it like a twig. Still full of hate, she dragged his body up by his hair and the waistband of his pants, spun and hurled into the bathroom where he crashed against the back wall, and fell lifeless to the floor. Breathing heavily, unaware that she had blood from her head wound running down the side of her face and onto her chest, not feeling the broken bone in her hand, or two ribs that he had cracked, Fowler spun around, reached under the pillow, grabbed the phaser, set it to highest setting, turned and fired it at him, his broken, pathetic body dematerializing instantly. Then throwing the phaser at where he had been, she spat a mixture of spit and blood, "Next time pick on someone your own size…fucker!"

It took Fowler a few seconds to get her head back together as she leaned heavily against the door, then glancing over her shoulder at the captain who was still lying on the bed, doing her best to curl up on her side, even though her arms were bound, Nick snapped out of her rage and ran over to Janeway. Grabbing the tie around the captain’s mouth, she pulled it down to her neck, then quickly took a hold of the tie on her left arm and yanked it soundly, pulling it away from her bed post, tearing the fabric, then promptly did the same with the other one. Once Kathryn was free, Fowler pulled her up and into her arms, holding her tightly and said, "He’s gone, Captain…he’s gone for good."

Clutching Fowler tightly, Janeway remained rigid, unable to relax and croaked, "Will you get me some clothes please?"

"Sure, stay here," Fowler said taking the captain’s hands from her neck and having to pry them away. Then quickly she went into the bathroom, grabbed the clothes she had picked out for the captain and asked, "Do you need some time before I contact anyone?"

"Thank you," the captain whispered clutching at the back of her head as her mind started to come back to her slowly and her body began registering her injuries. Feeling dizzy in an instant, she moaned slumping back over, "Nick…I need to lie down."

As the captain feel to her side and coughed, obviously feeling nauseous, Fowler rushed up to her and put her hand to the back of the captain’s head were she had been holding it. Feeling the damp matted hair, she looked at her pillow, seeing a few traces of blood, and said, looking up, "Computer, open a ship-wide channel." Once that was done, she said, "This is Lieutenant Fowler. The captain has been injured and requires immediate medical assistance in my quarters. Dispatch security teams…the intruder has been neutralized." Then quickly as Janeway coughed again and mumbled something, Fowler grabbed the cotton pants she had retrieved for the redhead and pulled them over her lower body. They were very much too big for the smaller woman, but they did enough to give her some privacy. Then carefully, she lifted the captain’s legs enough so she could pull down her comforter and put it over her to her shoulders. Rubbing her back, she whispered, "They’re coming now…try to stay awake if you can."

Janeway grabbed Fowler’s hand and said, groggy, "Nick…caseI…dontmember…he’s…paidto…hurtme."

"Everyone please," the Doctor said cranky, standing up and yelling to the crowd of officers that were hovering around Fowler’s quarters, just outside the door, "the captain is going to be fine…but I can’t think with all of you here…now go, or I’ll have you removed!"

Holding a wash cloth to her forehead, Fowler insisting that the captain’s injuries be tended to first since she was fine…just looked worse than she was, Fowler turned around and said, "Alright everyone…you heard the Doctor…let’s go and give the captain her privacy." When Torres and Seven remained steadfastly where they stood, she said, "You too…let’s go."

Corrosive and hot as a sun, Torres growled, "I’m not leaving…so get over it."

"That’s an order, Lieutenant…and yes, right now…I out rank you…so move your butt," Fowler came back quickly. "You too, Seven…we can talk in the hallway."

Raising her eyebrow, Seven eyed Nicole Fowler up and down for several seconds. Then finally turning to the shorter Klingon who was staring at the Doctor and Janeway with her arms over her chest hiding her balled fist, she placed her hand on her shoulder and said, "Kathryn would wish us to follow orders, B’Elanna Torres. There is nothing we can do for her the moment, except comply."

Sighing, Torres spun around and pushed past them both marching out into the hall and screaming at the few people that were standing around, "Get the hell out of here before I kill every last one of you!" When mostly everyone left quietly, used to the irascible woman’s wrath since most the onlookers were from her Engineering staff, she barked to one ensign who didn’t take too kindly to her words, throwing his phrase back at him, "Fuck you!" Then spinning around and yelling at Fowler as she exited her quarters after Seven, she asked, "What in the hell were you thinking? She could have been killed by that lunatic!"

"Torres, I’m not going to discuss it without the captain’s authorization…it was her call," Fowler informed not missing a beat, leaning up against the wall. "This was a command decision…you can take it up with her in the morning."

"This conversation is inefficient and irrelevant," Seven piped up quickly standing erect, with her hands behind her back between the two women. "Kathryn’s attacker has been terminated. She will recover from her injuries. Therefore we must focus our efforts on discovering who hired the intruder to attack her. This situation is unacceptable, and we must be efficient to prevent further similar attempts on the captain." When both women closed their mouths and just stared at Seven, she turned her head toward Fowler and stated, "You will inform me once she is lucid. I will be in Astrometrics continuing to decode the text message." Then looking to Torres, Seven stated, "B’Elanna Torres, you will remain here so that Kathryn may see one of us when she regains consciousness since I am needed elsewhere. And you will not attempt to harm any individuals aboard this vessel. You must comply." Then not waiting for an answer, she spun on her heels and started down the hallway.

Shaking her head, Fowler asked the engineer that hand her hands on her hips and was watching Seven walk away, "How the hell does she do that?"

Torres threw her hands in the air and said, "Because, she’s Borg." Then sighing, and rubbing her forehead, Torres turned around and said, "I’m sorry I got angry…I’m not mad at you." Shaking out her hands, she went on, "Kahless…I just feel like I’ve had one heart attack after the other today." Then punching the wall firmly, keeping her fist against it, she said, "God…you have no idea how much I want the fucker to be alive so I can kill him all over again."

Fowler slid down to the floor, and said, "Well, there’s not much chance in that since I killed him at least twice." When Torres looked over her shoulder, she smiled a little painfully and said, "First I broke his face, then I broke his neck, then I threw him across the room, and then I shot him with my phaser…at level 10. He’s beyond toast, Torres."

"Good," Torres punched the wall again then kicked it. "I hope that pig rots in hell!"

"Excuse me, but will you please stop banging on the wall, Lieutenant…it’s making it difficult for me to concentrate," the Doctor said poking his head out of the door.

Jumping to her feet, Fowler headed off Torres who was marching toward the Doctor, snarling and said, "Let’s go for a walk…we need to talk anyway."

"Lieutenant, I think that perhaps you should allow me to examine you now," the Doctor chimed in.

Walking away, ushering Torres with her, Fowler said over her shoulder, "Doc, I’ve hurt myself worse than this sleeping…don’t worry, I’ll be back in a little while and then you can patch me up." Once the hologram sighed, shaking his head and went back into the room, Fowler said, "We need to talk, Torres…and I need you to listen to me."

"I’m listening," Torres snapped.

"No, right now you’re raging," Fowler pointed out still walking down the hall. "You’re going to have to calm down or you’re going to make matters worse."

"How’s that?"

Pushing Torres into a storage closet, Fowler said, "You’re girlfriend…you know the captain…well, she was out two minutes away from being raped, B’Elanna. She’s been attacked three times in one day, been thrown around like a rag doll, had her head smashed in, body bitten, stripped of her clothing, bound to a bed, and forced to listen to some piece of shit’s fantasies about her." Then sighing and taking the towel away from her head, Fowler said, "I don’t care who she is…that’s going to mess with her mind. The last thing she needs right now is more aggression. For her sake, you’ve got to deal with this now and move past it."

Putting her hands behind her neck as she paced around, Torres said, "Nick…I don’t know how to handle this right. I was the one who was supposed to protect her…I feel like this is my fault. I can’t get it out of my mind…all day, that’s all I can think about…but she wouldn’t let me protect her…she kept pushing me off to do something else."

"I know you feel that way, Torres…but you’ve got to let it go," Fowler explained sympathetically. "She’s the captain of this ship…that means that she has to put the welfare of her crew first, before hers, even when only her life is in danger." Walking up to the engineer, she said, "This was a command decision. She approached me about it, I gave her my thoughts, and we came up with a plan. She’d never involve Seven right now, so soon after her operation, and she was worried he wouldn’t come after her if she was with you because…"

"Because why…because she doesn’t trust that I could take care of her?" asked Torres quietly, facing the wall.

"No…she wanted you to defend her…told me so herself, that she was willing to do that because she knew you felt strongly about it…but," touching Torres’ shoulder and turning her around, "I don’t want to freak you out…but the guy was watching you two…when you were together the other night."

"What!"

"I know it’s freaky…but I heard him talking to her tonight while I was recovering from being knocked on the head," Fowler explained, bringing the towel back up to her temple. "He told her earlier, from the first attack that he liked watching you two…so she thought, and I agreed, that he wouldn’t come after her if you were there, hoping that the two of you would get it on…or something." When Torres sank down to the floor and buried her head in her arms, Fowler knelt down and said, "That’s why you couldn’t be involved…there was too much risk that he would try to hurt you too, or not show himself at all, and this would still be happening right now. I know it’s tough, but she made the right decision…we couldn’t let this guy keep stalking around here when there’s a little girl aboard."

As tears ran down her cheeks, Torres asked, "Nick…what do I do? I’ve never dealt with anything like this before?"

Fowler sat down next to the Klingon and put her arm around her and explained, "First of all, get it out of your mind that it’s your fault. This is no one’s fault except that bastards…and whoever it is that was paying him." When Torres nodded, she continued, "Next, you’ve got to be patient…if you really love her, you’ll understand that she might act strange for a while. I don’t know her…I don’t’ know how she’ll react. She’s damned strong if she’s lasted this long out here without going crazy, but this is a little different, so be patient. Don’t always ask her if she’s okay, don’t treat her any differently…none. If she asks you to act differently, then do so, but only if she asks…and don’t go off half crazy every time she’s in danger from now on either. She still has a job to do, and she’s probably going to cling to that like it’s her life for a while…just to feel normal."

"How do you know all this?"

Sighing, Folwer reached back and scratched her head in anxiety. No matter how many times she told this story, it never really go any easier. Finally, she exhaled and said softly, "The love of my life was raped during our engagement." Looking away from a moment, and then back, regaining her composure, she went on, "It was terrible…and I didn’t handle it very well…and it ripped us apart. After that, I got some counseling and took a lot of classes on this kind of thing…and became certified to counsel sexual victims…both male and female…there really isn’t much difference. And considering that Janeway is a captain, she’ll probably exhibit symptoms of both sexes, since males usually have a problem with being overpowered and controlled more than women. I mean, it effects both, but men, and people in command positions tend to have a harder time with it."

"But, Kathryn wasn’t," the word like a knife in her chest, constricting her air flow and making it almost impossible to be spoken, "raped."

"No, she wasn’t…but she came about as close as one came come to it without it actually happening," Fowler explained. "She had already shutdown, stopped fighting, and in her mind, she knew it was going to happen, so she was already moving past that, thinking ahead on how to survive. This is standard command training stuff…all women in command get this training. So, that might mean that in her mind, there really is no difference…just because it didn’t actually happen, she had already submitted to it…that’s hard to handle when you’re a woman like Janeway."

Sniffling, Torres said, "I don’t want to lose her, Nick…I’m scared."

"You won’t lose her if you just go with the flow and continue to love her as you always do," Fowler responded. "The captain is a strong woman, and she knows herself very well…she has to, as a captain, she has to know her strengths and weaknesses. She’ll fight through this tooth and nail, I guarantee it…just don’t push her, be there for her, and always remind her that you love her completely. You’re going to have to help Seven too…but I think that Seven will probably handle this the best out of all of you since she seems to understand some things about the captain inherently…that’s probably just because she pays such close attention to every thing. She’s got one up on the rest of us." Then patting Torres on the back affectionately, Fowler said, "And if you start to feel angry, come see me and we’ll go pound the bag for a few hours…that’s what they’re there for…just don’t pound on the walls anymore."

"Okay…I won’t…on my honor," Torres nodded wiping her nose. Then standing, she helped Fowler up and said, "By the way, Nick…thanks for beating the shit out of that asshole."

