Janeway & the Seven Crewmembers

Prologue: Transparencies

Ensign Brooks stood beside the entrance to Tom Paris’s old-fashioned movie theatre welcoming her guests as they arrived.  A week ago, she had sent out invitations to the entire crew to join her in a night of cartoonic nostalgia, Walt Disney style.  She was aware that most of the crew wouldn’t show, and that was fortunate because Tom didn’t design the theatre to hold the capacity of Voyager’s crew compliment.  As the crew piled in, Brooks wondered silently if there would be enough room to accommodate her peers.  She also wondered whether or not the Captain would show; though, she always did when something new arose in the holodeck.  A shiver ran up and down her spine as the Fair Haven program crossed her mind.  Seeing the Captain turn the corner toward her shook the ickified expression from her features.

“Captain, it’s good of you to join us tonight.”  She noticed who was standing beside her and smiled brightly.  “Seven,” she nodded.

The Captain leaned in closer to Brooks and whispered in her ear, “I only hope this is better than Tom’s choice the last time I was here,” she smirked, her slate blue eyes sparkling showing she was in a good mood.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t even know.  I just picked a popular one from the archives I hadn’t seen before.  And, if anyone will enjoy it, I’m sure that Naomi will.  These cartoons were generally made for children.”

“Has she arrived yet?”  Seven interjected.

Brooks nodded and pointed in the general area of the theatre where the young girl was.  “She told me she was saving a seat for you, Seven.”

“Thank you, Ensign Brooks.”  Seven attempted a very subtle smile, to return the one the Ensign offered her, then started off to meet Naomi.

The Captain stared after her Astrometrics officer in a slight state of shock.  “Seven!”  The ex-Borg drone stopped and turned to face her, her head cocked easily to the side in silent question.  “Ensign,” she nodded and smiled, the exasperated look on her face eliciting a giggle from her officer.  “Seven,” she said when she caught up to the tall blonde, “you really are terribly impatient.”

Seven quirked her eyebrow, the implant rising with it, “I am not the one who made us late to begin with, Captain.”  She watched her captain’s face turn three shades darker gaining satisfaction that she caused it.  “I’m sure Naomi secured two seats, not just one.”

“And if she didn’t?”  The Captain questioned walking easily down the red-carpeted aisle beside her companion.  She nodded to the crewmembers that noticed her entrance.  “Do I have to sit alone?”  Seven halted and eyed her quizzically.  “I did ask you to come here with me.”

Something clicked in Seven’s brain making her blink forcibly.  She scanned the front of the room for Naomi discovering there were two seats available to the right of her.  On the opposite side of the empty space sat Commander Chakotay.  Seven resisted the urge to roll her eyes knowing he’d saved the second seat for the Captain.  She wondered why he was even there at all, as he wasn’t one to participate in holodeck programs that often.  Despite the two seats available, Seven decided to choose another place to sit.  Noting two empty seats along the right wall, Seven grabbed her captain’s hand and pulled her unceremoniously down the cramped aisle.  She heard the Captain utter ‘excuse us’, ‘pardon us’ and even ‘sorry’ to those whose toes she’d stepped on.

Stumbling past her crewmembers, Janeway attempted to retain some of her dignity by apologizing for Seven’s hasty retreat into the depths of the row of seats.  She saw the wall coming fast and hoped Seven would stop before they reached it and crashed into it.  Just as abruptly as Seven dragged her off like a cavewoman, she stopped.  For a moment, Seven seemed to contemplate how to get her into the seat against the wall without making so much as a fuss.

Janeway screamed Seven’s name in surprise as she felt the woman’s lithe hands gather her up, encasing her waist, moving her effortlessly over the seat to the opposite side.  She was sure the entire room was staring at her.  When she turned around, Seven had all ready taken her seat and was looking up at her.  Janeway wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw amusement in the blonde’s normally passive expression.  She glanced at the rest of the audience and blew a sigh of relief that the lights had been turned out without her realizing. Maybe they didn’t see anything, she hoped.

“Captain, you should sit.  The movie is about to begin.”

