Part 6
The hair brush plied through the golden locks in long easy strokes.
Kathryn sighed. The urge to run her fingers through the soft strands brought an ache to her heart.
Seven stifled a yawn and placed the hairbrush back into her back pack. She took out her pajamas, this pair a rosy pink without the frustrating buttons. She stepped out of her shoes and the blue biosuit then she drew up the pajama bottom. She stretched her arms through the sleeves of the pajama top, letting it fall over her head and shoulders in one easy move.
Oh my. As many times as she’d seen Seven change in and out of pajamas these past few nights, Kathryn was still rendered breathless by the sight of the firm pink breasts and the gleaming silver abdominal implant.
Seven glanced over at the biobed.
Did she sense her audience? It wasn’t something Kathryn would ever do for real, ogle Seven while she was changing clothes…
Oh come off it, Katie. If Seven was changing clothes, you’d be watching out of the corner of your eye.
Seven picked up the chair that she usually slept in during the nights in sickbay. Already her lower back twinged sympathetically as she thought of sitting there with her head on the pillow. Surely after all this time it would be acceptable to push another biobed near the captain’s and recline there.
What was she doing?
Seven grabbed a biobed and pushed it into place next to the captain’s.
“Computer, dim lights.” She climbed in and pulled a sheet over her, settling her head onto the pillow. This was much better than the chair.
Seven was so much closer. Kathryn could smell her, that slightly metallic scent the young woman gave off along with something that reminded the captain of honey.
Although the bed was better than the chair it still did not feel exactly comfortable. Seven adjusted her limbs, turning over slightly, angling her knees and facing the other bed.
Who knew Seven was such a squirmer? Kathryn didn’t think Seven had ever tried to sleep in a bed before. It was actually amusing, watching the younger woman fidget.
Insufficient.
Seven kicked off the sheet in frustration. She glanced over at the captain lying on her back. Tuvok had indicated she should check the captain’s responses periodically during the night. It would be more efficient if the captain were nearer.
Oomph. All amusement fled when Kathryn felt a strong arm lift her up and pull her closer to the other bed.
Seven wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, tucking Janeway’s head against her shoulder.
I like this…
Kathryn was curled on her side, Seven’s heart beating steadily under her fingertips.
This was acceptable. Seven nuzzled the soft auburn hair, inhaling the captain’s fragrance. The whisper soft breath of Kathryn tickled her neck. The captain’s tank top had risen up slightly and Seven’s human hand touched warm bare skin of her back. She snuggled closer.
This felt so good. To be held in Seven’s arms, to feel the soft breasts under the pajama top. Kathryn felt dizzy from the contact.
The captain’s respiration was growing more rapid. So had Seven’s. There was also an increase in warmth, particularly in her chest where the captain’s hand rested.
She needed to touch Seven. To make contact, let her know that she was here. Really here. Kathryn concentrated, trying to move her fingers. Slowly the fingertips obeyed, lightly circling the nearest breast.
Seven lay quietly, letting her respiration deepen as she waited for sleep to claim her.
“Good night, Kathryn.”
Good night, Seven. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
What were bedbugs, Seven wondered. Then she frowned. Why was she thinking of bedbugs? Were there some in the bed? She could feel something crawling on her body. She gazed down. The captain’s fingers were moving. Was it merely a muscle twitch or deliberate?
Kathryn’s fingers were now grazing a nipple, making it stiffen.
Her nipple hardened, the way it did sometimes when her biosuit’s environmental controls were damaged. Only she was not cold now. In fact she felt hot as the captain’s fingers continued to touch her and she knew this was no muscle twitch.
*******
At 0600 hours the EMH materialized. What would he find Seven doing today, he wondered. Squaring his shoulders, he peered behind the shield. His jaw dropped. Captain Kathryn Janeway was draped across Seven’s body, a hand lightly tracing the blonde’s abdominal implant in a circular pattern that couldn’t just be random movement. The Doctor grabbed his tricorder probe and hurried over to the biobeds.
Just as he suspected, the captain was showing an increased level of muscular activity.
“Captain,” he said.