"I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t feel good to bust my hand across his chops," Fowler chuckled ruefully looking at her bruised hand. "Come on…I think I’m ready to get patched up now….you ready to see her?"

"Yes…I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t get to talk to her soon," Torres admitted walked out of the closet and back toward Nicole’s quarters. "Is that good?"

Fowler put her arm around the engineer and said, "Torres…yes, that’s good. Just be yourself…the rest will come along…have faith."

"Hey Red," Torres said softly poking her head around the Doctor who was walking away to begin treating Fowler who was sitting at her table. Since half of Deck Five's life-support had yet to be restored, Chakotay and Tuvok working as fast as they could to undo the damage that they had done by shutting and locking down the ship so quickly, the hologram was having to treat his patients where he found them, unless the situation was serious enough that he had to have them transporter to the holodeck where he had set up a makeshift Sickbay.

Still a little groggy, Janeway smiled and lifted her hand, telling Torres to come sit next to her and said, "Hello again." When the engineer took a seat next to her on Fowler’s twin bed, Janeway brought her hand to her face and asked, her voice hoarse, "It’s good to see you…how are you doing?"

Sighing, Torres shook her head and smirked, saying, "Red…why do you always ask me that, when you’re the one with the bump on her head?"

"Because I love you and want to know," Janeway smiled back softly. "And because I’m the captain and can’t help myself."

"Well, I’m fine." Then leaning down, she kissed Janeway on the lips softly and said, "I love you."

"Mmm…I feel better already, darling," Janeway whispered, palming Torres face. Then looking around the room, she asked as the brunette sat back up. "Where’s Seven?"

Torres grinned crookedly and replied,"Three guesses..."

Sighing, Janeway shook her head and said, rather than asked, "She’s still working…figures. I thought her primary objective was to recover?"

"I think she’s got a new primary objective," Torres informed grabbing the captain’s hand and kissing her knuckles, "and I’m not sure it’s so smart to try to dissuade her otherwise right now. You know how she gets…resistance is futile and all that stuff. Besides…she’s doing really well, and I know that she’s rested a lot today. I wouldn’t worry."

Smiling warmly at Torres’ gesture, Janeway nodded and said, "Oh, I’m very aware of her stubborn streak. Well, if you say she’s fine…then I won’t worry about her then." Holding Torres’ hand, Janeway looked over to where the Doctor was running a bone knitter over her pilot’s exposed abdomen and asked, "Doctor…how’s my pilot?"

Frowning, the Doctor said to the tall woman, "She’s got two fractured ribs, a broken knuckle, and a gash over her eye. She’ll be fine though…of course."

Over her shoulder, Fowler joked, "It’s nothing, Captain…I’m just not used to boxing without gloves on…I’ll have to work on my defense."

"I’d say you did just fine, Lieutenant, considering the status of your opponent," Janeway came back. Then looking back to Torres, Janeway said, "You’d have been impressed, darling…I’m not sure he knew what hit him."

"Oh, I’m impresses alright…and I certainly won’t be picking any fights with her anytime soon," Torres said back to the pilot as the Doctor started in on her hand. "So, Doc…can I take her home tonight, or what?"

"She’s free to go whenever," the Doctor nodded, "just don’t hit your head anymore today, please. I’ve seen enough bloodshed, and of course, try to get some rest."

Shaking her head, Janeway sighed, "I’ll do my best, Doctor." Then turning to Torres, brushing the man off, she asked, "Darling…will you get me a shirt…there’s one on the floor somewhere?" After Torres handed her the shirt, she slipped it on, and carefully crawled out of the bed, holding the pants Fowler had give her at her waist so they didn’t fall down. When Torres and Fowler both snickered at the sight of the slight captain dressed in the amazon’s clothes, Janeway had to chuckle herself and said, "Well, I don’t think I’ll be raiding your closet anytime soon, Lieutenant…unless I want to make a complete fool out of myself." Then going into the bathroom, the captain swallowed as she saw the dent on the back wall that hadn’t been fixed yet, from where Fowler had flung the mysterious man, took a couple of deep breaths and quickly gathered up her uniform, deciding to not change and wanting to depart this room as soon as possible. Handing her stuff to Torres, she went over to Fowler, patted her on the arm and said, "Lieutenant, thank you again. We’ll talk later after I make my report, and I’ll make sure someone from maintenance comes down here and takes care of the…mess. If you want to stay somewhere else tonight, I’m sure Miss Torres would be happy to take you in."

Speaking up, B’Elanna said, "Sure, Nick…you can use my place…I’m not going to be there tonight anyhow."

Fowler nodded and said, "Aye, Captain…and thanks…I think I’ll do that."

After leaving Nicole’s quarters, Janeway contacted Chakotay as they walked to Astrometrics, informing him that she wanted to see him in her quarters in fifteen minutes. Then after stopping by to see Seven, who willingly ceased her work and decided to retire for the evening, the three of them went back to the captain’s quarters. When Kathryn first entered her cabin, the sensation was strange, but somewhat welcoming since her quarters where her home, where she felt most comfortable, but after changing into flannel pajamas and turning up the temperature in the room like she had planned to do earlier, and after talking with Chakotay for a few minutes about the ship’s status, a peculiar mood swept over her. Grabbing a cup of coffee, Janeway sighed heavily looking around her living room trying to pinpoint what was making her feel so uneasy in her own home. Part of her wondered if it was the presence of her lovers in the other room, as they continued to talk quietly, giving the captain her privacy during and after her conversation with Chakotay. Then when she kept getting the urge to put on her uniform and return to duty, Janeway began slowly pacing back and forth, rubbing her forehead, trying to decide what to do. The only thing that was holding her back from returning to duty for the foreseeable future, needing to feel like she was in control of her ship and see to putting it back together and getting back underway as soon as possible was that she knew she would get more than a small argument from her lovers, as well as a hefty portion of her crew. But when that thought hit her, it sparked something in Kathryn, which told her that at least that would be a normal occurrence, so without further contemplation, Janeway set down her coffee on her desk, walked into her bedroom and said, lying, "I’m going to go check on the ship for a little while…but I’ll be back." Emerging from her closet in her normal habit, rubbing the scuff off of her boot with her sleeve, expecting and almost hoping for a fight, she was surprised when she saw Seven coming back from the living room with a glass of water for herself and a beer for Torres, as the Klingon sat rather relaxed on her lounger perusing one of the captain’s novels. Shrugging, Kathryn went over to her bed, and slipped on her shoes.

After sipping her water, Seven came over to Kathryn, sat down next to her and said, "Very well...we will be here when you return." When Janeway finished putting on her shoes and turned to Seven, smirking slightly and nodding mock thanks, since them going along with her wasn’t making her feel any better, Seven raised her eyebrow and stated, "However, if you are gone for an unacceptable amount of time, do not be surprised if the Doctor tracks you down and orders you to quarters."

That statement got a real, trademark smile out of the captain, and pointing to her cheek, she said, "Kiss me." After Seven did so, the captain kissed her forehead after she stood and said, "I love you…don’t wait up for me." Then quickly, she walked over to Torres, kissed her on the forehead as well and said, "And I love you, and I’m putting you in charge…don’t let her stay up too late…she needs her rest."

"Thanks a lot, Red," Torres huffed, laughing as the captain walked away quickly and Seven smirked, amused that the redhead would presume to believe that anyone could get her to do something she did not wish to do. Once Janeway was gone, Torres turned toward Seven, putting down the book and informed, sipping her beer, "You realize…she’s going to be gone all night, right?"

"Yes," Seven responded gravely. "B’Elanna Torres, why was is necessary for us not to express our concern?"

Torres came over to Seven and said sitting down with her, putting her arm around Seven’s waist and resting her head on her shoulder, "Because, she needs to be the captain right now. She needs to get her life back to normal before she can even think about worrying about her personal life."

"How can we assist?"

"I’m not sure yet," Torres answered honestly. "I think we should just continue to be ourselves…but give her a little more distance as far as her job goes. Let’s just do what she asks from us for a while, and if things don’t get better, then we’ll talk to her, but for now… I think we should just let her be. She knows what is best for her."

"I am not certain of that," Seven answered, "however, since I do not have a better suggestion, I will heed your advice." Seven sipped her water for a few moments and then stated, "If we are to remain ‘ourselves’ then it is necessary for us to show our displeasure for her when she pushes herself too far. I am not certain how we can accomplish both objectives since they are in contradiction."

"Maybe," Torres said, "we should just lighten up a little…like what you did just now…you told her that her going away was fine, but reminding her that we care, without making it seem like we’re trying to control her. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I believe I understand."

When Seven of Nine and B’Elanna Torres awoke in the morning at 0700 hours, neither one of them were surprised to find that the captain had not returned during the night. After Seven queried the computer requesting the location of Janeway, again, not surprised to find that she was still in her Ready Room, each woman crawled out of bed and showered together quickly, Torres taking the time to show Seven how to wash her hair correctly, since she had never done so before and helping her rinse all of the soap out, having to laugh a little when Seven informed her that the captain’s shampoo didn’t taste good. After teasing the tall Borg and telling her that she was supposed to keep her mouth closed, they exited and quickly put on their normal clothes. They decided to split up for the day, since Torres preferred to eat in the Mess Hall, she kissed Seven good bye, while the Borg headed off to the Bridge to share a nutritional supplement with the captain and make certain that she was okay. Afterward, they had agreed to meet up for a few minutes in Astrometrics and discuss the situation in relative private since when Seven of Nine was on duty, she did not require assistance in the space lab.

Entering the Bridge a few minutes before the true start of the Alpha shift, Seven nodded to Tuvok who was early to his shift and headed down the stairs toward the captain’s Ready Room. Pressing her hand to the door call sensor, she waited patiently for the captain to respond. When she did not respond, Seven turned around went up to Tuvok and stated, "Commander, I believe the captain may be asleep. I am aware that she often regenerates in her Ready Room. Would you open the door so that I may enter?"

Raising his eyebrow, Tuvok nodded and prepared to do so, but only opened it once Seven of Nine approached the small door again. From his viewpoint, he was able to spot the curled up form of his commanding officer on her couch as the doors opened. Moving his hand away from the phaser that he kept underneath his console and returning to his duties, he wondered if he would hear about that move later in the day, by a cranky captain who didn’t appreciate her Security Chief authorizing visitors into her office without her approval.

Sighing as she stepped into the room, Seven walked immediately to the replicator and programmed two supplements and a fresh cup of coffee. Then walking over to the stairs, she climbed them soundlessly, set the beverages on the coffee table, furrowing her brow, remembering that Janeway had lost her favorite coffee set that used to decorate the now empty table, and deciding that she would just use her surplus of rations to replicate her a new one since the Borg had stock piled quite a large amount of rations since she rarely used them for ‘free-time.’ Carefully, Seven perched next to Janeway who was curled up on the couch without a blanket or pillow, and said, placing her hand on her arm, "Kathryn…you are required to consume a nutritional supplement at this time."

When Janeway flinched and opened her eyes quickly, a startled and fearful look cascaded over her face. Then seeing her Ready Room and the unmistakable long, tightly clothed maroon legs of her Astrometrics officer, Janeway pushed herself up and asked, "What’s going on?"

Curious at the question, Seven stated, "It is time for you to consume a nutritional supplement, Kathryn."

Sighing, Janeway rubbed her eyes and asked, "What time is it?"

"It is approximately 0800 hours." Then reaching over, she picked up the coffee cup and handed it to Janeway who was swiveling her legs so she could sit properly and said, "When you did not return last night, I assumed that you had decided to regenerate in your Ready Room."

"Thank you," Janeway croaked. After taking a healthy swig, she placed her hand on Seven’s thigh and explained, "I’m sorry, Seven…I didn’t mean to fall asleep…I just came over here to rest for a minute." Then clearing her throat, she leaned back, turned her gaze on the cool blonde and asked, "So, how are you this morning?"

"I am functioning acceptably," Seven answered picking up her supplement. "I have an appointment with the Doctor in the afternoon. Afterward we will begin working on my alcove." When Janeway didn’t make a move to pick up her drink, Seven handed her the one she was holding, not giving the captain time to resist, letting go of it immediately and forcing her to grasp it on her lap before it spilled all over the place, and retrieving the other one for herself. Then tapping her glass to the captain’s, she said, "Cheers."

