Adaptations: A Sequel to Sustenance

Epilogue

The pink satin of her nightgown billowed provocatively against Kathryn Janeway's legs. Enjoying the sensation, she let herself shift seductively as she stood at the end of her bed, gazing toward the portion of her bedroom that had once contained a large lounger. It was now occupied by something far more precious to the captain -- a Borg alcove. Once upon a time, a vicious alien technology, the alcove had now become a symbol of life and energy, of the very thing that kept her own heart beating happily because the person dearest to it was kept alive by this technology.....was sustained by it.

In a sense, it was incongruous -- a Borg alcove in human living quarters. But it was emblematic of how Kathryn and Seven would build their lives together, a pastiche of different cultures and technologies soldered together with love and compromise. A synergy of Borg and human.....adapting.

The one thing they had not been able to adapt to, however, was being separated during Seven's regeneration cycles. And where they couldn't adapt, they renegotiated -- in this instance, by moving the alcove to Kathryn's bedroom.....to what had become, in effect, their bedroom. Kathryn was only a little surprised to discover how easily she could relinquish portions of her personal space to Seven -- to share her quarters with her as willingly as she had come to share every other aspect of her life with the former Borg drone. She even found the eery green light and automated hum of Seven's alcove soothing. And judging from the slight curl of contentment that she detected on Seven's otherwise placid features, she knew her young lover could sense that she was right where she needed to be.

Kathryn adored watching her now, mesmerized by how beautiful Seven looked at that moment. The young woman's hair was hanging in soft, loose waves of shimmering gold, matched by the waves of red satin that draped her body. That, too, was incongruous. Instead of the sterile bodysuit that Seven had worn in the too-public cargo bay, she would now adorn herself in more personal clothing while she regenerated, garments chosen with Kathryn's aesthetic tastes in mind. Kathryn admired the seductive elegance of the long, sleeveless nightgown Seven had selected for their first night of shared regenerating. She particularly appreciated the plunging neckline and the way the bodice cinched just below the full bounty of womanly bosom.

Seven's bosom: Kathryn's gaze lingered there now, enjoying the slight protuberance of the nipples. Something about the Borg energy coursing through Seven sexually aroused her from the moment the cycle started. The captain had often watched her ex-Borg regenerating, even before they had become lovers; and in all that time, she had never noticed this effect before, probably because of the tight biometric suits. But the satin nightgown that Seven wore tonight was loose enough that when Kathryn initiated the cycle for Seven, she saw the young woman's nipples harden immediately. That, in turn, had profoundly aroused Kathryn. She absolutely adored Seven's breasts. Even now, she had to fight back the desire to bury her face in the warm valley between those pliant masses.

Well, she thought, chuckling to herself, at least I can ogle her. That thought reminded her of their conversation back on the planet when they first went swimming in the mineral spring. Still sharing only a platonic affection, Kathryn had objected to Seven's ogling. It was just like Seven to conclude from Kathryn's comments that ogling was a lover's privilege. Seven was so direct. And in retrospect, she had been right.

Unrepentantly ogling Seven's nipples now, Kathryn wrapped herself in that fond memory, unsurprised when it quickly led to other fonds memories of their time together on the planet. And in the next moment, she was seized by a flash of vivid sensory recall, remembering how she had chewed lightly on those plump tips, sucking avidly to draw sustenance from them. She could almost taste Seven's milk even now, warm and sweet and creamy on her tongue. And in the next moment, she remembered the titillating sensation of feeding Seven, the young woman's hot, wet mouth fastened very tightly around her own sensitive nipples, languidly drawing fluid from them, the liquid coursing through her mammary glands and squirting out the tips. Kathryn took a shuddering breath as she remembered. Maybe Seven was right. Since they had the benefit of the nanoprobes, there wouldn't be any real harm if they occasionally indulged their hunger for each other's milk, to relive not simply the titillating physical sensations, but the sublime joy of feeding each other.

