The Fairy Q-mother

Seven nodded her assent.

"Very well Captain, although the enjoyment of nutrition is irrelevant."

Captain Janeway suddenly seemed distracted. She glared up at the ceiling. When Seven followed her gaze, she could see nothing of specific interest.

"Please excuse me for a moment Seven." Janeway addressed this remark directly to the younger woman and then glared upwards again. "I meant it Q, buzz off!"

"Q?" Inquired Seven, confused.

"The Q are a race of highly intelligent, omnipotent beings" explained Janeway, "who seem to make a hobby of irritating Starfleet captains. I had the pleasure of a visit from a Q this morning."

Seven once more looked up at the ceiling, at the spot that had been unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a force ten Janeway glare. There was still nothing there.

"How are you aware of their presence Captain?" she enquired.

"In all honesty, I'm not," she raised her voice a little and added pointedly "but it wouldn't surprise me if Q's around here somewhere."

"Alright, alright, I'm going." The thoughts of the male Q echoed around the room, undetected by Seven.

 

The mess hall was busy, the tables crowded. Neelix bustled around greeting the crew and serving blue and orange slop. Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine entered. Smiling, the brightly dressed Talaxian gestured to them to follow him over to his counter.

"Captain, Seven. What can I do for you today?" He enquired cheerfully.

"Is the lunch that I asked you to prepare for me ready Mr. Neelix?" Janeway asked in reply as she snapped her fingers. There was a brief white flash. No-one noticed her movement, or its effects.

"Of course Captain." Neelix passed her the large picnic hamper that had appeared behind him in the kitchen. "Have a nice lunch."

"Thank you. Come with me Seven."

The Captain turned and walked quickly out of the mess hall. Seven raised the implant above her left eye and followed.

 

In Captain Janeway's ready room, a meeting was in progress. The Captain was at her desk, with Chakotay seated opposite her and Tuvok standing to Chakotay's left.

"There has been no further evidence of Q's presence Captain." reported Tuvok.

"Thank heaven for small mercies! But I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her."

"It's odd that it's her visiting though. She only came before because He was here. Did she give you any indication of her intentions?" asked Chakotay.

"Nothing. She just made some cryptic remark about being my fairy Godmother. Maintain security alert Tuvok, we'll just have to wait and see."

 

Seven and Janeway entered Holodeck one. The room was empty and no programme was running. The gold grid glowed. The Captain handed Seven the picnic basket.

"Computer, run programme" she began and then snapped her fingers. The white flash that this created was unnoticed by her companion. "Janeway Alpha-3-0."

They appeared to be standing in a park. It looked like a park on earth on a bright, sunny, Spring day. Birds were singing, a breeze drifted across the hillside. Flowers were dotted here and there. A picnic blanket was spread out on the grass. Janeway walked towards it, Seven followed. Grinning Janeway breathed deeply, seeming to bask in the warm sunlight. She took the basket from Seven and gestured for her to sit on the blanket.

"I prefer to remain standing."

"You can't remain standing, this is a picnic." Janeway put down the basket and sat on the blanket, as if to provide a good example. "Sit down. Do you like the programme?"

"It is very...bright." commented Seven, as she sat carefully next to the Captain.

Under her breath, Janeway muttered "I take her home, and it's bright!"

"Holodeck One is not my home Captain, and it is bright."

"I told you. She has...enhancements."

Janeway frowned slightly. "And I told you to go away!"

She turned to Seven and spoke out loud. "We're off duty Seven, call me Kathryn."

"Very well, Kathryn."

"May I call you Annika?"

"No."

Janeway sighed and began to unpack the picnic. Seven picked up a piece of chocolate cake and nibbled at it.

"That's pudding Seven. It is customary to have the cake after you have eaten the savoury items."

"'Pudding' is...pleasing. I do not wish to consume savoury items."

"I'm glad you like it. I expect you are wondering why I have arranged this."

"I am not."

Janeway snapped her fingers. Seven froze. It was as though for her, time had stopped. Janeway jumped up and moved a little away from her.

She glared toward the sky and shouted. "Q! Come here, now." She sucked air through her teeth in pain and hunched her shoulders. "Ugh. Kathy really should do something about this tension."

With a flash, the male Q appeared. He looked bored.

"Go away Q! Come here Q! What am I? An omnipotent yoyo?" he demanded sarcastically.

Janeway was replaced by a scowling female Q.

"This is ridiculous. I cannot believe you are taking this much of an interest in such miniscule...things!" she snapped angrily. "She's not even trying to talk to me."

"Nonsense. You're just sulking because it's not as easy as you thought."

At that, Q bristled. She narrowed her eyes and insisted "No, it is as easy as I thought, except you won't let me just put them in bed together and not let them get out."

"That wouldn't work. Kathy has to make up her own mind."

"Then what am I doing here?"

