STAR TREK: VOYAGER
An Original J/7 Voyager Story
Ó2007 by Patricia L.
Givens
December 2007
Disclaimer #1: This story is an original work of fiction set in the
pre-existing universe of Star Trek: Voyager.
As such, many of the characters and references used within belong solely
to Paramount Pictures. No gain, monetary
or otherwise, is expected from their use and no copyright infringement is intended
or should be inferred.
Disclaimer #2: All original characters and storylines contained herein
belong to the author. (Like anyone else would claim them! ) This story may be archived upon request with
the stipulation that it must be posted exactly as it was written, with all
disclaimers intact.
Disclaimer #3: This story depicts a romantic relationship between two
women. Some scenes may be graphic but
lovingly so. If this bothers you then
please let me know and I will send you a detailed diagram of how to pull your
head out of your ass. If you are under
18 then take a girl to your prom… I guarantee you won’t regret it! If this is illegal where you live then you
really need to stop assuming that everyone else is going to vote so you don’t
need to.
Who To Blame: Thanks
must go out to Ky for uniting the hyphen and semi colon factions against me, as
well as to Andrea and Anne for beating the beta bush.
IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE READ: The sketch of Seven is a homage re-work by my Chief Engineer of an incredible charcoal on paper drawing called “Afternoon Light” by one of my favorite artists, Rene Porter. No copyright infringement was intended and there was no momentary gain from its use. As such I ask that you please do not post it anywhere else as it was created simply as a visual for this story. If you would like to see the original and the rest of her incredible artwork, you can by going here: http://www.reneporter.com/. The Manip for "Voyagers" was done by the very talented ZoeAmory! Love ya babe!
This one is for Ky,
for the research and the name. (It’s pronounced ky-tane btw.)(Oh and if you
take exception with my explanation of the ship, sue me. You can find me in the book under “Ass, Kiss
My.”)(Damn it Jim, I’m a writer, not an engineer!)
No plastic cake
toppers were harmed during the writing of this story but they, and several
others we won’t mention, did get licked clean.
To all that makes us
unique!
DAx =/\=
Love is composed of a single soul
inhabiting two bodies.
-Aristotle
Chapter One: A Night
To Remember
Admiral Kathryn
Janeway straightened the jacket on her dress whites, smoothing down the lapels
as she checked the time again.
“Annika!” She called up the
stairs. “It’s 19:45 hours!! We have to be there in fifteen minutes!”
“Kathryn,” Gretchen
admonished. “Give the woman time. She wants to look her best for you, you
know.”
“Yeah, sis.” Phoebe winked at her. “If you hadn’t insisted everyone wear their
original uniforms for Voyager’s last
flight we’d already be at the reception!”
Janeway rolled her
eyes. “I know. I just thought it would feel more… fitting if we dressed the way we did for the
entire voyage home.” She looked at her
mother and sister with appreciation.
Gretchen Janeway looked very stylish in a black evening gown with a
modestly cut high neckline, her hair swept up and back into a gentle bun. Phoebe looked rakish in a tuxedo jacket,
complete with cummerbund and bow tie, finished off with a black miniskirt and
knee high boots. Her hair was pulled
back at the sides with silver combs and left hanging long down her back.
She had to admit; the
Janeway women cut an elegant picture tonight.
Her brows furrowed in
confusion as she watched Phoebe’s eyes go wide and her mother smile
gently. Following their line of vision,
she looked up the stairs and felt her heart stop dead in her chest.
Seven of Nine stood
at the upper landing, looking like a vision in silver and gold. She wore a low cut, strapless gown of
shimmering sunlight that was painted onto her every curve. It flared out at the knees, creating a small
train that flowed down the staircase as she descended. Her hair was down, one side pulled back with
a gold and silver comb while the other side was free to caress the alabaster
skin of her face. Her eyes flashed fire
and her full, dark red lips were curved into a deliciously wicked smile. “Has the expenditure of the time required
been adequately accounted for?” She
asked playfully.
“Nuh…” Kathryn felt as though she had swallowed her
tongue. She flushed red when she heard Phoebe
begin to laugh behind her.
“Nice, Katie. You really know how to sweet talk a
woman.” Her little sister teased.
The Admiral threw her
sister a venomous look before centering her attention on the beauty standing
before her. “You are radiant.” She breathed.
“There are no other words to express how you look tonight.”
Seven smiled shyly,
overwhelmed by the adoration in her lover’s eyes. She reached out and ran her fingers lightly
down the Admiral’s jacket. “You look
very handsome in your dress whites, Kathryn.”
The barest whisper of
a memory from their vid messages coalesced in Janeway’s mind, causing her to
grin. Leaning up, she captured the
Borg’s lips in a gently loving kiss.
“Ahem.” Phoebe cleared her throat. “If you two are done drooling all over the
carpet, we should probably get going.”
Seven tore her gaze
away from her beloved to glance at the other two women. “You both look very pleasing.”
“Thank you,
dear.” Gretchen placed an arm around her
shoulders. “You look lovely yourself.”
“Lovely?” The youngest Janeway snorted. “You’re going to have to have a security
detail follow her around, Katie.”
“I might at
that.” Kathryn laughed. Reaching out, she took Seven’s hand and led
them all to the hover-car waiting for them at the curb.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Grand Ballroom at
Starfleet Headquarters was filled to overflowing. In addition to the officers whose attendance
was required, every other member of Starfleet that could wrangle a ticket was
present. It wasn’t everyday you got to
see a fairly new vessel receive a vaunted place in the history books. It was also the first chance most of the
Fleet had to get close to the larger than life people that comprised the Voyager crew.
Even now, most eyes
were scanning the crowd and watching the door, waiting for the entrance of the
one officer most notably absent, the Captain of Voyager herself.
The wait proved to be
well worth it.
At exactly 20:00
hours, the entire hall went silent as the doors opened to admit Admiral Janeway
and her entourage. Seven’s arm was
tucked gracefully into hers and her mother and sister walked proudly behind
them. The silence continued for a few moments longer as all those present took
in the sight of the four gorgeous women winding their way to the center of the
room. As they reached the table of
honor, however, it was shattered by a loud chorus of clapping, shouting and
cheering.
Admiral Janeway
stopped and raised her hands, her trademark lopsided grin on her face as she
called out, “As you were… before you sprain something!” She glanced across their table to wink at
Harry Kim who had a huge smile plastered on his face.
“Ready, love?” She whispered to Seven. “Because here we go.”
They were immediately
beset upon by well-wishers, many of whom wanted holo-images taken and some who
even wanted autographs. The Borg smiled
and stepped back slightly to stand beside Phoebe and watch the Admiral work her
magic. She was all charm and grace,
paying attention to anyone and everyone who stepped up to her until, finally,
the crowds realized it was enough and they settled back to allow the four to
sit and catch their breath.
Kathryn pulled out a
chair for her mother, and then for Seven, smirking at Phoebe as she left her to
fend for herself. She nodded around the
table at the beloved faces of the people who she would always consider her
crew. Tom and B’Elanna sat side by side,
with Miral on her daddy’s lap. Next to
them, Harry Kim, then Tuvok and his wife T’Pel, then the Doctor, followed by
Ensign Wildman and Naomi, who looked overwhelmed to be sitting at the Admiral’s
Table. There was an empty chair
immediately to her left, presumably for her First Officer, but Chakotay was
nowhere to be seen. She found that she
wasn’t overly disappointed by his absence.
“So, Admiral,”
B’Elanna grinned at her. “Looks like
you’re a living legend.”
Janeway rolled her
eyes slightly. “Until the next great
thing comes along.”
“Looks like the next
great thing came right along with you.”
Tom smirked at the throngs of men and women who milled about their
table, all of them casting quick glances towards Seven. “I think the only thing keeping them at bay
is the fact that she walked in on your arm.”
“And that is where I
shall remain.” The Borg smiled
pleasantly; unaware of the hearts that broke all around her as she did so.
As the lights went
down, those left standing scurried for their seats as the tribute began. The Doctor was in his element, pointing out
every holo-image of his that was included in the slide show being displayed on
the large view screen overhead. The crew
of Voyager laughed, groaned and was
moved to tears depending on the scenes being shown. It was seven years of their lives, condensed
into a forty-five minute presentation.
And it was a
spectacle that none of them would ever forget.
When the lights came
back up, Admiral Paris stood beneath the view screen. He smiled at the crowd as his voice boomed
out across the ballroom. “Seven and a
half years ago, we thought we had lost Voyager. We mourned her and her crew, never knowing
that they were alive and struggling to get back home. We should have known better. We should have been aware that with Captain
Kathryn Janeway on the bridge, we would see our family and friends again.” The crowd began to cheer and he raised his
hands, motioning them to quiet down. “It
is my great honor to officially welcome Voyager
and her crew home, and to announce her commemoration as a
Everyone at the
Admiral’s table raised their glasses and the rest of those in attendance
followed suit.
“Now,”
Gretchen looked at
her daughter. “How did you get out of
speaking?”
Kathryn smiled. “It’s a reception, not a ceremony. I think they considered themselves lucky I
spoke when we landlocked the ship.” She
sighed. “They gave out the medals and
the commendations months ago. Tonight is
about showing the new face of Starfleet; all we have to do is sit here and look
pretty.” She smiled softly at her fiancé. “Something you do remarkably well.”
She flushed when she
realized she had said that in front of the entire table but aside from a few
well-intentioned snickers, her crew had the good grace to simply smile and
carry on with their conversations.
Dinner consisted of
filet mignon and lobster tails, the latter of which Seven refused to even touch
and their glasses were kept full of champagne with harder beverages being
served from the open bar at one end of the room. When the music began, Phoebe was quick to
point out that everyone seemed to be waiting for something.
With a deep sigh,
Kathryn stood and extended a hand gallantly to Seven. “May I have this dance?”
The younger woman
smiled and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor where they waltzed
together with such looks of devotion on their faces that it left no doubt in
anyone’s mind as to who exactly belonged to whom. They remained until the floor filled up with
other couples and then quietly moved back towards their own table. Halfway there, Seven excused herself and
Janeway continued back alone.
“Where’d Seven
go?” Phoebe asked.
“I’m not sure. She said she wanted to say hello to
someone. Ahh, here she comes now.” The Admiral placed her hand over her mouth to
hide her smile when she saw the person that Annika was leading towards
them.
“Gretchen, Phoebe, I
would like to introduce you to Tal Celes. Celes assisted me in the Astrometrics
lab. Celes this is the Admiral’s mother
and her sister.”
Gretchen rose
gracefully to shake hands with the young Bajoran, who then turned to face
Phoebe, who had also risen. Celes looked up at the taller woman, taking in the
flowing red hair and the soft grey eyes before blurting out, “Prophets! You’re Seven and Janeway combined!” It took her a moment to realize that she had
said it out loud. She blushed bright red
and excused herself, quickly heading to the bar where she ordered a shot of
anything strong enough to knock some sense back into her.
The Admiral broke
into laughter at her younger sister’s look of bemusement.
Seven ignored her,
leaning in close to Phoebe to state quite clearly, “I believe she considers you
to be a ‘betty’.”
Phoebe groaned. “I need a drink. C’mon, Katie.
Keep me company.”
Kathryn squeezed
Seven’s hand quickly and then fell into step with her sister. “So what do you want to know?” She asked with a smirk.
“What makes you think
I want to know anything?”
“Because I recognize
that look in your eyes.”
“Alright, let’s just
say I’m curious. What made Seven pick
her?”
“She’s a lovely
girl?” Janeway shrugged. “Grade three
senior analyst on Voyager, has since
received a promotion to Ensign planet side.
She has a good heart, she’s very loyal… why are we talking about this?” Kathryn gave her sister a pointed look. “Curiosity killed the cat you know.”
The Admiral’s voice
trailed off as her attention was drawn to the bar. At the end of the long table she saw her
former First Officer watching Seven intently.
The Borg did not seem to notice but Kathryn felt her anger rising at the
possessive look in his eyes. She started
when she felt a hand on her arm.
Glancing over, she saw her sister smiling at her gently.
“Don’t worry about
him, Katie. Seven is with you, remember?”
Janeway nodded
slowly, trying to reign in her ire. “I
know. I just can’t believe the
unmitigated gall of the man. To stand
there and stare at her like a petulant child who’s had a toy taken away from
him before he was done playing with it.
After what he did to her…”
Phoebe took her hand
and pulled her into a quiet corner. “Ok,
Mom’s not around and Seven is busy talking to Harry Kim. Why don’t you tell me what really happened
between them?”
Kathryn sighed. “He hit her, Pheebs.”
“What?” The younger woman’s eyes went wide. “When?”
“When she told him
she was leaving him to be with me. That
was why she left for Earth so suddenly.
That was why she was out there all alone when The Mark took her.” She noticed Admiral Paris motioning her over
to a group across from them. “I need to
go rub elbows. I’ll be back. Do not
tell Mom, Phoebe.”
Her sister nodded
absently. She watched Chakotay as he
noticed Kathryn move away. Squaring his
shoulders, he headed in Seven’s direction.
Moving quickly, she placed herself in his path, bumping into him
forcefully. She raised her hand as
though to wave it in apology and managed to catch the bottom of his glass,
upending it into his chest. The red
punch spilled down the front of his dress whites, causing a very noticeable
stain across both of his lapels.
Phoebe turned cold
eyes on the man, but her voice was light and friendly. “I’m so sorry, Commander. People really should watch where they put
their hands.”
The comment hit its
mark, causing him to grit his teeth in anger as he flushed bright red. Mumbling a response, he headed for the
exit. She watched him go, a small smirk
on her face.
“That
looked…satisfying.”
Phoebe turned around
quickly, her face reddening when she saw Tal Celes standing behind her. “Oh… yeah, uh… we had a little accident.”
