Timing  

The doors to the holodeck opened and Janeway nearly dropped her phaser as she walked into… nothing. Literally. The doors slid shut behind her, leaving her in the inky darkness. Suddenly the artificial gravity turned off, and she began to gently float.

"Seven?" Janeway called, confused as all hell.

She drifted in silence for a while, two or three minutes, before the gravity slowly increased, setting her back down on her feet. Tentatively, she took a step forward, gasping as she did.

The blackness was instantly replaced by a beautiful meadow. Dark green forests lined the meadow on three sides, but to her right was a small hill. As she started climbing the hill, she took in the sun beating down on her, warm, but not too hot, and the sky, a blue infinitely more brilliant than Earth's own. At the top of the hill, she could see into the valley.

To her left, and a short distance away, was another hill, and from it, a gentle waterfall cascaded, forming a pool, then traveling in a slow current through the bottom of the valley, across to her right, where it formed into a large, crystal clear lake. A few trees dotted the shore of the lake and small river, and on the side of the river that Janeway stood on, at the bottom of the waterfall, a larger number of trees formed a cove, sheltered from the sun, and, Janeway noticed, from anybody's prying eyes.

Deciding that was her best bet, Janeway scrambled down the hill and walked along the river's edge to the cove of trees. When she got there, it was surprisingly empty. Sighing, she sat for a minute, taking in the beauty of her surroundings. The moss beneath her was velvet soft, the air carrying a hint of sweet and spice, and Janeway noticed a couple of small flowering bushes. When she scooted over to breath in the scent, the hand supporting her hit something, and she gently pushed a branch out of the way to see what it was.

A small wooden box was nestled in the moss, it's rich red color almost purple in the subdued light. Carefully opening it, she saw a small data chip set atop a pile of cloth. She picked up the chip and activated it.

"Kathryn," Seven's clear voice rang out, making Kathryn shiver in the warm air at its soft, intimate tone. "I know you are wondering what happened to velocity," there was an edge of humor in Seven's voice. "But I never said that was what I had scheduled the holodeck for. If you are uncomfortable with that, you may leave. The program will only end on my command, however, so you would have to climb the hill again, and go back into the darkness." Something in Seven's voice told Kathryn she meant more than the program.

"However, if you wish to stay, please change into the clothing I have provided in the box. After you change, if you sit beside the pool, you will see me. Please do not come out unless you are leaving, or have changed. You will know why soon." The chip deactivated, and Kathryn was left sitting in stunned silence. If she didn't know better, she would say Seven had planned a date, but… Could she have? But it was impossible, wasn't it? Determined to find out, Kathryn pulled out the clothing Seven had provided and quickly changed.

As she sat down at the waters edge, Kathryn couldn't still the fluttering in her stomach. The billowing white fabric that was wrapped delicately around her body didn't help much, either. It was definitely not her usual attire, and reminded her somewhat of a woman from Ancient Rome, only more… sensual, somehow. More intimate.

Kathryn looked toward the lake, and sure enough, she saw a white-clad figure slowly making its was toward her. As the figure neared, Kathryn could make out pale gold hair, lightly brushing against naked shoulders. A gentle breeze kept Seven's clothing continually moving around her, the fabric caressing her skin for short moments before being blown away, the tiny hints of a perfect body far more sensual than the biosuits the woman usually wore. Her feet were bare, and as she set it down lightly on the soft grass, Kathryn caught a glimpse of sunlight gleaming off pearl-painted nails.

Finally Seven reached her, and gracefully sat next to her, the white fabric billowing around her. "Kathryn?" Seven asked, touching her fingertips to Kathryn's knee.

Kathryn's eyes followed the movement, and saw the matching pearl-colored paint on Seven's fingernails. She looked back into the deep blue gaze. "Seven… what…?"

Smiling softly, Seven answered. "What I could not say in your quarters."

"I don't understand."

"I know. You will. All we need is time."

Kathryn blinked. "You wrote that poem?"

Seven blushed slightly and dipped her head. "Yes." She looked back at Kathryn. "I could not say it to your face. I could not stand to see it in your eyes if you did not feel the same way. But I am afraid you did not understand the poem. I am afraid you do not understand this."

"I'm afraid I don't. I'm sorry, Seven."

Seven shook her head, and pressed a finger against Kathryn's lips. "Annika. Please."

Kathryn's eyes widened, but she nodded. "Annika," she whispered against Seven's - Annika's finger.

"When Admiral Janeway spoke with me… she told me that she loved me. She told me that she did not truly realize it until I had died in her timeline. And she told me that she had loved me for years, since before I began to show interest in Chakotay. She told me that you love me. She also told me to tell you that I love you. She knew. But she knew too late. She did not want you to lose like she had."

"Annika…"

"Let me finish. Please." Kathryn nodded and Annika continued. "At first I protested what she had told me. But I knew it was true. I knew she loved me, and I know that I love you. And at the same time, that I love her. However, I did not know what to say. I kissed her. It was an epiphany for me. It was more than Omega. But it was not enough. She was not enough. Because while she is you, she is not. And it is you that I want. You are my perfection."

Annika finally took her finger off of Kathryn's lips, allowing her to speak. No words came.

"Kathryn?"

As Annika had with her future self, Kathryn answered her with a kiss. As her lips touched Annika's, for the first time in seven years she did not think of the Alpha Quadrant. She thought nothing of home, as home was exactly where she was.