Immediately the hand on Seven’s implant stopped moving.
Damn. Kathryn hadn’t heard the EMH come in. Holograms didn’t make much noise. She felt the Doctor ease her off Seven’s body and allowed herself to fall back onto her biobed. Her legs were still tangled with Seven’s long limbs, and the Doctor lifted them away.
Seven was still asleep and the Doctor saw no reason to wake her yet. He lifted the captain’s right eyelid. The pupil was definitely reacting to the light. He repeated the procedure on the left eyelid with the same result.
“Captain, can you lift your hand at all?”
She wished he would go away. She had spent a night in Seven’s arms and she didn’t want it to end.
He picked up her right foot and poked the bottom with the edge of the tricorder probe.
Ow! Stop that!
“Did you feel that captain?” He picked up the other foot and repeated the move.
That’s enough! She wasn’t going to sit around and be used as a pin cushion.
“You did feel that!” the EMH said.
Hearing the Doctor’s voice nearby, Seven blinked and opened her eyes.
Now you’ve gone and awakened Seven.
“Doctor…?”
“Good morning, Seven. I see you rearranged the furniture.”
“Reclining is more conducive to sleep.”
“So they tell me. Did anything happen last night while you were reclining with the captain?”
Oh God, what would Seven say?
Several times in the night Seven had awakened to feel the captain’s fingers moving lightly over her back or chest. Was that something she should tell the EMH?
“I believe the captain is able to move her hand.”
“You felt it?”
Seven nodded. “Commander Tuvok had asked her to squeeze his fingers and suggested I do the same,” she explained.
“So her fingers squeezed yours?”
“They did exert pressure on me,” Seven said, recalling the fingers gently squeezing her mammary gland.
“I thought I saw the captain’s hand moving when I came in although it’s stopped right now.”
Seven swung her legs and got up from the biobed. “Then she is improving. She will be out of her coma soon.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Moving her hand is one thing. Responding to verbal commands will be the next step.”
Hey, I’m not one of Molly Malone’s pups.
“I must go. I will be late for my duty shift,” Seven said.
Kathryn watched wistfully as Seven tucked her hair back into its twist. For some reason today Seven turned her back to the bed as she slipped out of her pajamas and pulled on the biosuit. Was Seven getting modest for some reason?
********
Voyager slowed to one quarter impulse as it approached the space station. It was small, nothing like the deep space stations in Federation space, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. From the captain’s chair Chakotay relayed the request for trade to the station master. He was business-like and agreed to negotiate for the repairs needed. He also extended an invitation for shore leave to the ship’s crew.
“Are you really thinking of shore leave, Commander?” Paris asked from the helm.
“We’ll see. For now, Ensign Kim you’re with me.”
“Yes, sir!” Kim said, glad to be going off the ship.
Torres joined them from Engineering. “The station master tells me that the usual turn around time for repairs is four hours,” Chakotay briefed Kim and Torres as they stepped from the docking bay to the station.
“Four hours!” Torres exclaimed as they discussed the ship’s repair list. “How can they make the repairs so quickly?”
“I don’t know. But if they can do it, I won’t complain,” Chakotay said. “I suggest that you two go over to the repair area while I negotiate for payment with the station master.”
“Understood,” Torres said.
The station was busy with three levels of operations. Chakotay had been given directions to the repair area as well as to the station master’s office. The level they were walking on now catered to passengers off freighter ships, with the obligatory shops, bars and holosuites.
“Maybe we should buy a souvenir for Tom,” Harry said with a grin.
“Paris can buy his own souvenir once I grant shore leave,” Chakotay said, nodding in dismissal as he turned toward the east section of the station where the station master’s office was located.
The station master resembled a wily fox, not just because of the reddish fur that covered his face and hands. He was a skilled negotiator and after a half hour agreed to accept the payment in beryllium, which Voyager’s replicators could produce.
With that task completed Chakotay pressed on to the other matter that concerned him.
“Does your station have medical personnel?” he asked.
The station master brushed his whiskers. “We have a healer but he is away at the moment. Is someone sick on your ship?”
“Our captain encountered a Lubalian rose. She’s been unconscious ever since then.”