“Accident?” The Bajoran smiled shyly, the ridges on her
nose crinkling in the most adorable way.
“All right.” Phoebe smiled sheepishly. “Maybe it wasn’t totally an accident. But it
did have the desired effect. Promise not
to tell the Admiral?”
“It would be against
Starfleet Regulations to withhold information from a superior officer.” Celes teased.
“But… I guess I don’t have to offer any information that isn’t specifically
asked for.”
The tall redhead
laughed, surprised at the Bajoran’s playfulness. It was very subtle, but it was there. She took in the deep chocolate colored eyes,
the cute little upturned nose and the long reddish auburn hair that fell around
the smaller woman’s delicate features. Damn, she thought, three cheers for the Borg’s taste in women. Smiling, she took
Celes lightly by the arm. “How about you
let me buy you a drink?”
The Bajoran allowed
herself to be led to the bar where she ordered a glass of merlot. Phoebe got herself a scotch and soda and then
smiled. “So I hear congratulations are
in order, Ensign.”
Celes blushed. “Yeah, I’m sure your sister had a good deal
to do with it, but at least they’ve stationed me planet side, permanent
assignment to admin at Fleet Headquarters.”
“Oh?” Phoebe looked surprised. “No wander lust for you?”
“Oh no.” The smaller woman laughed. “I’ve done my ship duty. I’m content to stay right here on Earth.”
“A woman after my own
heart.” She smiled at the light flush
that crept into the smaller woman’s cheeks.
“So what do you do?”
“I’m an artist. I have an exhibit going on right now at the
Brisbois Gallery in
“Wow.” Celes looked at her in admiration. “I’d love to see your work sometime.”
Phoebe choked
slightly, a horrible pick up line flitting through her thoughts. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” She saw Kathryn waving at them. “C’mon, I think we’re being summoned.”
She placed her hand
in the small of the Bajoran’s back as they headed to the Admiral’s table,
steering her into Chakotay’s empty chair as she took her own.
Kathryn looked over
at Seven and took her hand. “We wanted
to invite all of you to a dinner party at my mother’s house tomorrow
night. Let’s say 19:00 hours? It will be casual so no uniforms.”
“What can we bring?” B’Elanna smiled knowingly at the two women,
but kept her thoughts to herself.
“Just yourselves, and
bring Miral. I’m sure she’d love the
snow.”
Gretchen leaned
across the table to place her hand on Celes’ arm. “You must come as well, dear.”
The Bajoran smiled
shyly but nodded. “I’d be honored.”
Phoebe felt a moments
panic and then flushed when Kathryn threw her a roguish wink. She glared at her big sister silently,
ignoring the soft chuckle she earned in response.
Everyone around the
table gave their assurances that they would be in attendance and, as the party
wound down, they began to take their leave.
Kathryn offered Seven
her arm to escort her out. “We’re going
to stay here in town tonight, Mom. We’ll
be out at the farm in the morning. I’ll
get you and Pheebs an escort back to the transport station.”
“Thank you,
Kathryn.” Her mother stood. “Can we offer you a ride to the station,
Celes?”
“That would be
wonderful, thank you Mrs. Janeway.”
“You can just call me
Gretchen, dear.” She took the Bajoran by
the arm and led her away, chatting with her as they went. Phoebe sighed and shook her head as she
hurried to catch up with them.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn and Seven
were both quiet during the ride home, each lost in their own thoughts, small,
matching smiles on their faces. When
they were safely locked behind the door of their home, the Admiral turned into
the welcoming arms of her lover with a sigh.
“Kathryn,” Seven ran
her hands down the back of the immaculate uniform. “Everything will be fine.”
Janeway smiled into
the long elegant neck. “You’re here with
me; we’re engaged, soon to be married.
What more could I want?”
“A vessel.” The Borg replied calmly. “You will acquire one.”
“Mmm.” The Admiral’s lips found the pulse beating in
her throat.
Seven smiled. “Should I speculate as to the purpose behind
our remaining in the city this evening?”
“I have had to sit
next to you, looking like this, all night.
There is no way I could be expected to be quiet. All I’ve been able to think about is what you
have on under this dress.”
Smiling, the blonde
took her hand and led her up the stairs.
Closing the bedroom door behind them, she stood, trembling, as Kathryn
ran small, loving hands across her shoulders and down her arms. Sliding a hand behind the Borg’s neck, she
pulled gently, bringing the full lips down to catch them in a powerful kiss,
her tongue sliding between them to taste the champagne flavored recesses of her
mouth. Dropping her fingers, she found
the zipper hidden in the back of the gown and pulled it down, slipping her
hands inside to peel the garment off the voluptuous curves of her partner.
The dress fell away,
leaving six feet of perfect pale skin shimmering in the moonlight streaming in
from the window.
“Nothing…” Kathryn
breathed with a smile.
“There was no space
for anything other than myself.” Seven
stepped out of her sandals as her fingers opened the Admiral’s jacket, her
fingertips grazing over the already erect nipples as she pushed it off the
smaller woman’s shoulders and onto the floor.
She had to focus on her breathing as Kathryn’s hands roamed across her
hips to cup her buttocks. “Let me…
finish.” She panted as she felt the
small quick fingers slide down the crease to brush over her puckered
orifice.
“I can’t wait that
long.” Janeway turned her and pushed her back onto the bed. Wearing her dress shirt and slacks, she
climbed on top of the younger woman, pressing her back into the bed as her lips
traveled down her chest to take one swollen nipple between her teeth. “I need to taste you…now.” She growled.
Seven gasped, her
thighs falling open as Kathryn kissed her way down the Borg’s stomach, stopping
only to lick lightly between the bands of her implants before nuzzling her face
in the blonde thatch of hair between her legs.
Seven was already wet, her scent pervasive, and Kathryn lost herself in
it. For a moment, she merely lay with
her cheek against the Borg’s thigh, breathing in deeply. Then she lifted the glorious weight of those
long, slender legs over her shoulders and buried her face between them. Grabbing onto Seven’s hips, she pulled
forward roughly, holding them firmly as her tongue and teeth found the swollen
ridge of her desire. Drawing it into her
mouth, she swirled her tongue around it, sucking on it hard as Seven shivered
above her. Bringing her hand up, she
played in the wetness surrounding the blonde’s opening, teasing her mercilessly
by only inserting the tip of her fingers before pulling them back out to play outside
yet again.
“Kathryn…” Seven begged.
“Please….”
“Talk to me.” Janeway commanded. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”
“I want you to touch
me…”
“How do you want me
to touch you?”
“I want….” She could hear Seven swallow. “I want you inside me. I want…”
“You want…” Her tongue never stopped moving, never
stopped teasing.
“I want you to take
me… hard. Now… please, Kathryn… please…”
Smiling wickedly, she
slid two fingers deep inside the wet channel, moaning when muscles clutched at them
with smooth velvet strength. She thrust
slowly at first, reveling in the small whimpers from the woman she adored. Then she quickened her pace, keeping time
with the wildly undulating hips as her tongue danced over the engorged bundle
of nerves she held firmly between her lips.
“How does that
feel?” She bent her fingers deep inside
as she trilled her tongue across the little bud.”
“It feels….so
good….” The Borg’s hands wrapped into
her hair pulling Kathryn’s head more tightly against her.
“More…” Janeway whispered. “I want to hear more…”
“Faster…” The blonde whimpered. “Harder…”
Kathryn shifted
slightly, angling her body to put more force behind her thrusting fingers. “Like this?”
“Yesssss….”
“Say my name…”
“Kath… ryn…”
“Again…” She suckled
harder, reaching deep inside to find the elusive spot that drove Seven crazy.
“Kathryn…oh…Kathryn….OH…”
“You know what I want
to hear…” She growled.
“CAPTAIN!” Seven cried out, her back arching off the bed
as her lover thrust into her with abandon.
“Oh, Captain… oh… My…CAPTAIN!”
The Borg began to
shake wildly, her voice lost in the small grunts coming from both of them as
Janeway drove her over the edge. She
closed her eyes tightly, seeing only swirling light behind her eyelids as she
came, hard. As the waves washed over
her, she felt Kathryn pull out her fingers to catch the nectar with her tongue
as it flowed out of her. Falling back,
she pulled the smaller woman up to her, catching her lips in a kiss flavored
with her own essence. A growl escaped
her own throat as she raised one knee and slid it between the Admiral’s
thighs. Fumbling at her waist, she undid
the buttons on her slacks and slid her fingers inside to find her lover
completely drenched. Without hesitating,
she slid three fingers deeply inside, watching as Kathryn threw her head back
and groaned.
Using the muscles of
her thigh, she increased the force of her thrusts, her other hand tangling in
the fabric of the slacks to gain a better hold.
Pulling roughly, she brought her thumb up to run along the swollen ridge
on the outside as her fingers curled deep inside.
“Oh, An…nika….” Janeway moaned, her back arching almost
painfully as the pleasure started to build within her. She gripped pale thighs between her hands as
she rubbed against her, grinding into her wildly, pushing herself towards her
release.
Seven’s fingers found
the spot they were looking for deep inside and rubbed against it
mercilessly. She ground her own teeth
together as Kathryn’s body began to shake.
Finally the small hands fell away as the Admiral threw her head back
again and cried out her passion before slumping forward to rest heavily against
the softly heaving breasts.
Seven withdrew her
fingers from the shivering woman and pulled the blanket over them both, holding
her close as the passion subsided. With
a small smile, she listened as her lover’s breathing evened out.
Closing her eyes, she
fell asleep, holding her heart within her arms.
Chapter Two – The Most Important Meal of the Day
Kathryn cracked one
eye open, sighing happily as she stretched against the warm form beneath
her. Looking down, she saw clear blue
eyes full of love and humor looking back at her. “Good morning, love.” She kissed Seven softly.
“I concur.” The Borg tightened her arms around the
smaller woman.
It took a moment for
Janeway to realize she was still mostly clothed and being held tightly against
the entirely nude form of her lover. “I
guess I was a little anxious last night.”
“Perhaps a little.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“No, Captain.” Seven whispered, loving the light flush that
crept into Kathryn’s cheeks. “I have
often considered the image of you achieving orgasm while still attired in your uniform. It is one I have always found most
gratifying.”
“Really?” Janeway smiled. “I must admit the thought had entered my mind
too.”
“But did your
thoughts include the utilization of your ready room desk?”
“The desk, the couch,
against the railing…”
Seven’s eyebrows shot
up. “Elaborate.”
Kathryn blushed to
the roots of her hair. “Another
time. Right now I could use a shower and
some breakfast.” She climbed out of bed,
pulling the younger woman up with her.
“So long as the
events do not occur in that order.” At
the Admiral’s questioning glance Seven wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled
her cheek. “I enjoy the way I smell on
your skin.”
“Oh.” Janeway swallowed, feeling her heart rate
increase. “Well, then… shower later.”
The Borg smiled as
she pulled on a light robe and watched her lover take off her dress whites and
slip into her own robe. Taking her by
the hand, she led her down to the kitchen to press her firmly into a chair
before making her a cup of coffee. “What
would you like to eat this morning, Kathryn?”
The smaller woman sat
her coffee cup down and proceeded to stretch, raising her arms over her head
and groaning in pleasure as she felt her muscles loosen. “Whatever you want is fine with me.”
Seven watched the
spectacle before her, noting the way the robe pulled up to show off a firm
expanse of thigh. Stepping away from the
replicator, she picked up the Admiral’s coffee mug and set it down on the
counter, out of arms reach.
“Annika?”
The Borg did not
respond as she grabbed the front of Kathryn’s robe and pulled her out of the
chair to press her backwards against the kitchen table. “Whatever I want?” She repeated.
The Admiral nodded,
losing her voice in the look of desire leveled at her from her lover’s steady
blue eyes.
“I want what I was
denied last night.” She brought her lips
down to press against Janeway’s, her mouth opening to taste the lips beneath
hers. She continued to press backwards
until the smaller woman was forced to slide onto the table top. The Borg reached out and pulled the robe from
the slender shoulders she loved so much before pushing her back into a
reclining position. She pulled a chair
over and sat at the table as though she were about to have breakfast and
Janeway stifled a small snicker at the image.
But Seven wasn’t
laughing. Her eyes had taken on a
slightly dazed expression as she reached out with both hands and covered the
smaller woman’s breasts, her palms brushing lightly across the nipples before
catching them between her fingers.
Kathryn whimpered and
laid her head against the table, her back arching into the touch as the Borg’s
fingers began to fondle her more firmly.
Lowering her head, Seven kissed the inside of her knee, biting lightly
as she made her way up one smooth thigh before switching to the other side to offer
the same treatment. The scent of musk
was strong, heady, as much from the previous nights exertions as this mornings
and the younger woman felt herself getting lost in it.
When her nose finally
nuzzled into the curly auburn hair between her lover’s legs, she felt slightly
light headed, her blood pounding so hard in her veins that she could feel it
throb under her skin. “My Kathryn…” She whispered as her lips parted and her
tongue trailed across the swollen ridge of Janeway’s sex. She played her lips around it, humming softly
to herself as her chin became wet against the hot opening further down.
Janeway tried to
breathe as the vibrations from the Borg’s vocal cords traveled down her tongue
and onto the swollen bundle of nerves she was sucking steadily. As much as she loved to tease Seven about her
musical proclivities while they made love, the sensations it evoked were unlike
any other she had ever experienced. When
the younger woman pulled one hand from her breasts to slide three fingers inside
of her, the pleasure was so intense she cried out loudly, her words no more
than guttural utterances lost in the sounds of her lover’s moistly moving mouth
and tongue. The fingers curved deep
inside and she raised herself on her elbows, using the leverage to push back
against the thrusting hand, grinding herself into the lips that were driving
her out of control.
