The Holodeck doors opened and two figures exited. Both were dishevelled and sweaty, but one was smiling. The other had a look of smug triumph on her pale face, finally having beaten her competitor hands down. She inclined her head slightly, and her lips curled into a small dry smile.

"You played a good game," she complimented, raising her eyebrow only just a little in amusement.

"Oh nonsense, I played like an old woman in a wheelchair, you beat me at nearly every point."

"Yes I did didn�t I?" Seven�s wry smile crept another millimetre up her face.

Kathryn Janeway gave the ex Borg a mock look of irritation, narrowing her eyes, but Seven�s humour dissipated any annoyance she might feel. She leant forward and kissed her lover, her friend, and partner.

"You�ve come so far Seven," she whispered, their eyes together.

"I have...very special friends," she stated.

"I just wish I could have been there all that time...I never wanted to push you away, I was just scared Seven."

"Jenni taught me to love" she started, explaining quietly, tenderly to her once Captain. "But you taught me to be an individual. I can never thank you enough for that...Captain" she grinned this time, and it was a full expression, and surprisingly attractive for someone who was still sometimes quite brusque.

As their lips met once again, Seven wondered briefly where Jeanette Tanner now was. They hadn�t been in contact since that night 3 months ago, when they tearfully, yet mutually agreed to end their relationship, realising Seven�s feelings for Janeway couldn�t be ignored. Jenni had said she had saw it coming a long time ago, and knew it was inevitable, that Seven and Kathryn were made to be together. After the death of Michelle, Jeanette had found comfort in Seven. Seven only hoped that their parting wouldn�t hurt Jenni too much. But all the things she had taught Seven had sunk in. She could see just how much it hurt Tanner to do that, to let her friend and lover go. And Seven loved her all the more for it. Every now and again Janeway would wake in the middle of the night to find Seven sitting alone, and a little tearful. She would smile and simply say "I miss her," and Janeway would understand. But it was for the best. Seven couldn�t be away from her Kathryn, her Captain, the bond that had always been there. It had just taken Jeanette�s help to make them both realise it.

As she felt Kathryn�s arms around her, she leant her head onto Janeway�s shoulder, and felt small tears of pain and love form in her blue eyes, and silently wished Jeanette all the happiness she now felt herself.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

At that moment, a small, dark haired woman made her way into a small coffee shop in Amsterdam. It was only a five minute walk from her new apartment, and was quiet, stylish and discreet, which suited her for those low key moments when she wanted to sit by herself. Absently, she made her way to a small table, ordered a coffee, and lit a small joint. She stared out of the window, at the grey sky that was even now throwing sheets of rain against the glass, and didn�t even notice when her coffee arrived.

"You are sad" came the voice of a woman in her mid forties beside her.

"A little" she admitted.

Nina was an outgoing and friendly person, the proprietress of this coffee shop cum restaurant establishment, who had recognised a similar soul in Jeanette, a few days ago when Tanner had first found the place. On closer inspection, and a few days of conversation, Nina had come to the conclusion that Jeanette was suffering from a broken heart. And she was right.

"Do you want to talk about it"? she asked gently. Right now business was a bit slow in the mornings, and Jeanette would often come in to idly chat, while Nina set things up. It looked now as if she was ready to say something a bit more than just the weather or the locals.

"Fucking women, they always leave you one way or another", she growled.

"Hmm, I knew it," grinned Nina, "from the moment you walked in, I thought, "oh here�s another jilted soul." How long were you together?"

"Not long, 18 months...I lost my partner only a little while earlier...and then Seven leaves me too. God I have bad luck with relationships."

"Seven?" Nina rolled the name around for a second.

"Seven of Nine?" she confirmed.

"You know her?" Tanner looked quizzically at the older woman.

"Only what I�ve heard through the media...you didn�t hear?"

In fact Tanner had done all she could to avoid publicity when she had returned to Earth. Oh she knew Seven had attracted her fair share of attention by the media and Starfleet alike, but had for once Jeanette declined to be centre stage. All she had wanted at that time was to potter around in the garden for a while and spend time with her then lover. Not eighteen months had passed, and Tanner had made the mistake of getting Seven to see Janeway. When they did, some thing had sparked, and Tanner was the first to see it. First to see the deep love that was still there. Something unspoken and profound between them. Jeanette knew she couldn�t compete with Janeway for Seven, now they were home. She had made the decision for Seven. To end their relationship. But god did it hurt. She had really adored Seven. Not in the same way as Miz...Michelle had been special, intensely special, no one could ever replace her. Seven had been different. Someone to teach, and explore new things with, and in doing so Jeanette had found that she had delighted in Seven�s various discoveries.

"I..." began Tanner unsure. "I gave her so much...I even gave her the opportunity to leave...and she took that too."

"Ah." Nodded Nina sagely.

"It�s not to matter," she consoled, "you weren�t meant to be together...your special person is still out there somewhere." She smiled as if all the problems of the world had been solved.

At that moment, the door swung to, and a tall figure strode into the room, looking about she made for the stool near the bar and took a seat, pulling out a PADD and scrutinising the information with focussed intensity, apparently unaware of anyone else.

Jeanette craned her head curiously. It couldn�t be. Not here surely. Of all places. She got up abruptly upsetting he coffee in the process.

"Shit," she muttered, making even more mess and clattering the cup all over the place.

