By Thirds (Part 3 of 3)

Act V

"Beautiful!" Kathryn said, marveling at the sunset before her.

"Indeed," Seven agreed, bringing her arms around her blue-eyed lover.

Kathryn looked around for the rest of the Away team, making sure they weren't too near as she leaned back against Seven. Not that it mattered to her whether or not she engaged in public-displays of affection with Seven while on duty, but if the fact made its way into the mission report that Janeway would surely read, she'd never hear the end of that lecture.

As it was, she'd had to pull rank with Tuvok and negotiate with her counterpart so that she could join the preliminary Away team in evaluating the planet's adequacies as a site for their shore leave. And as she surveyed her surroundings, she decided this would do nicely. The sunset wasn't quite as spectacular as the last one she'd witnessed, on the Eukarid homeworld, but with Seven accompanying her and Janeway on this "mission," she doubted they'd spend that much time contemplating sunsets. Her smile grew wider as she mused about the captivating visions she'd be contemplating in their stead.

"I guess we'd better head back. The sooner we return to Voyager, the sooner we can start this shore leave," she added, taking Seven's Borg hand in her right one and beginning to lead her to the beam-out point.

Seven paused.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look of concern on her companion's face.

"Your hand, Kathryn," Seven noted with alarm as she brought their joined hands up.

When the older woman looked down, she noticed the back of her hand had grown slightly bulbous and was undulating slightly, as if there were something underneath the surface.

Seven tapped her combadge, not bothering to wait for a response from her partner. "Voyager," she called, "emergency transport. Two to beam directly to sickbay."

Within moments, the two women were materializing in front of the ship's CMO. "Doctor, there is something wrong with Kathryn's hand," Seven reported with alarm.

"Really, I feel fine," Kathryn protested. And then suddenly she didn't. "Oh!" she cried out in unexpected pain as the disturbance in her hand shot up her arm. She collapsed seconds later into Seven's arms, vaguely struck by a sense of deja vu.

Seven was remembering the same incident, suddenly wondering if Kathryn was reentering a stage of mitosis.

"Doctor, is she reproducing again?"

"I don't think so, Seven," he said scanning the affected area.

Just then, Janeway and Chakotay entered sickbay. "Report," Janeway ordered even before the doors had time to shut behind them.

The doctor put down his scanner and pressed a hypospray into Kathryn's neck, which barely took the edge off her discomfort.

"Kathryn is experiencing an acute form of cellular degradation, Captain," he explained.

"Brought on by what?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Can you treat it?"

He was already passing a cellular regenerator over the affected area when Janeway asked. "The process is slowing marginally, but I don't seem to be able to counteract it," he said, adjusting the settings to try again.

"Tranporter," Kathryn croaked.

"What?" Janeway asked, approaching the head of the biobed to stand next to Seven and lean down to her counterpart.

Kathryn swallowed. "I think the transporter made it worse," she explained haltingly.

Janeway looked to the doctor for confirmation. "Is that possible? Her molecular signature wasn't in the pattern buffers that long, was it?"

"If her cellular structure was already unstable, it's possible the transports brought this on," he guessed.

"But what would make her cells suddenly unstable?" Janeway asked.

"I have a hunch, but you won't like it," the doctor said, beginning to scan Janeway.

She was surprised when the doctor turned his medical attention to her, but tried not to show her alarm for Seven's sake.

"My hunch is right, Captain," he declared with concern. "Your cell structure is showing signs of the same instability."

"No," Seven whispered, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Janeway reached over and held the young woman's hand for comfort. "Is this related to our separation?" she guessed.

"I believe so. What I don't know yet is whether this vulnerability is unique to the two of you as humans or whether this instability is a typical reaction to some other externality the Eukarids also failed to warn us about," he said with a smirk.

"But my cells aren't degrading yet, right?" she asked for Seven's benefit.

"No, Captain," he responded, understanding her intent and resisting the urge to add "not yet."

"What about Kathryn?" Seven asked, desperate that they find some way of helping her.

"I need to run some more scans," the doctor said. "Then I'm recommending we put her in stasis until we can figure out what to do."

Janeway nodded, then leaned into her counterpart. "Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yeah....except for one thing?"

"What?"

"I won't be able to make sure you behave yourself," Kathryn quipped.

Janeway smiled. "I'll try to be a good girl," she said, her voice catching uncharacteristically. She cleared her throat and whispered to her counterpart. "You okay?"

