Captain's Privilege

by PatsBard

Part 1

Captain Kathryn Janeway exchanged pleasantries with the Premier of L�Antala, acutely aware of the warmth of her Astrometrics Officer�s hand in her own and praying that her command mask hid the newness of the situation?and her secret delight. The other officers of the away team were spread throughout the huge room, some dancing, others nibbling on a buffet that had been set up along one tapestry-covered wall.

None of the officers were alone, each being paired up in deference to L�Antala�s unique social customs: Lieutenant Tom Paris danced with Ensign Kim, Commander Chakotay was conversing quietly with Lieutenant Ayala, and Chief Engineer B�Elanna Torres was helping Ensign Samantha Wildman select something to dine on. All three couples� body language hinted at long-term intimacy as if they�d been together for years.

"Forgive me, Captain."

Captain Janeway�s startled gaze swept back to her host, her mind recalling the last bits of conversation and hoping she hadn�t somehow offended the man. The full lips beneath a pronounced nose ridge were curved in a slight smile and she relaxed. "Forgive you for what, Premier Traden?" she inquired mildly.

The greenish hue of his skin glowed in the L�Antalan version of a blush. "I have kept you here talking when it is obvious that you would much rather be dancing with your intended. Please," a seven-fingered hand gestured toward the dance floor, "enjoy yourselves."

The captain gave a gracious nod, turning and tilting her head at Seven of Nine inquisitively. "Seven?"

The silver implant above Seven�s left brow arched upwards. For a moment Janeway thought the ex-Borg drone was actually going to smile. "I would be honored, Captain."

Metal-tipped fingers reached out and traced the length of Captain Janeway�s jaw, sending shivers down the captain�s spine. She lost herself in the blue expanse of Seven�s eyes until the Borg�s eyebrow quirked again. Placing her hand over Seven�s where it cupped her cheek, Captain Janeway gave the tall blonde a soft smile. "It is you who honors me, my love," she murmured quietly, intensely aware of how easily the endearment slipped out. A nod to Traden and then she led her Astrometrics Officer out to the dance floor.

"A most intriguing society, Captain," Seven remarked coolly as she settled the palm of her left hand against her auburn haired partner�s lower back. The fingers of her right hand were entwined comfortably with Captain Janeway�s and held slightly away from their bodies.

The captain kept her eyes firmly on Seven�s collarbone as they swayed to the music, determined not to let her gaze drop to the full breasts that were entirely too close. "I have to admit I was surprised when the reports came in," she replied finally. "There aren�t many civilizations based on same-sex relationships. But it appears that this culture has devised a method of procreation that allows this to be the norm."

She looked around the room and a chuckle escaped her. "It is definitely a learning experience for my senior officers."

Seven, too, was observing the other couples, most noticeably those on the dance floor with them. She took a step closer to her captain and pulled their clasped hands into the curve of her shoulder. Her mouth grazed the tender flesh of Captain Janeway�s ear. "This is the position the other couples are utilizing," she offered by way of explanation.

"I see," Kathryn murmured huskily. She spent the next few minutes attempting to keep her breathing even and her heartbeat under control. There were scant inches between them and it was taking all of her considerable willpower not to lean into the tall blonde�s body. It would be so easy to rest her cheek on the soft pillow of Seven�s breast, but she knew that was taking the role too far.

"I am curious, Captain."

"About what?" Kathryn responded when Seven didn�t continue.

"How did you select partners for the away team?"

The captain considered the question carefully, aware of how potentially dangerous her answer could be. "It was simply a matter of comfort," she stated at length. "Who has worked easily with each other before and," at this her blue-gray eyes twinkled, "who looked the most adorable together."

The Borg drew away and peered down her nose at the captain. "You are being facetious," she stated flatly.

Kathryn matched Seven�s expression and drew her attention to their fellow officers. "You don�t think they look cute together?" she asked innocently.

"Following that logic, Kathryn, then it would be implied that you and I look?cute together."

"Captain�s privilege," she rejoined smugly. "It is my right as the highest ranking officer to be coupled with the most beautiful woman on the ship."

The soft strains of music drifted into another song and the captain drew her suddenly silent companion to the sidelines. "Would you care for a drink, Seven?" she inquired lightly.

"Please," Seven answered absently, still trying to work her mind around the idea that Captain Janeway thought she was beautiful.

Janeway eyed the blonde over the rim of her cup, taking advantage of the fact that her Borg friend seemed to be immersed in studying the mixture of people around them. Pairing up her fellow officers had actually been easy after observing them throughout the past few years of their voyage. And, to be truthful with herself, Seven had been the first person to pop into her mind when she had to consider who to match herself with.

She had almost decided to pair Seven with Samantha Wildman, since the former drone had cultivated a friendship with the ensign�s daughter. She would, in turn, have been paired with B�Elanna Torres. But that scenario just hadn�t rung true, and she was certain she had caught her Chief Engineer gazing speculatively at the young biometrics officer in the months before.

"Captain." Seven of Nine waited until she was sure of her captain�s attention. "May I ask you another question?"

Captain Janeway sighed quietly and nodded acquiescence. The more questions Seven asked her about this situation, the more likely it was that she was going to be caught in a difficult position.