Seven’s hushed words just barely made it past her shock.  Fortunately, her body listened and allowed her to sit in the chair.  Unfortunately, she’d forgotten the seat of the chair had to be flipped down before sitting.  As she made contact with the edge of the seat, she lost her balance causing the seat to fall into place with a loud bang and a squeak or two.  Janeway braced her arms against the rests to stop her from bouncing, but it didn’t seem to work.  Damn, this is as disastrous as I thought it would be.  In the darkness, she could see the crewmembers closest to her staring at her with angry faces.  She had to hold her breath to keep from laughing at them.  After all, despite her civilian appearance, she was still the captain and could not be laughing at her subordinates.  No matter how funny they looked staring daggers at her.  Seven was still looking at her as she quietly settled.  Before she turned to watch the lively screen, Janeway offered her a smile.

As the cartoon progressed, Janeway continually glanced over at Seven through the darkness silently asking her why they’d decided to see this ‘classic’.  Five times, she had caught her attentions drifting from the movie and onto Seven.  She was glad that each time, Seven didn’t seem to notice, and she hoped she hadn’t.

Kathryn let out a slow sigh as she returned her gaze to the movie.  She’d been aware of her growing affection toward Seven and had hid it fairly well over that time, but during the last few days the love she had for the young woman was hard to keep in check.  Kathryn rolled her eyes at herself dropping her head into her left hand, her elbow propped up for support on the arm rest between she and Seven.  Please don’t let anyone know…

“Captain?”  Seven leaned down and whispered as close to Janeway’s ear as possible so as not to disturb the rest of the group.  Janeway’s head popped up quickly and her eyes locked with her own, frightened.  “Are you all right?”

Nodding, Janeway held up a hand to quiet her.  She felt as if she were a wild animal caught in a bright light at night, except Seven’s eyes were the light.  All she wanted to do was lay her head on Seven’s shoulder and sit, but it was too much to ask.  Refusing to lose Seven’s gaze, she allowed herself to stare unsuspectingly.  After a few moments, Seven’s face began to soften as if she understood, so she reluctantly tore herself away fixing her eyes on the screen at the front of the room.

Through the remainder of the cartoon, out of the corner of her eye Janeway caught Seven stealing worried glances at her.  She had a feeling they’d be speaking later.  From where the movie was then, Kathryn guessed it was almost over, and later would be sooner than she thought.  As Snow White’s Prince placed a kiss on her lips, awakening her from the spell, Kathryn turned toward Seven, who was all ready looking at her.  When a knowing smile formed on the ex-drone’s lips, Kathryn offered an insecure smile then sharply turned her head down to watch her fingers entangle themselves with each other repeatedly.  She wanted to run.  Unfortunate for her, Seven took one of her hands and held it fast inside her own to cease her fidgeting.  Kathryn closed her eyes thinking maybe the situation was a dream.

When she heard the music stop and Ensign Brooks offer a “thank you for coming” speech, she allowed her eyes to open.  Seven’s hand had not been removed and the lights were up.  Tilting her head to the side, she watched as her crew filed out.  Some looked her way but passed just the same as the others who didn’t.  She saw Chakotay approaching and kept her head down, even closing her eyes again and turning the opposite way to avoid him.  Seven squeezed her hand, she guessed for reassurance.

Kathryn waited until the room was quiet before turning to Seven.  There were no words at the tip of her tongue, nor did she feel the need to say anything to the ex-drone.  Nothing she would have said could buffer what she had to make clear.  Seven seemed to understand that even as her pale blue eyes searched her own for something more concrete, a definite answer to a question unasked.  Shaking her head to the side, a tear slid down her cheek, Kathryn stood.  Dropping Seven’s hand back to her lap, she edged her way from the narrow walkway and through the holodeck doors into the real world.
 

--

Janeway & the Seven Crewmembers
 

Janeway jumped energetically off the rock landing, crouched, soundly on to the rust cave floor.  She was feeling good despite the emotional turmoil burning a hole in the back of her mind.  This simple away mission to mine dilithium was a get away she figured she needed even though Seven was on the team as well.  The rest of the team, including B’Elanna and three others, were far enough away from her position to miss her childish acts.  She didn’t know why she was feeling so good; she just did, and needed a real way to get it out of her system, not some silly holodeck solution.

