A Blank...


By Lori Costello




Captain Katherine Janeway strode purposefully toward the quarters where
she and her spouse of over a year lived.  The past several weeks had been
strenuous, and as a result, she had been unable to spend any time alone with
her partner, Seven of Nine.  Tonight was the first time they would have time
alone together in two weeks, and Katherine was anticipating the evening.  
She approached the door to her quarters, and it slid open almost
soundlessly.  The lighting was down low, so Katherine had to stand at the
opening for a moment to allow her vision to adjust.  The located her spouse,
Seven of Nine, sitting on the sofa in their living area.  Her breath caught
and her heart skipped a beat when she realized how lovely her spouse looked.
      Seven was dressed in a simple red silk nightshirt that came down to
mid-thigh.  The buttons at the top of the shirt were unbuttoned so that they
didn't reveal any of her ample cleavage, but left little to the imagination.
  Her long, inviting legs seemed to go on forever beneath the hem of the
shirt.
     Katherine approached slowly, almost mesmerized by the sight of her
spouse sitting there, looking so inviting.  There were no words to describe
the radiant beauty sitting before her, so none were spoken.
     Annika reached her hand out as Katherine approached, clasping the older
woman's smaller hand with her own.   She pulled Katherine down gently onto
her lap, and wrapped her left arm around her.  She released Katherine's hand
with her own, and raised it up to  her wife's face, caressing it softly.  As
she gazed into the blue-grey eyes, she trailed her thumb along Katherine's
lower lip.  She moved her hand around to the back of Katherine's neck, and
slowly pulled her head down.  For a precious moment, it was as if time was
standing still.
    Katherine could feel Annika's gentle breath caressing her lips, and then
suddenly, the full lips she so desired to taste were there, dancing with her
own.  The kiss was brief, lasting only a second or two, but a lifetime of
love and passion was conveyed in those few seconds.
     Slowly, Seven pulled back, and once again gazed into the eyes of her
partner.  "I love you, Katherine."  The words were simple, yet meant more
than anything in the universe to both women.
     Katherine, for her part, was overwhelmed with emotions flooding through
her.  Silent tears slid down her cheeks, tears of relief at having gotten
through the rigors of the past few weeks, tears of joy at having Annika to
share her life, and tears of love, the most powerful of all emotions. 
Huskily, she whispered back, "I love you too, Annika."
     Silently, Katherine slid off Seven's lap and sat on the sofa next to
her.  She removed her starfleet black and red tunic, and tossed it onto the
chair, leaving herself clad in only the black starfleet trousers and the
grey undershirt.  She leaned against her partner, and closed her eyes,
relishing the warmth and protection the young woman offered.  After a
moment, she broke the silence that had, once again, decended upon them. 
"How was your day, love?  Did you accomplish all that you wanted to?"
     Annika eyed her partner with amused tolerance.  "Of course I did,
Katherine." she responded.  "Don't I always?
     Katherine snorted indulgently.  "Yes, Annika, you do."  A half-smile
crept over her feature.  "How did the lessons for the borg children go?"
     "Acceptable, although they are still finding it difficult to function
as individuals, much as I did when I was first severed from the Collective."
     Raising her head to look into her partner's eyes, Katherine spoke with
a husky voice.  "I'm certain they 'will adapt' just as you have.   Afterall,
Annika, they have you as a teacher, and look how happy you are now."  The
last was said with a bit of pride, because Katherine knew it was she who
caused her spouse to be so happy.
     Seven turned her body so that she was facing Katherine, and used her
right hand to press Katherine gently against the back cushion.  She lowered
her hand to gently tug the edge of the grey t-shirt out of Katherine's
trousers, and, once accomplished, slid her hand gently under the shirt, her
fingers having a specific destination in mind.   As her fingers found their
target, and she heard a soft gasp from her spouse, Seven spoke, amusement
coloring her words.  "There are, however," she began, ans her fingers began
to roll a hardened nipple between them, "a few lessons in humanity that I
will not be teaching them."  When she finished, Seven lowered her head