The station master shrugged. “I know very little of plants. However there is someone in the main kiosk who studies them. Myrrim is the name.”
“Can you tell me how to get to his shop?”
Following the station master’s directions to a kiosk in the lower level, Chakotay asked a purple-haired woman if he could speak to Myrrim, the botanist.
The woman arranging a bouquet of flowers laughed. “I’m Myrrim but I am not a botanist. I’m a flower seller.” Pots of blooming plants crowded the counter where she worked. “We have the largest inventory of flowering plants in this sector.”
Chakotay spent a few minutes, admiring the plants.
“The station master told me that you might know how to take care of a Lubalian rose. Are you familiar with the plant?”
“Oh yes. They’re so pretty. The flowers can be every color in the universe. I always sell out quickly when I have them for sale.”
“Have you ever heard of the plant being harmful?” Chakotay asked.
“What do you mean?” the flower seller countered.
“Do people ever get sick from it?”
“Why do you ask?”
Chakotay wondered why she was answering his question with a question. Was it just part of her culture? Perhaps he needed to be more forthcoming.
“The captain of my ship was given the plant by the Lubali as a parting gift. She fell into a coma a few hours after receiving it. Our efforts to revive her have been unsuccessful. Any information you can provide would be much appreciated.”
“I cannot tell you very much,” Myrrim said as she watered a plant. “The Lubalian rose is not considered dangerous. I have handled it myself with no problem. It provides a pleasing array of colors and its scent is used in perfumes.”
“Is there anyone else who might know about the plant?”
“You can always ask at the restaurant or bar.”
“Thank you.” Disappointed, Chakotay set off for the nearest restaurant. It appeared he would be spending more time than anticipated on the station.
******
With Voyager docked at the space station, Seven of Nine had time to reviewed her eidetic memory files, accessing the memories of those she had assimilated as a Borg who might have had contact with the Lubali.
Among them was a mythologist, a member of species 592, who had studied the Lubali culture and amassed an intriguing collection of stories and legends. One legend involved a plant special to lovers.
According to traditional tales the Lubali queen fell into a coma. Her lover revived her with a kiss. A plant grew at the site where she had awakened, the Lubalian rose. Legend claimed that often the flower caused lightheadedness and dizziness in people who could be revived by a lover’s kiss.
Seven frowned as she sorted through the data. The story was similar to the fairy tale Naomi Wildman had related earlier. Sleeping Beauty. In both cases a woman fell asleep and was revived by a kiss. Was it possible that the captain could be restored in this manner?
“Seven of Nine…”
Absorbed in her work, she glanced up from her console in cargo bay two to find Tuvok standing in front of her. He had obviously been calling her name several times.
“Tuvok, how may I assist you?”
“I am curious about your progress with the captain. Did she respond to you last night?”
“I believe so. The Doctor says her reflexes have improved and that she can move her fingers slightly.”
“That is good news.” The dark-skinned Vulcan started to turn away.
“Commander, I require your opinion on something I have unearthed from my memory files.”
“Certainly.” He waited patiently for her to continue.
Seven tapped her console, transferring the information from the mythologist to a padd.
“I have found something in my assimilated memories with regard to the historical significance of the Lubalian rose.”
“Indeed?” Tuvok took the padd and read through the data dispassionately. “An intriguing hypothesis,” was his comment when he was finished.
“Do you think that it could be plausible? Can we revive the captain in this manner?”
“There is only one way to determine if a hypothesis is true. You must test it.”
Seven blinked in surprise. Did Tuvok realize what he had just suggested?
“Do you think that wise?”
Tuvok lifted his eyebrow.
“If you do not test it and the captain continues to linger in her coma, that would be unwise.”
Seven considered Tuvok’s words. “Someone should kiss the captain.”
“Not just anyone. Someone who loves her.” He gazed pointedly at her.
“I have strong feelings for the captain,” Seven admitted softly.
“I believe she returns those feelings. Obviously you are the one who should kiss the captain.”