Pursing her lips, Janeway shook her head, smirking slightly, and raised her glass, taking a sip. Placing her coffee back on the table, Janeway asked, "So, does that mean that you think you’re ready for active duty?"

"That is correct."

Leaning back again, the captain asked directly, crossing her legs and forcing herself not to groan as her joints cried out for relief, "Are you wanting to get back to duty so soon because someone wants to hurt me?"

"It is a contributing factor, Kathryn," answered the Borg honestly. "However, it is not the only reason, and nor do all of the reasons revolve are you. I feel the need to return to work, for myself, as well. There is nothing further for me to do as far as recovering that I cannot do after my shift."

Raising her eyebrow some, she asked pointedly, "So, you don’t plan on working fifty-eight hour shifts anymore?"

"No. I am not capable of functioning that long without regeneration any longer," Seven reminded.

"And, you plan on coming home at a reasonable time?"

Seven titled her head to the captain and stated, "I will do so if you will do so."

The captain shook her head and explained, "I’m not asking for a compromise. I’m telling you that the only way I’m going to release you to active duty is if you promise to get home at a reasonable time to continue to use that time to recover and let your body develop a routine. You still have to get used to a great many things…I know you feel fine now, but if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t."

"You are asking me to develop a routine without your consistent presence…that is a contradiction."

"I’m not saying I’m not going to be there, Seven," Janeway replied. "But your recovery doesn’t hinge on whether or not I’m extra busy on any given day and need to remain on duty. You have to develop your own routine…do the things that you need to do for yourself. I know it seems strange, but you’ll understand once you start doing the same things every day."

Sighing, Seven stated, "Very well. I do not understand how I can develop a routine, a term that means to act in a consistent manner, if you do not return home consistently, but I will attempt to comply. I do not wish to argue about this further."

Raising her eyebrows in total surprise, Janeway said, "Well, that’s new?"

"I am attempting to be ‘flexible,’ Kathryn," Seven informed quickly. "I do not wish for you to be upset today. I merely want you to feel comfortable and get back to your…routine. Although, I am finding it difficult to understand how I can develop my own when part of yours includes regenerating in this room. However, I am Borg and I will adapt."

"Seven," Janeway sighed, "I didn’t mean to fall asleep in here…I promise…it was just an accident, and I don’t plan on doing it unless it’s absolutely necessary that I stick close to the Bridge, okay?"

Furrowing her brow, Seven exhaled heavily, stood and said, "I am failing. I apologize, Kathryn…it was not my intention to upset you today. You may regenerate in this room at your discretion. It is not my place to say otherwise."

As Seven started for the door quickly, Janeway stood and said, "Seven…" but the Borg did not stop and continued right out of the captain’s Ready Room, supplement in hand. Feeling like she just got hit by a truck and didn’t have a chance to catch the license plate, Janeway set down her cup with an audible thud, picked up her coffee and started down the steps as the door call sounded. Irritated, she said, quickly, "Enter."

"Good morning, Captain," said her first officer fairly cheerful and attempting to be a pleasant as possible considering he got about as much sleep as she did last night.

"What’s so good about it?" volleyed Janeway sitting down at her desk, guzzling her coffee. Then setting her mug down, she sighed and said, "I’m sorry…that was rude."

Frowning, he asked, carefully, "Did you have a fight with Seven?" not sure if he was about to get his head torn off or his ear bent.

Shaking her head, Janeway threw up her hands and said, "Hell if I know…but it sure feel like we did." Then rubbing her forehead, she asked, "Did you have something, Commander…or were you just dropping by to check up on me?"

Chakotay sat down in the chair in front of her desk and said, "A little of both…is this a bad time?"

"Report," Janeway asked letting go of her forehead and grabbing her coffee trying to make it known that personal matters where not on the agenda today.

"Tuvok says that all decks have been repopulated during the night and that all systems are functioning…we’re back on course for the Alpha Quadrant," informed the commander getting the hint without a problem, but not certain if he was going to take it yet.

Nodding, she said swallowing her drink, "Good…I’ve finished my report of what we know occurred so far. I’ve given a commendation to Lieutenant Fowler for her bravery, as well as made a note of what a fine job the entire crew did keeping their cool under such abnormal conditions. Any word on Mister Neelix’s party? I think this crew deserves a pat on the back?"

"I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll ask him," Chakotay answered quietly, his concerns for the captain starting to come to fruition. "Don’t you think that you deserve a commendation for your bravery?"

"I’ll let Starfleet decide that once we return," she answered immediately. "As soon as we know something about the text message that Seven’s working on, and Engineering reports back on the cloaking device, we should have a staff meeting and discuss the events, and see if there’s something we can learn from this whole mess."

"Agreed." Clearing his throat, he asked, "Any gut feelings as to whom paid this man to come after you?"

"A few," Janeway said draining her coffee mug. Then frowning at the emptiness, she asked, standing, "Want some coffee?"

"No thanks," Chakotay said watching her start for the upper deck of her Ready Room.

Stopping at the stairs, Janeway sighed, turning back around and going to the replicator, saying, "You know…if there is one thing that iritates me more than anything else is that I lost my coffee set over this."

Knowing that was a lie, Chakotay asked, "So, who do you think it was that hired him?"

"I don’t really want to speculate until we have more evidence, Commander," Janeway answered taking up her coffee and coming back to her desk. "The last thing I need is for everyone to have itchy trigger fingers every time we encounter another vessel."

"Well, I guess that’s probably wise," Chakotay said as she sat down. When she didn’t attempt to say anything else, he stood and said, "That’s all I had, Captain…unless there was anything you wanted to talk about?"

Setting her mug down, Janeway said, looking over at her terminal, "Not at the moment, Commander…will you send Miss Fowler in here please?"

"Of course, Captain," Chakotay nodded leaving quickly. Once the door had closed behind him, he looked over at Tuvok who was silently inquiring. Shaking his head he went up to the helm and said, quietly, "Lieutenant, the captain's asking for you."

Standing, Fowler grabbed the PADD she had brought with her to the Bridge and started for the captain’s door. Touching her hand to the sensor, she placed her hands behind her back, not wanting to get into the contents of her data device until after she had a chance to gauge the captain’s mood and openness. After she was granted entrance, she walked in quickly and came to a halt in front of the chair at the captain’s desk and said, "You wished to speak with me, Captain?"

Janeway turned toward Fowler and said, "Yes, have a seat please." Then pulling up her captain’s log that she recited last night, she turned the terminal around and said, "This is my log from last night." When Fowler started to look at it, Janeway smiled somewhat and said, "I just wanted to tell you personally that I’ve put a commendation in your personal file for your bravery and courage under fire while risking your own life to protect me, and the other members of this vessel." Standing, Janeway came around to Fowler who immediately stood as well, held out her hand, which Nicole took and shook her firmly, "Thank you, Lieutenant…you’ve made me and your uniform very proud."

Nodding her head once, Fowler withdrew her hand and said, "Thank you, Captain…it was an honor to be given the duty to protect you."

Smirking, Janeway patted her on the shoulder and said, "Spoken like true Starfleet, Nick…want some coffee?"

"Thank you, Captain…yes please."

Ordering Fowler a cup of black coffee, remembering that she liked hers black as well easily since no one else on her senior staff that drank coffee did, Janeway brought the mug to her and asked, "Did your quarters get cleaned up?"

"Thanks…yes…sometime last night," answered the tall pilot taking the cup. After sipping, she took a deep breathe, set her mug down on the captain’s table, and said, placing the PADD on the desk as well, leaving it close to the edge, "Captain, permission to speak freely?"

Waving her hand, Janeway smirked, finding it funny that Nicole still asked her that even though she thought she had made it clear that coffee time, meant speak freely time, and said, "Go ahead, Nick."

Sliding the PADD toward the captain, but keeping her hand over it so Janeway wouldn’t pick it up right away, Fowler said, "I brought this for you. It’s not something that I take lightly, or do often, but in this case I’m willing to offer my services to you." Then taking her hand away, she said, "Please read it when you have a spare moment…and if you’re interested, contact me. If you’re not, I won’t mention it again…nor will I pass judgement. I just thought I’d offer."

Curious, but getting the idea that Nicole did not want her to look at it right now, Janeway pushed it to the side and said, "Okay…I will…thank you." Then as they both sipped their coffee during the few awkward seconds after such a dubious exchange, Janeway finally asked, "So, how are you doing?"

"Well, my injuries are healed, of course," Fowler replied, "although, I have to say that I’m feeling a little jumpy still. I know he’s dead…because I killed him…but I don’t know…it just gives me the creeps to think about it."

Having the same sensation throughout the night, once actually thinking she saw him walking into her bathroom and practically having a heart attack before she reminded herself that he was dead, Janeway sighed and admitted, "I know what you mean. I think it’s natural since we rarely ever saw him…I’m sure it will pass though." When Janeway took a deep breath and caught a whiff of the scent she thought she’d never get out of her mind, she snatched up her cup, bringing it back to her lips, letting the smell of coffee overpower her senses that continued to play tricks on her and asked, "There are a couple of things that we have to go over for my official report…are you up to it right now? If not, that’s fine…there’s no hurry."

"No, it’s best to talk about it right away," Fowler said quickly. When Janeway seemed shocked that she would make such a statement, Nicole explained away, not wanting to get into just how much she knew about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder until after the captain had read her note, "I’m worried that I’ll forget important things if we wait."

"Good point," Janeway said getting up out of her chair. "Let’s go over were it’s more comfortable…this might take a while."

After discussing all the details the captain had missed while she had been in the shower, finding out that Nicole had been lying on the bed when she was attacked quickly from the side. She said she wasn’t sure, but it felt like she was hit with a fist near her temple, and was attacked hard enough that it made her very dizzy. Then before she could react, she was walloped again in the same spot and was completely knocked out. There was no need for Fowler to explain to the captain about the effects of being hit in the area, Janeway very familiar with them all, even the possibility of death. Fowler’s hands had been bound, but she said that after she woke up, she was able to break the material fairly easily, but that she had to wait for a moment when he was talking a lot for fear that he would hear or see the motion. The captain informed her that she did a fantastic job because she herself didn’t hear or see anything before Fowler stood up and ripped him off of her. After that was done, they talked about the struggle, the captain informing Fowler of just what blows were traded, needing to make a record of it for evidence purposes since he was killed. Janeway wasn’t concerned that Starfleet would have a problem with her killing the man, she just wanted to make certain that if his people came looking for him and tried to hold any of them accountable for his death, she had all the evidence to show that she killed him out of self-defense since he would have undoubtedly killed her if her could have. Fowler helped with the names of the techniques she used, as the captain gave the descriptions as best she could, and once that was over, the captain made sure she asked how Fowler was dealing with the fact that she had killed someone. Nicole explained that she didn’t particularly like the idea much, never had, but it wasn’t something that was going to keep her up at night in this case, adamantly stating that if she had to do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe break a few more knuckles on his face before she cracked his neck.

Once that was said, Janeway whispered quietly that she would just keep that off the record and just state that she did not regret her actions or feel they were unduly harsh, and informed her if there were ever a board of inquiry brought up about this incident once they returned home, that she would stand behind her the whole time and take full responsibility for the incident since it was her decision to bait the man. After that, they shared a few moments chuckling a little bit about how they had flirted all day long, and how Janeway was certain that half of the ship was talking about them at that minute. Fowler inquired as to if she had informed her real girlfriends about the situation and Janeway told her no she hadn’t, and she didn’t feel it was necessary at all since she was certain both Torres and Seven could figure it out for themselves, and considering it was a professional matter, she doubted they would ever bring it up. Fowler admitted to being quite nervous the whole day, certain that Seven of Nine was going to walk in at any moment and kick her ass, and after that got Janeway to laugh out loud, Fowler went further to say that the captain shouldn’t take her words the wrong way, but that the next time she needed a stand in girlfriend, Fowler would be happy to offer her services since she was absolutely certain there were much worse details she could pull, which caused the captain to blush slightly, before she was able to inform Fowler that the feeling was mutual.