Kathryn whispered back so no one else would hear. "Hurts like hell. Don't tell Seven," she added unnecessarily.

"I promise," Janeway replied, vowing more than just her silence and gratified when Kathryn nodded her understanding. Then she reached up and pressed a tender kiss against her counterpart's forehead. "Rest well....Kathy."

Kathryn's eyes narrowed in mock anger. "I'll get you for that....number two." After Janeway pulled back, Kathryn reached out for Seven. "I want you to keep an eye on her....while I'm in stasis," she added, but she meant more by the request.

"I will," Seven vowed. Then she leaned down and gave Kathryn a slow and heartfelt kiss on the lips.

Kathryn smiled as Seven pulled away. "I'll be back soon for more of those," she joked.

By the time the three of them were done exchanging words, the doctor had run the additional scans he needed and had even taken some tissue samples for testing. So he activated the stasis unit built into the biobed and watched as the container elevated around Kathryn's body and encased her. Within moments, she was in cryogenic sleep.

"Doctor, how much time do you need to run those tests?" Janeway asked solemnly, already missing her noisy counterpart.

"About an hour, Captain. And, if I may, I'd like a sample of your tissue as well for analysis."

Janeway nodded and turned her head, allowing the doctor to press a hypo-extractor against her neck and draw the sample. When he was done, she continued.

"Chakotay, would you please send a subspace message to the Eukarids and see if they can enlighten us? Then brief the senior staff and call a meeting for when the doctor completes his analysis."

"Aye, Captain."

"In the meantime, Seven and I will go over the biometric data we got from them. Okay, Seven?"

The young woman nodded, recognizing the request as an efficient attempt to solicit her help and distract her from Kathryn's predicament.

*****

After their separation, the two captains had developed the habit of seating themselves close together in the briefing room, Janeway taking the customary captain's position at the head of the table and Kathryn occupying the chair immediately to her right. When Janeway joined her staff for the emergency meeting they'd called that afternoon, she noticed that her senior officers had left Kathryn's chair unoccupied, in deference to her status as an absent but irreplaceable member of their family. Janeway swallowed back her emotions and called the meeting to order.

"What have we learned?" she asked simply.

"The Eukarids weren't much help, Captain," Chakotay began. "They claimed they've never experienced any problems with cellular degradation, and they finished off with a statement that didn't make any sense to me."

"What?"

"They said that their traditions prohibit them from 'traveling too near to the bright suns'."

"I'm afraid the statement does make sense to me," the doctor countered. "The Eukarids evolved from a form of phytoplankton on their world that is similar to the Terran dinoflagellate, which was known to undergo cellular degradation in response to environmental stresses like increases in solar radiation. I suspect the ringed suns in their region of space is what allowed them to evolve into such complex life forms that still reproduce through mitosis."

"Yes, Seven and I discovered those similarities when we reviewed the biometric data."

"Does that mean they can't travel outside their region?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't think so. My own analyses suggest that they've evolved a less vulnerable cell morphology."

"They must have somehow inherited an incipient fear of 'bright suns' from their ancestors," Chakotay offered. "That would explain their cultural taboo. It's become part of their mythos."

"But was does that mean for the captains?" Seven asked impatiently.

The doctor frowned. "Terrans also evolved from the less complex marine life on their homeworld. But some characteristic traits of those early life forms, like autogenesis, became dormant and recessive as other genetic traits developed and evolved. Whatever spurred mitosis in the captain tapped into those dormant, recessive traits and their vulnerabilities."

"So when Kathryn beamed down to a planet with normal levels of radiation, her cellular structure destabilized?" Seven summarized.

"Actually, I suspect it was the combination of transporting and being exposed to higher levels of solar radiation that caused such an acute reaction." He turned to the captain ominously. "But once we entered this region, it was only a matter of time before her cells began degrading."

"So the same thing is going to happen to Captain Janeway," B'Elanna concluded.

The doctor merely nodded.

"But you can counteract this," Seven stated emphatically, unwilling to cast her comment as a question and admit any doubt.
 

"Part of the problem is that your human cells weren't meant to be split like that," the doctor responded addressing Janeway. "It weakened the overall structure, although that inherent instability didn't manifest itself until we entered this solar system." He took an unnecessary breath before continuing. "The only way I can think to counteract the process is to fuse the cells again. "

"How do we do that?" Tom Paris asked.

