Personal Time

Kathryn Janeway could feel the anxiety building within her as she entered the turbolift.

"Deck 8," she barked.

The crew rarely asked for personal time off, and Seven of Nine had never asked. So when the request came through on Chakotay's duty roster that morning, he thought it peculiar enough to bring to the captain's attention.

"Is she ill?" she had asked.

"No, I had the Doctor check in on her. He says she's fine. She just wants time off for 'a personal matter'. And..."

"And?" she had prodded.

"And she wants privacy. She asked me to make Cargo Bay 2 off-limits to all personnel today, except for emergencies, of course."

That was the part that had most worried the captain. Of course, there was no reason not to grant the request, even if it was a small annoyance to close off a cargo bay, but those were Seven's personal quarters, too. And since the Borg had never made that request before, Janeway had felt obliged to authorize it now.

Departmental reports and routine ship's operations had kept Janeway preoccupied throughout her shift, for which she was ineffably grateful. But when the alpha rotation ended, and she allowed herself to turn her attentions again to Seven, she realized that the young woman had actually been at least in the back of her mind all day. And by then, Janeway had become extremely concerned. That is why she decided to check in on Seven, the request for privacy notwithstanding.

She reached the cargo bay doors and came to an abrupt halt. Seven had sealed them.

"Computer, is Seven of Nine still in Cargo Bay 2," she called.

"Affirmative," the digital voice intoned.

Janeway approached the command panel next to the bay doors. She looked about and was grateful to see she was alone. "Computer, is there anyone else in Cargo Bay 2?"

"Negative."

"Run a medical scan on the occupant in Cargo Bay 2 and display the results on this panel."

The computer complied, and as Janeway reviewed the data, her concern grew. Seven was conscious, indicating that she wasn't in her alcove, but her vitals were slightly elevated: heart rate, respiration, blood pressure. She also appeared to be somewhat dehydrated. All signs of some sort of exertion. She wondered what the young woman was up to.

Janeway wanted desperately to respect Seven's wishes to be left alone, but she needed even more desperately now to know she was all right. She decided to activate a comlink, which would be less intrusive than simply barging in on the young woman.

"Janeway to Seven," she called, hoping the young woman would agree to see her, perhaps even welcome the company after being alone all day.

Unfortunately, there was no answer.

"Janeway to Seven. Respond," she tried again, more forcefully.

Still no answer.

The captain closed her eyes, absolutely detesting what she was about to do. Then she surrendered to her worry.

"Computer, disengage door locks. Authorization Janeway-two-seven-gamma-gamma-epsilon."

The doors clinked and rolled open to admit the captain, and then clunked behind her after she walked in. "Reinstate lock," she ordered, determined that no one else would invade Seven's privacy.

Janeway looked around the room and immediately frowned. Seven was nowhere in sight.

"Seven?" she called.

No answer.

She remembered Seven had a dressing area just past and behind the alcoves. She'd seen it once when Seven had requested the captain's opinion on a dress the Doctor wanted the young woman to try out at the next social function, a dress that--as Janeway remembered it now--had made Seven look absolutely breathtaking.

Janeway also remembered Seven having mentioned that she had just recently placed a portable bed in her dressing area to experiment with sleeping. So, as she rounded the corner and approached Seven's private area, Janeway wondered whether the Borg was simply resting on the bed.

Seven was on the bed, but she wasn't resting.

Janeway sucked in her breath at the sight.

The young woman was lying down, covered with a blanket up to her shoulders, which were bare, indicating that she was probably undressed underneath. Her hair was loose and her eyes were shut tight, but she was clearly awake because she was writhing, as if in pain, and making quiet, whimpering sounds. The skin, moreover, had a fine sheen of perspiration, as if Seven had been physically struggling a long while, her nanoprobes unable to keep up with the strain of so much exertion.

Janeway assumed that Seven hadn't heard her come in, but in-between the moans emanating from the young woman's parted lips, she heard Seven call her in a soft, desperate voice.

"Captain, help me."

On seeing her typically immaculate young friend in such an odd state of disarray, Janeway had frozen in mild shock. But when she heard the cry for help, she sprung into action, lunging toward the bed with alarm and immediately falling to her knees beside it. Just as quickly, she brought a gentle hand onto Seven's head, stroking strands of wet blond hair away from suddenly wide-open blue eyes.

"Seven! What's wrong," she cried.

Seven gasped as if in mild surprise at the captain's presence. She did not, however, answer. Instead, her eyes darted wildly back and forth into Janeway's eyes, as if searching there for what to say.