Climbing easily back up to the top of the rock formation, Kathryn scanned the area.  Lights had been set up around the cave making it easier to see everything going on and the size of the cavern was immense; half the size of Voyager she thought.  In a short distance, she saw her five crewmembers preparing to send the first shipment of ore back to the ship.  In a sparkle of light, it was gone and they went back to finding more.

When Seven seemed to catch the sight of her, she thought maybe she’d climb back down and help her team out.  Her muscles screamed out in delight, needing the work, but her mind decided otherwise knowing that working next to Seven might not be a smart thing at the time.  Instead, Kathryn jumped haphazardly to the nearest rock.  Her footing slipped and she found herself struggling to grasp the mineral with her hands.  Vaguely, she heard someone shout her name; in response, she screamed for Seven.

Kathryn grappled with the rock for a few moments before she felt herself falling, her body smacking into boulders as she went.

Feeling as if she fell for an eternity, Kathryn exhaled slightly when she lightly hit something soft.  Grass, she felt around with her hands, the small strands of green sticking in the back of her neck.  She heard the tweeting or birds and the rush of wind through the leaves of bushes and trees.  Almost frightened to do so, she sat up slowly, a pain rising in her head, and looked around.

“I can’t!  I can’t do it!”

Janeway screamed and turned, jumping up to sit on her knees, eyes wide in fear at the sudden voice.

“Forgive me, your highness!  Forgive me!”

Kashyk, dressed as an old style Earth hunter, stood over her, knife raised.  “I don’t understand.”  She backed into a rock face, unable to move any farther away from the lunatic.

“She’s mad!”  He dropped his arm down, taking the knife out of range.  “Jealous of you!  She’ll stop at nothing!”

Puzzled, now, more than frightened, Kathryn asked calmly, “Who?”

“The Queen!”

Does he always have to yell?  Kathryn’s head was screaming in pain and the man’s yelling didn’t help much.  “The Queen?”

“Run, quickly now!  Run away!  Hide in the woods and never come back!”

His familiar hands moved over her bringing her to her feet, legs shaking.  The sensations his touch produced were as real as anything, but the colorful scenario reminded her of the movie she’d seen in the holodeck the previous night.  As she ran, his voice called, compelling her to go faster and run farther.  So, she did.  His memory alive in her mind, the things he said and what she said in return, the entire situation, made her run.  Branches full of thick, lush green leaves smacked her face as punishment.  Dropping from exhaustion, Kathryn thought it was most appropriate he’d show as a hunter.  After leaving Devore space, he hunted her down in her dreams.  Not so much anymore, but enough, obviously, that he’d show up then.

Again, Kathryn took a glance around.  She was at the boarder of a glade, a small cottage in the middle of the clearing.  Rolling her eyes, she took her cue and started toward the tiny building.  When she moved, animals followed her from all sides, backing away as she moved forward.  She would have to remember to place a formal reprimand in Ensign Brooks’ file when she woke up.

Tipping the door open, it creaked, sending the animals gathered at her feet back a step.  It was then she realized her clothing was slightly different than her uniform.  She wore an ankle length cream-colored dress; a dark blue corset hugged her upper body topped with a high collar and puffy blue and red arms.  A red cloak covered the dress.  Her only wish was that it was longer to cover the entire monstrosity.  She even had heels on her white pointy tipped shoes.  It was, she admitted, the oddest outfit she’d ever been blessed in wearing.

Stepping inside, the animals following at her heel, she noticed the cottage was a mess, as in the movie.  However, unlike the movie, she didn’t plan to clean the place up.  The movie was progressing faster than in real life, too.  She heard the dwarfs singing their way up the to house.  Laughing, Kathryn left the cottage to wait for them outside.  Even her childhood dreams couldn’t prep her for what she saw.

Decked out in the dwarf garb was her senior staff, lead by the Doctor carrying a lantern, singing, and whistling.  Noticing her standing at the door, the Doctor slid to a halt pointing and screaming.  B’Elanna slammed into his back, Neelix running into her followed by Tuvok, Harry, Chakotay and Tom at the end bumping heads into one another.  The sight made Kathryn laugh even more.  After they gathered themselves up, the Doctor moved forward cautiously, a pick ax in hand ready to fight.