"You need to rejoin us," Janeway concluded in low tones.

"With what?" Tom asked again, even more stymied.

"A transport?" B'Elanna suggested.

The doctor nodded. "Harry and I ran some tests with the tissue samples I took from Kathryn and the captain. We dematerialized two cells and rematerialized them as a single cell. It stabilized the structure and retained the same genetic encoding."

"Doesn't the transporter pose the same risk to the captain as it did to her counterpart?" Tuvok asked.

"It would if we rematerialized them as separate individuals, but the point is to stabilize the captain's cellular structure by rematerializing them as a single individual."

"Our plan," Harry explained, "is to place both captains on the transporter pad and use one annular confinement beam to dematerialize them. We'll hold them in the pattern buffers while we narrow the beam and reset the transporter with an archived pattern overlay of one of the captain's previous transports, from before she was split. Then we'll rematerialize the captain."

"But which one of them will come out of the transport?" Tom asked.

"Both," the doctor replied. "Since the stored pattern overlay has a mapping of the captain's original molecular structure, we anticipate the process will reintegrate their two personalities. The captain should rematerialize as the person she was before the accident."

"If Kathryn were here, she'd be making a rather rude remark right about now," Janeway said with dry humor. She was gratified when a few of her officers smiled at the comment, but she noticed that Seven wasn't among the ones smiling.

"All right," she said decisively. "Make the necessary arrangements and call me when you're ready. In the meantime, I'd like to have a private word with Seven."

Janeway watched silently as the rest of her senior officers filed out. As soon as the door closed, however, she dropped her head to the table and began to weep despite herself. Within moments, she felt Seven's warm body pressing against her and echoing her sobs. They held each other for long moments until their tears slowed.

"I'm sorry, darling," Janeway began, unable to resist feeling embarrassed for her loss of control, even in front of Seven. "It's just that....as difficult as things have been between Kathryn and me, it's been....such a relief having someone around with whom I could share my responsibilities and my.....and my fears," she admitted. "I'm going to miss having that," she added quietly.

"I'm going to miss her, too," Seven stated plaintively.

"No, my love," Janeway countered gently. "So help me, whatever it takes, I'm going to make sure I never give you a reason for missing that part of me," she vowed. "I swear, we're not going back to the way things were before the accident. We've started something here, all three of us, and we're going to go forward with it.....if you'll let me," she added, suddenly less sure of Seven's resolve.

Seven studied her captain, not sure of everything she was feeling beyond a profound sense of loss. But the longer she looked into those grey eyes, so filled with love and conviction, the stronger her faith in Kathryn became. "I believe you, my Kathryn. But what if the doctor's plan fails? What if..." her voice caught. "What if I lose you both?" She finished off quietly.

Janeway hugged her fiercely. "Oh, Seven. Everything's going to be all right. I promise. Remember what Kathryn told you when you were afraid you'd hurt us if we danced with you?"

Seven smiled through her tears. "Yes. She said Janeways are 'pretty sturdy'."

The captain smiled back. "And don't you forget it."

They were interrupted by a call over the comm system. "Doctor to Captain Janeway. Report to Transporter Room 3."

"We're on our way, Doctor," she called back. Then without another word, she took hold of Seven's hand and exited the briefing room, deciding that the crew would survive seeing their captain holding hands with her girlfriend.

*****

Kathryn's stasis chamber had already been brought into the transporter room by the time Janeway and Seven arrived. The doctor was present as well, of course, but Janeway was surprised to find B'Elanna at the transporter controls.

"Not that I don't trust your abilities implicitly, B'Elanna, but since Harry was the one helping the doctor with the tests, shouldn't he be here?"

B'Elanna started to answer, but the doctor jumped in. "Uh, that was my suggestion, Captain. I thought you'd feel less awkward with Lt. Torres here instead of Ensign Kim."

"Why would I feel awkward in front of Harry?"

"Because the rematerialization process will be less complex and less risky if we can factor out non-human cells," the doctor explained.

"And?" Janeway prompted.

The doctor frowned. "Captain, I'm not sure you understand."

"Doctor, I realized back in the briefing room that my counterpart and I would have to be naked for this transport. Now, is there a valid reason for Mr. Kim's absence....other than your mistaken notion that I'm a prude?"