Tuvok was Janeway’s oldest friend on the ship and Seven took his words to heart. Tonight when she was alone with the captain she would kiss her. But how exactly did a human kiss another? After Tuvok left she returned to her console, searching for the 30,000 gigaquads of data she had compiled while watching B’Elanna Torres and Tom Paris during their dating ritual. There was so much to learn and so little time.
The hours flew by as Seven studiously consulted the Starfleet databases and learned all she could about kissing. Evidently there were many different kinds of kisses. Some were considered mere pecks on the cheek, while others were of a more ardent nature. Just thinking about kissing Kathryn in this second manner brought an unsettled sensation to her stomach. Butterflies, she recognized.
A kiss was considered a prelude to the more intimate step of copulation, making love. Seven’s butterflies grew more agitated as she reviewed the database on this subject. An ancient human text entitled Kama Sutra had much information on the subject although it would require an athleticism and flexibility that might be beyond Seven even with her Borg enhancements.
As for the captain. Thinking of the redhead, Seven felt a yearning come over her, not just to kiss the woman but to shield her, protect her, ease the burden of command from her weary shoulders. She disengaged her research and relying on her eidetic memory replayed all of her personal interaction with Kathryn since first coming aboard Voyager. She had been suspicious of the captain at first, perceiving her as stern and inflexible but she knew Kathryn better now. She was warm and passionate. She had considered the starship commander an enemy but now found her a friend and perhaps that friendship might soon prove to be the way for the captain to emerge from her coma.
While Seven pondered her next move, someone else was intent on proving his own mettle in the sickbay.
“I need a few minutes alone with the captain,” Chakotay said to the Doctor.
The EMH looked up from where he was running an experiment. “How long will you need? I need to continue my experiments.”
“Ten minutes should be enough time.”
“Very well. Computer, deactivate EMH.”
Intrigued by Chakotay’s behavior, Kathryn waited to see what he wanted. Maybe he wished to tell her about the ship’s repairs. Or had he found a medical treatment for her?
Chakotay moved silently to the foot of the biobed.
Don’t just stand there hulking, do something.
He cleared his throat. “Kathryn, I talked to a couple of people on the station about that plant. Apparently there’s a tradition about it that dates from ancient legends.”
Oh please, not the Lubalian version of an Indian Guide story!
“According to ancient legend the plant was formed when a princess fell in love with someone that her parents disapproved of. Heartsick, she fell into a deep sleep until her lover awakened her with a kiss.”
Just like Sleeping Beauty.
“Now you and I were never lovers.”
You got that right. I just wish the rest of the ship thought so. I still get a strange look sometimes when we’re together at a social function.
“I do care about you a lot, Kathryn. So, for what it’s worth, here goes.”
Chakotay’s lips descended on Kathryn’s. A surprisingly chaste kiss, light not hard or demanding and fortunately without tongue. She held her breath, wanting to push him away, but if there was the slightest chance that his idea might work…She forced herself to relax as seconds passed. Five, six, seven…how long was he going to kiss her!
Finally he drew back.
Thank God, she could breathe again.
Chakotay peered down at the captain. He didn’t see any change in her.
“Computer, activate EMH.”
“Please state the nature…ah, Commander, are you finished with your visit to the captain?”
He nodded. “Maybe you could check her and see if there’s been any change in her readings?”
“Certainly…” The EMH pulled out his medical tricorder. “Hmmm. A slight increase in cortisol levels. That’s usually related to stress.” He eyed the stocky First Officer. “You didn’t start talking to her about battle plans, did you?”
“No, Doctor. I tried a hunch and it didn’t work.”
The EMH shut off the tricorder, looking intrigued. “Care to share that hunch with me?”
Don’t you dare!
Chakotay gave a deprecating smile. “Since it didn’t work, I think I’ll keep it to myself. I’d better get back to the bridge and brief Tuvok on the shore leave schedule.”
Part 7
It was well past 2200 hours when Seven went to see the captain in sickbay. The Doctor was annoyed with her.
So was Kathryn.
“You’re late!”
“I was reading.”
Really?
“I expected you an hour ago and not just because of the captain.”
“Explain.”