Q looked pained. He was obviously not used to asking nicely. "Please just do what I asked?" he whined.

Q scowled, resumed the form of Captain Janeway and returned to her place beside Seven. As the other Q disappeared, Seven unfroze. The conversation continued as though there had been no interruption.

"Oh?" enquired Janeway.

"You have already expressed the reason for our 'lunch date'. The Doctor does not believe I am consuming enough solid nutrients and therefore you are attempting to encourage me to 'eat'." clarified Seven.

"Oh."

"Is that not correct Kathryn? I can recall exactly what you said if it would help?"

"No, I did say that, didn't I? Hmm. Well that's only part of the reason Seven. I wanted to talk to you. I'm curious, you called this a 'lunch date'?"

"If I am not mistaken, this could be described as such."

"Yes. I, well, I was wondering, I know your first date was not exactly very successful, but have you considered trying again?"

"Dating is irrelevant."

Janeway smiled, teasing. "And yet here you are on a lunch date with me, allowing yourself to be encouraged to consume 'pleasing' nutrients."

"Your argument is flawed. We are not 'dating'."

"We could be." She paused and then spoke more quietly. "I would very much like us to be."

A hint of a smile touched Seven's lips. "You wish to pursue a romantic relationship with me?"

"How would you feel about that Seven?"

"The thought has occured to me Kathryn. I find it...stimulating, attractive. When I am in your presence, you make me feel more...Human than I ever thought I could feel. I believe I am attracted to you. My respiration is unsteady and my heart beat increases when I think of you. To be 'dating' you, would make me...happy."

Janeway grinned. "It makes me happy just to hear you say that." she whispered.

The Captain took Seven's hand in her own and smiled warmly at her. Seven lifted their hands to caress Janeway's cheek. She turned her head slightly and gently kissed Seven's palm.

"I must admit, I did not think you would act upon your feelings." Seven stated, revelling in the touch of Janeway's lips on the fine metal mesh of the implant encasing her left hand.

Janeway brought their hands away from her face and let go, sitting back a little away from Seven. Q had not just made herself look like Janeway, she was Janeway. A real Human, with all of Janeway's memories and feelings and right at that moment a lot was going on and she was finding that she was having difficulty sorting through all of the sensations and concentrating on their conversation. Maybe Humans weren't quite as simple as she had assumed. She'd never really been inside one before. It was messy. They didn't just do. They prevaricated, doubted, conidered. Kissed. In order to be convincing to Seven, she had immersed herself in Janeway's feelings. They were alien, totally outside of her frame of reference. So far she was keeping on top of them, but it was becoming more difficult. And yet to allow the miasma of emotion to envelop her was tempting. Q was clear. All-seeing but unfeeling. This was dark. Rich and warm. Like sinking into sweet oblivion. No absolute knowledge. Just instinct and feelings, pulling her down. She struggled to hang on to her objectivity.

"You knew how I felt?" Janeway breathed so quietly that Seven could hardly hear her.

"I was aware of your attraction to me. My implants allow me to be aware of the slightest changes to your body's metabolic functioning. I was aware of the impact of my presence on you physically despite your refusal to apprise me of your emotions."

"I can see pillow-talk's going to be a ball." she commented wryly, having got herself more in control.

"Kathryn?"

"Sorry, I'm nervous."

"You are nervous?" Seven looked confused. "You have experienced these feelings before, have you not?"

"Well, yes," answered Q, knowing that Janeway had felt similar feelings before. Personally though, and she would never admit this to another Q, she was feeling a little out of her depth. "but being nervous when discussing your feelings with someone new is not unusual no matter how many times you have had similar experiences."

There was silence. The two women sat and looked at each other. Their eyes held each other. Q leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Seven's. A pause. Their lips met again, opening, the kiss slowly deepening as they each surrendered to each other and their feelings. Q caressed Seven's thigh, exploring.

Seven felt as though her whole being was focussed where Janeway was touching her. Her eyes closed and she lost herself in the kiss and the caress. Janeway's hand slid up over her hip onto the side of her waist. Gently discovering the bands of metal there through the biosuit. She shivered as the fingers ran down the side of the implant, where metal met skin. The older woman guided her so that she was lying on her back. She could feel the uneven ground beneath her as she looked up into the blue eyes of the woman she adored, leaning down over her to claim her lips once more. She caught at her and pulled Janeway on top of her, against her, feeling their breasts crushed together between them, longing for that experience without the intervening layers of clothes.

Q was fascinated by the sensations Seven's touch invoked in this body. She felt as though her skin was on fire with sensation. The slightest brush of her fingers seemed to instantaneously transfer itself inside her, tying her in knots. The cold emptiness as Seven broke their kiss, pulled away from her and began to attempt to remove her uniform jacket. Seven rolled them over so that they were on their sides. Then the shock as she felt Seven's hands brush over her nipples as she slid them inside her jacket.