After almost two hours of conversation, Fowler set down her almost empty second cup of coffee and said, "Well, Captain…I think that maybe I should get back to the Bridge before Seven does think something’s going on." Then laughing, Fowler said, "But seriously, thank you for this time…I appreciate it. And…I want you to know that I’ve thought a lot about what you said to me the other night after my match with Wang…and you were right. I was going about this the wrong way. Thank you for pointing that out to me, Captain."

"You’re welcome, Nick," Janeway said setting her coffee down as well. "And as far as pointing things out…well, that’s kind of my job…but I understand and I’m glad that you understood the point I was trying to make."

"I do, Captain," Fowler said standing. "And I know it doesn’t mean anything about anything other than I should start using the skills I do have, instead of worrying about the ones I don’t have." Extending her hand and shaking the captain’s hand, Nicole admitted, "And I know this doesn’t mean anything about anything either…but I want you to know…that I do trust you, and when I say that it’s an honor to serve under you, I mean it." When Janeway stood up and gave her thanks, Fowler said, quietly, "Please think carefully about the note I gave you after you read it…and if you need anything…I am available at any time of the day."

After Fowler left promptly, leaving the captain now completely surprised and curious as to what exactly was in the PADD, having the feeling that it wasn’t some kind of pilot training program request as she had first figured, Janeway snatched up the coffee cups, got herself another cup, not caring that this was her forth cup already, and went quickly over to her desk. Leaning back, she picked up the data device, held it gracefully in her hand as she read:

For several minutes Janeway stared at the screen of the PADD rereading the words spoken to her with a mixture of shock, embarrassment, anger, compassion…until all she could do was put the device in her drawer and sit back with her coffee and feel, once again, like everything she knew was being yanked away from her faster than she could stop it. Janeway couldn’t remember a time where she felt so confused about what was happening to her. She was in a situation, personally, that she had never dreamed of, and even though she knew she knew she was happy, blissfully happy, there was something festering inside of her that was keeping her today from enjoying the knowledge that somewhere amidst all the chaos and struggle of this trip to the other side of the galaxy, she had been able to find not one, but two beings that she loved with a passionate fierceness that she hadn’t felt since she fell in love with Justin, so many years ago. If she thought about it, she assumed it was because professionally, even though her ship and crew were in tact and in good, solid working order, there were things out of her control constantly working against her…testing her resolve to the limits. And now, she had made someone mad enough that they had paid some sexual predator to hunt her down, then wear her down, and finally try to break her. Janeway was able to deal with intimidation…she was captain, and whether or not she was a woman made little difference. Intimidation was part of Survival of the Fittest…and the captain herself used that tactical for all it was worth every chance she had, but sexual intimidation…never. And never had she been threatened to such a degree with assault. It seemed rather crazy to her, that type of behavior…and it simply made no sense. As a scientist, things that didn’t make sense to her usually wore on her brain more than anything else since she was constantly looking for an answer so she could put it to bed, or at least in her back pocket. But this…this seemed just plain senseless. If someone hated her so much…why not kill her? Why not take away what really mattered to her…her ship…her crew? This cloak and dagger business, focusing solely on her really made little sense to the captain, even though she knew he was a bounty hunter of sorts and that was his job…it was just like nothing she had ever heard of before.

"And that’s exactly it," she thought to herself, "they want me to suffer…to question…to change my life…my way of thinking over this. That’s how you break me…you make me give up what I believe."

Feeling the need to speak personally, to herself about this, the captain turned toward her workstation, informed the computer that she was not to be disturbed unless there was an emergency, and activated her log:

"Captain’s Log: Personal
Stardate: 50284.3
Subject: Unbreakable?

[Begin recording…]

<slight whimper>No…you’re dead! <sound of computer terminal being tossed across the room and impacting with the wall, the captain sliding across her desk and running toward the door of her Ready Room>Computer…intruder alert!"

Shoving her door open, a pale and panting captain stumbled somewhat out of her Ready Room as Chakotay and Fowler jumped to their feet, looking at her as the Red Alert klaxon sounded, gasping, "He’s here…I saw him." Running up the steps, Janeway ran over to her command chair, reached behind the console grabbing the phaser that was stored there and barked, "Arm yourselves!" When she spun around and looked at her Ready Room door that was closed, she set her jaw and narrowed her eyes as her intruder stood just outside of it staring at her. Raising her phaser, seeing Fowler was doing the same, and moving toward her side quickly, Janeway hissed, "If you so much as take one step forward I will kill you."

Staring at the two female officers as they pointed their weapons at the door of the captain’s office, Chakotay, confused asked, "Captain?"

"We’ll wait for Security to apprehend him, Commander," Janeway answered not taking her eyes off him.

"Who…I don’t see anyone to apprehend?" informed Chakotay.

Confused, Janeway turned her head just for a second to her commander, then catching a quick twitch of movement out of the corner of her eye, the redhead turned back to her aggressor as he smiled, licked his lips and took a step toward her. Keeping her promise, Janeway and Fowler both fired their phasers, which quickly blew a rather big hole in the captain’s Ready Room door.

As the man kept moving forward, looking only at the captain, Nick tossed her phaser to Chakotay, stepping in front of Janeway, and spun into a very lethal spinning round house kick, which she knew if connected with the jaw at just the right spot, the force could snap his head around enough to break his neck. When her momentum carried her all the way around and she did not connect, she backed up a few steps, the man still approaching slowly, and said, "What the fuck?" As Janeway started backing up, Chakotay following her as the intruder started forward. Nick waited until the man stepped to her left just a bit and threw and nasty left hook, passing right through him, then said, uneasy, "Captain…"

Still backing away, holding her phaser out, Janeway finally held her ground, and as the man approached her, she fired again, making sure that if it passed through him again, she wouldn’t hit anyone. When that is exactly what happened, Janeway dropped her hand to her side, closed her eyes once as he came within two steps of her, opened them hoping she was imagining this, and said as he came within one step, the captain clearly able to smell the smoke on his clothing, as he continued to stare directly at her, "Get off my ship!" As the man lifted his arms, his flowing garments looking much like some kind of cloak and wrapped his arms around the captain, Janeway closed her eyes again and stood ramrod stiff. When nothing happened, she opened them exhaling, and he was gone. Spinning around as Security came bounding through both turbolifts and scanning the room, she asked, acidly, "Where the hell did he go?"

Breathing rather heavily, Fowler said coming up to her, "He just disappeared, Captain…I don’t know."

"Captain," Tuvok said coming down to the command deck with his phaser in tow, "I was not able to see the intruder."

"Neither was I," said Chakotay.

Exhaling for the first time since the captain came running out of her Ready Room, Harry Kim said, "Me neither, Captain."

Janeway rubbed her forehead and asked, "What the hell is going on here? How is that possible…Nick, you saw him right?"

"Yes, Captain…clear as day…I even smelled him."

"Perhaps, you should let the Doctor examine you," Tuvok suggested.

Janeway spun around and snapped, "I’m not crazy, Commander…and neither is Miss Fowler. He was here. I saw him…he came after me while I was recording my log." Then thinking about that for a minute, Janeway said running into her Ready Room, "My log…it’s still active…" after picking up her computer terminal that she had thrown at the man as he approached her from the side near her bathroom, Janeway ended the recording and said, coming out of her Ready Room, "Stand down Red Alert. I’ll be in Astrometrics analyzing this recording. Nick, I think you should come with me for now."

"Captain," Chakotay said, "I think you should take some security with you."

Stepping into the turbolift with Fowler, Janeway said, "So they can stand there and shoot at something they don’t see? You have the Bridge, Commander." Once the turbolift doors closed and the captain asked for the appropriate deck, Janeway cursed, "How the hell is that man still alive?"

"I don’t know," Fowler growled, "but I’m not sure that was really him." Looking down at Janeway, she said seriously, "I don’t miss…Captain…I went right through him."

"Do you think it was some kind of holographic projection?" she asked frustrated. Then running her hand through her hair, she shook her head and said, "But I smelled him…you smelled him…holograms don’t smell."

As the doors opened and they exited the turbolift, both of them clearly on edge and looking behind them and taking corners wide, Fowler’s step deadly agile, ready to pounce at any time, as Janeway kept one hand at her waist, ready to grab her phaser that was in her holster, Fowler stopped for a minute and said, touching the captain’s shoulder, "Captain…it wasn’t him…I mean…he wasn’t really there." Closing her eyes, she explained, "I can see his face…we were at Red Alert…the lights were dimmed, but his face…it wasn’t darker…the shadows on his face weren’t consistent…and I don’t remember seeing a shadow on the floor."

Thinking for a moment and looking down, urging Fowler to continue walking, Janeway said, "You know…you’re right. Now that I think about it…the lights in my Ready Room were on full…but he looked exactly the same after the lights on the Bridge dimmed." Then sighing as they approached Astrometrics, Janeway said, "But that doesn’t mean that he’s not still alive…we don’t know yet…so stay on guard…don’t take any chances…he’s obviously not just interested in me alone any more. If I was the only one seeing him, I’d be concerned that is was a hallucination…but since you’re not an empath…that doesn’t make sense. You’re not an empath…are you?"

"Not the last time I checked," Fowler answered as they walked into Astrometrics.

When they entered the impressive space lab to find both Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Torres carrying phasers and starting for the door, Janeway stopped where she was, just inside of the doorway and asked, "Ladies…going somewhere?"

Holstering her phaser, Torres said, "I was just going back to Engineering, Captain…I was in here working with Seven when we went to Red Alert."

"And I was headed to the Bridge to offer my assistance," Seven answered. "What has occurred?"

Sighing, Janeway pushed between them not roughly and said, "Miss Torres, report to the Science Lab and get back to work on the cloaking device…I need to understand how it works…quickly, Lieutenant."

Torres nodded and said, "Aye, Captain," then on the double, she exited and jogged the rest of the way there.

Setting her terminal on the console of the main sensor board, she turned to Seven who was standing directly to her right and asked quietly, "Seven…I need you to wait outside for a while. I’ll call you when I need your help."

The tall Borg looked down at her commanding officer for a few seconds, trying to decide if she should comply or not. Raising her eyebrow, she stated, "The intruder has returned?" When Janeway bobbed her head just slightly, Seven turned on her heels and said exiting, "I will comply…this time." Then before she walked through the door, she turned to Fowler and ordered, "Do not fail her," and then left before Janeway could snap at her.

Janeway shook her head and looked over at Nicole and said, "Don’t take it personally…she says that to every one. I’m surprised she left so easily…you should probably take it as a compliment. She’s rather protective."

Coming up to the captain, Fowler smirked and said, "No offense taken, Captain…can’t say I blame her." Looking down at the sensor board that Janeway was working, interfacing her terminal with the Astrometrics lab, Nicole asked, "What are we doing here…I’m not real familiar with this lab?"

As she continued to work, Janeway explained, "I was recording a personal log when he appeared and started toward me…my log caught all of it." Finishing the interface and downloading her log quickly, the captain went on, "This lab is very capable of analyzing images, sound, text…just about anything we need to take an in depth look at. I’m going to attempt to see if we can hear him or not. If he was just a projection…it’s unlikely that he was breathing…or making any sound. Maybe the log picked up something?" Then turning to Fowler, Janeway cleared her throat and said, "Ordinarily, I wouldn’t play a personal log for anyone…however, I don’t want either of us to be alone until we figure this out…and," she said looking back down and the sensor board, "since you’ve been…kind enough to offer your…services…I know that you’ll keep this confidential."

"Of course, Captain," Fowler said quickly. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just listen…tell me if you hear anything out of the ordinary in the background…I think we’ll have to run through it a couple of times before we can decide to focus on any specific area. I don’t like to record visual logs…so all we have to work with is sound." Sighing, Janeway said, hitting the sensor to start the recording, "Okay…here we go."

The first time through, Fowler did her very best to not pay attention to the captain’s words, but knew that she was failing miserably. The frustration and fear was so clear in her tone…in her words, in her intonation, that Fowler had to force herself not to sigh. When she heard the captain’s plea that she wanted to return home, Fowler, who was leaning on the console, looking at the floor, had to close her eyes to keep from looking up at the captain. No matter how much she still didn’t totally understand why the captain had decided to strand them in the Delta Quadrant, she adamantly believed that any punishment the captain should have received from making that decision had long since incurred and that it was high time that all of them, especially the captain got some relief. The burden was really too great for anyone to bare, and it seemed rather inhumane to expect the captain to continue on this way year after year.