“My sub-vocal routines are in need of tweaking…” he squeaked. “As you can hear and Lt. Torres is taking shore leave on the station.”
Seven went to a console and began to review the EMH’s holoprogramming. “I thought Lt. Torres was overseeing the repairs.”
“That’s been completed. Commander Chakotay has authorized shore leave and Mr. Paris put himself and Lt. Torres down for the first shift. I’m surprised that you didn’t get word about it.”
“I do not desire shore leave. I prefer to stay with the captain.” Seven frowned, spotting the problem with the Doctor’s vocal subroutines. “Have you been adding more musical subroutines to your program, Doctor?”
“A Klingon opera here or there.”
“I can clear up the vocal pattern for you. It will mean deleting the newest musical subroutines.”
“Please. I’ll de-activate myself now.”
Drat, she’s working. Kathryn would much rather have Seven paying attention to her than the doctor’s matrix, and yet there was something enjoyable in watching the Borg work. Her moves were quick and efficient as she entered the new logarithms and made the necessary changes to the program.
“Computer, activate EMH.” Seven said fifteen minutes later.
“Please state the nature…” The Doctor said then stopped. His voice sounded better. Not tinny or squeaky at all. “Thank you, Seven.”
“Staying off line tonight will give your matrix time to regenerate.”
“I’ll re-activate myself at 0600 hours. You have your pajamas, I trust? Then the captain is in your capable hands.” He deactivated himself.
At last. Get changed and push the beds together, darling. Kathryn’s body was tingling with anticipation of another night with the blonde.
Seven put her backpack down on the second biobed but she did not push it over to Kathryn’s. Why was she getting suddenly shy?
Now that she had her time alone with the captain, Seven was uncertain how to proceed. She wanted to kiss Kathryn, but should she get into bed and kiss her lying down? Or should she bend over her from a standing position. She was not about to attempt the more complicated positions from the Kama Sutra text.
What’s going on, Seven?
Seven walked closer to the bed and picked up the captain’s hand. She would begin here.
Oh goodie. She liked holding hands with Seven. Concentrating, Kathryn was able to feel the metal fingertips on her skin.
Seven bent her head and examined Kathryn’s hand. She felt the urge to kiss the palm the way she had on previous nights. However, on those occasions the captain had not emerged from her coma. Obviously the captain’s hand was not the part of the body that she should kiss.
She replaced the hand gently on the captain’s stomach.
Hey…what was going on? Not even a palm kiss tonight? Oomph.
Suddenly Seven captured Kathryn’s mouth with hers, pressing warm full lips against the captain’s.
Oh God! Kathryn gasped involuntarily, her mouth opening to the warm soft tongue that sought entrance. Oh yes! Kathryn’s own tongue came to life, caressing Seven’s in a light, teasing motion.
The taste of the young woman was delicious. Kathryn surged with desire as Seven deepened the kiss, her tongue delving and probing. Who knew the young woman could kiss this way? The captain felt utterly weightless as her arms snaked around Seven’s neck and the Astrometrics Officer lifted her up from the bed, kissing her as though her life depended on it.
Seven had assimilated memories of humans who had enjoyed kissing. She had read about the activity and had viewed holoprograms demonstrating the basics of the procedure, but she had no idea. Sparks of pleasure were shooting off inside of her, both her Borg and human body parts joining in what had to be the most pleasurable experience of her young life.
Kissing Kathryn was blissful and yet at the same time arousing. Her limited vocabulary failed her. Seven felt intoxicated as she had when she had drunk too much champagne, but this was not the magic of synthehol. This was the magic of Kathryn, her essence, tangy and rich and smooth.
Kathryn’s fingers tangled in Seven’s hair. They plucked the hair pins out and dropped them to the sickbay floor. Yes!…this is what it felt like, to run her hands through Seven’s hair. She raked her nails lightly along the scalp. Long blonde hair fell against Kathryn’s face, caressing her cheek. She sighed and her lips moved away from Seven’s mouth to the side of her jaw to her ear to her neck.
The captain was kissing her back. Seven could detect the quick heated trail against her skin. Her nerve endings tingled at the contact. Her breath was coming in long deep shudders and she could feel the captain’s respiration matching hers.