"No, Captain...uh....I mean," he stammered on, unsure if he'd just admitted to thinking that his captain was a prude.

"Ensign Kim, report to Transporter Room 3," Janeway called, not waiting for the CMO to finish. "I'll go get ready while we wait for Harry," she said.

Since the individuals regularly beamed aboard Starfleet vessels were extracted from places with all manner of environmental conditions, most starship transporter rooms were outfitted with nearby changing rooms, complete with towels, blankets, and robes. It was there that Janeway readied herself, removing her uniform and putting on a robe to ward off the chill of the room until they began the actual transport.

By the time she exited the changing room, Harry had arrived--looking a little flustered, she thought. She also noticed that the doctor had opened the stasis chamber and was in the process of reviving Kathryn.

Blue eyes fluttered open and focused on the nearest thing to heaven they'd ever seen. "Hello, my angel," Kathryn croaked.

Seven smiled brilliantly. "Hello, my Kathryn," she called back.

Aided by Seven and the doctor, Kathryn sat up gingerly, wincing in evident pain. "Well, some of the usual suspects are here, I see," she remarked, as she looked around the room. Then she spotted Janeway. "Hey, you're out of uniform, Captain," she said in feigned shock.

"Don't look now, but you're sheet is slipping," Janeway bantered back.

Sure enough, Kathryn's sheet had fallen to her waist. She lifted it disinterestedly to her chest. "You're right, I wasn't looking....but Harry was," she joked, unable to resist teasing the ensign and chuckling when he turned beet red and began studying the transport console. "Are we going somewhere?" she added, suddenly realizing where they all were.

"The doctor has determined that our cells are degrading because of the initial split, and he and Harry have figured out a way of restabilizing them," Janeway said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

Kathryn quickly read off the rest of the explanation from her counterpart's too familiar expression. "They're going to try rejoining us," she said, also sounding matter-of-fact.

Janeway nodded. "They're going to use an old pattern overlay for rematerialization, which should put us back together the way we were before, back to the old Janeway."

"Oh, God," Kathryn groaned in mock suffering. "Not that old bore!" she joked.

Janeway smirked and addressed the others present. "I told you she'd say something nasty," she remarked over their chuckles.

Kathryn turned to Seven, spying the fear in the young woman's eyes. She patted her hand fondly. "Don't worry, darling. Like I've told you before, we Janeways are sturdy."

Seven nodded with a small smile, not bothering to mention that the captain had already given her the same reminder. "Would you like me to help you out of the stasis unit, Kathryn?" she asked.

Kathryn nodded, then felt herself being lifted, sheet and all, into Seven's arms. "I could get used to the way you help me do things," she said fondly.

"I am counting on that," the young woman replied softly as she walked over to the dais and then seated her precious cargo gingerly on one of the pads. When Kathryn was settled, Seven leaned down and pressed their lips together for a few more precious moments of contact, reluctantly letting go only after she'd communicated her love.

"See you soon, Seven," Kathryn assured her.

Seven nodded and smiled again, then turned to Janeway, desperately wanting to repeat the same gesture but uncertain if her more disciplined Kathryn would allow the contact in front of others.

Janeway understood and then pressed into her lips with barely a moment's hesitation, pleased with herself for overcoming her customary inhibitions. Then she nibbled Seven's lower lip lovingly before releasing her.

"I'll be back soon for more of those," she vowed, purposely repeating what her counterpart had said before going into stasis.

Seven's eyes grew wide with recognition, and then she felt suddenly calmer. "Yes," she agreed.

Pleased that the young woman had understood her meaning, Janeway gave her a quick nod and a smile before stepping up on the dais. She knelt next to Kathryn on the same pad and removed her robe, handing it to Seven along with Kathryn's sheet. Then she leaned down and pulled Kathryn into her arms.

The two captains looked at each other a moment, communicating things that even Seven didn't fully understand. She then noticed the captain whispering something into Kathryn's ear that made the blue eyes tear up and close with heartfelt emotion. Seven's own eyes watered in sympathy as she watched the captain press one final kiss against her counterpart's temple.

Janeway looked up and called out to Harry. "Okay. Do it." She then hugged Kathryn closer and settled her eyes on Seven's as Harry activated the transporter.

"Dematerializing," he reported.