After three times through, Janeway finally sighed and said, "I haven’t heard anything except myself…have you?"

"No…nothing."

"Okay…I’m going to filter out my voice, and amplify the rest…"

Three more times they listened to that, but still there was nothing that was definitive. The only sounds that occurred, even at the highest volume were the captain’s movements while she talked, then the sound of her picking up her terminal, throwing it across the room and it landing against the wall and on the deck. After that, the scrambling of her feet and the Red Alert Klaxon could be heard, and other than the doors to the Ready Room opening once, and the sound of the phaser fire blasting a hole in them…there was nothing. Bringing Seven of Nine back into the room, Janeway asked the tall woman who was most familiar with the capabilities of this lab, "Seven, is there a way for the computer to analyze this recording and report and unknown sounds?"

"Could you be more specific, Captain?" asked Seven.

"Unknown…anything the computer doesn’t recognize or explain how the sound occurred…if we load the time frame with the ship’s sensor logs. Can the computer compare the sensor logs with what was happening in this recording and tell us if something occurred that can’t be explained…like two people in the same room, when before, there had only been one?"

Nodding, Seven answered, getting to work, "Yes, Captain…I believe so. May I access the data in your log? I will need to analyze the exact time frame and pinpoint which systems I wish the computer to focus on. If I do not…this will be a lengthy procedure."

"Yes…go ahead," Janeway answered walking way and climbing the stairs and walking up on the large lab’s dais and pacing back and forth.

Quickly, brought up the captain’s log and ran through the transmission’s time frame, then asked, "Captain…you were in your Ready Room, yes?"

"Yes."

Then nodding, she brought up the internal sensor logs from the ship, focusing on the captain’s office and aligning the time frame. Once that was done, she played the transmission, having the sensor logs report what it was detecting at the same time. She muted the audio since the computer didn’t need the speakers to interpret the data, and watched both sets of data pass in front of her. When the sensor’s reported the first unknown sound, Seven halted the recording, pinpointed it and informed, "Captain, can you explain this sound?"

As Seven played the sound, Janeway shook her head and said, "Yes, that was me slapping my legs with my hands."

"Very well…moving on," Seven stated and continued. When the next anomalous sound was detected, Seven said, "This one?"

Not certain, Janeway said, "Play it again…I’m not sure." When the Borg did so, the captain nodded and said, "That’s me again…I’m moving from my chair and picking up the terminal. There’s nothing before that?"

"No, Captain."

Sighing, Janeway looked over at Fowler and said, "Well, I think we can rule out an actual body in the room then. I mean…I know the guy is good…but he’d at least have to make some sound as he walked…his clothes are too think and his boots are too heavy…there would have to be something…don’t you think?"

Fowler nodded and said, "Yes…I think you’re right." Crossing her arms over her chest, "Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be convinced, but considering that he didn’t cast a shadow, not everyone saw him, and my fist past right through him…I’d have to say were looking at some type of projection."

Raising her eyebrow, Seven looked at the captain and asked, "He is not visible to everyone?"

"No," Janeway answered clipped walking down the stairs, "Miss Fowler and I were the only ones to see him. We both shot him, Nick physically attacked him, and he was not affected in the least. When he approached me, he disappeared." Rubbing her forehead a serious headache coming on, Janeway went on, "But…we smelled him…which is what is making me think that were aren’t dealing with just some kind of hologram. There’s got to be some kind of technology at work here that we haven’t see yet."

Accessing the captain’s Ready Room sensors, Seven asked, "Captain, have you see him anywhere else other than your Ready Room?"

Janeway crossed her arms over her arms and said, softly, "Yes…I saw him last night on Deck Twelve as I was making my rounds…and on Deck Five just before I went into the turbolift." Looking up, she explained, "It was quick, out of the corner of my eye…that I didn’t think much about it…I just figured that I was a little jumpy and that it would pass."

"I think I saw him once too, Captain," Fowler admitted. "It was quick…just like you said."

"Where were you?"

Sighing, Fowler said, "I was in your Ready Room, Captain…this morning…when I used your bathroom." Shaking her head, she explained, "I was washing my hands, and I looked up in the mirror and saw him standing behind me, just for an instant…and then he was gone. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything…I thought that I was just letting this get to me, and I didn’t want to…upset you since I know that I killed him. I watched him dematerialize." Holding her hands out, she said, "I felt his neck break. He was dead…as in as a doornail."

Walking up to Nick, Janeway put her hand on her arm and said, "It’s okay…I don’t blame you…I’ve been smelling him all night as well, and I didn’t say anything, but now we know that something is going on." Looking away from Folwer, Janeway’s breath caught in her throat as she spotted him up on the dais watching her. Whispering and grabbing her phaser, standing in front of Fowler, hiding the movement of her hand, she said, "He’s here…don’t move." When Fowler froze, the captain brought up her weapon, stepped to the side and shot him squarely in the chest, lowering the setting so that she wouldn’t seriously damage the Astrometrics lab if the laser passed through him, which it did.

Seven turned quickly and watched where Fowler and Janeway where staring. When she did not see anything, she adjusted her ocular implant and scanned the room through all her available vision modes: normal, infrared, night vision, and ultraviolet. When she did not see anything, Seven stated, quickly moving over to her sensor board, having the ship’s sensors record every possible thing in this room, "Captain, is he still here?"

"Yes…he’s moving down the stairs, Seven…get out of the way!" Janeway ordered, starting toward her.

"Captain…please continue to move around the room…if he is really here…my senses will detect him…I need you to tell me where he is…I cannot see him," Seven stated quickly.

Since the man had completely ignored the blonde and was starting toward her, Janeway said quickly, "Nick…you go one way, and I’ll go the other way…let’s see what he does." As Janeway climbed the other stairs and was back on the dais as Fowler circled around him, Janeway informed the Borg, "Seven…he’s two meters to your left and starting toward the steps…he’s only coming after me."

With haste, Seven of Nine informed, "Kathryn, move from the dais quickly, please and come behind me…I have a theory."

Since she didn’t have any other ideas, Janeway ran for the other steps and came over to Seven who put up a forcefield, stating, "Inform me if he moves through this forcefield."

Pulling Seven away from the console as the man approached the forcefield, Janeway said, "He’s moving to it now…he’s through it. Seven...he’s at the steps."

In three strides Seven was at the man, her eyes closed, and taking a deep breath. "I do not detect anything. Is he still here?"

"Yes," Janeway said now really pissed. Throwing down her weapon, she marched toward him and said, "This is ridiculous…I’m not afraid of you." Walking straight into his arms that were opening for her again, she hissed, "You go to hell," as she passed through him and he disappeared. "He’s gone," she said to Seven who was watching this take place rather tensely.

Sighing, Seven turned around quickly and started analyzing the data she had recorded and said, "Captain, I believe that what you are seeing is something other than a projection of matter. It is not a hologram. The sensor grid would have detected the matter exchange as he passed through the forcefield. It is highly unlikely that such an event would escape the ship’s sensors." Turning around, she looked at Fowler who was starting to look a little worse for the wear and asked, "When the captain was describing what the man was doing, were you seeing the same events?"

"Yes…he was going after her only," Fowler answered, frustrated. "Captain…I may be grasping at straws here, but it seems that the only time I see him is when I’m around you. I don’t know what that means…but I haven’t seen him unless I’ve been close to you." Walking around, she asked, "Do you want to know what I think is happening?"

"I’m open to anything at this point," Janeway came back sitting on the steps rubbing her forehead.

"I think this is more power playing," Fowler said. "I don’t know how he’s doingit…but I think that this might be some kind of back up plan, in case he can’t follow through. He’s still trying to intimidate you…he’s still stalking you…and me, well, I think he’s using me because he knows that I will try to protect you. By allowing me to see him, I will automatically try to protect you, but since I can’t hurt him…he’s trying to intimidate me as well." Coming up to Seven and Janeway, she said, "I don’t know what this means…I don’t know if this is a way to get us off our guard…I mean, eventually, we’re gonna see this guy and not give a shit…but what if the next time, it’s not a phantom…what if he’s real?"

"The intruder has been terminated, Lieutenant Fowler," Seven reminded. "It is not possible for him to be…real…any longer." When Nick started to shake her head like she wasn’t so sure, Seven went on, looking at Janeway, "Captain, the both of you were incapacitated for several minutes last night, correct?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps, this individual has found the ability to cause you to hallucinate?" Placing her hands behind her back, Seven continued, "We are aware that his technology is superior to ours, with regards to cloaking devices. He was able to allude us for several days, and more than likely would have continued to do so if you had not baited him. There is no empirical evidence that suggests that he was not terminated last night, except for what the two of you have seen. Furthermore, the sensors show nothing out of the ordinary…even though when I focused on your Ready Room yesterday, I was able to detect his communication device." Sitting down next to Janeway, Seven stated, "I believe that we should return to Sickbay, and perform an in-depth analysis of each of you. We cannot be certain what he did to you when you were not lucid." Putting her hand on Janeway shoulder as she rubbed her head, Seven stated, "I will assist the Doctor. I will discover the cause, Kathryn, and eliminate it efficiently."

Looking up, seeing the tall darkly dressed man coming toward her again from the center of the room, Janeway immediately stood up as Fowler also turned and visibly jumped, and clenched her fists when he appeared right beside her and said, walking through him, "You picked the wrong women to bother, my friend." Over her shoulder, she smirked, "Come one…let’s see how he stands up to good, old fashioned Borg efficiency…I don’t know about you, Nick…but my money’s on Seven."

Beyond cranky, Janeway snapped, "I don’t care what you have to do, Doctor…just remove the goddamned thing…now!" Rubbing her head and closing her eyes as the phantom leaned in toward her neck, she rolled away, off the biobed and said, "And yes…that’s an order!"

Watching the captain get off the biobed, obviously having another hallucination, the Doctor sighed and said following her as she paced around the room, "Captain, it’s not as easy as just removing it…this thing is tapped into your higher brain functions. It’s affecting your vision, your sense of smell…it’s very sophisticated. We simply can’t afford to be hasty here…what if removing kills you…what if that’s the plan?"

Janeway stopped where she was, turned around, having enough of being followed, again, and said walking through him which was the only way to get him to go away until he appeared again, "I understand your concerns, Doctor…but I can’t live like this…and neither can Lieutenant Fowler." Rubbing her neck, she sighed and said, "Fine…run all the tests you need to run, but you will remove this…and I don’t care how risky it is. You can operate on me first, and if I die, then you can think of something else to help Nick, but this is going to end right now."

Straightening, the Doctor answered adamantly, "That is not something that I will do, Captain. I know that this is unsettling, and I promise to do everything I possibly can to help you, but I will not perform surgery on you that I know is not necessary and that has a high probability to end your life. I’m a physician…I’m supposed to preserve life."

Before Janeway turned around and responded ferociously, Seven of Nine, Commander Chakotay, Nicole Fowler, and B’Elanna Torres walked into Sickbay. Acidly, she said to Seven, "I see you brought reinforcements."

Acting like she didn’t know what her lover was talking about, Seven stated, "I assumed you wanted to speak to the commander before proceeding, Captain. Lieutenant Torres’ assistance is required since she has done extensive work on the cloaking technology. Was I in error?"

"No," Janeway answered quickly, obviously still irritated. Sighing, she rubbed her head and asked the Doctor, "Fine, Doctor…what’s your plan?"

"I would like to administer an agent which would temporarily deaden your sight and sense of smell since it seems that these are the only senses that are being affected," the Doctor explained. "Since Miss Fowler’s hallucinations only occur when she is in your presence, I would like her to remain around you as we test this out to see if she has any more of them since you will be unable to see…this individual."

"You think that the hallucinations will stop if you deaden those senses?" asked Chakotay coming up to the captain and putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I think the captain’s will," the Doctor answered, "but I’m not sure about the lieutenant’s. I’m not sure if they hinge solely on the captain’s device…or if they are mutually exclusive?"