“Wh-who are you?!”  Harry sneezed behind him; the others chastised him for making a noise.  B’Elanna smacked him over the head messing his hair up a little.

“She’s mighty pretty,” Harry sputtered after fixing his hair.

Chakotay agreed, “She’s beautiful.  Just like an angel.”

“Angel, heh!  She’s only human!”  B’Elanna raised two hands, smacking both Harry and Chakotay at once.  “She’s poison!  Full of wicked wiles!

“B’Elanna; now, be careful you’ll frighten her!”  Neelix finally spoke up, ducking out of the way before the half Klingon had a chance to whack him.

“I don’t care!  She doesn’t belong here anyhow!”

Kathryn smothered her laughter swearing she’d never say anything about this dream to anyone, ever, and stepped forward toward the group.  “My name is Kathryn.  I take it you weren’t expecting me?”  Harry sneezed again.

“If we do not know you, how are we to expect you?”  Even in a dream, Tuvok’s logic was still in tact.

“Good point.”

“What are you doing here,” Tuvok continued.

For a few moments she tried to remember the movie, what the plot was.  “The Queen, she’s trying to kill me.”

“She’s bad!” Neelix shouted.

“She’s mighty mean!”  Harry followed up.

“She’s a old witch!”  B’Elanna interjected.  “I’m warnin’ ya!  If the Queen finds her here, she’ll swoop down and wreak her vengeance on all of us!”

Kathryn attempted to counter their negativity.  “But, she doesn’t know where I am.”

“She doesn’t, eh?”  B’Elanna spit,  “She knows everything!”

“She’ll never find me here, and if you let me stay-” she thought quickly.  In the actual movie, Snow White would cook and clean the cottage.  Her nose wrinkled at the thought and she bet theirs would, too.  “I can help you in the mines?”  It was all think she thought of to offer.  They all spoke at once, turning their heads toward one another in agreement or disagreement.  Tom just nodded his head left, right, up and down to anyone who looked at him; of course, B’Elanna slapped his head.  Their heads collectively nodded and Chakotay stepped up looking ever his part as Bashful.

“You can stay,” he giggled, “but you can clean the cottage instead.  We, uh,” a chuckle, “need a maid anyway.”  When Chakotay was finished, Harry sneezed.

“Yeah,” B’Elanna glanced angrily at Tuvok as she crossed her arms and huffed, “he can’t keep the place clean, he says, with all the work he does!”

A lopsided, half amused frown popped up on Kathryn’s face.  “Fine,” she groaned, “but don’t come crying to me when you die of food poisoning!”

Harry sneezed then offered, “Can’t be any worse than Neelix’s food!”  When he sneezed three more times, the group ran toward the house then past her and inside.  “Coming?”  Harry had the door in hand waiting.

She smirked and stepped inside, “Thank you.”
 
 

After a long night of cooking, cleaning and doing her senior staffs dirty dishes and laundry, Kathryn was finally able to lie down to sleep.  Fortunately, they offered her their bedroom as in the cartoon.  If they hadn’t, I’d have slapped them all like B’Elanna has a tendency to do lately, she thought trying to get comfortable across Grumpy’s bed.  Does B’Elanna really sleep on a lumpy thing like this?  No wonder she’s always in a bad mood.  She laughed fluffing the pillow and thought of Seven as she drifted to sleep.
 
 

Kathryn woke to B’Elanna shuffling around in a dresser drawer.

“Eh, so you’re awake?  Good, we’re hungry.”

“I thought at least one night off this gravely mattress would make you nicer.  I guess I was wrong.”  She slipped out of bed realizing she hadn’t changed at all.  The hideous dress was staring back at her laughing.  Sighing, she wondered when she’d wake up.

After breakfast, her staff went back to the mines, she guessed, singing ‘heigh-ho’ the entire way until they were out of earshot.  It truly was a weird song to sing, to or from work.  Sitting at the base of a tree, thoughts of Seven were flying through Kathryn’s mind again.  A shadow at her feet made her look up.  An old woman dressed in a black cloak stood before her.