“Kathryn?” she whispered.
The captain stopped nibbling for a moment. “Yes, Seven?”
Hearing the words reverberating in her ear, the blonde’s eyes flew open. Kathryn’s eyes were already open, the blue irises warm and inviting like the sea.
“Captain…You are awake!” Seven
exclaimed. Her hypothesis had worked!
“What?”
“You are awake.”
Realizing then that she was sitting up in the bed with her arms still around Seven, Kathryn carefully glanced around the sickbay, moving her head from right to left.
Moving her head.
Her hands trailed along Seven’s arms, feeling the muscles under the sleeves of the biosuit. Then Janeway touched her own forearms. Solid and real. She was back in her own body all right, no longer split in two parts.
“Do you know where you are, Captain?” Seven asked gently.
“I’m in Voyager’s sickbay.” Kathryn clasped her hands together, studying the lines in the palms, the palms Seven had kissed.
Now what? Should she play dumb, pretend she hadn’t heard anything while in her coma? Or should she admit that she had been acutely aware of Seven’s visits.
She lifted her eyes, seeing the joy etched in the beautiful face smiling at her. Pretend? How could she pretend with Seven? Gently she touched the starburst implant on her cheek.
“I’ve been in a coma. You revived me.” Your kiss.
“Yes,” Seven breathed. The captain was herself again. “Captain, I must explain my method of revival. It may have been presumptuous.”
“There is no need for explanations. It worked. I’m restored to myself.” Kathryn needed a little time to process all that had happened to her.
“The Doctor must examine you to be sure…” Seven started to reach for her comm badge.
“Belay that,” Kathryn said sharply. “The EMH can wait until 0600 hours as usual. I’m tired of being poked and prodded and gawked at in sickbay. I want to go to my quarters.”
Clearly the captain was back in full command mode.
“I will escort you to your quarters,” Seven said.
As Kathryn started to get up from the biobed, her legs buckled, and Seven caught her quickly around the waist. Her arm steadied the older woman.
“The Doctor should examine you, Captain,” she insisted, concern growing in her azure blue eyes.
“I’m fine, Seven.” Kathryn was frustrated at her own weakness. She wasn’t going to stay in sickbay a minute longer. “My legs are just weak from not using them. I’ll just utilize a site to site transport to my quarters.”
She didn’t have a comm badge on, however Seven did. Janeway touched the badge on Seven’s chest, not allowing her fingers to stray anywhere else on that tempting chest. “Computer, two to beam to the captain’s quarters.”
When they materialized in a shower of sparkles, Janeway felt a little dizzy. She clung momentarily to Seven who walked her gently to the couch since she was not about to return to a bed just yet.
“I’ve been lying down long enough.”
“Fifteen days, twelve hours and forty-two minutes to be exact.”
“That’s more than enough time off my feet,” Kathryn said.
Seven narrowed her eyes and gestured to the captain’s mouth.
“Your mouth is damaged.”
“What?” Kathryn felt her lips with her fingers. “They’re fine, probably just a little swollen from kissing.”
“I did not mean to damage you.”
“I don’t mind.”
You can say that again!
“It got me out of my coma.”
“Yes.” That had been the whole point to kissing the captain. To revive her. It evidently hadn’t meant as much to Kathryn as it had to Seven. Janeway had been the first person the Borg had ever kissed. The bedtime kisses to Naomi Wildman did not count.
The two women looked at each other, an awkward silence falling in the room. There had been silence in the sickbay during their visits but not like this. Then the captain’s stomach rumbled, startling them both.
“Are you hungry, Captain? I can replicate a light meal for you.”
Janeway accepted this suggestion quickly. “Thank you, Seven. I would like something to eat. Be sure and replicate something for yourself.”
Glad to have something to do, Seven went to the replicator and reviewed the menu listings. Oatmeal would be nutritious, but hardly something the captain would relish for her first meal. Chicken soup? That was traditionally given to someone suffering from a cold and the captain did not have a cold.
“A mushroom omelet?” she asked.
“Sounds great and maybe a cup of coffee?”