Janeway was certain that Seven was in some kind of torment. Anxious for an explanation, she grasped the edge of the sheet and pulled it up enough so that she could search for injuries. As she had surmised, Seven was indeed completely naked underneath the sheet. Almost immediately, she detected the sweet-salty smell of Seven's sex and sweat, which wafted up to her from underneath the sheet. And then, in the next moment, Janeway saw the cause of Seven's distress. The young woman's right hand was nestled in-between her legs, the fingers apparently buried and stroking deep inside.

Janeway immediately understood what was going on and felt impossibly mortified to have disturbed Seven in such a private moment. She let the sheet drop as she recoiled from Seven and began to retreat.

Just then, however, Seven firmly grabbed the captain's arm, needfully but not painfully.

"Please," she rasped, "help me.....I.....I need release."

Crippling compassion washed over Janeway just to hear Seven's heartfelt plea, but she wasn't quite sure what the young woman was asking. And, of course, the part of her that thought she understood what was being asked of her couldn't quite accept it. She needed more information. She needed......to stall.

"How long have you been at it?" she asked gently, stroking the blond hair again.

Seven responded haltingly. "I researched these techniques in the morning.....and began experimenting with them at......1400 hours."

"And you haven't climaxed," Janeway continued matter-of-factly, determined to avoid making Seven become self-conscious about exploring her own sexuality.

"No," Seven cried, real tears of frustration glistening in her eyes.

"Why don't you just....stop?" Janeway suggested.

Seven almost pouted. "I do not wish to fail," she said simply.

Despite herself, Janeway smiled. Only such a goal-oriented perfectionist could get herself in this type of predicament. She imagined that one day, she and Seven would laugh about this, but at the moment, all she could feel was Seven's desperation.

"Let me get you some water," Janeway offered.

Seven released her reluctantly and kept her eyes on her the entire time as the captain rose, walked over to the nearby replicator, ordered a glass of water with a straw, and brought it back to Seven.

Instead of kneeling next to the bed this time, she sat gingerly next to Seven and carefully helped the young woman turn a little on her side. Then she held the glass to Seven's lips as the Borg grasped the straw and began drinking, clearly slaking a long-denied thirst.

Seven finished the water in a few, smooth gulps.

"More?"

"No," she said, then added, "thank you."

Janeway smiled, amused by the Borg's efforts to maintain social niceties in what was a very strange situation to be sharing with another person, especially a platonic friend....and one's captain at that. She set the glass down on the floor, and turned back to Seven, casually wiping away a little water that had spilt on Seven's chin. Then she returned to stroking the young woman's hair.

Seven was warmed by Janeway's attention, but the captain's eyes still showed concern. She tried to ignore that concern by shutting her own eyes and concentrating on the captain's nearness, the warmth of the body next to her and the fact that it was the captain's body. She felt more aroused with Janeway present now, and she tried to focus on that as she continued ministering to her needs--tried to focus especially on the soothing effect of having her hair stroked by the captain. The 'orgasm' she had read about, however, still eluded her, and she sighed in deep frustration.

Janeway sensed the Borg's renewed sense of defeat. "Seven," she suggested, "I really think I should call the Doctor."

"No!" Seven shouted. Then more calmly, she explained, "This is too......personal."

Janeway bit her lip and eyed the spot in the blanket where she knew Seven's hand was still groping blindly for release. "I'm not sure how to help you, Seven."

Seven gasped. "Please."

Janeway searched the blue eyes again for some sense of what to do. She wanted to help. Seven was more than just a pupil who turned to her for lessons in humanity; Seven was also her friend....and perhaps more than that, if Janeway allowed herself to examine her true feelings for the former Borg. Even now, however, the captain was reluctant to open herself up to those feelings.

"Please!" Seven called again, even more desperate.

"Oh, God!" Janeway cried, knowing that what she was about to do was going to change things forever between her and Seven. Then she swallowed back her anxiety and gave herself over finally to the young woman's need. Eyes locked on Seven's, she began to undress, slowly unfastening and then removing her uniform tunic.

Seven's brow rose subtly in response, curiosity and anticipation edging their way through her desperation. Then, as Janeway removed her shoes, Seven began to understand what her captain was preparing to do. She felt suddenly overwhelmed with warmth and gratitude toward Janeway, and, wanting to communicate that to her, she brought her left hand up and gently caressed the captain's back with her knuckles.

Janeway smiled, acknowledging the touch and the sentiment behind it, then she pulled off her shirt. She paused a moment, looking at Seven again to be certain, then taking a deep breath for resolve, she reached behind and unfastened her bra, her nipples hardening immediately at the cool contact of the cargo bay air and the warm caress of Seven's eyes.