Shaking, Kathryn felt
herself beginning to peak and her hands tangled into the golden blonde mane
between her legs, holding Seven’s head firmly against her as she began to
shudder violently. “Oh dear sweet
Jesus….Annika!” She couldn’t hear her
own voice as her climax exploded, the blood rushing through her veins drowning
out the sounds of pleasure coming from the Borg as she lapped at the juices
flowing through her fingers. “Yes…YES!”
She collapsed back
onto the table, breathing heavily as she fought to stay conscious, fully aware
that, while Seven had removed her fingers, she remained where she was, drinking
every last drop of the essence from between her legs before she sat up and
smiled. Kathryn watched breathlessly as
the younger woman wiped her fingers across her chin and then slid them into her
mouth.
“Oh dear God.” She
croaked. “You will be the death of me.”
“On the contrary,”
Seven smirked, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “My research has
shown that making love is an excellent form of exercise and I intend to see
that you stay physically fit, Kathryn.”
“I think that is one
exercise regimen we don’t need to clear with the Doctor.” Janeway said dryly. “Now that I’ve fed you, are you going to feed
me?”
“Yes.” The blonde
rose and went back to the replicator, programming in a western omelet for
Kathryn and a small stack of pancakes for herself. When she brought them back to the table the
older woman quirked one eyebrow at her choice of food.
“Carbohydrates.” Seven flushed a lovely shade of pink. “I have found that where you are concerned,
it is prudent to ‘keep my strength up’.”
They ate breakfast
together holding hands, talking about the announcement they had in store for
their friends that evening. When the
meal was done and the dishes cleared away, Seven finally allowed Kathryn to
take a shower, after one last deeply inhaled breath against her cheek.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Mom! We’re here!”
Kathryn called out as they walked into the farmhouse. She took Seven’s jacket and hung it next to
hers on the coat rack. Looking back at
her lover, she couldn’t help but smile.
The younger woman had
stood for several minutes letting the snow fall onto her upturned face. Now the flakes had melted in the warmth of
the house and her cheeks were bright red, covered with a light sheen of
water. She took the beloved face between
her palms and used her thumbs to wipe away the moisture before pulling her head
down for a gentle kiss.
“Well,” Gretchen
laughed softly. “I see the cold hasn’t
done much to dampen your ardor, Kathryn.”
The Admiral blushed
and released Seven, walking over to her mother to wrap her up in a hug. “Hi Mom.”
Gretchen returned the
hug and then offered the same to Seven, who complied with a soft smile. “Hello… Mom.”
“Come on into the
kitchen you two. We have some food to
prepare.”
They followed
Gretchen into the brightly lit kitchen, both of them stopping short when they
realized the room was already occupied.
“Tal Celes.” Seven raised one eyebrow. “You have arrived
ahead of schedule.”
The Bajoran smiled,
setting down the knife she was using to peel potatoes to stand at attention in
front of the Admiral.
“At ease,
Celes.” Kathryn smiled. “At least for tonight.”
The eldest Janeway
smiled. “Celes was nice enough to come
early and offer to help with dinner. Did
you know she could cook, Kathryn?”
The last remark was
made rather pointedly and the Admiral was hard pressed not to roll her eyes. “Where’s Phoebe?”
“She’s in the
den.” Celes piped in then blushed
slightly. “She got a call from her
gallery in
“Ahh.” Kathryn tried to hide her smile. “What’s going on with the showing?”
“I’m not sure,”
Gretchen checked a pot on the stove.
“But she’s been yelling for the last twenty minutes.”
“I wasn’t
yelling!” Phoebe strode into the
kitchen, her color high. “I was speaking
emphatically.”
“Of course
dear.” Her mother patted her gently on
the shoulder. “Why don’t you help Celes
with the potatoes?”
“Fine.” Phoebe picked up a knife and began to
vigorously strip the vegetable of its outer skin.
Celes laughed and
gently grabbed her wrist. “You’re losing
more potato than you’re keeping, Phoebe.”
She turned the knife and showed her how to slide it across the spud,
taking off only the thin outer layer, not noticing the redhead’s flustered
expression at her touch. “There, you
just need to be gentler with your hand movements.”
“Yeah, Pheebs,”
Kathryn turned away slightly to hide her amused expression. “Gentle hands are important.”
Seven snorted softly,
causing a slight flush to creep into the Admiral’s cheeks. “How may I assist in the food preparation?”
“Well, the turkey is
already in the oven so you can make the salad.”
Gretchen pointed to a pile of vegetables draining in the sink. “Then you can help me with the chocolate
fudge torts we’re having for desert.”
Kathryn dipped her
finger into the bowl of fudge batter, closing her eyes in appreciation as she
slipped it into her mouth. “What can I
do?”
All four of the woman
looked at her and said in unison, “You can set the table.”
“I see you have
informed Celes of Kathryn’s culinary expertise.” Seven’s lips curled into a faint smile.
The Admiral grumbled
her way into the other room, ignoring the laughter emanating from the kitchen
as she pulled her mother’s best china from its cabinet. She spent an hour making sure every place
setting was just right, only looking up when Seven entered the room to hand her
a vase of water and a bouquet of flowers.
“Your mother has
requested that you arrange this dying vegetation in an appealing manner at the
center of the table.” She set the items
down, only to have Kathryn grab her hand and pull her into an embrace. “I have much work to do.”
“Too much to offer me
a kiss? Don’t I get a reward for setting
such a beautiful table?”
“I was unaware you
required my feedback on your place setting skills.” The Borg smirked but dropped her head to kiss
the eager lips softly. When they broke
apart, she rested her forehead against Kathryn’s. “What is your opinion of the current
situation between your sister and Tal Celes?”
Kathryn grinned. “I think Phoebe looks like she’s about to
climb out of her skin.”
“An interesting
allegory. It is my opinion that Phoebe
finds covert moments to glance at her the way you did with me my first year
aboard Voyager.”
“What are you talking
about?” Janeway straightened. “I looked at you as I did any other member of
my crew.”
Seven quirked one
eyebrow. “If that statement were true, I
do believe you would have had more pressing problems than returning your ship
to the Alpha Quadrant.”
The Admiral poked her
in the ribs playfully. “Don’t you have
some cooking to do?”
“Yes, Kathryn.” Seven kissed her one last time and then left
her to her floral arrangements.
Dinner preparations
progressed nicely and at 18:00 hours most of the food was prepared and sitting
under stasis dishes, all except the torts, which were waiting to be placed in
the oven. The five women gathered around
the kitchen table to share a cup of coffee before heading upstairs to change.
“So,” Kathryn looked
at her little sister. “What’s the
problem with your showing?”
Phoebe sighed before
taking a long drink of coffee. “It’s not
so much a problem as it is a headache.
Four of the focal pieces have sold.
The showing is going so well that my manager Marie wants me to replace
them so we can have a second opening at the end of next month.”
“That’s wonderful,
honey!” Gretchen leaned over and kissed
her on the forehead.
“Yeah, I would think
you would be elated.” Celes smiled at
her brightly. “Why is there a headache?”
“Because that leaves
me six weeks to come up with a new focus for the second showing, in addition to
at least four new pieces all while we’re trying to get these two kids
married.” She grumbled. “I’m not super human you know.”
“I’m sure you can do
it.” Celes enthused. “If there is anything I can do to help, just
let me know.”
Kathryn snickered and
Seven kicked her lightly under the table.
“I am sure you will succeed, Phoebe.
What direction were you considering for the new showing?”
“I need something
different. Something that hasn’t been
done to death.”
The Borg leaned her
head to one side. “I have scans of
numerous stellar anomalies that were acquired while Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant.
I believe that you might find them inspirational.”
Phoebe’s eyes
brightened. “Do you think Starfleet
would let me have a look at them?”
“They are not
classified.” Seven assured her. “When I return to Starfleet headquarters to
regenerate the day after tomorrow I will download them for you and bring them
with me when I return.”
“That’s great,
Seven! It could be just what I’m looking
for!”
Kathryn smiled gently
at the Borg, reaching out to take her hand across the top of the counter.
“Uhm…” Celes interjected. “Did someone say ‘married’?”
Gretchen
laughed. “Leave it to Phoebe to blurt
out a surprise.” She placed a hand on
the Bajoran’s shoulder. “I trust you can
keep it a secret until the happy couple has made their announcement?”
“Of course!” She looked at the Admiral and Seven with
bright eyes. “I think it’s
fantastic! You two are so perfect for
each other.”
“I agree.” Kathryn
kissed the hand she held in her own before standing. “I believe we should get changed. I said no uniforms tonight, Celes, so I hope
you brought something else to wear.”
“I did.” Celes nodded.
“I just need somewhere to change.”
“You can use my
room.” Phoebe chimed in, only to glare
at Kathryn’s look of amusement. “Top of
the stairs, first door on the right.”
Chapter Three – Together Again
At 18:45 hours,
Kathryn was dressed and waiting patiently for Seven in the living room. She wore a pair of crisply tailored black
slacks and an oversized blue silk blouse tied from behind at the waist that
showed off her figure nicely. She
glanced up in amusement when Phoebe entered.
“So… How does it feel having a naked woman in your childhood bedroom?”
Her sister paled
slightly but managed to shoot back, “Seems to be a pattern among the Janeway
children doesn’t it?”
“Oooo… You sound a
little flustered, sis. What ever could
be the problem?”
“Kathryn, do not
tease your sister.”
The Admiral looked
over as Seven entered and felt her heart swell.
The Borg was wearing a slinky black dress that showed off her shoulders
and the long expanse of her legs from beneath a short hem. Her hair was down and fell softly around her
features, making her look very young and yet very elegant at the same
time. “You look beautiful, Annika.”
“I believe your
opinion to be biased, but thank you.”
She sat down next to Kathryn.
“You look lovely as well.”
The warm looks that
passed between them were not lost on Phoebe.
“Jeez, you two, could you not undress each other with your eyes when I’m
sitting right here?”
“Would you rather we
do it with our hands?” Seven asked
reasonably.
“Oh for the love
of…” Phoebe threw her hands up, trying
to will the image from her mind. “I need
a glass of wine.”
They followed her as
she headed towards the kitchen, only to run into her back as she stood, rooted
firmly in place at the bottom of the stairs.
Kathryn and Seven both looked up, following Phoebe’s line of sight to
see Celes standing on the upper landing.
The Bajoran was radiant. Her long hair was brushed to a brightly
shimmering red and left to hang free across her bare shoulders. Her dress was a deep emerald green strapless
affair that clung to all the curves her Starfleet uniform hid from view. The black velvet high heeled sandals she wore
were tied up the calf and Phoebe found herself following the line of her legs
up to the hem of her dress which left off two inches above the knee.
“Oh.” Was all the youngest Janeway could manage to
say.
“Nice, Phoebe.” Kathryn couldn’t resist. “You really know how to sweet talk a
woman.”
Seven took the
snickering Admiral by the arm and led her away as Celes came down the stairs to
stand in front of the tall redhead. She
raked her up and down with a long considering gaze, taking in the white button
down shirt and tight black leather pants tucked neatly into black square heeled
boots. “You look pretty ‘oh’
yourself.” With a smile, she took Phoebe
by the hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.
When they entered,
Gretchen took one look at the expression on her youngest daughters face and
pressed a glass of wine into her hand, whispering quietly into her ear,
“Breathe, Phoebe.”
Phoebe took a long
breath and brought the glass to her lips, downing half of it in one gulp. Once the warmth of the liquid got her heart
beating again she smiled at her mother’s choice of attire. “Blue jeans, Ma?”
“Well, Kathryn did
say casual. Besides, all you can see at
the table is my shirt anyway.”
“You look very nice,
Gretchen.” Seven smiled. “The cream color of the silk is very
appealing.”
“Thank you Annika.”
They were interrupted
by the sound of the door chime.
“Looks like it’s time
to welcome our guests.” Kathryn set her
wine glass aside and took Seven’s hand, leading her out to the foyer. Celes followed them and Phoebe brought up the
rear after taking a moment to drain the rest of her glass.
Tom and B’Elanna were
the first to arrive, with little Miral in tow.
The child was laughing as she pulled snowflakes from her mother’s hair.
The Doctor showed up
next, pressing a bottle of Antirian whiskey into the Admiral’s hands before he
wandered off to the kitchen to give his regards to Gretchen, then Tuvok and
Harry arrived together, having taken the same hover-car from the transport station. The last to arrive were Samantha and Naomi
Wildman. The young Katarian girl
squealed in delight and threw herself into Seven’s arms.
“Naomi Wildman.” The Borg hugged the girl gently. “I am pleased that you and your mother could
attend.”
“It’s so good to see
you, Seven.” She grinned in joy. “I’ve really missed you.”
“I have missed your
presence as well. You have grown
much.” Seven untangled herself and led
everyone into the living room.
“Would anyone like a
glass of wine before dinner?” Kathryn
offered.
“I’ll take some of
that whiskey the Doc brought.” Tom
grinned. He accepted his glass with a
smile as everyone else took up the offer of merlot.
“So,” B’Elanna
bounced Miral on her knee. “What’s with
the big dinner?”
Kathryn smiled at the
half Klingon woman. “Time for that
later. What have you been up to?”
“I’m working at
Utopia Planetia while Tom plays helmboy with some of the small battle
ships.” She sat her little girl on the
floor where she rolled onto her back with a giggle. “I think they’re trying to keep us busy until
they figure out what to do with us.
There’s some major project going on there at the moment. Very hush hush. One whole hangar has been completely enclosed
and as hard as I try they won’t let me in.”
“Interesting.” The Admiral pursed her lips. “Sounds like
something I might try to get a look at.”
“I figured you’d say
that.” She smirked.
“How have they been
keeping you occupied?” Seven asked the
Doctor.