“Too much caffeine will keep you awake.”
Seven sounded just like the EMH. Kathryn laughed, a rich full bodied laugh.
“That shouldn’t be a problem for me, Seven. My body’s been asleep far too long.”
A few minutes later Seven brought the omelets to the dining table. Despite her wobbly legs, Kathryn managed to make it to the table on her own power. It felt good to sit at her own table, to be in her cabin again instead of sickbay. The aroma of coffee was another pleasure and she took her first taste in two weeks and exhaled happily.
“That tastes good.”
“I am glad.” Seven had replicated a glass of water for herself. She sipped it, tipping it back and swallowing slowly. Kathryn gazed fondly at the long neck, remembering how she had nestled against it while asleep in sickbay.
She pointed to the cabinet. “I have a pair of candles in there. Can you bring them out, along with a lighting device?”
Seven found the candles and the holders and lighting device and brought them over to the table. “Do you wish us to dine by candlelight, Captain?”
“It’s Kathryn, Seven,” Janeway said firmly. “After all we’ve been through these past fifteen days, I think you’ve earned the right to call me by my first name.”
“Thank you, Kathryn.” Seven felt a warm glow spread through her body. Maybe it was just the warmth of the candles that the captain was now lighting. Or the way Kathryn’s eyes were shining as they gazed at her. She had never experienced heat from someone’s gaze before.
Dining by candlelight was mentioned in her research on love rituals. Did Kathryn know this?
“Computer, lower ambient lighting.”
The lights dimmed. Evidently Kathryn did.
The two women turned their attention back to their meal, eating their omelets slowly, Kathryn because her body needed to adjust to real food and Seven because that was her normal way of ingesting solid nutrition.
“Thank you for your nightly visits in sickbay. I looked forward to them.”
“You are welcome. Were you aware of me during each visit?” Seven asked, curious.
“Oh yes. I wasn’t able to move my body much but my mind was fully alert. I heard everything going on around me.”
“Oh.” Seven flushed and stared down at her plate, remembering the liberties she had taken, such as holding the captain’s hand. Her flush deepened as she recalled dressing and undressing in front of the captain’s biobed. She looked at Janeway now, imagining how Kathryn would appear without the shorts and tank top.
Was Seven ogling her? Her pupils were dilating and the captain’s body reacted accordingly, nipples hardening under the Starfleet tank top
“Are you chilled, Kathryn?” Seven asked, observing the intriguing bumps on the other woman’s chest.
Kathryn crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe just a little,” she said, glad to have an excuse to explain away the unmistakable signs of arousal. “I’m not wearing very many clothes.”
“Yes, I know,” Seven said, her voice huskier than usual.
“I’ll change later after I shower.”
The image of the captain standing naked in water sluicing down her torso and legs made Seven swallow the wrong way. She choked.
“Are you all right, Seven?” Janeway looked concerned as the blonde turned a bright red.
“Yes, Cap…Kathryn.” Coughing hard, Seven pushed her chair away from the table and got up. “I am not accustomed…I believe I am experiencing sensory overload.”
“Should we call the Doctor?”
“No. I don’t want the doctor.” I want you, Seven nearly blurted out, looking over at the captain still seated at the table.
“Seven, come here.”
Maybe it was the throaty command or the way the captain looked at her, Seven had no resource but to comply, feeling her legs as wobbly as Kathryn’s had been earlier.
The captain laid a hand on Seven’s arm and felt the muscles tense. The young woman was obviously nervous. That made two of them.
“I think we’re both shy right now.”
“I am not shy,” Seven protested. “I am just uncertain how to proceed.”
Kathryn smiled. “I won’t admit this to anyone else. But I’m glad I was in that coma. I learned about people on this ship. Harry Kim. Chakotay. Tuvok. Most particularly I learned about you.” She trailed her fingers down Seven’s forearm then picked up her hand and kissed the fingertips gently.
Even though she knew it was a physical impossibility Seven felt her heart expand in her chest. Why was the captain kissing her hand? Why was her gaze so heated? Was it possible that the captain returned her feelings of love? Tuvok had indicated such a possibility.