Seven inhaled sharply at the titillating effect of seeing the captain's bare breasts--Kathryn's bare breasts, she mentally corrected. After all, they were about to share intimacies that made formal designations between them inappropriate when they were alone.

Seven felt suddenly desperate for those intimacies. "Kathryn," she called, "please hurry."

When she heard Seven call her by her given name, Kathryn knew she was doing the right thing. More than that, she understood that she had been wanting this herself for a very long time. She wanted Seven. And as she finally realized that, she redoubled her efforts, quickly pulling off the rest of her clothing until she was naked, as well.

Seven took in the sight with apparent ardor and desire as Kathryn lifted up again and pulled off the blanket. She then gasped as the captain fitted herself lovingly over her body.

Kathryn reached down between them and gently pulled Seven's hand away from her sex.

"Try to relax," she whispered calmly. "Just let me do this. I'll take care of you, Seven."

Kathryn nuzzled Seven's neck and ear and then slowly brought her lips to her soft cheek. She kissed it. The body beneath her shuddered. Pulling back, she caught the hint of surprise in Seven's expression and smiled. Already, the young woman was experiencing unexpected pleasures.

"I'm going to kiss you on the lips," she explained.

"Like 'lovers'," Seven noted, reciting a bit of her research.

Kathryn smiled. "Yes," she breathed, bringing her lips close to Seven's. "Just like lovers."

Finally, Kathryn pressed her mouth against Seven's, muffling the sounds of their mutual pleasure. Parting her lips, she gently prodded Seven's mouth open with her tongue and then slipped inside, luxuriating in the texture and heat and wetness. They moaned again as the kiss deepened.

She could feel Seven's large breasts pressing up underneath her, the warm, cushiony mass pillowing her as the hard tips poked her incessantly. She had been fixated by those breasts on many occasions, barely able to keep her eyes from darting to them whenever she and Seven were having a conversation. She gave herself over to that desire now, pulling back to look and touch.

Seven's breasts were perfectly round, with large rings and plump nipples shaded a dusty pink. Unable to resist the temptation, and Seven's obvious invitation, Kathryn cupped the nearest breast, marveling at how firm yet pliant it was. Seven shuddered at the contact, and Kathryn enjoyed watching the small tremors making the young woman's bosom quake.

"Seven," she gasped, her own passion a searing need now, too. Then she brought her mouth down hungrily to Seven's succulent nipple, feeding appetites neither one of them had ever anticipated having.

The young woman gasped at that contact, as well, shaken to her core by how intense the pleasure of Kathryn's mouth on her nipple was. She rejoiced in the warmth and wetness, the tugging sensation that at once intensified and abated the sweet ache to be touched. Her hands came up involuntarily at the contact and gently held the captain's head in place as the smaller woman indulged their mutual pleasure.

Seven's sex felt raw and achy from her own ineffectual ministrations. Bringing her hand away had only mildly relieved the irritation, but it had not diminished her need for release. Still feeling remarkably on the edge of what she had read was a "perfect moment of bliss," she urged Kathryn's attention there, bringing the fine-boned fingers of the captain's right hand to her wet center and pressing it there with her Borg-enhanced left hand.

Kathryn pulled her head up. "No, Seven, not like that," she countered gently. "You need something different now. Relax. Let me show you."

Kathryn brought her mouth back down to Seven's chest and quickly trailed it down to her achy center to demonstrate what else the Borg needed now. And as soon as Seven felt the perfect pleasure of that mouth on her sex, she understood the truth of what Kathryn had said.

"Kathryn," she gasped.

She knew about this technique but could not have guessed--in the way that Kathryn had seemed instinctively to know--that this was what she needed most at that moment. The captain's tongue gently licked an area of Seven's sex that the young woman had ignored. It was a small knot of nerve endings partly hooded by a flap of flesh that was also sensitive. She had not considered it important to the sensations associated with copulation, having concentrated instead on analyzing the erotic effects of penetration. Apparently, this little bundle of nerves was not irrelevant.

"Oh," she cried in pleasure and surprise.

Kathryn understood and smiled into the sensitive flesh. She was relieved Seven's sex hadn't become too irritated. The entire area was red and engorged, clearly ripe from all of Seven's attention that entire afternoon. Pubescent humans fumble about, too, of course, but they are also far more explorative and typically find their way. Seven, however, was hopelessly literal in her interpretations and had clearly not been reading the right materials. Kathryn's heart ached when she let herself imagine what the young woman must have been going through.