“Oh, you know
Starfleet, still going through debriefings and meetings regarding the state of
my being. Thanks to the Admiral, I seem
to be out of the woods. At the moment
they are considering my petition to become a commissioned officer.”
“I’ll check into the
progress on that for you.” Janeway
nodded in his direction. “I’m sure
Admiral Paris and Admiral Neyechev have the information sitting on their desks
by now.”
“I’d appreciate that,
Kathryn. Thank you.”
“What about you,
Harry?”
The newly promoted
Lieutenant beamed at her. “I’ve been
assigned to the Hood as Communications officer.
We’ll be heading out to patrol the border zones the day after tomorrow.”
“The Hood?” Janeway’s eyebrows rose in respect. “That’s impressive. I heard the Hood performed admirably during
Operation: Return. Congratulations,
Harry. You deserve it.” She turned to Tuvok. “And you my old friend?”
“I have taken a
sabbatical.” The Vulcan’s face was
impassive. “I will be spending the next
year with my family.”
“I’m sure they’re
thrilled.” The Admiral smiled. She was going to miss his presence but she
certainly couldn’t blame the man. “What
about you, Sam? I heard about your
husband, Greskrendtregk. I am so sorry
for his loss, but from what I understand he was truly an asset to DS9 during
the war.”
The blonde woman looked
down at her daughter, swallowing her sorrow before she replied. “Yes, they awarded him the Commendation of
Valor posthumously. He was a good man I
just wish Naomi had had the opportunity to know him.”
Kathryn felt the
sadness in the Ensign’s words keenly, even as she knew they were not directed
at her.
Sam took a deep
breath and smiled tremulously. “At the
moment, I’m between assignments. I’m on
leave until Naomi and I decide what we want to do next.”
Seven reached out and
brushed Naomi’s bangs out of her eyes.
“I am certain you will find a posting that will benefit from your
experience.”
The Ensign smiled at
her. She had been frightened by the
tall, intimidating woman when she first arrived on Voyager. But after seeing
the interaction between her daughter and the Borg, she knew in her heart that
Seven was a good person. “Thank you.”
“What about you
Celes?” Harry had been staring at the
Bajoran in frank appreciation. “What do
they have you doing at Headquarters?”
“Administration.” She returned his smile with slightly less
enthusiasm. “As much as I appreciate the journey and the time we all spent
together, my feet are happy right here on the ground.”
“I heard they
promoted you as well. Congratulations!”
The Bajoran
nodded. “Thank you.”
Gretchen appeared in
the doorway to smile at the small crowd.
“Well, if I can get some help to bring everything to table, dinner is
ready.”
“We’ll help.” Phoebe stood up quickly, gratified when Celes
followed suit. She had been watching
Lieutenant Kim attempt to flirt with the lovely redhead and found herself
uncomfortable with the situation. Why
she felt that way was something she wasn’t quite ready to examine, however.
As the rest of the
party began to drift into the dining room, Tom grabbed Harry by the arm. “Stop before you even start.” The helmsman snickered.
“What are you talking
about?”
“You really need to
look at the whole situation before you pick a woman to flirt with, Harry.” Tom patted him on the back. “I believe the score is now Janeway – two,
Kim – zero.”
Harry’s eyes widened
and then he hung his head good-naturedly as he followed his friend to the
table. The Admiral seated them as
Gretchen, Phoebe and Celes brought platters of food in from the kitchen. He rolled his eyes at Tom’s knowing look when
Phoebe and Celes took their own chairs, side by side.
“I just can’t win.”
He mumbled under his breath.
“This looks
incredible, Mrs. Janeway.” B’Elanna’s mouth began to water as she looked from
the huge stuffed turkey to the mounds of mashed potatoes and green beans.
“Well, don’t wait on
manners. Dig in while it’s hot!” Gretchen watched with the satisfaction only a
mother can feel as her food was quickly scooped onto plates and the party began
to eat in earnest.
Conversation was light
while they consumed the delectable meal, with the Doctor doing most of the
talking as his mouth was not otherwise engaged.
Soon the group was pleasantly stuffed to the point where they all
groaned when the chocolate fudge torts were brought in steaming from the
oven. No one declined however, choosing
instead to casually consume the sweets while sipping mugs of coffee and tea.
Finally, the moment
arrived and Kathryn stood, picking up her half filled glass of wine and looking
around the table fondly. “To our
family.” The rest of the party raised
their glasses and drank with her. When
she did not sit back down, the group looked at her expectantly, B’Elanna with a
knowing smirk on her face. “As you all
know, in six weeks we will mark the six month anniversary of Voyager’s return to the Alpha
Quadrant. Annika and I have decided that
that would be a very appropriate time for a celebration of another sort as
well.” She reached down and took her lover’s hand. “On that day, we will be solidifying our relationship
with a formal marriage ceremony. We
would be greatly honored if you could all be in attendance.”
The party erupted as
everyone stood and hugged the two women, laughing and smiling their joy for the
happy couple. As the furor died down and
everyone took their seats, Kathryn addressed Tom and Tuvok. “I would be very grateful if the two of you
would stand with me and, seeing as how Tuvok hates these kinds of emotional
events, if you could give the Best Man’s speech Tom, that would please me greatly.”
“Try and stop me,
Admiral.” Tom raised his glass as Tuvok
nodded his acceptance.
Seven stood to place
an arm around Kathryn’s waist.
“B’Elanna, Celes, I would be gratified if you would act as my
‘bridesmaids’.”
“You got it.” The Klingon grinned and downed the rest of
her wine as Celes nodded shyly.
“Phoebe,” The Borg
looked down at the youngest Janeway. “I
would be very pleased if you would act as my Maid of Honor.”
Phoebe’s smile was
bright and her eyes moist as she raised her glass. “Nothing would make me happier.” She took a drink. “Wait, that doesn’t mean I have to wear some
god-awful dress does it?”
“I’m sure we’ll find
something tasteful, Pheebs.” Kathryn
assured her.
Seven turned to
Naomi, who had been sitting quietly, a small pout on her face. “Naomi Wildman. You were my first friend on Voyager, aside from the Captain. It would please me greatly if you would
agree to be the ring bearer for the ceremony.”
The small girl’s eyes
lit up. “The ring bearer?”
“Yes. It is the most important function.” The Borg gave her a very serious look. “You will be responsible for carrying the
symbols of our union to the altar where we will exchange them, sealing our vows
for eternity.”
“Gosh,” Naomi
swallowed. “That is big. You can count on me,
Seven!”
“I never had any
doubt.” Seven assured her. Finally, the Borg faced the other end of the
table, her expression softening slightly.
“Doctor?”
“Yes, Seven?”
“I would be honored
if you would be willing to ‘give me away’.”
Kathryn wished she
had a holo-imager at that moment, because the look on the EMH’s face was all it
would ever take to prove the man was sentient.
“Well,” He coughed
slightly, which Seven thought was an interesting affectation. “I would also be very honored to do so.”
“Then it’s all
settled.” Kathryn grinned. “You all have six weeks to figure out the
perfect wedding gift for a Borg and her Admiral.”
The party continued
for another hour or so and then began to break up as people headed home. Celes volunteered to stay and help clean up
and between the five women the work went very quickly.
They all gathered
around the fire place for a last glass of the vibrant purple whiskey before
calling it a night.
“I need to go back to
Headquarters in the morning.” Kathryn
sighed, taking a small sip of the strong liquor, allowing it to roll around in
her mouth before swallowing it.
“Me too.” Celes tried not to choke on her own drink,
earning a teasing smile from Phoebe.
“I need to get
started on some new sketches.” Phoebe hung
her head in mock defeat. “You know this
whole artist thing is starting to feel like a job.”
Gretchen laughed at
her youngest child. “I’m sure you’ll
survive.” She turned to Seven. “So I guess it’s you and me tomorrow Annika. I’d like to show you the church where Edward
and I were married. I think it would be
fitting if you two were wed there as well.
I also have a friend who runs a wonderful little catering company. We can stop by her office and go over some
menus.”
“That would be most
agreeable, Mom.” She glanced at her
fiancé. “But would you not prefer to have input on these decisions as well
Kathryn?”
“Hmm?” The Admiral had only been half listening, her
thoughts on other things as she watched the firelight dance in Seven’s
eyes. “I’m sure whatever the two of you
decide will be perfect.” She smiled
reassuringly. “I have a lot of loose
ends to tie up at Fleet headquarters before I can take another month of leave. In fact, if you will excuse me, I noticed a
message that came through earlier from Admiral Paris. I should go and check it. I’ll see you upstairs, Annika. Goodnight, everyone.”
Gretchen watched her
go, a slightly amused look on her face.
“She brings it on herself.” She
said softly, confusing Seven.
“Well,” Celes
stood. “It’s getting late. I should get going.”
Phoebe jumped
up. “I’ll take you back to the transport
station.”
The Bajoran
smiled. “Thanks. Let me just go grab my bag.” When she came back down, they headed out the
door with Phoebe ignoring the knowing looks on the other women’s faces.
They settled into the
hover-car, both of them riding in silence as Phoebe searched for something to
say.
“So,” She began. “What part of Fleet headquarters do you work
in?”
“The main
offices. I’m assigned to Admiral Stewart
in Logistics.”
“Do you ever get days
off?”
Celes smiled at the
slight flush that crept into Phoebe’s cheeks.
“Two a week. Why?”
“Just curious.”
“Do you work out of
your mother’s house?”
The redhead
nodded. “I have a small studio set up
there. It’s where I’ll be doing most of
my work for now, especially with the wedding coming up. Why?”
“Just curious.” The Bajoran gave her a playful grin.
The ride was over all
too quickly and Phoebe watched as the lithe young woman slid out the door of
the small craft. Celes stuck her head
back in for a moment to flash a brilliant smile at the flustered redhead.
“I had a wonderful
time, Phoebe.”
And then she was
gone.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Seven was tucked into
bed when Kathryn finally joined her some time later. She stripped out of her clothes and slid
between the sheets to be welcomed into strong loving arms.
“What did Admiral
Paris wish to speak with you about?”
“I’m still not
exactly sure.” Kathryn frowned.
“It was a lengthy
communication for you to come away from with no definitive information.”
“I agree.”
“So it is
classified.” Seven tightened her arms,
drawing the smaller woman closer, reveling in the warmth of her body.
“Apparently so.” Janeway sighed and closed her eyes, the
excitement from the day finally catching up with her.
“Sleep now. I am sure all things will be made clear
tomorrow.” The Borg waited until
Kathryn’s breathing evened out and then closed her own eyes, content with the
world as it was for that moment.
Chapter Four – Hyperion
Seven of Nine, still
damp from the shower, stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror thinking
that her lips looked slightly swollen.
She brought her fingers up to touch them, enjoying the slight ache that
Kathryn had left in the wake of her lengthy goodbye that morning.
The Admiral had woken
her slightly before dawn and they had spent over an hour lying in bed, their
lips locked together in a series of searing kisses that had left her
breathless. She hadn’t wanted it to stop
and it had taken all of her resolve to say goodbye when it was time for her
lover to head off to the transport station.
She leaned her head
to one side, scrutinizing the ocular implant that made up part of her left eye,
before trailing her fingertips down her cheek to touch the silver starburst
embedded below her right ear.
It was a wonder to
her that Kathryn could love her, despite her imperfections. The fact that the incredibly strong and
beautiful woman also wanted to marry her, that was something that was beyond
even her formidable comprehension.
With a sigh, she
slipped into her robe and went back to the bedroom where she pulled out what
Kathryn referred to as ‘comfort clothes’.
They consisted of a pair of well washed blue jeans and a soft white,
button down shirt. She didn’t bother to
put anything on her feet before she headed down to the kitchen.
Gretchen’s smile of
greeting faded when she took in the look on Seven’s face. “What’s wrong,
sweetie?” She placed a comforting arm
across the Borg’s shoulders and led her over to a stool before pouring her a
cup of tea.
“I am unsure what has
affected my mood.” Seven shrugged
helplessly. “I feel…”
“Lost?” Gretchen smiled at her gently. “Restless? Worried?”
“Yes!” The Borg looked surprised. “Why would I be feeling such things? I am very pleased with my current situation.”
“It’s normal
honey. Things are changing so fast and
no matter how intelligent you are, the heart bypasses the brain every
time. It just means your human, like the
rest of us.”
“Not quite like the
rest of you.” Seven turned her face away
to hide the tears in her eyes.
“Is that what this is
about?” Gretchen grabbed her shoulders
and turned her so she could look into her eyes.
“You stop that right now. You are
a beautiful young woman. None of this
metal and mesh can change that. Besides,
it’s not what’s on the outside that matters.
It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
And you have a beautiful heart, Annika Hansen. I knew that from the first moment Kathryn
brought you home.”
Seven surprised
herself by sliding her arms around the older woman’s waist and hugging her
tightly. She wondered vaguely if there
was something inherently therapeutic about the Janeway women that she always
felt so much better in their arms.
“Hey,” Phoebe stopped
in the doorway, waiting until her mother nodded at her before she entered. She poured herself a cup of coffee and joined
them at the counter. “Everything all
right?”
“Annika’s just
feeling a little of the bridal blues.”
“Ahh.” Phoebe sipped her coffee quietly as she
studied Seven’s face. “You know, this
might not be the best time to ask but, the way you look right now… I’d really
love to do a sketch of you. Do you think
you might be up for that?”
The Borg looked
slightly intrigued. “Perhaps. But I have made prior arrangements to spend
the day with your mother to prepare for the wedding.”
“Don’t worry about
me.” Gretchen smiled. “We can go later
today. The church isn’t going anywhere.”
“Very well then. What does this endeavor entail? Do I need to change my attire?”
“No. You look perfect. My studio is out in the barn loft though, so
you might want to throw on some shoes and a jacket until we get there. Don’t worry, it’s heated.”
