The Dance of the Turning of the Tides

“No, no, Seven, please,” Kathryn Janeway pleaded with her Astrometrics officer to let go of her hands.  Seven merely looked at her, wide eye shimmering with delight in embarrassing her captain.  She thought she saw a smile appear on Seven’s lips.

“I promise I will not hurt you,” she said, recalling her previous experience.  Unknowing if Janeway knew of that particular exchange, Seven waited for a response.  When the captain sighed, flashing her lashes almost demurely, she took it as resignation and pulled the smaller woman from her seat.  The sudden movement elicited a long-winded yelp that extended into pulling her captain closer, enveloping her with steady arms.

Janeway held her breath staring at Seven when they stopped.  She found her body tucked tight against the blonde’s and neatly wrapped up in her arms.  The slightly amused expression still framed Seven’s face.  When Seven started moving with the background music, she had trouble keeping the pace.  “Seven,” she whispered close to Seven’s ear, “this isn’t right.”  Seven’s head tilted back and she eyed her.  Janeway shook her head and tried to tap into the music.

“What isn’t right?” Seven asked after a few moments.

She adjusted her hands appropriately and settled into the dance.  “This, Seven.  Why did you ask me?  Wait, no,” she rethought, corrected her question.  “Why did you commandeer me?”  Janeway watched the thoughts pass through Seven’s eyes and expression, her lips pursed shortly.

“This is the Captain’s Ball, is it not?”  Janeway’s nod was hesitant.  “I wished to dance with the captain.”

“I wish everyone would stop with this Captain’s Ball… stuff.  There’s no need for it.  I haven’t done anything.”  Seven pushed her out and spun her under a long arm, a movement she went through without thinking.  Returning to the embrace, Janeway placed her hands in their proper positions and moved to the music with ease, surprising herself.  “Plus, I’m the only captain out here.”

“Exactly.”  A smile laced her simple explanation.

Janeway merely shook her head, a compromising smile tracing her lips.  “You could have asked someone else,” Janeway tried again.

“Such as?”

Janeway feigned searching her brain.  “Harry?”  She felt Seven laugh against her.  “The Doctor?”

Seven shook her head down.  “It’s not them I want,” she whispered into Janeway’s ear, which quickly shot back.  Her body was cold in the next instant and she stood still holding Janeway’s hands in the air.  The loose grip was the only thing holding Janeway in place.  To her surprise, Janeway took a deep breath and stepped forward again, taking her hands.

“Feeling bold, Seven?  Has the synthehol gotten to your implants again?”  Finally, feeling in control of the situation, Janeway quirked an eyebrow and led them into the next dance.  She also wanted details.

“I’m not intoxicated.”  Feeling uneasy now, Seven struggled with the movements.  “Captain, I-“

Janeway waved her off.  “How many times do I have to tell you?”  A sheet of confusion was pulled down over Seven’s face.  “Kathryn.”

“Oh.  Of course.”  Seven was mystified.  Janeway never specified to use her first name.  Just the same, she adapted.  “Simply, I have developed romantic feelings for you.  I wish to explore them.”  A short exhalation of breath completed the confession.

A tiny smirk popped up on her lips.  Well, honesty is the best policy.  “Seven, I can’t,” her resistance was less than when Seven edged her out of her seat to dance.  “I appreciate your sincerity, truly, I do…  There’s no possible way we could…” Janeway sighed, allowing her voice to taper off thoughtfully.  Still in fluid motion, she noticed a curiosity on Seven’s face she couldn’t identify.  “What are you thinking?” she asked quietly, almost below the menagerie of sounds around them.

Red was suddenly a fashionable color.  “I don’t believe you wish to know.”  Janeway blushed, too.  “Cap-Kathryn, I apologize.  I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, it’s all right.”  She smirked, secretly enjoying the encounter.  “As I said, I appreciate your honesty.”

Seven tried again.  “There’s nothing I can do?  Nothing I could say?”

“I don’t know,” Janeway started.

“May I cut in?”  The two women stood apart from one another, Chakotay standing outside but between them.