"How is this going to help?" asked Torres coming up to her as well.

Sighing, the Doctor explained, "Right now, we don’t know much of anything except that it is affecting her. If we deaden her senses and they go away, then that tells us a lot." Looking over at the redhead, the holodoc said, "I think this is the best place to start. It will only last for an hour…and if you feel terribly uncomfortable, or if the hallucinations worsen…if anything negative happens, we’ll reverse it immediately."

Janeway turned to Chakotay and said, "Commander…it looks like I’ll be occupied for a while. I’m turning over command to you until we figure this out. See to getting my office door fixed, will you?"

Smirking, Chakotay said, "Already done, Captain." Then patting her shoulder, he said, "Good luck…don’t worry about anything…Tuvok and I will keep things going until you get back."

"Thank you, Chakotay," Janeway smiled ruefully. Then turning as he started out the door, she said, "Alright…let’s do it…the sooner or better."

Grabbing the hypospray, he explained, "I’ll be monitoring your vital signs while Seven scans the device in you…and Miss Torres will scan Miss Fowler’s." As Janeway remained sitting up, he said, "I’ll need you to lie back, Captain…you need to be under the sensor."

"Of course," Janeway said quickly, trying to hide her anxiety. Laying back, and getting comfortable, she sighed, "Quickly, Doctor…before he comes back."

Pressing the hypospray to her neck, he said, "This will take approximately a minute to completely deaden your senses…you should start seeing the affects immediately, however."

Nodding, Janeway blinked her eyes and answered, "Yes…you’re very blurry…I can barely make out your face." Smirking, she said, "No offense, Doctor…but it’s not very flattering on you."

"I’m sure," the Doctor came back, rolling his eyes. "I’ll be right over near Seven, Captain…please let me know when you can no longer see."

After approximately a minute, Janeway moved her eyes around, blinked them and brought up her hand, passing it in front of what she thought was her face and said, "Alright…I can’t see anymore." Clearing her throat, she said, "Well, this certainly is…different."

Coming up to her, the Doctor said, "I’m going to place my hand on your shoulder." Then doing so, he instructed, "Keep you eyes open while I scan you, please." Running the medical tricorder over her and passing a light over her eyes to check the sensitivity of her pupils, he asked, "Did you see any light whatsoever?"

"No."

Then passing a smelling salt under her nose, he asked, "Breath in…not too deeply, and tell me if you smell anything?"

Doing so, feeling a slightly tingling sensation in her nose and throat, but not smelling anything, she answered, "I can feel a tingling in my nasal passage…but don’t smell anything. What is that?"

Patting her shoulder and moving away, he answered, "Just smelling salt, Captain. Okay, just try to relax and tell me if you see or smell anything…anything at all." Then over his shoulder, he informed, "Nick…keep a look out."

"I will, Doc," Fowler said as she lay on the biobed with her head turned toward the captain and keeping her eyes peeled.

For several minutes every one remained silent, waiting for something to occur. As Kathryn continued to lay on the biobed, with her hands resting on her stomach, she focused on breathing deeply and tried her best to keep herself relaxed. When she felt the slightest bit of pressure on her head, as if one of her hairs was being pulled, she reached up and scratched the area quickly, her pulse quickening instantly, but when nothing else occurred immediately, she sighed and said, "It’s nothing." However, when she felt someone touch her foot, as if drawing their finger from her heel to her toes, she twitched and said, "Doctor…something just touched my foot."

As the captain pulled her leg back, Fowler said quickly, "Doctor…I don’t see anything."

Now something was at her thighs. The captain could feel it clearly. It felt like one hand was moving up her leg, at first it was soft, but then the grip felt more insistent. Gasping, Janeway cried, "Something’s touching me!" As she started to squirm, trying to get away from the hand that seemed to be traveling underneath her uniform unbidden by the material as she also felt what seemed to be another hand on her chest, pressing down on her, Janeway lost her ability to remain calm, and began pounding on the sensor that was keeping her in place, yelling, "Let me out…let me out now….Seven…please hurry!"

Running over to Janeway immediately, Seven reached under the captain’s body and pulled her out since the Doctor was talking too long and said, "I am here, Kathryn." Then standing her up, she cradled the captain in her arms as she continued to try to get away from whatever was touching her. When the compact woman grew rigid against her chest, Seven demanded, "Doctor, you will restore her eye sight at once!"

"No," Janeway said quickly, moving her face away from Seven’s chest. "It’s okay…I can take it. I’m fine now…it’s just…unsettling, but I’m fine."

"I tend to agree with Seven, Captain," the Doctor said quickly coming up to her as Torres left Nicole’s side and ran up to the captain and Seven as well. "There is no need to unduly traumatize you…we’ll find another way."

"No," Janeway said, putting her face into Seven’s chest, as she started to hear his voice in her head, telling her over and over again that he wanted her. "My name is Captain Kathryn Janeway, serial number five, two, seven, eight, alpha, tango, one, charlie. I am the commanding officer of the Federation starship Voyager. I am in full control of my faculties…we will proceed as planned."

"Captain, please…let," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, if you will not remove this device from my brain immediately, then I suggest you shut up and let me tell you what I can and cannot take!" Janeway barked. "I am a Starfleet captain. I am your commanding officer…now get to work! You can scan me while I’m standing, can’t you?"

"Yes, Captain," the Doctor said gravely, picking up his medical tricorder, "but I’ll need Seven to operate another tricorder."

"Fine," Janeway said stepping away from the protection of her blonde officer, "Seven…please show me where the biobed is at."

"You are here, Captain," Seven said, placing her in front of it and moving her hand so she could rest upon it.

"Thank you," Janeway said calmly, breathing deeply. Knowing that her other lover was close, she said, "Miss Torres, I think you’re needed to monitor Miss Fowler. Thank you for your assistance."

"Aye, Captain," Torres said turning away with tears in her eyes and walking back up to Nicole who was watching the captain very closely, ready to put a stop to this entire thing if she felt that Janeway was forcing herself to experience more than was required.

The next fifteen minutes were brutal on everyone. Every so often, Janeway would stiffen and start mumbling her name, rank, and serial number over and over. Once Janeway started speaking louder with more authority, informing her unseen fondler that see was not afraid, that she could not be intimidated, and that she was absolutely unbreakable, Nicole had seen enough, but before she could react, as B’Elanna Torres started weeping audibly, Seven of Nine grabbed the hypospray, pressed it against Kathryn’s neck and said, "This experiment is terminated."

The next minute felt like an hour as Kathryn Janeway held up her hand toward Seven informing her to stay away as she breathed deeply, leaning against the biobed. When she started blinking her eyes, her eyesight slowly returning, the captain stood up straight, rubbed her eyes, and said quietly as she pushed away from the medical bed, "If you’ll excuse me."

As she carefully walked toward the Doctor’s office, heading toward the bathroom, Fowler got out of the biobed and said once the captain had closed the door to the bathroom behind her, "I need everyone to give me a few minutes with the captain."

"Unacceptable," Seven stated walking toward the bathroom. "I will not comply. I will not leave Kathryn."

Running, Fowler put herself in the doorway and said, quickly, "Seven, I know what you’re going through…but you have to trust me. I know what I’m doing."

Seven stood directly in the woman’s face, toe to toe and said, "Insufficient. You will move from this position or I will move you. Comply."

"Seven," Torres cried wiping the tears from her eyes coming over to her. "Please, come with me…Nick knows what she’s doing."

"Irrelevant. Comply!"

Torres quickly squeezed her way between the two women and said, "Seven…please…look at me." When Seven sighed and looked down at her, she sniffled, "Please, this is best for Kathryn…she wouldn’t like it if you harmed Nick. Let’s just go outside for a little bit." Hugging her, Torres cried, "Please, dollface…do it for me…please come with me, and let Nick help Red."

Wrapping her arms around B’Elanna, Seven sighed and said, "B’Elanna Torres, you are attempting to make me choose between you and Kathryn…I cannot make that decision. You should not use such tactics to persuade me." Then kissing her head, Seven sighed heavily and nodded, "However, I will comply." Then looking up at Fowler, she said, "You will see to Kathryn’s needs or I will be displeased."

"I understand," Fowler replied quickly, showing no fear, although knowing that was probably as close to a death threat as she’d ever received. When Torres and Seven stepped outside, Fowler sighed and said to the Doctor who watching the scene and looked to be rather distraught for a hologram, "Doctor…you too."

"What’s going on here?" asked the Doctor.

"Doctor," Nicole said walking toward him, "you’ve got to trust that I know more about this than you do. Take a look at my extended medical file while you’re offline…you’ll understand. Please, let me take care of her for a moment…I’ll bring you back shortly."

"Alright…but call me if you need me," the hologram responded. After Fowler nodded and promised she would, he said regretfully, "Computer, deactivate EMH."

Quickly, Fowler went into the Doctor’s office and closed the door. Then dimming the windows, she took a seat at the Doctor’s chair and waited for the captain to emerge. About ten minutes later when she came out, her face, her step and posture the epitome of confidence and coolness under pressure, Fowler had to smile and said, "You certainly are good, Captain…that uniform should be proud to be worn by you…rather than the other way around."

Stopping, Janeway looked at the door and the dimmed windows as said, "Did I miss something…I don’t remember promoting you to Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant?"

Expecting the attitude and power playing game, Fowler said, "No, Ma’am…you haven’t missed anything, and if you want to walk out of here, I won’t try to stop you. You’re still the captain."

"I’m glad we agree," Janeway replied heading toward the door.

"You’re Captain Kathryn Janeway, serial number five, two, seven, eight, alpha, tango, one, charlie. You are the commanding officer of the Federation starship Voyager. You are not afraid of anything…you cannot be intimidated…and you are unbreakable," Fowler recited. "Yes, Captain…I remember…we all do."

Stopping at the doorway, Janeway said, "You are walking on very thin ice, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Ma’am, I am aware that this could negatively impact my position aboard this ship," Fowler said standing at attention. "However, if you think that I’m going to let that stop me from helping you…then you don’t know me very well." When Janeway didn’t say anything, Fowler said, "Let’s do an experiment? I’ll tell you exactly what you did in the bathroom…and if I’m wrong, you walk out that door and move on with you life as you see fit. If I’m right, you give me five minutes."

"I don’t compromise, Lieutenant…this isn’t a democracy," Janeway reminded. "You have zero authority over me."

"No, Ma’am…I don’t," Fowler responded. Walking up to her, she said, "You went into the bathroom and threw cold water on your face, then you vomited, and then you removed your clothing and took a sponge bath. All the while, you reminded yourself who you are, what it means to be who you are…and why this has no power over you. Then you put on your uniform, practiced your smile and exited."

Slapping her hand against the sensor, Janeway said, "Time’s up. I don’t practice my smile, Miss Fowler." When she felt an insistent hand on her shoulder, the captain hissed, "Remove you hand."

"I’m not touching you," Fowler cameback quickly just as the Red Alert klaxon sounded and she felt someone grab her from behind.

Instantly, the intruder alert call was sounded throughout the ship as two large men appeared in Sickbay. One in front of the captain, and one behind Fowler. As Janeway heard Fowler struggling behind her, Janeway brought up her palm and thrust it into the man’s face in front of her, sending him stumbling back. Spinning around, Janeway grabbed the phaser from her waist and pointed it at Nicole’s attacker, barking, "Freeze right there…or I will use this." At the same moment, another man appeared to her right, knocked the phaser from her hand roughly, grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall, wrenching her shoulder. Then grabbing her again, he tossed her toward the other man who was slowly recovering and said, "This is the one…take her to the ship…quickly."

As the man caught the captain, the pnuematic doors to the ship's infirmary parted evenly revealing Seven of Nine, who said in the next instant, "Release her immediately."

When the other man who had been moving toward the fight going on between Fowler and a rather large man, turned around, made for his weapon at his waist, and started toward Seven, B’Elanna Torres, who was on Seven’s heels, rushed him quickly. Engaging the man with her bare hands since they did not have any weapons, snarling and pouching on him like a tiger who had gone without food for many days, she was able to knock his weapon from his hands as she drew it out easily, sending it careening across Sickbay.