Seven nodded and went
to collect the suggested items while Phoebe stared down into her coffee,
“What do you have
going on in that devious little mind of yours?”
Gretchen dropped a kiss on her youngest child’s forehead.
“I’m thinking it’s
time the rest of the world knows just how human she really is.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Good morning, Eva.”
Janeway’s assistant
looked up in surprise, a genuine smile gracing her normally placid
features. “Admiral! It’s good to have you back. I have your messages.”
Kathryn took the PADD
the young woman offered her and grimaced as she noted the number of missives on
it. “I spoke too soon.”
“I’m sorry,
Admiral. You were gone for several
weeks.”
“Yes, I know.” She flashed her a brilliant smile. “There’s no way I’m going to have time to
look through all of these. Let’s do
this, go through the list and delete anything with the words ‘Chakotay’ or
‘Mark Johnson’ anywhere in them. Then
bring me the rest along with a pot of really strong coffee.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
Kathryn stepped into
her office and groaned. The top of her
desk was literally covered with stacks of PADDs and Owen Paris was scheduled to
join her in less than two hours.
There were some
mornings when she truly hated being an Admiral.
With a sigh, she sat
down and began sorting through them, stopping only long enough to pour herself
a cup of joe when Eva brought it quietly into the room. When she was done, she had sorted the PADDs
into four main groups: Priority,
Moderately Imperative, Baseless Communications and Downright Idiotic. The last two she sent out to Eva to handle
while she sorted through the various demands presented by the others.
When her assistant
knocked quietly two hours later, she stretched in relief and stood, smiling
genuinely as Admiral Paris came to stand before her desk. “Owen.”
“Kathryn.” They nodded at each other and took their
seats. “It’s good to have you back.”
“Well, I’m glad one
of us thinks so. You couldn’t have
someone cover the reports while I was gone, huh?” She poured him a cup of coffee.
Janeway thought about
that for a moment. “Parts of it were
quite memorable. You should know,
however, that I will be submitting my request to you for four additional weeks
of leave at the end of next month.”
“So soon? Your timing could be better, Kathryn.”
“Well, my apologies
but this is one leave I can’t reschedule.
I’m getting married.”
“Quite.”
“Well then,” He came
around the desk and hugged her briefly.
“Congratulations. I’ll make sure
I expedite the request when it hits my desk.
Who’s the lucky fellow?”
She knew there was no
point in dissembling. “Annika Hansen.”
“Annika Hans-“ He blinked
several times. “The Borg…?”
“The lovely young
woman that returned from the Delta Quadrant with us, yes Owen.”
“Of course.” She picked up her own mug and took a long
drink. “So what about my timing is off?”
With a small smile he
set another PADD on her desk.
Janeway picked it up,
noting that it required her personal security code to access it. “Operation Hyperion?”
“It’s eyes only at
this point, Kathryn. At least until you
hear my proposal.”
She read through the
information quickly. “These are specs
from the Theoretical Propulsion Group for an experimental drive and nav
system?”
“Yes. That’s only an outline. I’ll have the full specs sent over later
today, but we thought it would be something that could use your expertise.”
“My expertise?” Janeway said dryly.
“Well, maybe not just
your expertise…”
“Ahh.” Kathryn smirked. “You want Seven.”
“We want both of you
on this project. The specs are sound as
far as the TPG can take them. They were
based largely on information you brought back with you on Voyager. Since Seven of Nine
played a major role in compiling and implementing much of that information, we
naturally think the project would benefit from her input.”
“What exactly are we
talking about here?”
“This is high level,
Kathryn. This information would only be
available to you and the staff working on the project. Starfleet would, of course, be much more
comfortable with the situation if she was amenable to accepting a commission
before working with you on this.”
“And if she
isn’t? Starfleet wasn’t exactly friendly
towards her when we first arrived.”
“I am aware that she
may be reluctant to take a full commission.
If that is the case then we are prepared to work around that.”
“How?”
“Civilian Attache to
Starfleet Operations. It would carry a
civilian rank equal to that of a Lieutenant Commander however she would not be
in a position of authority over any Starfleet personnel not directly assigned
to her department.”
Janeway leaned back
in her chair. “You must want her awfully
badly.”
“I believe I can
speak for Starfleet when I say that we are well aware that the two of you work
best as a team. Your experience with
utilizing experimental drives and her experience with building them are
invaluable to this project.”
“How soon do you need
an answer?”
“Yesterday.”
“Of course.” She
picked up the PADD. “Can I share this
with her?”
“Yes. However the full specs will remain for your
eyes only until we have an answer from her in regards to her involvement. I trust that is agreeable?”
“I’ll discuss it with
her tonight.”
“Very good. If you can get her to agree, send me a
communiqué immediately and I will have the proper papers drawn up and waiting
on your desk tomorrow morning.”
“What’s the
rush? How soon are we talking about
implementation?”
“If everything works out,
we’re hoping to have the systems up and doing live test runs within two
months.”
She leaned
forward. “On what ship?”
Admiral Paris grinned
at her. “Talk to Seven. I’ll be waiting for your response.”
Kathryn watched him
go before picking the PADD up to run through the specs again.
Things were getting
very interesting.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Why may I not see
it?” Seven stared at the artist
obstinately.
“Because,” Phoebe
smiled and draped a thin sheet over the easel holding her first outline of the
Borg. “It’s considered bad luck.”
“I fail to see how
allowing the object of your artistic rendering to view the unfinished project
is related to creating an unfortunate situation.”
The redhead blinked
and then laughed. “Give me a minute to
translate that statement and I’ll give you an answer.”
Seven sighed. “I see you share Kathryn’s stubbornness.”
“Did you expect
anything less?”
“In truth… no. When will I be allowed to see your creation?”
“When it’s done.”
Phoebe handed the Borg her jacket and her shoes. “Now you better get back down to the
house. I’m sure Mom is chomping at the
bit to take you to see the church.”
“Will you require me
to sit for you again?”
“Maybe.” Phoebe shrugged. “I have a really good start here. If I do, trust me, I’ll ask.”
“Very well.” She hesitated for a moment after pulling on
her garments, making the redhead laugh.
“Go on!” She pushed her towards the stairs leading
down from the loft to the lower level of the barn. “I’m not going to show you!”
With a sigh, the Borg
made her way out of the warmth of the tall building, enjoying the coldness of
the snow as she waded through it to the back door of the farm house. Gretchen was sitting at the counter, drinking
a cup of tea and flipping through one of a tall stack of wedding magazines.
“Well,” The older
woman smiled at her as she stepped inside and shook the snowflakes off her
face. “It looks like you survived.”
“Yes, but it was a
dangerous mission.” Seven returned the
smile. “Phoebe can be very
demanding. And she would not allow me to
see what she has completed thus far.”
“I think that’s an
artist thing dear. She would never allow
any of us to see anything she was working on until it was done.” Gretchen set the magazine back on the stack. “Are you ready to go and see the church?”
“Yes, please.”
The trip was a short
one and as the church came into view, Seven drew in a breath. It was a one room building, whitewashed, with
a steeple that rose up into the softly falling snow. Behind it was the flat, shimmering surface of
a frozen over lake surrounded on all sides by trees.
“It is
beautiful.” Seven breathed as she
climbed out of the hover-car.
“Wait until you see
the inside.” Gretchen smiled at her and
took her hand, drawing her through the double doors.
The inside of the
church was warm and brightly lit. The
pews were all hardwood, smooth to the touch and polished to a bright
luster. The center aisle led to a
similarly cared for altar backed by long, crimson drapes surrounding a wide bay
window. The color immediately reminded
Seven of Kathryn’s uniform and the view of the lake beyond was breathtaking.
The church was
non-denominational so there were no overtly religious themes something she knew
would appeal to Kathryn as well.
“So what do you think?” Gretchen asked.
“I find it more than
acceptable. Do you believe Kathryn will
as well?”
“Oh, I think so.”
Seven nodded. “Then I believe it to be the right choice.”
“Good. Now let’s go see my friend about a feast.”
Three hours later,
pleasantly stuffed full of the tasty tidbits and tea the caterer had pressed
upon them followed by several different samples of wedding cake, Gretchen and
Seven dragged themselves into the farm house and fell heavily onto the couch.
“I do not believe I
will eat again for the foreseeable future.”
“Yes, but Meg can
cook can’t she?” Gretchen laughed. “Just think, we need to start dinner soon.”
“No.” Seven groaned. “We should allow Kathryn to fend for
herself.”
The older woman
smiled at her gently. “You aren’t happy
with her willingness to let us make all of the choices are you?”
The Borg
flushed. “Kathryn is very busy.”
“Maybe, but I think
she could handle a few of the decisions.
She just needs to be reminded that she is supposed to be an active
participant in this event.”
“How should I go
about reminding her?”
Gretchen smiled.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn stepped
inside the house, shaking the snow off her jacket before hanging it on the coat
rack. “I’m home.”
“In the kitchen
dear.” Gretchen called back.
She set her PADDs on
the dining room table and walked into the kitchen to accept a mug of coffee
from her mother. “What’s for dinner?”
“Annika and I have
eaten and your sister won’t be home until late.
I can make you up a sandwich and some soup if you like.”
“That would be great,
Mom thanks.” She set her mug down. “Where’s Annika?”
“She’s upstairs in
the bedroom.”
“I need to talk to
her. I’ll be down in a little while.”
“Alright, sweetie.”
She climbed the
stairs and swung the bedroom door open, her eyes going wide when she saw Seven
standing in front of the full-length mirror on her closet door.
“Oh my god.” She whispered her heart thudding painfully as
she realized that the Borg was wearing full Starfleet dress whites. Her hair was down, framing her face, creating
a softness that made the uniform look all the more appealing. “It’s a damn good thing I never got you to
wear a uniform while we were on Voyager.”
Seven looked at her,
raising one eyebrow quizzically.
“Kathryn?”
“I would have torn it
off of you the moment I saw you in it.”
“That would have been
interesting had I been on the bridge at the time.”
“Love you never would
have made it out of the
“I was made to
understand that a bride should wear white on her wedding day.” Seven replied.
Janeway’s mouth
dropped open. “You don’t mean… you’re
going to wear that?”
“Why would I
not?” She glanced in the mirror
again. “I believe I look quite handsome
in it.”
“Oh, you do.” Janeway came up behind her and ran her hands
down the back of the jacket. “But don’t
you think it will look a little odd if we’re both dressed this way?”
“We will not both be
dressed in this manner.”
“What do you
mean?” She asked suspiciously.
Seven pulled out a
‘Modern Bride’ magazine. “Your mother
and I have gone through and marked several pages that depict gowns we believe
would be quite attractive on you. The
one on page ninety eight is my favorite.
I believe it would highlight the delicateness of your features.”
Kathryn’s jaw
dropped. “You cannot be serious! You want to wear the suit and you want me to wear the dress?”
“Is there a problem,
Kathryn?”
“Yes!” She dropped the magazine on the bed. “I should wear the suit.”
“Why?”
“Because… because…”
Kathryn stammered. “Because I’m the
Captain!”
“Not any longer, you
were promoted remember?” She kissed her
softly on the nose.
“Then because I’m the
Admiral! You’re not even in Starfleet!”
“I am taller… and I
will just refrain from wearing an insignia.
I was crew on Voyager after
all.” Seven countered, she turned to
look at her lover pointedly. “Kathryn, I do believe your exact words were ‘I am
sure whatever the two of you decide will be perfect.’ You can hardly complain about it now.”
Janeway took a deep
breath and was about to retort when she saw the glint of humor in Seven’s
eyes. “This was Mom’s way of telling me
I need to help out isn’t it?”
The younger woman
wrapped her arms around her and kissed her thoroughly. “We both felt that you could use a reminder
that you are expected to be an active participant.”
Janeway grinned. “Ok, I deserved that. I’m sorry, Annika. What can I do to help?”
“It will be your
responsibility to choose the tokens we are to exchange during the
ceremony. In addition to that I would be
pleased if you would plan where we are to go on our honeymoon.”
“I can do that.” She kissed the Borg tenderly. “So I get to wear the dress whites?”
“Of course.” Seven released her. “Although I would prefer if they were at
least partially red. Red has always been
your color.”
“You’ve mentioned
that once or twice.”
“It is also
regrettable that I will not be wearing these.
They are striking.” She began to
take them off.
“Uhm..Seven?”
“Yes, Kathryn?”
The older woman
stepped closer, running her hands down the jacket lapels and over her breasts
as she looked up at the Borg with heavily lidded eyes “Don’t recycle it.”
“Yes, Captain.” Seven smirked.
Kathryn kissed the
adorably quirked lips. “Get changed and
then come downstairs. There’s something
I need to talk to you about.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven looked up from
the pad as Gretchen brought in a sandwich and coffee for Kathryn and a cup of
tea for her. “Thank you.” She smiled at the Janeway matriarch before
turning to her fiancé. “These specs are
very unusual, Kathryn.”
“In what way?” The Admiral talked around a mouthful of
turkey and provolone.
“The amount of energy
required for this experimental drive would call for three separate warp cores
to be present to facilitate the funneling of the hyper accelerated
dilithium. I am unaware of any ship
currently outfitted with such an engine configuration that is large enough to
handle the power surge.”
“I know.” Kathryn smiled. “Owen wouldn’t tell me anything about the
ship. I think it was intentional.”
“I must admit, this
is an ambitious design.” The Borg scanned the information again eagerly. “The TPG must have been working on it for
quite some time.”
“Since we returned
from the Delta Quadrant apparently.”
“And why did
Starfleet not bring it to your attention sooner?”
“I’m beginning to
think that this is the reason they decommissioned Voyager. That this drive is
going to be the new standard. To be
honest, I’m more interested in the ship it’s being made for.”