Confusion set in when her first officer offered his hand to Seven.  Seven looked at her, then to Chakotay and finally down to his outstretched hand.  Janeway wasn’t sure if Seven just asked permission to dance with the man or for help to get rid of him.  “Chakotay, if you don’t mind,” she stepped forward and recaptured Seven’s hands possessively, “Seven and I are having a talk.”  Looking at him forced her to see how upset she was getting.  That he interrupted then chose Seven over her was obvious to anyone who walked past, but, what bothered her more was that her actions stemmed from jealousy.

He offered surrender with his hands and backed off.  “My apologies.  Later perhaps?”  Both women nodded at him as he returned to the crowd.

Chakotay seemed to walk away in slow motion.  What have I done?  Janeway’s mind quickly answered itself with the how’s and why’s.  Her body slumped.  Defeated and searching, she stood in the middle of the ballroom, her fingers entwined with Seven’s.  “No,” she said looking up into the blonde’s eyes.  “I don’t suppose there was anything you could have done.”  The taste of jealousy, bitter in her mouth, showed her what Seven was trying to.  Fear rising from deep within her belly, Janeway took another step forward pressing her body against Seven’s.

“Kathryn?”  Janeway’s fingers started to unravel from her own.  She looked down and followed the hand’s ascent.

Janeway stopped herself short, resting her right hand on Seven’s shoulder.  “What am I doing?” she whispered.  When she tried to pull away, Seven held her in place.  She looked up again meeting a soft gaze.

“Would it help if we were alone?”

She swallowed, “But we’re not.”

“Yes, we are.”  Seven allowed a full smile to come through.  “Computer, delete characters.”  She watched Janeway’s confusion grow as each member of the crew disappeared hoping she’d understand.

Understanding settled in her brain and Janeway stood back though still held by Seven.  She wasn’t thrilled at the deception but she was impressed at the way Seven did it.  Smiling, she was amused that she’d fallen for the charade so easily.  Reluctant as she’d been to dance with her, she kept on with it even after Chakotay butted in.  She shook her head as she looked up at Seven.  “You’re something else.  Do you know that?”  Seven could only smile.  “You programmed all this, had all the crew –the real crew– make it seem as though there was this large party tonight, and deceived me why?”

Despite the slight reprimand, Seven countered easily.  “How else was I supposed to ask you to the actual ball and have you accept?”

“You’re a piece of work, Seven.  Truly.”  Janeway slipped from Seven’s hold and turned away.  “Computer: arch.”  She altered her course when the exit materialized to her left.

“Will you accompany me tomorrow evening?”  Seven called as Janeway stepped into the threshold.

Janeway stopped and paused before turning her head to catch a glance of Seven.  I should have known something was up when she decided on different dress.  Party or not party, Seven’s biometric suits were standard.  Now, Kathryn looked at Seven standing there in a mix of pale purples and pinks, her hair let down and curling gently, and finally noticed a few things she was missing from life.  “Yes.”

Epilogue: Blue Million Miles

Kathryn walked steadily down the corridor hoping that most of the crew was all ready inside the holodeck for this Captain’s Ball Seven had schemed then insisted upon taking her to.  She forced a smile onto her lips when she looked up at Seven next to her.  They strolled down the halls of Voyager many times together previous, but never holding hands as they were now.  Thinking of holding Seven’s hands, perhaps them doing much more to her, fingers of fear and anticipation tickled her senses causing her to shiver.

“Have faith in your crew, Kathryn,” Seven whispered, hoping to reassure her.  She squeezed her hand to reinforce her words.

“They’ll adapt, right?”  Seven’s light chuckle forced her smile through the rough quip.  She thought about Chakotay’s reaction remembering their time on New Earth.  Briefly, she closed her eyes hoping the revelation wouldn’t give him a heart attack or some stupid reason for mutiny.  You’re being irrational.  Everything will be just fine, her inner voice chimed in offering support, too.  Sighing, Kathryn tightened her grip on Seven’s hand as they walked, recalling their conversation about acceptance before leaving her quarters.  “Their concerns are irrelevant, Kathryn.  You’re their Captain, they want you to be happy.”  Those words seemed to ease her into comfort behind the intimate bulkheads of her living quarters.  Out in the corridors, on the holodeck, in the Mess Hall or on the Bridge, she wasn’t sure if she could uphold her end of a bargain she so desperately wanted but was entirely unsure about.