The brief moment of chaos attracted the woman at the bar who offhandedly looked over her shoulder.

"Jenni?"

Tanner looked up, flustered and surprised at hearing her own name. She blinked. Tried to focus a bit more in her semi stoned state.

"Teren?" she asked almost disbelievingly. "Teren?" she asked again when the tall woman turned to face her more fully.

"It is you!" she half yelped, out of surprise.

The tall, dark haired Bajoran slid off the stool, and made her way over, as though in a dream.

"Jenni? What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," grinned Tanner sheepishly, embarrassed over the mess she�d caused, which Nina cleaned away in an efficient instant.

"I�m sorry," Tanner excused herself

"Nina, this is my friend Brin Teren..."

The older woman smiled, good humouredly, and bowed ever so slightly

"We have met briefly," she smiled, adding, " your Bajoran friend has the most unusual appetite...she is always a challenge."

"Where�s your wife?" Teren mock confrontational, asked the shop owner, staring at her with a look.

"She is on a vintage wine tasting tour, she will be back in a few days. She will be bringing back some things, if she doesn�t drink them first. Is there something I can get you?"

"Strong coffee, no sugar thanks."

"And another for our messy Australian?"

"Yes thanks," Tanner rolled her eyes at the Proprietress, who caught her look and glanced over at Teren, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly and tilting her head as if to say, "See ? I was right."

Tanner gave her steely stare, which clearly said, "stop it."

Nina chuckled to herself and disappeared.

Teren leaned forward and hugged Jeanette warmly, murmuring in the smaller woman�s ear as she did so.

"How are you my beautiful friend...I haven�t seen you for so long..."

"God, Teren., I�m so sorry. I was stuck on Voyager in the middle of nowhere for so long....for too long." She looked distraught for a moment.

"It�s so good to see you Jenni...you�re, even more beautiful in the flesh...than by long distance communication."

She slid in opposite Tanner, trying to make room for her long legs.

Jeanette just sat there, staring, unable to believe who sat opposite.

"It�s wonderful to see you...properly this time, I�d never have guessed you were here...god...it�s really good to see you "

She leant across the table and grasped the Bajoran�s strong hand. Up until now, neither Teren or Tanner had actually met in person. They had made friends over long distance communication several years ago, when Tanner had written a particularly stirring piece of Erotica which had included a well studied understanding of Bajoran sexuality. Something she occasionally did in her spare time. Teren, being interested in such things, had read the piece �somewhere god knows where � and made the effort to contact the young Australian woman. They had corresponded with great passion for months � until that is Tanner got called away to Voyager and disappeared for 7 years. Since her return, Tanner had been occupied by other things, and had almost forgotten about Teren. Teren gave a brief history of her illustrious career. Having once been part of the Bajoran resistance, she was now on the way to heading an arm of a Specialist Tactical Response taskforce, designed to infiltrate potential enemy vessels, in emergency situations. It was rumoured this particular group was specifically designed as a Borg countermeasure, in case they Collective made another attempt on Earth.

"And you�ve already been there...and dealt with the problem for us" Teren added, referring to Tanner�s adventures in the Delta Quadrant, and how Voyager had managed to infiltrate the Collective and put more than simply a spanner in the works.

"Hmm, I don�t think so. Something tells the Borg won�t be stopped that easily." She gave Teren a grim look.

"Speaking of Borg...where is your wife?"

"Don�t call her that...anyway we�re not together anymore."

"Oh. I�m sorry."

"Hmm, so am I. How does everyone know more about my love life than I do? " she frowned down at the table in annoyance.

"Don�t you take any notice of the News?" Teren asked her.

Tanner shook her head absently.

"I�ve changed Teren...Voyager has done something to me...I feel...lost. I don�t know what to do anymore. I never wanted to be away for that long...I had plans...but that was a long time ago. On Voyager you didn�t think like that, because it was always so knife edge...anything could happen at anytime...but since getting back here...," she trailed off losing the track of what she was saying, the THC buzzing her brain like a cloud.

"Dammit, I lost another girlfriend to fucking Janeway..." her face screwed up, and Teren could see Jeanette�s pain all to clearly, as the smaller woman tried to choke back her emotion.

"It�s not fair..." was all she could say, her eyes filling and her throat constricting.

"Hey...it�s alright..." Teren reached over and wrapped her long fingers around Tanner�s slender hand, brushing it with her thumb.

And Tanner looked up, curiously, oddly.

That had been exactly what She had said to Seven. All that time ago. When Seven had been distraught, rejected by Janeway, and found some comfort in talking to Jeanette. God. Maybe Nina was right after all.

"Um...do you...? Uh...have you..." Tanner stumbled the words out, almost nervously.

Teren smiled understanding perfectly, brushing Jenni�s hand softly.

"Am I seeing anyone at the moment?" she gave a wry smile that suggested she was several steps ahead.

"Uh..."

"No." The sly smile continued.

"Actually..." began Teren, "when I saw it was you, the first thing that flashed though my mind was "I hope she�s single." Her smile intensified

"Oh...Teren" Tanner couldn�t hold back any longer and felt her eyes fill.

Teren slid out of the seat and in beside Tanner, putting an arm around her lovingly.

"Don�t worry...I�m here," she comforted.

And a moment later, her shoulder on Tanner�s, mouth against her ear:

"I�m here...I�ll take care of you"