Seven smiled at her
knowingly. “Admiral Paris tempted you
with a small amount of information in the hopes that you would in turn tempt me
with the possibility of undertaking an altogether new propulsion design.”
“Is it working?”
“I admit I am
intrigued. I have been considering the
possible avenues available to me for future employment. Aside from providing an intellectual
challenge, this project would also allow us to work closely together.”
“That was my thought
too.” Kathryn ate the last bite of her
sandwich and washed it down with a healthy swig of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you would react to
becoming a commissioned officer, however.”
The Borg sat the pad
down and regarded her lover seriously.
“I am still uncertain that I wish to accept a rank from Starfleet. However, I would be amenable to the civilian
position he has offered, at least until the project is finished. At that time I can always reassess the
situation.”
“So you’re accepting
Owens offer?”
“Yes, so long as it
does not compromise our wedding plans.”
“He has assured me
that it won’t.”
“Very well
then.” She smiled when Kathryn leaned
over and kissed her. “However, I must
insist that I be allowed at least two days a week to assist Gretchen with the
wedding plans and whatever additional time Phoebe might require to finish the artwork we began this morning.”
Janeway looked at her
blankly. “You’re working with Phoebe?”
“I posed for her this
morning. She is unsure whether she will
require me to sit for her again but I wish to be available should she need me
to do so.”
“I see.” Kathryn pursed her lips. “Well, I need to go and send a communiqué to
Owen so the papers will be ready for your signature tomorrow morning before you
go to regenerate. Why don’t you keep
going over the specs? I’ll be back in a
little while.”
“Very well.”
Seven immersed
herself in the data that was available, committing it to her eidetic memory
while making internal notes in regards to questions and suggestions that had
already occurred to her. She was so
engrossed by the project that it was with surprise when she looked up an hour
later, realizing that Kathryn still had not returned.
She checked the den,
where the vid comm was located to find it unoccupied. In the kitchen, she found Gretchen still
going through wedding magazines. The
older woman smiled at her when she entered.
“Do you know where
Kathryn is?” She asked.
Gretchen smiled. “I believe she’s out in the barn.”
“The barn?” Seven sighed.
Curiosity was not something her lover handled well. “I will go and collect her.”
The short walk
through the snow was pleasant. The air
was clean and sharp and the sky was clear.
When she entered the barn, the warmth hit her like a wave and she
unbuttoned her jacket before heading towards the stairs. “Kathryn?”
She called out.
“Yes!” The Admiral appeared, peering down over the
railing from the loft above, a guilty look on her face. “I’m here.”
“What are you doing
in Phoebe’s studio, Kathryn?”
“I was
just…uhm…looking around.”
“You were looking for
the sketch of me she began this morning.
I do not believe that Phoebe would be pleased if you were to view it
before it was completed.”
The Admiral had the
good grace to blush. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I thought I would just sneak a
peak. But I can’t find it.” Shrugging, she started down the stairs.
Halfway down, she
lost her footing on a loose board and ended up falling forward into Seven’s
arms, bearing them both backwards into a pile of sweet smelling hay.
Laughing at her own
clumsiness, she brushed the straw from the Borg’s features before kissing her
thoroughly. “Are you all right?”
“I am
uninjured.” Seven smirked. “However, there are easier methods of getting
me to ‘roll in the hay’ with you.”
“Maybe, but at least
this way I ended up on top.”
“And you believe this
positioning to be advantageous in regards to achieving a specific goal?”
Kathryn broke into a
wide grin, laughing in delight.
Normally, she didn’t care to be teased, but when Seven did it, she just
couldn’t seem to get enough for some reason.
She slid her hands inside the Borg’s jacket, smoothing her palms over
the curves of her breasts. “Well, it
does give me the ‘upper’ hand.”
Seven groaned. “Please assure me that the phrasing of that
statement was not intentional.”
“Oh, pretty much
everything I do is intentional where you are concerned.”
The Borg raised one
eyebrow. “So your clumsiness was
planned? Elaborate.”
Kathryn began to work
open the buttons on Seven’s shirt very slowly, stopping to play her fingers
over the skin beneath each time. “It put
you right where I wanted you.” She
dropped her lips to the Borg’s long, elegant neck, nuzzling the pulse point
softly before nipping at it with her teeth.
Seven nestled back
into the hay, enjoying the feel of her lover’s fingers against her chest and
the light suckling that she knew would leave red marks on the skin of her
throat. When Kathryn spread her legs and
straddled her hips, she smiled knowingly.
This would be one more location she could cross off her list of
potential places to make love.
Growling low in her
chest, Kathryn pulled the now completely open shirt from where it was tucked
into her lover’s tight blue jeans. With
expert fingers, she popped the button at the top of the dungarees and then the
five buttons below it one at a time, punctuating each opening with light nibble
on the skin beneath her lips. When she
reached one rosy nipple and slid her tongue around it, Seven was already
writhing beneath her.
The Borg brought her
hand up and wrapped it around the back of Kathryn’s neck, pulling the older
woman tightly against her. When she felt
teeth graze across the pebbled bud, she bit her lower lip, a small sigh of happiness
escaping her throat.
“You like that do
you?” Kathryn smiled against her
breast. “What about this?” She brought her other hand up and began to
twist the other nipple gently. When she
received a moan in response, she shifted, sliding one knee up to fit snugly
between Seven’s thighs. “And that?”
“Yes…” Seven pushed her away just long enough to
pull the jacket and sweater from her body then pulled her close again. She snaked one hand between them and unzipped
the black slacks that Kathryn was wearing before sliding both her hands inside,
gliding around the swell of hips to cup the older woman’s smooth buttocks. Finding her access still too limited, she sat
up, staring into Kathryn’s eyes with a smoldering look, her breath heavy. “Remove the rest of your clothing.”
The Admiral
laughed. “Yes, ma’am.” Leaning to the side, she pulled off her
boots, followed by her pants and briefs, then did the same for Seven, who had
already tugged off her own jacket and shirt, tossing them aside.
When their bodies met
again, the feeling of warm, smooth flesh colliding together pulled gasps from
them both as they wiggled deeper into the hay, the soft stalks tickling their
skin slightly as they embraced.
Kathryn kissed her
slowly, using her tongue to run across the sweet flesh of her lips before
dipping inside to tangle wetly with Seven’s tongue. She adored the feel of the younger woman’s
hands as they played across her back and when she trailed her mouth down the
Borg’s chest to capture a nipple between her teeth again, she felt a flush of
moisture bathe the skin of her thigh.
“Ahh, that’s my girl.” She whispered as she pressed harder with her
knee. “I want you so wet when I get down
there that I’ll feel it dripping down my chin.”
Seven moaned, her
hips surging upwards as she raised her own leg, reveling in the damp hair and
flesh the pressed against her skin.
Kathryn slid lower,
replacing her lips with her fingers as she kissed her way down the Borg’s
abdomen. Her tongue ran lovingly between
the bands of metal across her midsection before sliding down into the pale
thatch of fragrant blonde hair. Unable
to wait any longer, she parted Seven’s folds with her nose, breathing her scent
in deeply as her tongue found the small bundle of nerves that was already swollen
with need. She closed her lips on it,
sucking it into her mouth as her fingers quickened their movements on the
Borg’s nipples.
“More…” Seven
whimpered, her hands tangled in Kathryn’s hair.
“I need…”
“I know what you
need.” The Admiral whispered, smiling as
she pulled her hand down to enter Seven with two fingers, her hand thrusting
gently against the hips pushing up into her.
She was so wet. Her essence was
everywhere, bathing her face and the smooth thighs on either side of her and
what she couldn’t catch with her lips dripped down into the hay beneath them,
mingling with its sweet scent to create a heady mixture that began to pervade
the entire barn.
The experience was
intoxicating and Kathryn felt her own need rising like hot liquid within
her. She thrust into Seven twice more
and then sat up, positioning their bodies so that the over heated flesh between
their legs pressed tightly together.
Then she began to move, slowly at first, the friction exquisite as the
sensitive flesh met and parted, only to be pulled together again, the hard
bundles of nerves dragging across each other, making them both cry out as their
bodies became slick with sweat and their combined moisture. Reaching out, she clasped both of Seven’s
hands within her own, using them to pull their bodies more firmly together as
she gazed into eyes filled with love and desire.
It was heaven, it was
bliss, it was torture of the sweetest kind as they both tried to hold back the
climaxes building within them, neither of them wanting to let go of the primal
connection created by where their bodies joined together.
It was Seven that
went over first. Her head slammed back
into the hay as her eyes closed and a low cry began in the back of her
throat. Kathryn could feel the flesh against
her own sex begin to flutter and she whimpered as her body responded wildly,
her thighs tightening convulsively as her own orgasm tore through her, shaking
her body as she threw her head back to howl into the rafters.
Then she collapsed
forward, her head resting heavily against Seven’s heaving chest. Languidly, she slid down and began to lick
the essence from the Borg’s sensitive flesh, smiling as the younger woman
quivered under her tongue’s caress. When
she had drunk her fill, she climbed back up, kissing the blonde hard, sharing
the taste of their combined passion with her tongue and lips.
When they finally
broke apart, Kathryn lay on top of Seven quietly, her fingers playing idly with
the long locks of pale hair that fanned out across the hay like silk.
Seven merely lay on
her back, her eyes staring blankly at the roof of the barn as she tried to get
her breathing under control. “That was,”
She finally whispered. “Quite exceptional.”
“I agree.” The older woman nuzzled her neck, her
interest renewed as the strength returned to her limbs.
“WHOA! I thought the only full moon was the one
outside!”
Kathryn squeaked in
horror at the sound of Phoebe’s voice, her arms flailing wildly as she tried to
bury herself in the hay piled up around them.
Seven merely sat up and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You had to mess
around out here? What, your room wasn’t
good enough?” Phoebe teased. “How am I supposed to get any work done now?”
“We were unaware that
you would be returning this evening.” The
Borg said calmly. “At least we refrained
from ‘messing around’ in your loft.”
The younger Janeway
rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she shifted the stack of sketchbooks she was
carrying to her other arm. “I guess I
should count myself lucky. What were you
doing out here anyway? Besides the
obvious?”
Kathryn stuck her
head up. “Nothing! We were just getting
some air!”
Seven raised one
eyebrow at the lie, making Phoebe start to laugh all over again.
“I took it with me,
Katie.” She smirked. “I know you too well. Now if you two degenerates don’t mind, I have
some work to do. Once I open a window
that is.” She made her way up the stairs,
calling back over her shoulder, “Oh and by the way, get some sun would ya,
Sis?”
When she was out of
sight, Kathryn jumped up and pulled her clothing on quickly, refusing to look
at Seven whom she knew was enjoying the whole situation way too much.
The cold air outside
was refreshing after the heat of the barn and they made their way back to the
house slowly, hands entwined. As they
reached the porch, Kathryn wrapped her arms around Seven and whispered, “Have I
told you recently how very much I adore you?”
“Not in the last
seven point three hours.”
“Well I do.” She kissed her softly. “I love you with parts of me I didn’t even
know I had.”
Seven kissed her
back. “And I, in turn, love every one of
your parts.”
The kitchen was warm
when they entered to find steaming hot mugs of cocoa waiting for them. Kathryn picked hers up and took a long drink,
before smiling at her mother. “You
always knew just the right time for hot chocolate.”
Gretchen gave the two
of them a long look. “Make sure you
shower before you go to bed.”
Kathryn’s eyebrows
furrowed.
Smiling, her mother
reached out and pulled several stalks of hay from beneath the collar of her
shirt. “That’ll chafe something fierce
if you don’t.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven handed the last
PADD back to Admiral Paris and accepted a small insignia designating her
civilian rank. She looked at it blankly
for a few moments until Kathryn finally took it and affixed it to the top of
her biosuit, near her collar.
“Well,”
“You may call me
Seven of Nine.”
“Very well.” He handed them each several PADDs. “These
contain the entire set of specs for the new Mercury Propulsion and Navigational
system. Where did you want to get
started?”
“Tell us about the
ship.” Kathryn interjected, her eyes
glittering.
Admiral Paris laughed. “I thought that might be your preferred
jumping off point.” He straightened his
uniform jacket. “Well, I can tell you…
or I can show you.”
Janeway’s smile was
quick and broad. “You’ve built her
already.”
“Of course, it would
be difficult to begin live testing of an experimental engine in two months
without the ship that went along with it.”
He turned to Seven. “I know you
were scheduled to regenerate this morning, but can that be postponed for a few
hours while we take a brief detour out to Utopia Planetia?”
“That would be
acceptable.” The Borg nodded.
The shuttle flight to
the shipyards surrounding Mars was uneventful.
The three of them passed the time with light conversation about the
origins of the new Mercury drive, which had apparently been derived from the
backwards engineering of Voyager’s
own engines and the implementation of much of the data they had collected in
the Delta Quadrant. None of them delved
deeper into the design, wanting to see the configuration of the vessel it was engineered
for before speculating on possible avenues of deployment.
Throughout the short
journey, Seven found herself smiling fondly at her partner. Kathryn was sitting on the edge of her seat,
her entire body vibrating with a kind of expectant energy, very much like that
displayed by Naomi Wildman when her birthday celebration drew near.
When the shuttle came into sight of the shipyards, Kathryn let out a long
breath. B’Elanna had not been
exaggerating. Utopia Planetia was the main shipyard for Starfleet, boasting the
best personnel and the largest facilities. The biggest of these had been
completely enclosed, creating a massive pod-like structure that completely hid
the interior from view. She looked over
at Admiral Paris, who only returned her questioning glance with a grin.
They docked at an
auxiliary port that had been added for just that purpose and proceeded to wind
their way through several checkpoints.
At the last of them, Admiral Paris handed them each a badge to affix to
their uniforms. “These will grant you
access to the site at any time, day or night.”
He explained.