Fortunately, after only a short while of Kathryn's more experienced attention, Seven's body began to buck and spasm with the release that had been a long time coming. She gripped the sides of her bed, muscles straining in her forearms and biceps, and arched her back convulsively, screaming her lover's name as her ecstasy flowed out of her in savory abundance.

As Seven climaxed, Kathryn continued sucking and flicking the tender nub. When it was over, she moved farther down to the wet opening, spreading the flowing essence in calm, languid strokes, like a balm that would heal the young woman's inflamed flesh. The taste, Kathryn noticed, was light and pleasant, and it filled her with an overwhelming tenderness knowing that it was Seven's flavor she was tasting. After long moments savoring her in her afterglow, Kathryn moved up the young woman's body and hugged her close, doling out soothing words and kisses to calm her. Then, finally sated, and wrapped in the comforting warmth of Kathryn's arms, Seven fell fast asleep.

*****

Seven of Nine regained consciousness at a little past 2000 hours. She felt sore and disoriented, but oddly at peace as well. She began to stretch but found that she couldn't move because of a sweet, warm weight pressing up against her. It was Kathryn.

The captain immediately opened her eyes when she felt the Borg stir. "Well, you're finally awake," she said smiling. "I must have dozed off myself." She pulled herself up onto Seven and smiled into sleepy sea-blue eyes, cupping her palms over Seven's breast in a casual intimacy that profoundly pleased the young woman.

"I believe I fainted," Seven said half embarrassed.

"Frankly, I think you were just exhausted from your......efforts," Kathryn teased delicately. Then more seriously, she asked, "Seven, why didn't you come talk to me about this? I could have given you more direction. More appropriate readings, at least."

"I was intending to come to you all along...but I wished to 'practice' first."

"Why?"

"Because I did not want you to be disappointed in me."

Kathryn bit her lip as she considered what that meant. Then she asked, "Seven, were you going to ask me to teach you about human sexuality......or were you going to ask me to actually have sex with you?"

"Both," she responded matter-of-factly, as if there could have been any doubt that the two things went hand-in-hand. "Almost immediately after I began researching human sexuality, I concluded that merely reading about it without actually experiencing it would be inadequate if I hoped to master this aspect of humanity, too." Then more softly, Seven added, "There was never any question in my mind that in this, too, you would have to be my guide and partner....my 'lover'."

Seven savoring that word in reference to Kathryn sent a palpable shudder through both women.

"Why me?" Kathryn asked after a moment, genuinely perplexed.

Seven frowned. "There could be no other," she said simply.

"I don't understand."

"Kathryn, you once tried to explain to me that for most individuals, the physical act of copulation also has emotional significance, but it was not until I started thinking of that act in relation to you that I understood what those emotions might be. You are my captain and my friend, my mentor in humanity, and the person I care about more than any other." Seven kissed Kathryn sweetly, and then concluded, "Now that I understand those emotions, I don't want to touch anyone but you. I don't want to be touched by anyone but you."

"Seven," Kathryn gasped, tears staining her eyes.

"You are crying, Kathryn," Seven cried herself in apparent disappointment. "I am sorry to be causing you such distress. I wanted you to be happy that I love you."

"You 'love' me?" Kathryn asked unsteadily.

"Yes," Seven said, eyes downcast as if embarrassed now by her own emotions.

Kathryn smiled through her tears. "Seven," she said gently, "I'm crying because I'm happy! I can't remember ever feeling as happy as I feel at this moment in your arms."

Seven's chest filled with pride and joy. She tightened her embrace and kissed the captain sweetly on the mouth. As she did so, she rolled their bodies over until she was on top of her. "Your turn to lie back, Kathryn," she informed her huskily. "I wish to 'take care of you' now, the way you have just taught me."

"Oh, yes, Seven," Kathryn assented, knowing that this was the first of a lifetime of nights that they would take care of each other's needs.

Seven nuzzled her neck, feeling sincerely grateful. "Kathryn," she said, "thank you for agreeing to let me have 'personal time' today."

"You're welcome, my love," Kathryn responded, softly stroking Seven's bare back. "And I want you to know that I normally wouldn't have interrupted you, but I was very worried about you."

"I am sorry I worried you, but I do not regret that you participated in my 'personal time'," Seven said sincerely. She kissed Kathryn passionately for several long moments. Then she pulled away and added seriously, "From now on, Kathryn, I expect you to participate in all of my ‘personal time'.

Kathryn smiled. "I will comply."
 

The End