"When you introduced the couples to the Premier, you made it clear that each of them had been in a relationship for at least a year or more. Yet you told him we had only been together for a short time."

Kathryn endured the steady blue gaze for a few moments. "And your question is??" she asked archly. A pink hue suffused the Borg�s cheeks, intriguing Kathryn to no end.

"What was the purpose for that?" Seven knew Captain Janeway had a reason for every decision she made regarding her crew, especially when it affected a mission as delicate as this one. While it was true that the main purpose of this mission was to gather some much-needed supplies, they had also been informed that these aliens had allies further along their path to the Alpha Quadrant. It would smooth their journey to have the L�Antalans as friends, ensuring that there would be other planets where they could possibly receive more supplies and a chance at a ship-wide shore leave.

"Long term relationships show our loyalty and commitment to one another, Seven. It tells them that not only are we a crew, but that we are a family with the ability draw strength from one another. I have shared with the Premier some of the difficulties we have been through since we were stranded in this quadrant and he was impressed with our ability to adapt and continue our lives."

Seven frowned slightly when the captain didn�t continue. "But none of us are truly couples."

"We really shouldn�t be discussing this now, Seven," Kathryn sighed, as she escorted the woman over to a low couch. She was slightly taken aback when Seven wrapped an arm around her and drew her close, then noticed other couples in similar embraces along the wall. It seemed her young Borg was adapting quicker than she had thought she would.

"There are several heterosexual couples on board Voyager who have been together for the same length of time as I told Traden the away team was. In the interest of diplomacy and ease of negotiation, I decided to put forth the appearance of similar lifestyles." The captain shifted to look Seven in the eye and found herself disconcertingly close to full red lips.

"That still does not answer my question, Captain." Ice blue eyes took in the scattering of freckles across the bridge of Captain Janeway�s nose and the ivory smoothness of her cheeks. She was tempted to kiss the mouth that was so tantalizingly close, but she had a feeling that would be taking the role too far.

"Question? Oh right. The question." Kathryn shook her head and looked away before she did something she might not regret. "The others have been in relationships before and so they know what is expected of them. You, on the other hand, are a babe on the woods at it."

"A babe in the woods? What does that mean?" Seven was at a complete loss and vaguely insulted.

"It means you don�t have any experience to fall back on," Kathryn laughed lightly.

"I have dated," Seven protested.

"Once, Seven. You�ve had one date and, trust me, that�s not nearly enough to make you an expert at this sort of thing." Kathryn patted the hand on her shoulder. "And that�s precisely what I meant. New couples are sometimes awkward around each other because they are still learning each other�s wants and needs. By telling the Premier we�ve only been together a short amount of time, he won�t think it odd if we are off by ourselves a lot."

"Why would that be?"

Why? Well, that was a good question. "Well, new lovers tend to be focused primarily on each other. And I had a feeling you�d be a little uncomfortable with all of this. I wanted to make sure we would be able to find a private corner like we have, and make it appear as though we only wanted each other�s company."

"It seems as if you would have been better served to choose someone else as your partner in this mission, Captain," Seven stated with a touch of heartbreaking wistfulness. "You should have chosen someone who would know how to act in a situation like this."

Captain Janeway shook her head, tightening her jaw to keep her words from spilling out. I don�t want someone else here. It�s you I want to court. I want to be the one to receive the gift of your first kiss. I want to be the one who causes your face to soften with love. I want to be able to pretend...just for a little while...that you love me as much as I love you. "That brings us back to Captain�s Privilege," she said instead, with a slight smile. "Believe me, Seven, there is no one else I would rather be with right now. And you�re doing just fine."

"Good evening, Captain, Seven." Commander Chakotay smiled at the two women snuggled close together. He�d been dubious of Captain Janeway�s selection of Seven as her partner at first, but seeing them now he wondered how he had never spotted it before. The captain had a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn�t seen in quite some time and a flush of happiness on her cheeks. Even Seven�s normally cool gaze appeared warmer than he had ever seen. And was that? Yes, it was...the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Chakotay!" Kathryn made a half-hearted effort to rise and was grateful when her First Officer waved her back to her original position. "Where is your delightful husband?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

Chakotay�s mouth twitched, then he gave in and grinned widely back at her. "Greg has decided to see how our Ensign Kim dances." He glanced back over his shoulder and chuckled. "Do you think I should be jealous?"

The captain pretended to give it serious thought, then laughed again. "Not a chance. He knows he�s with the most handsome man on the ship."

They shared a smile and then Chakotay turned his attention to her blonde companion. "Seven, you look lovely this evening. I meant to tell you that earlier, but Kathryn whisked you away too soon."

"Thank you, Commander," Seven answered with a gracious nod. "Kathryn picked out the dress for me." It was a floor-length silk gown, midnight blue shot through with silver, and it brought out the color of Seven�s eyes. The silver made it almost seem as though her implants were complimentary pieces of jewelry.

"It was my pleasure, love," Kathryn responded easily, not noticing Chakotay�s sudden appraising look or Seven�s pleased smile, as she discretely got the Premier�s attention. "It�s getting late, Chakotay. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," she added as she helped Seven to rise. "Gather our wayward chicks so we can get them home."

"Of course, Captain." He gave her a short bow, making her laugh, then tossed Seven a wink. "It�s been an illuminating evening."