Seven watched her two lovers shimmer slowly away. Blinking back tears to clear her vision, she listened carefully to the electronic rise and fall of the transporter control signifying that a beam was in progress. The cadence persisted in the middle ranges for what seemed like an eternity, although logically she knew that the adjustments Harry was making were adding only a few moments to the process. Then, to her relief, she heard the tones begin to rise again signifying a beam in.

"Rematerializing," Harry called out.

As Seven continued staring at the dais, the ghost of an image slowly shimmered into view. It began taking the shape of a small, naked body that looked so vulnerable it made Seven's heart clutch. And when, finally, the transport was complete, Seven saw the figure of her captain seated on the transporter pad hugging herself with her head bowed and her upper body hunched over her raised knees.

Seven approached her carefully and gently placed the robe around her shoulders. Then she watched as her head slowly rose. Clouded grey-blue eyes stared back at her, blinking several times to focus, and when there was recognition, they cleared and turned a bluer grey. When the corners of the eyes crinkled, Seven could tell that Kathryn was smiling brilliantly at her. From somewhere off to the side, they heard the doctor clearing his throat.

"Captain?" he hazzarded.

Janeway looked at him and smiled. "Do you see any pips on my neck, Doctor?"

"Uh, no, Captain?"

"Then how about we save the titles for when I'm actually in uniform and on the bridge? Otherwise, it's just 'Kathryn'.....oh, and for now that just applies to the senior staff. After all a captain can't change her stripes overnight, now can she?" she added with a smile.

"Well around here, she might, Kathryn," B'Elanna suggested playfully, pleased when the captain began laughing heartily.

The doctor brought up his scanner and made a thorough sweep of the captain's body as she recovered from her laughter. "Your cellular structure appears to have stabilized. And judging from your demeanor, I'd say you're two personalities have reintegrated."

"Good, good," Kathryn said distractedly as she tugged on her robe and allowed Seven to help her to her feet.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm quite tired. I think I'd like to go back to my quarters."

"I will help you," Seven stated softly. "Would you like to dress and walk to your cabin, or do you want Harry to transport us there?"

"It's an extravagance, but let's take the express route," she answered. Then she called over the comm system. "Janeway to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here. Glad to hear your voice, Captain."

"Thank you, Commander. I just wanted to let you know that everything went splendidly. Have you begun the shore leave rotations?"

"Not yet, Captain. The crew wanted to make sure you were all right first."

Kathryn smiled warmly at the concern. "Tell them....." she thought for a moment about how to assure a crew that had become accustomed to hearing more than just orders from their captain. "Tell them Captain Janeway is back in one piece and very much looking forward to sharing a few new jokes with them."

"I'll do that," he vowed, the smile evident in his voice.

"I'll see you in the morning, Chakotay. Janeway out."

"Here you go, Kathryn," B'Elanna said, handing her the clothes she'd retrieved for her from the changing room.

"Oh, thank you. See you all later," she added, as she allowed Seven to help her back onto the transporter pad. "Energize."

*****

Within moments, Kathryn was standing in her living quarters, gently held in Seven's arms. She let her clothes slip from her hands and leaned into the blond's shoulder tiredly. Without a word, Seven scooped her up in her arms and carried her slowly into the bedroom. She placed her gently on her feet and allowed Kathryn to shrug out of her robe while she turned down the blanket and sheets. Then she helped Kathryn settle into her bed and pulled the covers warmly over her tired body. Seven sat on the bed next to her, gazing fondly as she brushed the hair from Kathryn's forehead.

"You look tired, too, Seven. When was the last time you regenerated?" Kathryn asked softly.

"The night before last."

"If you promise to come back and have a late dinner with me, I could be persuaded to let you go regenerate for a few hours," Kathryn suggested in a way she hoped would make clear that she wasn't sending the young woman away.

"Very well," Seven relented, understanding the suggestion was made for her welfare. "I will be back in three hours, my Kathryn." But she did not rise immediately, her brow knitting in question.

"What is it, darling?"

"When you were on the transporter pad, I saw Captain Janeway whisper something to Kathryn that made her cry. I wish to know what you said to yourself."

Kathryn's eyes teared again at the memory of both saying and hearing the heartfelt comment, a comment that let her know she had accepted herself, every part of herself, and was finally at peace with who she was.

"I....I said....'I love you.'"

Seven's own eyes watered as she perceived what that declaration meant for her captain. "I, too, love Kathryn Janeway. Every part of her."

Kathryn smiled through her tears. "And I love Seven of Nine, with everything that I am," she answered back softly.