“Already had these
waiting for us, hmm?” Janeway
laughed. “You must have been very sure
we would accept.”
“How could you
resist?” He waved them into a turbo-lift
and they began their ascent towards the pod above. When they reached their destination, it was
to step out into a low lit room. Windows
lined the entire front side but the blast shielding was up, blocking the view
completely.
As the blast shield
slid down, Janeway and Seven stepped closer to the window. The older woman’s hand went out automatically,
as though she could somehow caress the vessel through the transparent aluminum.
It was massive.
The ‘saucer’ was
shaped like an arrowhead, only slightly more bowed out on the sides. It was also thicker from the top to the
bottom than any other ship she had ever seen with wide viewports along the
bottom of the arrowhead’s tip. She
assumed that was where the bridge was located, although why they would place it
there was something she couldn’t fathom at the moment. Further down the vessel towards the rear was
what appeared to be the slightly distended ‘belly’ section of the ship around
which six nacelles were clustered; the two at the top and bottom jutting out at
forty five degree angles up and down while the two in the middle stuck straight
out from the sides. The ship’s call
letters proudly announced its status as the first of its class: NX61930. Altogether, it was very sleek looking for a
ship its size.
“Titan is the merging
of the Galaxy and Prometheus Classes.
The Cathain is the first of
the flagship line. Twenty eight decks,
all of them equipped with holo-emitters, ten holodecks, three shuttle bays with
a complement of eight runabouts, two sick bays, three gravitational gyms,
“My god.” Janeway breathed. “What about weapons and armaments?”
“She’s got advanced
phaser arrays, state of the art deflector and sensor arrays, quantum torpedoes,
regenerative shielding and ablative armor.
Not to mention one little surprise up her sleeve,”
As Janeway and Seven
watched, the ship began to separate.
First the belly fell away, taking along the bottom two nacelles. Then the much longer mid section dropped
down. This section took a quarter of the
saucers thickness and the two middle nacelles with it. Finally, what was left was the main saucer
section, floating elegantly above the other two, its own nacelles glowing
brightly in the darkness.
“Bid Goddess rise
from mists of memory, rise the Fair Cathain,
in battle the equal of every man, and every love disdained…” Janeway recited under her breath, causing
Seven to look at her curiously.
Admiral Paris didn’t
seem to notice. “Each section has its
own warp core and engines. The
Generational Section holds the crew quarters, main engineering, science labs
and Astrometrics. It will be where all
non-Starfleet personnel will be located and can operate completely
independently of the other two sections, maintaining a speed of warp 9.2
indefinitely. It, like the other two
sections, is outfitted with its own weapons and armaments and it will also be
where the
“That’s
amazing.” Janeway shook her head in
disbelief. She now understood why the
bridge was located where it was. When
the ship was separated, it became the front most section of the Main Bridge
Assembly.
“Wait until you see
what the
“Who’s her
captain?” Janeway blurted out.
Seven glanced at
Kathryn from the corner of her eye and saw the older woman’s jaw tighten. This new information was definitely going to
become a bone of contention sometime very soon.
“Let’s take a look
inside shall we?” Admiral Paris led the
way through the corridors and into the Cathain. The walking tour began in Main Engineering,
which was a marvel that Janeway was going to do whatever she could to get
B’Elanna’s expert hands on. They then
continued through the state of the art sick bays, complete with the new EMH
Mark VI, who was a woman this time around, Janeway noted with interest.
Astrometrics was a
spectacle that almost succeeded in taking Seven’s breath away. Almost.
It did manage to raise both her eyebrows however, which Admiral Paris
took to mean that she was impressed. It
was nearly twice the size of the lab on Voyager,
with four times the data storage capabilities and three times the power
allocation. Seven immediately accessed
the board and began putting the computer through its paces. Kathryn had to pull her away to allow the
tour to continue.
They did a brief
circuit of the crew quarters, the shuttle and cargo bays and the holodecks
before heading to the place Janeway was most interested in seeing.
When they stepped off
the turbo-lift and onto the bridge, she took a long, deep breath, remembering
back to when she did the same thing as she stepped onto Voyager’s bridge for the first time. The scent was the same; new metal and resin,
the leather of the command chairs, the fibers of the carpet, the slightly
ionized smell of the newly installed view screens. It was comforting as she looked around an
environment so different than what she was used to.
It was larger, for
one thing, almost doubly so, and made to feel even bigger by the light pewter
color of the carpet and command seats.
The railing behind the command center and around the front of the helm
gleamed onyx under the bright overhead lights that were up full while the ship
was still at dock. There were fours
steps that led down to the command center and another three on either side that
led to separate doorways. One, she knew was the Captain’s ready room and the
other she assumed was the conference room.
Some standards on starships never changed.
The entire outer ring
of the bridge was filled with science, tactical, engineering, logistics,
communications and security stations.
The entire ship could be run from right here on the bridge if need be.
Janeway stood in
front of the captain’s chair for several long seconds before finally turning
away to examine the helm control. The
desire to slide into the command chair was almost overwhelming, but that was
something that you just did not do. It
was not a written rule, but one of courtesy and respect, that the first
backside to grace that chair belong to the captain that commanded the ship.
After drinking in her
fill of the bridge, she headed into the ready room with Seven following behind
her. The sanctuary was about one and a
half times the size of the one she spent seven years in on Voyager. The desk was large
and boasted an integrated transparent data screen that popped up at the touch
of a finger. When one was seated, the
main computer database was on the left and on the right…
Kathryn bent down,
trying to figure out what exactly was on the right side of the desk.
“Coffee, black,
hot.” Admiral Paris said with amusement.
To her delight, the
requested beverage appeared right there, right on her desk! “Well, that’s convenient.”
“Believe it or not,
it wasn’t created for caffeine addicts such as yourself.” He said dryly. “During negotiation simulations with members
of various species, one of the irritating minutiae they all kept coming back to
was the necessity for the Captain of the ship to break eye contact to retrieve
an offered refreshment. Many of the
studies went so far as to claim that this misconstrued gesture was enough to
cease negotiations altogether, hence the change in location of the replicator.”
Janeway grinned. “Still, it’s convenient.” Her expression grew thoughtful. “Admiral, I have a question. When you first unveiled the Cathain, you stated that she was to be
the first battle ready generational ship.
From everything that I have seen of her so far, that is certainly
true. But I can’t believe that Starfleet
intends to send ships with such a large civilian complement into war zones.”
“We certainly do
not.”
Janeway nodded,
relieved by the explanation. She had
never wanted the responsibilities that came along with a Generational ship, but
the Cathain was starting to make her
change her mind, as long as she wasn’t going to be deployed as a warship. Exploration was where her heart would always
lie.
“Well,”
“She’s a little
rough, but I’m sure she’ll polish up nice.”
Kathryn teased back. “I did want
to ask you about personnel for the
He held up his hand.
“We thought you might. You can have anyone you want, so long as they pass a
level one security check. Once they
have, just submit their names to me and I’ll get their clearance and badges set
up. I’ll start with Torres now since I
assume she will be on the top of your list and I know she’s already
cleared.” He flushed, realizing he had
maybe said more than he should have.
“You performed a
security clearance check on your daughter in law?” Janeway laughed. “Does she know?”
“No!”
“I fail to see why
B’Elanna would be angered by your actions.”
Seven interjected. “You are a
high ranking member of Starfleet and she is engaged in a close, private
relationship with your son. Logic
dictates that you would take precautions to safeguard against the loss of any
Federation Intelligence. She was at one
time a member of the Maquis.”
He looked at her like
a parent would look at a small child.
“You obviously have never been related to a Klingon.”
“You are correct, I
have not.”
“Then let me tell
you, logic has very little to do with it.
Now, I must excuse myself to go and inform the Admiral’s council of your
decision to head this project. The
shuttle is at your disposal as I know you need to return to the Venture to
regenerate. When were you planning on
moving the alcove anyway?”
“Tom offered us the
use of the Venture for our honeymoon.”
Kathryn tried to keep a purely professional look on her face but love
softened the edges of it somewhat. “I
figured we would get it installed in my townhouse after we got back.”
“Sounds good. No hurry though, I was just curious. I’ll get started on B’Elanna’s clearance and
let you get to work.”
Once he had gone,
Janeway and Seven made their way back to the bridge where the older woman
proceeded to walk slowly about the room, her hands lingering lovingly over the
surfaces they came in contact with.
Seven just smiled at
her knowingly. She recognized that look.
Her Captain was in
love.
Chapter Five – Curiosity Killed the Cat
Phoebe stepped
through the double wide doors slowly, swinging her head from side to side to
make sure there was no one there to see her.
She didn’t know why, but every time she came here she felt like an alien
intruder that was about to be hunted down and eliminated.
It wasn’t as though
the place was unfamiliar. Oh sure, they
had rebuilt it since its almost total destruction during the war, but it still
had the same feel, the same antiseptic whiteness, the same mind numbing
blandness.
This was Starfleet
Headquarters, the holy land for her sister and the tens of thousands like her
that served the Federation.
Damn, some days it
felt really good to be an artist.
She ventured further
inside, looking for a sign, an arrow, anything to point her in the direction
she needed to go. It was so quiet she
almost jumped out of her skin when a voice broke the silence.
“Can I help you
ma’am?”
She turned to see an
Andorian male wearing the uniform and insignia of an Ensign manning a desk to
the left of her. He was so short she had
thought the desk was empty.
“Uhm…yeah.” She
strolled to the counter, attempting to look casual. “I’m trying to find Logistics? Admiral Stewart’s office in particular.”
“Please state your
name and the nature of your business here today?”
“My name is Phoebe
Janeway and I’m looking for someone.”
“Janeway?” The Ensign seemed to suddenly animate, his
spine becoming rigid and his eyes sharp.
“As in Admiral Janeway?”
“She’s my sister.”
“I see.” He seemed so flustered she almost took pity
on him. “I’m so sorry ma’am, but
Logistics is off limits to non-personnel but I can get an assistant down here to
help you, would that suffice?”
“Yes it would, as
long as it’s Ensign Tal Celes.”
“Yes ma’am. Just give me a few moments.”
Phoebe stepped over
to a large star chart that adorned one wall, studying the constellations as she
tried not to laugh at the Andorian. She
was not mean spirited by nature but he had been so pretentious before he found
out her name. Guess old Katie’s
reputation was good for something after all.
She hadn’t seen much
of her sister for the past four weeks, or of Seven either for that matter. They were either working like crazy on
whatever top secret project Starfleet had them concentrating on, coming home to
just pass out and then get up the next morning and do it all over again, or
they were neck deep in plans for the wedding.
She didn’t mind much. It left her
free to work on their wedding present without them snooping around.
“Phoebe?”
She jumped slightly,
startled by the voice that came from right behind her. When she turned to look into the soft
chocolate brown eyes, she felt her heart begin to beat double time. Celes’ hair was pulled back in a neat
ponytail and her curves were all but hidden by her Starfleet uniform but Phoebe
still thought she looked adorable. “Uh…
oh… hi.” She sounded a little breathless
and she took a moment, trying to will herself to calm down.
“Are you
alright?” The Bajoran placed a warm hand
on her arm and looked at her in concern.
“Yes, uhm… I’m
fine.” She blushed. “I was just thinking and you caught me by
surprise.”
“I see. What are you doing here?” Celes grinned at her and Phoebe found her
eyes drawn to the tiny little dimple that appeared in her cheek. “You lost?”
“No. I came to see you.” She shifted uncomfortably, trying to remember
the invitation she had practiced on her way there. “I was just wondering if you
would care to join me for dinner.”
“Dinner.” The grin
became an all out smile. “I’d love
to. When?”
“Tonight?”
“Sure, I’m free. I have about an hour left of my duty shift,
would you like to come in and wait in the lounge?”
“Oh, uh… No, that’s
ok. I wouldn’t want your boss to think I
was disrupting your work. I saw a bench
out front with a lovely view and I brought my sketchbook.” She held up the large, spiral bound pad she
was holding. “I can just sit out there
and wait.”
“Sure, ok. I’ll come meet you as soon as I’m through.”
“Great!” Phoebe watched her until she disappeared back
into the offices and then let out the breath she had been holding. That hadn’t been so bad. At least she hadn’t started stammering.
There was something
about the Bajoran that had a profound effect on her. Whenever they were together in a public
venue, Celes was shy, while Phoebe was her normal confident self. But put them in a private situation and the
roles were promptly reversed. No matter
how much time she spent thinking about the cute little red head, and she had
spent plenty, she couldn’t seem to figure out what caused it. It wasn’t unpleasant, just perplexing.
The air outside was
cool and crisp and the winds had blown away most of the clouds, leaving a clear
late afternoon for her to study the landscape.
The view was spectacular, but she had to admit the mental image of the
woman she had just invited to dinner was much more fascinating. Opening her sketchbook, she began to draw,
becoming completely immersed in the activity.
She was so captivated
by what she was working on that when someone began calling her name some time
later she was oblivious to it until she glanced up to find herself looking into
the amused eyes of her sister and Seven.
“Oh, hi.” She closed the book quickly and stood up.
“What are you doing
here?” Kathryn quirked one eyebrow at
her. “Are you looking for us?”
“Uhm… not exactly.”
“Ready to go,
Phoebe?”
All three of them
turned to see Tal Celes walking towards them.
The Ensign came to attention immediately when she saw the Admiral.
“At ease,
Ensign.” Kathryn smothered a small
smile. “So where are you two off to?”
“Phoebe invited me to
dinner.” Celes informed them with a
bright smile.
“Oh she did?” She looked pointedly at her sibling. “Where are you planning on taking her
Phoebe?”
“Well, uhm,” She
blushed. “We hadn’t actually gotten that
far yet.”