“All alone, my pet?”

“Yes, I am.  What’s it to you?”

“The rest of them, they’re not here?”

Kathryn looked to her left and to her right, “Does it look like they’re here?”

“No, but if they were,” the old woman’s figure dissolved into that of the Borg queen, “I would assimilate them as well.”

With an audible snap, Kathryn felt the queen’s fingers close around her neck and once again, her vision went dark.  No sooner, though, there was a warm presence covering her lips and she allowed her eyes to flutter open.  She saw Seven above her before the vision was swept clean into black.

The white Kathryn saw next wasn’t welcome.  She heard the Doctor and smelled the familiar scents of Sick Bay.  A groan escaped her mouth not just for being in Sick Bay, but for being pulled from her dream the way she was.

“It’s good to have you back, Captain.”

Sitting up, her eyes adjusted and focused on the man.  She was hard pressed not to laugh at him remembering his part in the dream.  “How long?”

“About twenty minutes.  You took quite a spill from what I heard.”

His hands hovered as she swung her legs off the bio-bed.  Kathryn almost expected Seven to be in Sick Bay with her considering the final scene of the dream.  “As much as I’d love to stay and chat, Doctor, I’ve got a job to do.”

“Captain, at least for tonight, take it easy.  Your shift is over, go back to your quarters and relax.”

She stared at him for a moment contemplating the idea then conceded to it.  “Fine.”  She hopped down onto her legs, feeling where the cut had been, and cringed before heading to the door, hiding her pain with a slight limp.
 

--

Epilogue: Moving
 

“Come,” Kathryn softly answered the door chime, allowing entry to her caller.  Curled up in her favorite chair under a comfortable throw, she held a book in her hands ready to drop it as soon as her visitor came inside.  Her head was beginning to throb again, but the pain was bearable compared to what she felt in her heart.  She didn’t have to look up from her reading to know who had just entered her quarters.  The footfalls gave everything away.  Slowly, she closed her book, making sure the red ribbon was in place to keep her page, and looked up.

“How are you feeling?”

Janeway smiled lightly and rubbed her head.  “Better.  My leg still hurts a little, but I’ll live.”  Seven sat gingerly on the ottoman at her feet, staring where her leg had been cracked open.  “It’s not your fault.  You know?”

Seven nodded.  “I still wish I could have been there when you called.”  When she lifted her head, Kathryn was watching her, a puzzled look on he face.  “I was the one who called for you as you fell, I-”

“Seven,” Kathryn stopped her.  “In the holodeck, I didn’t know what to say, let alone do.  I had to leave.  I’m sorry.  If I could change it, I would.”

“You regret leaving?”

“I do.  You sound surprised.”  She looked down at her fingers and twiddled her thumbs.  “I had a dream, of sorts, while I was unconscious,” a laugh poked its way up and out of her.  “The senior staff took parts in that cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“Indeed?”

Kathryn laughed more.  “Can you guess who ‘Grumpy’ was?”  The smile on Seven’s lips gave way that she knew right off the bat.  “Neelix was ‘Happy’; the Doctor, well, he’s pretty obvious and Tom was, and don’t tell him this, Dopey.  Poor Harry was ‘Sneezy’.  B’Elanna kept smacking him every time he sneezed.  I’m surprised he didn’t have a headache the size of the ship.  Tuvok was ‘Sleepy’ and Chakotay was ‘Bashful’.  It was a very odd to say the least.”  Seven seemed somehow disappointed behind her smile.  “You were there, though.”

“I was wondering.”  Seven finally looked up, “Who were you in this ‘dream’?”

Kathryn felt her skin blush a hot red.  “Snow White,” she paused, softly directing her eyes to Seven’s, “and you were my Prince.”  Janeway let her feet drop to the floor between the chair and ottoman, leaning forward.

“I was?”

“You were.”

Seven smiled unevenly, “Would you like me to awaken you now?”

A million butterflies beat their wings in her stomach as Seven caressed her cheek with a hand.  “I love you,” she whispered just before their lips met.