Seven leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss on the lips. "Sleep well, my Kathryn. I will return before you awaken."

*****

Kathryn Janeway stirred some time later, awash in the joyous sensation of a soft warm body pressing next to her. When her eyes fluttered open and focused, she saw long blond hair feathering across her chest, the lights from the nightwatch runners reflecting blue off gold. She pressed her face against a nearby lock and inhaled. It felt like silk and smelled like spice and wildflowers. Soft, moist lips pressed themselves lovingly against her breast bone, and then a hand came into view, sweeping the cascade of silken hair aside to reveal adoring blue eyes and a warm, soft smile.

Seven's full red lips approached hers and settled themselves there for long moments, nibbling and sucking her own lips and then opening to deepen the kiss. As their tongues caressed, she felt Seven press her right thigh between her own, gently nudging them open. Warm fingers trailed down her neck, along her shoulder, and then down and around her breast. It was so soft, a tender caress intended to kindle the fire between them slowly. As Seven's fingers stroked her left side, down to the curve of her waist and back up again, the young woman trailed kisses along Kathryn's neck, nibbling and licking the salty-sweet skin when she wasn't kissing it.

Kathryn felt Seven's lips continue their journey after a moment, adoring her shoulders and chest with as much conviction as Seven had shown her lips and neck. Then, on the next upward sweep of Seven's hand, Kathryn felt it cup her left breast, squeezing it tenderly as the young woman's lips descended on that area, too. Full lips kissed around the tip of her breast and then licked slowly across it for long moments. When her nipple was ready, she felt Seven pull it sweetly into her mouth and begin a slow gentle tugging. Kathryn's breathing became heavier, but there was no urgency in it. She simply held Seven's head to herself as the young woman continued feeding languidly at her bosom.

It was an exquisite feeling, Seven's rhythm so timeless that it took her to a place with no beginning and no end, a limbo of pure pleasure that was at once calming and exciting. It seized her in the moment, and she found it so pleasurable in itself that she imagined her body simply existing in a slice of forever. She wallowed in it with such a sense of being there that she lost all sense of time and place.

An eternal moment later, she became aware that at some point in her tender attentions, Seven had allowed her fingers to take over the gentle loving of her left nipple, tweaking it slowly as its partner was pulled into the hot, wet silk of Seven's mouth and treated to the same infinite bliss. Kathryn inhaled deeply at that pleasure, too, slipping into forever again with a shuddering sigh.

Sometime later, she felt Seven's hand stroking in warm circles around her stomach, vaguely aware that her nipples were straining wetly in the cool air of the cabin, tingling with the sweet ache that Seven's attentions had put there. She looked down and met the young woman's dark, impassioned eyes staring back at her. As they continued gazing at each other, she felt Seven's fingers brush the hair of her mound, requesting access. Kathryn brought her left knee up to the side, opening herself to her lover. It was then she felt the young woman's cool fingers separating the folds of her sex. When her womanhood was exposed, Seven began petting her gently, stoking the fire between them with more ardor.

Kathryn suddenly felt the tickle of moisture trickling onto her right thigh where Seven's sex was pressing against it. The sensation made her fingers itch for the same contact Seven's hand was enjoying. She swept her right hand down the exquisite silk of Seven's side until it was pressing underneath the young woman's belly. She then felt Seven shift her own knee to the side to open herself up to Kathryn. Moments later, Kathryn's fingers found the soft fuzz of Seven's sex, rasping her nails against it gently and then cupping the small mound in her hand. Her palm felt suddenly damp as Seven's body shuddered and expelled another trickle of her passion. Then Kathryn tenderly separated the folds of Seven's sex, as Seven had done hers, spreading her open for a mimicking of the same private petting she was receiving.

Still staring into each other's eyes, they spent several long moments in mutual fondling, fingers spreading the wetness in long, even strokes across each other's reddening folds. When Seven's thumb began circling tenderly around her fleshly center, Kathryn mirrored the gesture, painting slow circles around Seven's little nub. Their breaths caught at the same time as their passions heightened.