The two women explored each other, bodies pressed together, thoughts lost in a sea of sensation and yet at the back of her mind, Q knew that she couldn't let this go on for long. It was vital that Seven's absence from the ship should not be noticed. Reluctantly she pulled away from her and sat up.

"I really have to get back to the bridge Seven. Would you like to have dinner with me this evening?"

"Yes, I would like that. Perhaps you will be more successful in your attempts to encourage me to consume nutrients this evening, we seem to have become rather distracted from our purpose."

"Did you just tease me?" chuckled Janeway.

"Borg do not tease."

"Whatever you say. Come to my quarters at 19:00?"

Seven pulled her close and kissed her. She murmured against her lips "I will see you then."

Before the captain could respond, she was on her feet, striding away.

"Computer, end programme." called Janeway as she snapped her fingers.

There was a flash of light and the park vanished to be replaced by the empty Holodeck. As the doors closed behind Seven, Janeway was replaced by a contemplative Q.

 

The ready room, that evening. Captain Janeway was still at her desk. There was still a pile of PADDs. There was yet another mug of coffee. She rubbed her hand across her eyes.

"Still hard at it?"

"You again? This is all I need. What is it that you want Q?"

"There's no time for all that. We're in a hurry!"

Q clicked her fingers and in a flash of light she and Janeway vanished and re-appeared in Janeway's quarters. Q looked around and shook her head.

"Oh, honestly Kathy, is this really were you live?"

She waved her hand. The cabin was now lit with candles. The table was set for a romantic meal for two. In the centre was arranged a collection of dishes of steaming hot food. Soft music drifted through the darkened room.

"Well, it's slightly more subtle than the bed with the red satin sheets I suppose," commented the captain looking around at the transformation, unimpressed. "But I am no more available to you than I was to Q."

"Oh please. I stand by my previous comments on your appearance. This is not for my benefit. Now be quiet and let me get on, we only have a few minutes."

"To do what exactly?" Janeway demanded.

Q snapped her fingers and Janeway was wearing a long, figure-hugging, green velvet dress and matching green low heeled shoes.

Q surveyed the outfit. "Hmm. Maybe not."

She snapped her fingers again and Janeway was wearing black trousers, a cream, corset-shaped, strapless top and has a wispy silver tasseled wrap draped loosely over her arms.

"There, you'll do." She grinned sarcastically. "Cinderella shall go to the ball!"

"Q, I demand that you tell me what's going on!"

"Oh, you'll find out. If I were you, I'd stop scowling and at least look pleased when your guest arrives."

Like the Cheshire Cat, leaving her grin until last, Q vanished. As soon as she was gone, the doorchime sounded. Janeway whirled around to face the door, as if she was expecting Q to be behind her.

"Come in." She called, tentatively.

The doors slid open, revealing Seven wearing a light blue silk dress that clung to her hips and then flaired out to just above her knees. Janeway's eyes widened and her eyes drifted down Seven's body. The dress was not nearly as tight and figure hugging as her biosuit, yet it highlighted her femininity. She was honest enough with herself to have recognised her feelings for Seven, but she thought she had dealt with them. Rationalised them away.

"Good evening Kathryn."

"Seven?"

"You seem surprised. Am I inappropriately dressed for our 'date'?"

"Date? No, you look...lovely..." she trailed off, aware that she was staring but unable, or unwilling to bring herself under control.

"Is something wrong Kathryn?"

"I...this is...a little unexpected Seven."

"Unexpected? But you asked me to dinner." She paused and looked around, taking in the changes in the captain's quarters. "You do not seem unprepared."

"I'm sorry Seven, but I didn't ask you to dinner. It must have been Q, she did this." She gestured to the room and her clothes, but her eyes were on Seven.

"But you came to Astrometrics and took me to lunch on the Holodeck. You stated that you wished to pursue a romantic relationship with me and invited me to dinner." Seven did not allow her confusion to show in her voice. It was flat, unemotional. But her eyes glistened as though she might cry.

"That wasn't me, it was Q disguised as me." The captain took a step towards her and caught hold of her arms, wanting to offer comfort.

"You are not attracted to me. I will leave." Seven pulled away from her touch.

"No, Seven wait. I...lets have dinner. We can talk."

"Do you wish to be involved in a relationship with me or not Captain?"

Janeway turned away. She noticed that Seven had switched back to calling her Captain, and it hurt, but she could not allow this to happen.

"It's not that easy. I am in command, I hold a position of power. I absolutely cannot become involved with a member of my crew..." she tailed off as she felt Seven's arms slide around her waist from behind, her lips press against her bare shoulder.

"Absolutely not?" asked Seven quietly as she felt Kathryn draw a ragged, slow breath.

Kathryn turned in her embrace and looked up into her eyes. "Well..."

"And they lived happily ever after!" crowed Q's voice, audible throughout the ship as they kissed for the first time.