“Will you stay the night with me?” Kathryn asked.
Seven nodded eagerly before she remembered her backpack in sickbay. “I have forgotten my pajamas.”
Kathryn laughed throatily. The sound skittered up Seven’s spine. “I can replicate you another pair if you like…or else…”
“Or else what?” Seven asked, as the captain threw her a smoldering look.
“Or else you can always sleep without them.”
Seven swallowed. “That would be acceptable to you?”
Kathryn grinned. She knew she was being a devil but she couldn’t help teasing the beautiful young woman. “Uh-huh. I don’t wear pajamas to bed as a rule.”
Seven’s ocular implant almost reached her hairline as she imagined a nude Kathryn in bed with her. “You don’t?”
“I wear a nightgown.”
“Oh. That would be acceptable as well.”
Smiling, Kathryn reached up and pulled Seven’s head down to meet hers. Warm loving lips touched and teased, hinting of more pleasures that awaited them. Kathryn’s hands roamed Seven’s back, eager to feel as much as she could of the young woman.
“We’ll have to explain your revival to the Doctor in the morning.”
“We could always tell him the truth. I revived from a lover’s kiss.”
“But we are not lovers,” Seven said.
Jolted, Kathryn drew away. Had she presumed too much? Were Seven’s kisses in sickbay merely a way to get her out of the coma? “Ah…Maybe I spoke prematurely. A kiss doesn’t necessarily signify love, I suppose…” No matter how ardent and breath stopping the kiss was.
Seven’s brows lowered and her expression was angry. “I love you, Kathryn. That is not in dispute.”
“And I love you, Seven,” Janeway replied, squeezing her hard. “But then what did you mean. About our not being lovers?”
“We have not physically consummated our relationship.”
A mere technicality. “We can take care of that tonight unless I’m moving too fast for you.”
“You are still recovering from your illness,” Seven felt obliged to point out. “Perhaps we should not engage in further physical intimacy until the Doctor examines you.”
“I’m fine,” Kathryn insisted. “We don’t have to make love tonight but I do want you to stay with me in bed.”
“That would be acceptable.” Seven’s smile spread throughout her body. She leaned forward and her lips claimed Kathryn’s again, feeling as though she would be doing more kissing in the nights to come.
“I don’t know where our relationship is going, Seven,” Janeway said, trying not to think of the possible problems a relationship with Seven might entail.
“I do.”
“Oh?”
“Our relationship is headed for bed.”
The captain laughed as Seven helped her out of the chair. “I’ll need a shower first. I want to wash the smell of sickbay off me.”
“You do not smell unpleasant, Kathryn,” Seven said. Indeed her Borg-enhanced olfactory system detected nothing medicinal on Kathryn just a pleasing scent with a hint of musk.
“I still want a shower. Will you help wash my back?”
“Yes.” Seven walked her to the ensuite, tingling from anticipation of assisting the captain in the shower.
“Would you prefer a hydroshower or a sonic one?” Seven asked, seeing that the captain’s quarters were provided with both.
“Hydro, please.”
Seven turned on the water, adjusting the jets until they were at the optimum temperature. Her attention to detail made Kathryn smile.
“Thank you, darling.”
The endearment slipped out and Seven beamed. Her research had revealed that humans often used endearments for their lovers.
Kathryn was struggling to take her tank top off when she felt two strong hands lift it over her head from behind. Seven tossed the garment into the recycler.
“Thank you again.”
“You are welcome.” Seven was admiring the smooth skin on Kathryn’s back and intrigued by the way the captain stood with her thumbs hooked on the waistband of her shorts. The blonde waited impatiently for the pants to slide down the captain’s legs.
Kathryn glanced over her shoulder, grinning at the expression on Seven’s face. She really was adorable.
“Would you bring me a washcloth, Seven? It’s on that hook by the sink.”
“Yes, Kathryn.” The blonde turned to fetch it.
“And Seven?”
The blonde turned and watched opened mouthed as Kathryn slid off her shorts. “Before you get in the shower, lose the biosuit.”
“Yes, Kathryn.”
THE END