Seven's face was a study in timeless rapture as Kathryn brought three fingers to the mouth of the young woman's sex. She inserted just the tips and languidly circled the rim in a gesture that was both a question and a promise. A fresh rush of fluid answered her request, signaling Seven's readiness as the young woman's body shuddered again in her arms. Then she felt her own sex straining wider as Seven pressed three of her fingers just inside the rim. Kathryn felt herself shudder and dampen, too, a trickle of her passion overflowing her sex and flowing down the crease between her cheeks. She blinked in mild surprise at her own readiness. Then eyes staring and mouths agape as they struggled for breath, each of them felt their openings being stretched wide and filled almost achingly as they simultaneously pushed their fingers with careful and deliberate slowness into the snug, wet satin of each other's sex. The internal sensation of being rubbed and stretched persisted for several long moments. When they were all the way inside, both of their bodies shuddered as their inner muscles tightened and released, adjusting to the sensual fullness of their love. It was then that they kissed, tongues dancing slowly against each other in a parody of penetration that perfectly matched the mutual penetration of their sexes.

As long fingers bored themselves intimately in languid, twisting strokes, they began to perspire from the intensity of their unhurried lovemaking. Every part of their bodies felt hot and wet, as if the building friction so deep within were igniting them to their core, radiating heat and steam to their surfaces. And when there was no other place from which their passion could flow, it began to leak from their eyes in wet, salty tears.

A sob escaped from Kathryn's mouth and was swallowed up by Seven's, who then echoed the sentiment with her own muffled cry of passion. It was the first and only sound between them as they continued to kiss deeply. The need for air finally made Kathryn pull her mouth away and gasp for breath. Seven nuzzled into her neck, breathing in the smell of womanly sex and sweat as she caught her own breath. They stayed that way, hugging each other fiercely as their passion heightened beyond their control.

Long moments later, Kathryn felt Seven's sex begin to twitch and spasm tightly around her fingers. Her own sex responded with the same shuddering force. When their bodies began to shake, they held on even tighter, riding the storm of their mutual passion through several cresting waves. And when, at last, the storm abated, one final wave settled them gently on the shore of their island, snuggled together and drifting to sleep surrounded by an ocean of calm.

Epilogue

Seven of Nine idly accepted the plate of "barbecued" chicken and other treats Kathryn handed her as she watched her fellow crew members adding wood to the "bonfire" they had going. After Kathryn settled next to her, she pointed to the beach and asked, "Is this why they call it 'shore leave', Kathryn?"

The captain and surrounding officers who had heard the question chuckled.

"Actually, it's a throw-back to maritime practices," Tom Paris explained.

When Kathryn saw the frown on Seven's face, she explained further. "Sailors on seafaring vessels worked nonstop until their vessel arrived at a harbor somewhere. It was only then that they were able to take 'leave' of their ship and their duties by going 'ashore': hence, shore-leave."

"Ah!" Seven said, pleased to be enlightened. "The analogy is apt for a starship, too, although I understand now that having a 'shore' is not necessary."

"Not necessary, but pleasant nonetheless," Janeway stated.

"So, Kathryn?" Harry called, trying to sound casual but still evidently indulging in the privilege of being able to address his captain by her first name.

"Yes, Harry?" she called back playfully.

He blinked. "Uhm, I was just wondering. Do you miss no longer having a double?"

"Are you kidding? I was beside myself!"

Laughter broke out among the senior staff as they caught the captain's emphatic play on words. After they sobered, she offered a more serious response. "All jokes aside, Harry, what I actually learned was how much I needed having someone around to share the burden with. If you all don't mind," she said addressing her companions, "I'm going to start relying a lot more on you....both as fellow officers and as friends."

"I've been waiting a long time for that," Chakotay said earnestly.

"I know. I guess it took a run-in with someone as pushy as another Kathryn Janeway to teach me a few lessons."

"Yup, we've been there," B'Elanna agreed, then back-peddled when she saw the quirk in Janeway's brow. "Uh, ma'am."

Kathryn laughed. Then she heard the sultry rhythms of Latin dance music. "Is that the cha-cha?"

"Yes," Seven answered. "I made a special request."

Kathryn smiled brilliantly. "Shall we dance?"

Seven nodded and stood, leading her partner to the make-shift dance floor. She held Kathryn close and began wiggling her hips in tempo to the music, enjoying the feel of Kathryn's own hips moving against hers. The captain nuzzled her neck and planted playful kisses there, making the young woman laugh. Then she lifted her head and regarded her blond lover.

"So, Seven?"

"Yes, Kathryn?"

"Have I ever told you the story of the Borg from Nantucket?"