slightly to capture Katherine's lips with her own, her right hand caught
between their bodies, teasing Katherine's breasts.  The kiss conveyed all
the love that she had for her partner, and also conveyed how much she missed
being able to spend time alone with her partner.
     Seven's fingers, however, conveyed a much baser meaning.  Not satisfied
with caressing the breasts though the scan cloth of the starfleet issued
bra, she slid her fingers beneath the fabric, and began another pleasant
assault, just as her tongue began it's own assault between he partner's
lips.
     It took both of the women a few moments to realize that the doorbell
chime had sounded.  Seven pulled away from Katherine reluctantly, and took
time to compose herself.
     Katherine felt like weeping.  More than that, she felt like tossing
whoever was at the door out the nearest airlock.  The chime sounded again,
and she looked over at Seven, to make certain the young woman was composed
again.  Her voice still shaky, Katherine had to rely on all her command
training to respond to the chime.  "Enter."
     Both woman looked questioningly at the Doctor, who strode into their
quarters.  Katherine was the first to respond.  "What can we do for you,
Doctor?"
     The Doctor smiled momentarily, then looked from the Captain, to Seven,
and back to the Captain again.  "Well, I have something for you, Captain,
Seven."  He acknowledged both women before ducking back out the door
quickly.  He re-entered pushing a what seemed to be a cart of sorts.  He
noticed the quizzical expressions on both women's faces, so he quickly
reached into the 'cart' and pulled out something wrapped in blankets.   He
strode over to where the women sat, and handed the bundle to the Captain,
who took it out of instinct.
     Seven noticed her partner's pale complexion, and the stunned look on
her face.  "Katherine, what is it?  What is wrong?"   The young woman voiced
her concern, which grew when the Captain failed to respond.  "Katherine?" 
She placed her hand gently upon her partner's shoulder.
     Slowly, Katherine turned to look at her.  Then, she glanced up at the
Doctor who was still standing in front of her.  "Doctor, what is the meaning
of this?" she inquired, in what she hoped was some semblance of a command
voice.
     The Doctor seemed to shrug his shoulders as he responded.  "You and
Seven seem to be the most logical choice, Captain."
     Seven, who was still a bit confused as to what was happening, spoke up.
  "What are you both talking about?"  Just at that moment, the bundle that
the Captain was holding began to make a noise:  a very loud, unpleasant
bawling, to be exact.  Seven immediately took the screaming bundle from her
spouse, who looked about 10 shades paler than normal, and held it in her own
arms.   She then pulled the edge of the blanket back so she could see what
was screaming so loudly inside.  She was at first stunned to see the infant
borg that had been brought on board, then her reaction turned into one of
awe.  Her ingrained maternal instincts seemed to take over, and she
instantly got up from her seated position and pulled the infant closer to
her own body, and then began singing in a soft voice, "You are my Sunshine."
   Katherine, who was finally beginning to regain some of her color, looked
at the Doctor, and began to protest.  "Doctor, really, there must be some
other couple on board who can..."  Her protests were cut short when she
heard Seven begin to sing so softly to the child.  She looked over at her
spouse and noticed the soft, loving expression in her eyes.  As Seven
continued to sing quietly, the cried of the infant began to taper off, until
those cries turned into baby coos of contentment.
     Katherine turned back to the Doctor.  "Doesn't this child need special
care that only you know how to provide, Doctor?"
     He just smiled and shook his head.  "Not at all, Captain."  He got a
sudden smug look on his face.  "In fact, I have been able to remove almost
all of the borg implants, and hope to be removing the rest when the baby is
a bit older.  But for now, all this baby requires is a lot of love and
attention."  With that, the Doctor turned suddenly toward the door, and was
exitng before the Captian could even voice another protest.
     Katherine sighed softly.  She looked over at Seven and the baby, and,
seeing the happiness on her spouse' face, decided that, even though they had
planned to wait, starting their family now might not be such a bad thing.

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