The man holding the captain did not back down immediately as instructed, taking a look at the tall, thin, somewhat gangly Borg, and deeming her as hardly a threat. Clutching the captain by her throat, under his arm, choking her clearly since she had stopped trying to pound on him and was scratching at his arm now trying to free herself before she lost consciousness, he reached behind his back. Seven hovered close to him, preparing to make her move, but making certain that she was quick and precise so that he would not injure the captain. When she spotted the knife, Seven reacted immediately, knowing her time was up. Grabbing his wrist with her left hand, she twisted and squeezed viciously and quickly, shattering all of the bones. And as he cried out in pain and dropped the knife, since he was no longer able to hold it, but when did not let go of the captain, Seven grabbed his head with both hands and broke his neck quickly which did the trick. Seven watched for an instant as the captain feel to the ground with him…gasping for breath. As Torres was thrown against the wall, starting to become overpowered in hand to hand combat, Seven left the captain’s side, sliding the knife at her feet back to the captain in case more intruder’s came into the room and rushed Torres' attacker as he held her against the wall, squeezing her neck. Coming up behind him with inhuman like speed, Seven was at his head and twisted it just as she had done with the other man. Grabbing the engineer who was coughing, but obviously okay, she pushed her over to where Janeway was trying to get to her feet, clearly in a great deal of pain grabbing her shoulder, and said, "Protect the captain."

As Seven said that, the man who had been fighting with Fowler was tossed through the window of the Doctor’s office, sending glass spraying all over the immediate area. He took the impact well, and after landing on his back, he let his momentum swing him backward, and he rolled on her shoulder coming up to his feet, reaching for the weapon that had fallen from his holster. After the impact, Fowler jumped through the broken partition and barreled toward him, leaping to her feet and tackling him squarely as he fumbled around for his gun, sending them backward at least a meter. Impressed, Seven walked up to them, picked up the weapon, tossed it to Torres, and waited for the much larger man to roll Fowler over. Then reaching down as he did so, she grabbed him by long mane of hair, and yanked him back easily. When he turned and swung at her, Seven intercepted his fist with her mesh-covered hand and squeezed, without mercy.

In a desperate attempt, the man brought his other hand around and backhanded Seven across the face. The impact did little to affect her at this point, only twisting her face to one side, however it did manage to flare her temper. As Nicole jumped to her feet and started toward them, Seven said, "You must protect the captain at all costs," as she let go of the man’s crushed hand, grabbed his shoulders and pushed him to the ground forcefully. "You are irrelevant. You will be terminated. Resistance if futile."

"Seven…don’t," Janeway said, pushing away from Torres and limping over to Seven who was modifying the implants on her Borg hand to look something like razor blades at her fingers, rather than the harmless metal encased tips she normally sported. "Seven…don’t do it…we need him alive."

Looking at the man, Seven said to Janeway as he remained on his knees cradling his broken hand, "Very well." Then, after changing her implant back to normal, she reared back before Kathryn could stop her and belted him across the face, knocking him out easily, then stated, standing upright, and defiant, "He will live…I have merely restrained him."

Janeway turned around, having no time to argue with Seven about it, and only very slightly disturbed, leaned on the Borg since her shoulder was definitely going to need medical attention and her ankle hadn’t faired much better when the large man slumped over, causing her to fall awkward, and said, "Nick…get my phaser…it’s in the other room somewhere." Then tapping her communicator, she said, "Janeway to Bridge…report."

"We’ve got company, Captain," Chakotay said. "We’ve got a dozen armed intruders aboard…and a vessel to starboard…it’s the same one."

"Don’t let them get away…I’m on my way," Janeway ordered. "Seven…Torres…stay here with him…and put him behind a forcefield…if he tries to hurt you…shoot’em. Nick…you’re with me." As she limped out of Sickbay, leaning on Fowler, Janeway asked moving as quickly as possible to the turbolift, "Are you well enough to pilot?"

"Aye, Captain," Fowler said looking over her shoulder as they approached the turbolift. When it opened, she checked to make sure it was empty then pushed the captain in first and walked in backward, keeping her phaser at the ready. "Bridge." Looking down at the captain as she held the alien weapon in her left hand, her right arm clinging to the side as she kept her shoulder as steady as possible, Fowler asked, "Are you well enough to fire?"

"Is the sky blue?" Janeway came back and raised her weapon as the doors to the Bridge opened. Stepping through as agile as possible, she asked, "Report," after she made certain that there were no intruders aboard her Bridge, either real or imagined. All of the men in Sickbay had looked similar to the captain’s attacker. They donned the same hairstyle, facial art, clothing, and general body structure. Some here bulkier, some were taller, another was more stout, but they had all bore an uncanny resemblance to the tall, well built man that she had truly grown to hate.

"We’ve taken out their engines, Captain…they haven’t fired on us yet."

"Commander…I need you at Tactical…Harry…open a channel." Coming down to the command deck as Nicole took over the helm and Chakotay took over the ship’s weapons, pushing the ensign manning the post since Tuvok was out taking care of the intruders, Janeway said, "This is Janeway…you have five seconds to respond before I destroy the rest of your vessel and have what’s left of your friends beamed out into space."

"They’re responding, Captain," Kim said.

"What a surprise…on screen," Janeway ordered, lowering her arm and forcing herself to look perfectly healthy as she quickly came down to the helm so she could lean without it looking awkward. When the face of the man that had been haunting her appeared before them all, just as he had several days before, Janeway stared in amazement for a split second, nonplussed.

Equally bewildered, Fowler muttered, "What the hell?" clenching her jaw and stiffening.

Her mind working a light year a minute, Janeway played out all of the events in her head, feeling like she was finally starting to understand and sneered, "Well, if it isn’t Mister What’s His Name…you’ve been busy?" Then hardening, she said, "Call off your troops, and I’ll only destroy half of your ship."

Laughing soundlessly, the man said, "You’re not going to do that, Red…because then you’ll never get me out of your head…and you’ll never know for certain if this is really me, or if this is all just another projection." Standing he came up to the screen and said, "And, you’ll never know who paid me to fuck you…by the way, how is B’Elanna Torres?"

Her temper and patience far gone now, the captain used her rage and ire to keep herself in check now, feeding off of it, "Oh, she’s fine," Janeway smiled, playing along and biding her time, trying to get her mind around what was occurring. "You know, Mister What’s Your Name…before I kill you…I’m curious about something. If someone paid you to fuck me…it seems that they really didn’t get their money’s worth since…I don’t recall that every happening." Looking down and Fowler, she tapped her on the shoulder and said, "What do you think, Nick…seems to me that our friend here might have a little problem…emphasis on little." Then sighing, Janeway said, "Well, I guess it’s probably a sensitive subject…or at least, so I’ve been told." Looking over her shoulder, she said to Chakotay, "Commander, stand by with torpedoes and prepare to fire."

"Aye, Captain," Chakotay smirked from Tactical, glad that Janeway wasn’t afraid to do a little mudslinging of her own. "Torpedoes are armed."

"Tuvok to the Bridge."

"Go ahead, Commander," Janeway said, tapping her communicator as the viewscreen went blank.

"Captain…all remaining intruders have departed."

"Thank you, Commander. Janeway out. Harry?"

"He’s cut communication’s, Captain," Kim reported.

"Open a channel, Mister Kim…make sure he hears me, please." After Kim opened a channel, Janeway said, placing the weapon she was carrying on the console next to the helm, "Hi…it’s Janeway again…I’m not through with you yet…respond please." When Kim reported that there was no response, Janeway said over her shoulder, "Mister Chakotay…do a little damage…give him something to think about."

"He’s responding, Captain," Kim informed after Chakotay fired phasers and took out a few minor systems easily.

"On screen, Mister Kim." When the man appeared back on the screen, and looked much more ill at ease that before, Janeway waved and said, flippantly, "Hi…it’s Red…where were we?"

Hissing, the man said, "I believe…"

Cutting him off, the captain asked, her voice light and pleasant, with was usually a very bad sign for the person she was speaking to, "If you’re so technologically advanced that you can penetrate our shields, cloak your body and equipment, transport through our forcefields…well, this list is extensive…then why don’t you fire on us and attempt to take this ship by force? We read…how many life forms aboard, Harry?"

"Eighty-seven at the moment, Captain," Kim answered marveling at how Janeway was keeping her cool.

"Eighty-seven lifeforms aboard your ship," Janeway said, as the weapon she had been holding disappeared.

Calming down, the man looked at her squarely, smiled and said, "Kathryn, in case you’ve forgotten…I’ve implanted a device in your brain. Now, I suggest that you pause and consider your actions. You have two options. You can come aboard my vessel, alone and unarmed, and I’ll deactivate the device in your crewman’s body, or you can destroy my ship, which will kill you and your crewman instantly. There is no need for me to maintain complex weapons systems when I have the ability to control you from afar. I told you I was here to make a trade...I want you, and in exchange, I'll spare your crewman's life. The choice is yours."

Tensing, Fowler snarled, "No way, Captain..."

Smirking, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, she patted her devoted pilot on the shoulder, telling her it was fine, and she said, "You know what I think…I think that you’re just an overrated Peeping Tom. I think that you’re probably really alone on your ship…that you’ve developed technology to simulate life…that your goons are just some kind of advanced projections of yourself, and that your ship runs the whole show. You talk a big game…but I think behind all this smoke and mirrors…there’s not much to you. It seems to me, that maybe you should have spent a little more time developing a real defense strategy…because this one, I’m not buying."

"Then destroy me, Kathryn…and we’ll see who wins…after all…are you really certain that I am even talking to you?"

As Tuvok, Seven of Nine, and B’Elanna Torres entered the Bridge, Janeway came back, "Actually, I’m quite certain. I’m also certain that no one is paying you to behave this way, that you were never really on my vessel because that would have taken more courage than you really have. I think you’re a pathetic excuse for a man who likes to prey on women and can’t get it up." Placing her hand on her hip, she said, "Unfortunately, for you, you really did pick the wrong women to bother this time…because, "looking back at her crew that were gathered around at various posts, Chakotay and Torres on the command deck, "as my crew will attest, I am unbreakable, and I don’t compromise with cowards." Turning around, she walked up the stairs, without limping or showing any sign of her injuries, came to a stop in between her Maquis officers, turned around and said, "You’re play time is up…you will either hand over all data on your technology, or I will destroy your ship, which I’m certain will render your little gadgets useless."

"Captain," Kim reported. "I’m reading a fluctuation in their shields…I can get a lock on him."

"No," Janeway answered easily looking at the man on the viewscreen directly in the eyes. "He’s spent enough time aboard my ship…and that’s what he wants." Remaining absolutely focused, Janeway ordered when the communications were cut again, "Mister Tuvok…explain to him what exactly it is I mean by no compromises."

"I don’t know about you, Doctor," Janeway said after opening her eyes and inhaling deeply, "but I’m getting rather tired of seeing you when I wake up." Pushing herself into a sitting position, she asked, "Were you able to remove the implants?"

"Yes, Captain," the Doctor smiled pleasantly, helping her sit all the way up. "You guessed correctly…once his ship was destroyed, it began completely inert. The communications device that you recovered also disappeared."

Hopping down from the biobed, rolling her shoulder to test it out, she said to him as he went over to Fowler’s body and pressed a hypospray to her neck, "It wasn’t a guess, Doctor…just instinct from experience." As Nicole started to come to, Janeway came over to her and requested, "Would you give us a few moments?"

"Certainly…I’ll be in my office…or what’s left of it," he frowned looking at the window that was still broken, although the glass had been cleaned up.

When Fowler sat up and rubbed her head instinctively, Janeway informed, "The implant has been removed…you’re going to be fine."

Sighing in relief, Nicole nodded and said, "Thanks…that’s good to know…can’t say I’ll miss it."

Janeway chuckled once and said, crossing her arms over her chest, "No…I don’t suppose either of us will." Clearing her throat, the captain continued, softly, "Lieutenant…I think I owe you an apology."

Swiveling toward the captain, pulling the bottom of her hospital gown over her knees, the tall brunette said, "You don’t owe me an apology, Captain. It was a tough situation and you did what you had to do to take care of yourself…I understand completely."