Just then, Kathryn became aware of a sharp, pleasant sensation at her own nipples, realizing only then that she had slipped her hands underneath her gown and was absently touching herself. She pulled down the straps and lowered the bodice so she could study her own breasts, enjoying the simultaneous look and feel of pinching her nipples between her fingers. She took another breath, this one intended to calm. Soon, she thought, very soon. And in anticipation, she removed her gown completely, leaving herself naked and ready for when Seven's cycle finished.

Kathryn curled up on her bed, a profound sense of contentment filling her chest. She took a deep breath, dispelling the worry of the last several days. And when she felt the last of the worry drain from her, a pleasant lassitude filled the void that was left behind. Kathryn succumbed to it without another thought.

Moments later, she felt a pillowy warmth pressing against her side as a sinewy leg braided its way between her own.

"Seven?" she mumbled drowsily, opening her eyes. "I thought you were regenerating."

"That was six hours ago, dearest," Seven explained.

She blinked in mild surprise. "Really? I slept all the way through?"

"Apparently, Kathryn my Kathryn," Seven responded, playfully nuzzling the auburn hair. "I imagine therefore that you are feeling very rested.....No?"

Kathryn's lips curled in amused understanding, but she decided to tease, shutting her eyes in mock sleepiness and letting the silence stretch between them.

Seven persisted with an all too familiar call.

"Kaaathhhrrrynnn?"

A low, throaty laugh bubbled forth from the older woman. Then she blindly turned her bare bosom toward the siren's call, returning invitation for invitation. She gasped when she felt the full lips and slight edge of enamel encircling one of her suddenly aching nipples. And in the next moment, she sighed, luxuriating in the familiar ecstasy of having that little nub of flesh tugged into the satiny wetness of Seven's mouth.

Laughter, gasp, and sigh -- it was the delicate opening sequence of their nocturne, still too subtle, too teasing, but Kathryn knew the frenzied rhythm they would reach as their passions crescendoed. She smiled to herself as she felt a tightening squeeze on her left nipple while Seven's mouth sucked more avidly on the right. Apparently tonight's first movement was to be more tarantella than adagio.

Kathryn sighed again contentedly. She was glad to have answered Seven's seductive call, now made sweeter by the fact that they could share their nights so completely. And as Seven climbed on top of her and began sliding urgently against her welcoming thigh, Kathryn silently vowed that she would continue answering that call with a lifetime of passion, no longer afraid to need this woman....and no longer afraid for her. Seven was finding her own way now, helped along by the crew's better understanding of her humanity, of her ability to love and be loved. With the crew at last beginning to adapt, she and Seven felt as though they really were finally home.

And they would carry that sense of home with them all the way back to the Alpha Quadrant, their place of origin and the final destination of their accidental journey into this alien space. It had been an arduous trek that had suddenly become a good deal shorter -- only 8 years, 7 months, and 29 days away. Seven had done the math, and Harry, at Neelix's bidding, had created a holographic countdown clock for the messhall. It showed Voyager at one end approaching earth at the other with their E.T.A. displayed boldly underneath -- cobalt-blue, stellar digits against the broad, black expanse of space. The schematics for the countdown clock had been uploaded along with mission-log updates in Voyager's recent transmission to Starfleet. The transmission had been sent the day after Voyager arrived in grid 3, the crew using Barclay's micro-wormhole technology again in order to report Voyager's new location to Starfleet Command. Goose bumps formed on Kathryn's flesh as she remembered the cheers that had erupted over the hyper-subspace comlink.

Kathryn gasped just then, feeling fresh goose bumps forming for a different reason. The erotic distraction of Seven's grinding pelvis instantly drew the captain's attention back to the ardent young woman in her arms. And when she reconnected with the dark, impassioned blue of Seven's eyes, Kathryn Janeway began to cry.

"I love you," she whispered, overwhelmed by the joyful feeling that her universe was at last complete.

The End