Harry Kim suddenly was in front of them.  He strode to the holodeck coming from the opposite direction.  Kathryn stopped cold and hard in her tracks.  Her arm only moved because Seven failed to notice the abrupt halt.  “Seven, I can’t.”  The blonde turned, refusing to let her hand go.  “I can’t do it.”

“Hey, Seven!”

Fear coursed through her veins freezing her in place upon Harry calling out to Seven.  Again, she tried to pull her hand from Seven’s grip, and again she failed.  Seven pulled her closer as she turned to face Harry.  He, too, stopped dead in his tracks viewing the sight she’d envisioned.  Kathryn felt the color drain from her face as Harry shook the shock from his.  Her eyes refused to meet his, but she nodded to him.

“Captain.”  Despite the lack of visible unease, Harry’s voice gave way to his inner turmoil.

Oh God, she thought.  Just let me survive this night and I swear…

“Mr. Kim, I’m glad you could join the festivities.”

“Yeah, me, too.  I don’t know what you have planned, but the invitation sounded nice, and,” she gestured to his sporty summer clothes, “its nice to get out of uniform and into something for the outdoors.”

“We will meet you inside.  I need to speak with Kathryn.”

Harry nodded, the unease showing again.  “Gotcha.  See you inside.”  He nodded toward his captain before retreating into the holodeck.

Kathryn immediately turned on her heels to attempt an exit, but again Seven’s hold stopped her and captured her in a comforting embrace.  “I just don’t know if I can,” she whispered into Seven’s shoulder.

“Perhaps I was wrong.”  Kathryn titled her head up.  Eyes that seemed to go on for miles were misting over, blue shading to gray.  “Maybe it’s you who needs faith in yourself.”  Seven removed herself and stepped back.  “After you,” she spoke with a wide sweep of her arms.  The action prompted a smile to pop up on her captain’s lips.  “We’ll enter together yet apart.”

As they walked through the doors together, Kathryn couldn’t help but feel like she let Seven down.  Holding hands isn’t such a big deal, is it?  She resolved not and sucked in a breath.  Picnic tables spread across a grassy backyard of a traditional two-story home.  Kathryn’s heart skipped a beat or two.  “How did…”  She paused gawking around the holodeck finding the numerous tables occupied by her crew who chatted and laughed, ate or played games.  Her mind was blank.  She heard a dog barking somewhere off in the distance.  “Where?”

 “You said you’d take me here one day,” she stated softly.  “I thought I’d take you first.”  Kathryn’s jaw dropped slightly.  “I realize it’s not perfect; however, your mother hasn’t sent a visual of your home to me yet.”

Now, her eyes went wide.  “You’ve been swapping messages with my mother?”  Kathryn’s voice was graver than she wanted it to sound.

“The third communiqué from earth.”

The simple, innocent statement threw her for a loop.  “You’ve been thinking about all of this for a long time, then?”

“A very long time,” Seven admitted, blushing.

“Where did you learn to be so devious?”  She quickly held her hand up.  “No.  Wait.  I don’t think I want to know.  Let’s just walk.  I want to explore and see what else you have in store for me tonight.”  Seven just smiled.  “Oh that can’t be a good sign,” she laughed.

Seven took a step forward then turned, offering her hand.  She looked around.  Her crew was happy.  And probably not even paying attention, she mused.  Kathryn reached out, allowing Seven to take hold of her hand.  The simple act made her feel like she just offered up her life.  Before they walked off, she glanced up holding an enigmatic smile across her lips.  Seven shook her head lightly and furrowed her brow in question.  Kathryn just smiled and walked on.  “Seven?” she asked when they were halfway to the cluster of tables.

“Yes, Kathryn?”

“Tell me you haven’t been talking to my sister.”  When she replayed the same mysterious smile, Kathryn knew just where Seven learned her devious ways.