"Nevertheless, I feel as though I do…so, I’m sorry for being so…harsh," Janeway said quickly. "And, I want to thank you for offering your assistance. I realize that you were acting completely selflessly, putting yourself in a position to be reprimanded, for my benefit…and I appreciate it." Janeway reached up and squeezed Fowler’s shoulder, saying, "I don’t know how I feel about all of this yet…but I want you to know, that I’ll keep your offer in my mind, and if I feel like I need some guidance, or just someone to talk to…I’ll call you." Then shaking her head, she said, "In the mean time…I’m giving you two days off to rest…and that’s not negotiable."

"Thank you, Captain…I think I could use it," Nicole smiled. "What about you?"

"Me, well, right now," Janeway answered walking back over to her biobed, and bending down to gather the uniform that was folded underneath it in a drawer. "I’m going home, where I plan to be pampered by two very capable women for the rest of the night, and tomorrow…well, I’ll worry about tomorrow…tomorrow."

Fowler got down off her bed, and picked up her stuff too, remarking, "If Seven asks about how our talk went…do me a favor and tell her it ended well?"

Laughing, Janeway said walking away, "One of these days you and she will see eye to eye…and then god help us all."

The next two days were exceptionally busy for the captain.

As she had planned, she went home to both of her lovers and was indeed pampered more than she thought a woman of her age and status probably should allow, but considering every thing that she had been through, she certainly didn’t argue, and after taking a long, luxurious bath in private, she shared a quiet dinner with both of them, and then promptly went to bed for the rest of the night, held firmly and loving in the middle. As she had expected, she was awaken several times during the night to either a nightmare, or the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her, or worse touching her, but when she calmed down, only waking Seven and Torres once with her squirming, she forced herself not to push away from them and insisted that they not remove their hands from her body, both them turned toward her as she laid on her side, turned toward Seven, but only because that we her preferred side to sleep on.

In the early morning, she woke up to an extremely disturbing dream and had to remove herself from the bed momentarily and throw some cold water on her face to calm down. Then feeling slightly uneasy in the bathroom by herself, half expecting to look up into the mirror and see her stalker standing behind her, she hurriedly came back into the bed, and crawled back under the covers, curling up into B’Elanna Torres since she was the only one who had stirred by the captain’s movements; Seven of Nine still tending to be a most heavy sleeper. Silently, she recited her new found mantra: her name, rank, serial number, and that she was unbreakable over and over until her exhaustion over took her again. She was able to catch almost two more hours of sleep, even if it was restless, and when the computer informed them of the time, the captain was more than happy to put the night behind her and start her new day with the knowledge that any demons she still had to exorcise where hers alone and that there was no longer a threat that the man was actually still alive. That was comforting to the captain…it gave her complete control, and that was something that she needed at the moment like she needed air to breathe.

After each of them wished each other a good morning, Torres jumped out of bed, extremely cheerful, which caused both Kathryn and Seven to pause and look at each other as the brunette rushed into the other room. As a rather loud, and very upbeat rock and roll tune started blaring, Kathryn could only laugh and Torres paraded into the room, carrying one cup of coffee and one glass of water, as she danced along to the song. After handing off both glasses to the captain, Torres clapped her hands together spun around and demonstrated her fancy footwork. As the redhead smirked, and eyed Torres over her coffee mug, she could clearly picture Torres performing the same moves without her clothing, and the captain had to admit to herself that she would definitely enjoying watching that show once, twice…maybe a hundred times. When the captain glanced over at Seven who was watching B’Elanna shake her butt, as she slowly gathered up her uniform that was strewn all over the place, Kathryn had to bring up hand to her mouth as the most confused and intrigued look came over the Borg’s face.

Standing, Seven of Nine set down her water, went over to Torres who started to sing and dance to the blonde as she approached and asked, "B’Elanna Torres, what are you doing?"

"I’m dancing," Torres smiled rocking the side of her hip into the blonde’s.

Seven looked down to Torres and then over to Janeway who was propped up in the bed watching them in amusement, and stated, "You will teach me. How do I proceed?"

Torres grabbed Seven’s arms, put them on her hips as she backed her body into Seven’s chest and said, "Just move your hips to the beat of the music…like this." When the Borg caught on fairly well, Torres lifted her arms as well as the Borg’s and showed her how to dance with her arms as well and said, "You’ve got to feel the music, dollface…live it…let it speak through you."

Seven followed Torres, although remained fairly stiff, but was starting to get better and said, "I do not understand how to… ‘let it speak through me.’ Please demonstrate."

"Okay…but let’s change the tune…let’s get one that really rocks," Torres smiled a little wickedly. Then looking over to Janeway who didn’t at look like she planned on going anywhere for a while…she was the captain…who cared if she was late from time to time, and asked, "Red, do you mind if I crank it…just for one song?"

Waving her hand, Janeway smiled and said, "Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain."

Now really excited, Torres smiled and took off her over shirt, leaving her chest clothed in a thin tank top and said, "Computer, play Torres musical ‘Live…I Alone,’ increase volume to level eight." As the music started rather loud, but remained subdued, Torres started moving somewhat sexily and said coming up to Seven, "Just watch, babe…you’ll get it."

As the brunette moved up to her and touched her face affectionately, and started singing along, Seven raised her eyebrow and smirked at the words, and then when the music picked up rapidly, and Torres pushed away, still singing along, but moving much more aggressively along with the rousing beat. Seven and Kathryn watched carefully as the Klingon demonstrated how to live the music, coming up to Seven every now and then, dancing against her when the lyrics suggested that she was talking to her. When the music really picked up, Torres stood by herself, sang along, shouted, spun around, and really let loose, pointing to Kathryn, then to Seven as she proved that she alone loved and tempted them, letting all of the tension that had built up in her over the last few days escape through her movements. When the song was done, the Klingon was really fired up, so before either of them could speak, she said, "Computer, play selection of the same album, Shit Towne." Then coming up to Seven, she said as the music started, "Now, this one is a little different…but pay attention to the end…the guitar at the end kicks ass…try to let it affect you."

Seven nodded, then looked at Janeway as she set her coffee down and laid down across the bed, propping her head up with her elbow, and said to Torres as the music started, "Very well." The tall blonde proceed to watch Torres sing along with the music and take on a different personality, almost as if she was angry, frustrated as she bounced and pointed to Seven. Watching her girlfriend become so expressive had a definite impact on the Borg as she listened to the lyrics, watched Torres act out the emotions that they conjured, and when the end came, the guitar that she had explained was impressive clearly audible, Seven took a deep breath as she heard it, starting to understand what B’Elanna was trying to tell her. Surprised by the reaction, Seven looked over at the captain who was watching her, smirking, and said once the music stopped, "That was…intriguing." Then turning to Torres who was smiling, proud of herself and feeling rather rowdy, Seven asked, "B’Elanna Torres, what is a ‘crack head?’"

After the dancing and history lesson was over, all of them pulled themselves together and prepared for their day, Janeway requisitioning the shower first informing them that she wanted to get to the Bridge as early as possible to take care of a few things before she had to deal with Chakotay and Tuvok and start a long day of debriefings and reports. Quickly Janeway got ready, donned her uniform and left her lovers to finish their morning routine by themselves. Upon entering her office, she logged in, and had to chuckle as a nutritional supplement materialized unprompted in her replicator. After retrieving it, as well as another cup of coffee, she grabbed her workstation and went over to her couch to work in comfort for a while. As she set down her drinks on the coffee table, it took her a few moments to notice that her coffee set had returned. Doing a double-take, and warm smile graced her face, and noticing a small piece of paper tucked under one of the cups, she pulled it out had to swallow back her emotion as she read the note:

Shaking her head, Janeway tucked the note inside her tunic, planning to put it in her secret trunk when she returned home, turned over one of the cups and poured her coffee into it, then the rest into the pot in the middle. Then quickly, she took the pot over to the replicator, programmed the device to fill it up, and went back over to her couch and started her work, drinking her supplement and her coffee from her new set, and feeling much more like there were brighter days ahead.

The day went fairly quickly since it was filled with reciting logs, debriefing and being briefed, and spending quite a good deal of the late afternoon discussing Tuvok’s recent ideas about the Elite Force which she was now positive was necessary. Bringing Chakotay up to speed on the plan, not at all surprised that he thought it was high time they took such measures, especially with regards to the captain’s safety since in the Delta Quadrant, she was often required to go on First Contact Away Mission, they set to work on their training schedule now that Tuvok had had a chance to add a few more crewmembers to his list. When the topic of conversation turned to the status of Seven of Nine, Janeway turned up one corner of her mouth and said, "Gentlemen…our secret weapon has adapted…as usual."

After Tuvok departed, Chakotay and Kathryn shared another cup of coffee and discussed the Tom Paris, Nicole Fowler situation, both of them saying that it was still too early to make a decision, but both of them knowing that unless Fowler did a complete one hundred and eighty degree shift in the next two and a half weeks, she would maintain her post, even though her piloting skills had not been proven.

The captain inquired about Tom Paris and how he seemed to be taking all of this, since it was fairly obvious that Fowler was taking charge of this situation now and not giving the captain much choice but to replace him permanently. The tall commander informed her that he had been pretty quiet, spending most of his shift’s in Sickbay and Ship’s Maintenance, as well as several hours out of the last week in the Shuttle Bay, performing routine maintenance on both of Voyager’s shuttle craft, and had just today requested the assignment to upgrade the second shuttle’s impulse engines so that they compared to the Delta Flyer’s. Janeway went along with that since they had the time and the resources, and Paris certainly knew what he was doing, having done a fantastic job on rebuilding the Flyer’s. They played around with the idea of keeping both of them on as senior officer’s…and perhaps dividing the pilot’s job between them. They both agreed that Paris should continue is work in Sickbay, since the captain really didn’t like sending the Doctor on standard Away Missions, there just being too much of a risk that his program could be damaged, and preferring to keep him on board unless they required a hologram away from the ship since when he was downloaded into his mobile emitter, he lost all access to Voyager’s medical databases, which could possibly hinder his ability to function. Plus, his emitter, although durable, could be destroyed and if that occurred, he was lost as well. There was also the fact that although they were certain that Fowler could become a fine pilot, Tom Paris was a natural, and it was unlikely that anyone could outmatch his skills. Furthermore, Fowler, if given a senior officer position, had enough experience and command training under her belt, that the captain would be obligated to permanently promote her status, since the only thing holding her back was that she wasn’t an ‘official’ senior officer, and suddenly, Nicole Fowler would be the forth highest ranking officer aboard this ship. Janeway admitted that she liked Fowler a lot, liked how she worked, and thought that if they played their cards right, especially with the Elite Force idea, she could become something of a commander in training. Explaining herself further, Janeway said that unless Fowler objected, she would prefer to have Paris in the pilot’s chair half the time, with Fowler occupying it the rest, thinking Voyager would do well to have to have two top pilots, and when Nicole wasn’t beefing up her skills as a pilot, she could work with Tuvok in Security and the two of them in Command. The captain further stated that she was impressed enough with the woman that unless Tuvok objected, she would recommend Fowler as Tuvok’s first in the Elite Force, since such a position really needed to be occupied with someone who could take charge and was disciplined in the way’s of Starfleet, which they both agreed that Torres and Seven, although fine, up-standing officer’s, just didn’t have the background to be given such a duty. After some thought and pointed questions, Chakotay acknowledged that he agreed with the captain and that splitting the job was probably the best way to go, and that he would back her one hundred percent if that was the decision that she made.

That conversation took them to just about the end of their duty shifts, so after Chakotay left, the captain made a log of their discussion for herself, wanting to keep all evidence of her thoughts documented so that when the day came for her to decide she could weigh all the evidence easily, and then did something she had never done as a commanding officer, she deleted her last personal log, wanting no record of her doubts of herself, or her obvious fear of her surprise visit toward the end of the recording. Once that was done, she sat down at her desk with her terminal, and recorded a new personal log to replace that one:

"Captain’s Log: Personal
Stardate: 50285.1
Subject: I don’t know Part five million and one

[Begin recording…]

The way of the Delta Quadrant will be my answer...

[End recording...]

fin