“Ahh. If you would allow me to make a suggestion,
Café Pernod is a wonderful little French-Italian place. They’re pretty packed this time of day but if
you tell them you’re my sister you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a
table. They usually keep one on standby
for me. It’s just up the street from my
townhouse.”
“Wow that sounds
great!” Celes reached out and took
Phoebe’s hand. “What do you think?”
“Yeah, that’s…uhm…
great. Yeah.”
Kathryn bit the
inside of her cheek. “Ok, well you two
have a nice dinner. We’ll see you later,
Pheebs.”
Seven took the
Admiral by the arm and pulled her away.
“That was very nice of you.”
“You think?” Kathryn gave her a sly look. “Just wait until she gets home tonight!”
Phoebe and Celes
opted to walk the short distance to the transport station with the artist very
aware that the Bajoran had never released her hand. She worried idly if her palms were damp.
“So,” Celes took a
deep breath of the evening air, unbuttoning her jacket before stretching her
shoulders slightly. “Tell me about you.”
Phoebe blinked, her
mind still focused on the lithe display of muscle and skin that played along
the shorter woman’s neck. “Not much to
tell really; daughter of a famous Starfleet Admiral and a traditionalist
mother, sister to an even more famous Starfleet Admiral, rebel child who
refused to go into the family business and instead became a beatnik artist.”
“I know there’s more
to it than that.” The Bajoran smiled.
“Don’t get me wrong,
I respect what Dad did and what Katie does.
They truly want to make the universe a better place for everyone. I just don’t think things have to be quite so
regimented to do it. Too many rules and regulations stifle the imagination… the
creativity that makes us different from one another.”
“You would be amazed
at how creative your sister was out in the Delta.”
“I probably would. She doesn’t talk about it much. I don’t think she wants to put us through
being horrified for her now that she’s home and safe.”
“Probably so.”
“What about
you?”
Celes shrugged. “I
was born right here one Earth. Mama and
Papa made it off Bajor during the occupation and found work here. Papa was a maintenance engineer at Starfleet
Headquarters and he used to come home every night with fantastic stories of
Federation heroes and battles. I think
he would have joined Starfleet if he hadn’t been past the age limit. Anyway, when I was old enough I signed
up. I wanted to make them both proud,
and Starfleet was very welcoming of any and all Bajorans that wanted to join
its ranks. I don’t think I was a very
good fit, but my instructors did a lot to help me along and I pulled a lot of
all-nighters to get through my courses.
Still, if we hadn’t gotten stuck out in the Delta, I doubt I would have
had more than a year of space duty. As
it is now, I am right where I belong, with my feet on the ground and my head in
the stars. Mama and Papa are still
proud, especially when I made Ensign, which I know your sister had a hand in,
but I think if I tried to thank her she would deny it.”
“Yeah, that’s Katie
for you. She likes everyone to think
she’s as tough as nails but you’ve seen her around Seven. Of course, it took six feet of tall blonde
Borg to pull out the softer side.”
The transport beam
deposited them right outside of the restaurant which had a long line of people
waiting for a table. Slightly embarrassed,
the two women made their way inside to stand before the maitre de’s
podium. He eyed them curiously until
Phoebe spoke the magic word: Janeway.
Within five minute
they where ensconced in a lovely little alcove by the front window, looking out
over the bay as they ordered drinks and appetizers.
“Wow,” Celes took off
her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair, leaving only her gray
turtleneck to accentuate the lovely curves of her upper body. “The Admiral wasn’t kidding.”
“She rarely
does.” Phoebe said dryly trying not to
stare as the Bajoran released her hair, fluffing it with her fingers as she
sighed in satisfaction.
“You have no idea how
good that feels after having it up all day.”
“I can imagine
though.”
Celes blushed lightly
and Phoebe realized her comment had been taken exactly as she intended. “So how is your artwork for the show coming
along?”
“It’s going
well. I think I have a good grasp on the
focal piece and the four others are forming nicely. They’re based on stellar phenomena from the
Delta Quadrant, with my own flavor added in of course.”
“Of course.” Celes offered her a sweet smile and Phoebe
felt a spark of electricity travel from the roots of her hair down to her toes.
What the hell was it
about this woman? She was so flustered
she missed the Bajoran’s next question.
“Excuse me?”
“I asked what the
show is called.”
“Oh. Duality.”
Phoebe mumbled something else under her breath.
“I’m sorry, I missed
that.”
She made a face. “Duality: Beauty in Borg Space.”
Celes bit her lower
lip. “I take it that was not your idea.”
Phoebe sighed. “Marie, my manager, took one look at the
draft for the focal, coupled it with the fact that most of my inspiration came
from a quadrant that few have seen and even fewer have survived without being
assimilated by the Collective, and immediately decided that it would increase
public interest in the showing.”
“I didn’t think
interest was a problem. Your last
showing went so well…”
“Yeah, but Marie is a
true businesswoman. Never take ninety
nine percent when you can get one hundred.”
“Ahh.” Celes sipped
at her white wine. “So what is the focal
piece?”
“Oh no!” Phoebe smiled playfully. “You’re going to have to wait for the
unveiling just like everyone else.”
“And when might that
be?”
“Well, the private
showing is at the end of the month. It
might be the only time the focal piece will be available for viewing as I’m
giving it to Kathryn and Seven at the bridal shower later that evening. I’m hoping they leave it in the gallery until
they get back from the honeymoon, though.
It would really add to the show.”
She took a long drink of her whiskey and soda. “Listen, I was wondering if you would like to
accompany me, to my opening as well as to the bridal shower. You’ll get to see the piece before
Katie. That’ll drive her crazy!”
“I don’t know that it
would be a good career move to make your sister crazy.” Celes laughed. “But I would love to be your date to both.
You know, I just realized I’ve never seen any of your work. Let me see.”
The Bajoran picked up
the sketchbook that was lying on the table between them and began flipping
through the pages, ignoring Phoebe’s protests in the process.
“They aren’t that
good!” The artist blurted. “I can show you some others later! Really… stop!”
Celes went still and Phoebe knew it was too late. A soft look came over the Bajoran’s face as she studied the drawing before her. Shyly, she glanced up from the sketch. “It’s me.”
“Uhm, yeah.” Phoebe ran her fingers through her hair,
trying to hide the fact that her hand was shaking. “It isn’t done yet. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I should have asked
permission…”
“Phoebe, I think it’s
wonderful.” She traced the line of her
own jaw with a delicate finger, taking in the image of herself with her hair
down, her head cocked slightly to one side.
She smiled in delight. “You even caught the one nose ridge that’s a
little crooked.”
“Where?” Phoebe looked from the drawing to Celes’
face. “You don’t have a crooked nose ridge.
They’re perfect.”
“No, they’re not.
Here, feel.” She took Phoebe’s hand,
placing her fingertips against the bridge of her nose. “See what I mean?”
“No.” The artist felt like she was falling into the
soft brown eyes. Without realizing what
she was doing, she trailed her fingertips down her cheek and across her
lips. “Perfect.” She whispered.
Celes swallowed. “You drew this from memory?”
“Yes.”
“Do you do that
often?”
“No.”
She smiled. “You gonna help me out here at all?”
Phoebe looked at her,
her confusion plain on her face. “Celes,
I have no idea what this is. I’ve… never
been with a woman. I’ve thought about it
a few times but it just never happened.
I don’t know what it is about you, but I think about you
constantly. I sit down to draw a
landscape, and I think about you, I look at a model, and I think about you, I
pretend I’m listening to Marie, but I’m thinking about you. It isn’t any wonder I can draw you from
memory, you’re all that occupies mine right now.”
“And that’s a bad
thing?”
“No!” Phoebe assured her. “Not at all.
I just… I just don’t know how to
process it. It’s been quite a while
since I’ve been in any relationship at all and to find myself feeling as I do
about a woman…well, it’s a little disconcerting.”
“I can understand that.” She leaned forward and covered Phoebe’s hands
with her own. “I had a first time once
too you know.”
Phoebe smiled. “Yeah?
How’d that go?”
Celes dropped her
gaze for a moment and then looked up at the artist through heavily lidded eyes,
her mouth pouting slightly. “Let’s just
say… I promise to do my best to make yours better…”
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe smiled up at
the quarter moon, the night air pleasant on her face as she and Celes strolled
leisurely back to her apartment on base.
The rest of dinner had been comfortable and sweet, the conversation
light, little anecdotes of their lives shared back and forth as they tried each
other on for size.
That, coupled with
the current comfortable silence between them, was an indication to Phoebe that
they were a pretty good fit. She felt
Celes shiver slightly beside her and did not hesitate to slip her arm around
her shoulders, drawing the smaller woman against her side to share her body
heat. When she felt an arm slip around
her waist, she couldn’t help but grin, thinking life was pretty damn good at
that moment.
All too soon they
reached Celes’ door and the Bajoran stepped away, thumbing the key pad silently
before turning to look into Phoebe’s eyes.
“I’m really glad you asked me out tonight. This way I didn’t have to think up a reason
to be calling at the Admiral’s farm.”
Phoebe laughed. “You can call me there anytime. In fact, how would you feel about coming out
to the farm this weekend?” She blushed
slightly when she realized how that sounded.
“We have a spare room. It’s just
that I promised Katie that I would go with her to pick out rings and figure out
the honeymoon and she always gets manic whenever she has to deal with anything
involving Seven. It would be a lot more
fun if I had someone to talk to while she was tearing out her hair. Besides, I’m sure Seven and Mom want you to
model your dress whites for the wedding anyway.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good, me too.”
The silence stretched
out between them as they stood looking at each other. Finally, Celes stepped forward and placed her
hand on Phoebe’s shoulder, looking up at the taller woman with gentle
expectation.
Phoebe leaned down
and pressed her mouth against the Bajoran’s.
The kiss was soft, a lingering meeting of lips that parted to allow the
tentative tasting of each others tongues.
My god…she
tastes so sweet… Phoebe closed
her eyes as her arms circled Celes’ back, drawing her in closer. The smaller woman did not protest, instead
she folded herself into the embrace, fitting her body snugly against the curves
awaiting her.
When the kiss finally
ended, Celes looked up at her for a long moment. “You had better go.” She whispered. “I don’t want to break the first promise I
ever made to you.”
Phoebe laughed and
gave her one last quick kiss. “I’ll pick
you up at the transport station Saturday morning at 9 am ok? That’s 09:00 hours for you military types.”
“I know!” Celes swatted her gently on the arm. “Goodnight, Phoebe Janeway.”
“Goodnight, Tal
Celes.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Goddamn it you Borg
bitch! Would you listen to me for once!”
Admiral Janeway’s
eyebrows rose as she entered engineering on the Cathain. She would recognize
B’Elanna’s colorful language anywhere, but she was not prepared for what she
heard next.
“No, you will listen
to me you Klingon Ha'DIbaH, or are your ears so full of gagh that they have
begun to digest your cerebral tissue?”
“Seven! B’Elanna!”
She came to stand between the two women, surprised to see smiles on both
their faces. “What is going on here?”
“B’Elanna is
instructing me on how to speak like a true engineer.” The Borg said brightly.
“I see.” Janeway scowled at the recalcitrant
Klingon. “Must you do it so loudly?”
Seven looked
confused. “It was my understanding that
increased volume lends itself to the vehemence of the statement.”
“While that is
probably true on a Klingon vessel, I doubt the rest of the crew here needs to
listen to you two tear into each other.”
“Naw, it’s good for
them, Admiral.” B’Elanna threw her a
cheeky smile. “Keeps them on their toes
if they think we’re gonna start brawling any second.”
“And what are you two
about to start brawling over?”
“We’re just having a
difference of opinion on the power allocation during the
“So what’s the
disagreement?”
“I do not believe it
is prudent to travel with weapons offline.”
Seven interjected. “The
“Pardon my choice of
words,” B’Elanna threw her hands up.
“But that’s irrelevant. It isn’t
something that we can work around. This
ship has an enormous power supply but this drive takes up every ounce of
it. It just isn’t possible to bleed
enough off to fly with weapons operational.
Besides, at the speed she would be traveling, firing on an enemy would
be like spitting at a car from an airplane.”
The Borg looked at
her blankly.
“Damn it! I really need to stop watching television
with Tom.” B’Elanna sighed. “It would be
like shooting at a hover-car from a spaceship.
She’d be long gone before we ever locked on target!”
“Then we must build a
better targeting system.” Seven
responded calmly.
“Augh! Is your translator broken? Can you understand the words that are coming
out of my mouth you bionic blonde bimbo?”
“I understand your
words perfectly, it is the lack of intellect behind them that concerns me you
ridiculously ridged rectilian vulture.” Seven punctuated each of her words by tapping
B’Elanna on the forehead, causing the Klingon’s face to flush bright red.
“All right, that’s
enough!” Janeway stepped between the two
before a brawl really could start. “It
would seem that we need to compromise here.”
“Admiral, there isn’t
any way to compromise.” B’Elanna took several deep breaths in an
attempt to calm herself. “There just
isn’t enough power available.”
“I understand that,
but what if we built in a failsafe?”
Seven looked at
her. “Elaborate.”
“Set the system up so
that as soon as Cathain drops out of
MercWarp the weapon arrays come back online automatically. As B’Elanna has stated, there’s no need for
them when the drive is activated so this would solve the problem.”
“Hu’tegh.” Seven mumbled thoughtfully.
B’Elanna
grinned. “Indeed.”
Janeway patted Seven
on the arm. “All right, I’ll leave you
two to your work. Try not to permanently
damage each other, ok? It looks bad on
the official reports.”
She glanced back on
her way out of engineering to see the two of them with their heads already bent
over their workstation, talking together as though the exchange had never
happened.
Three years ago
nothing would have convinced her that the two would ever be able to share a
friendship. Of course, three years ago,
nothing could have ever convinced her that she would eventually become engaged
to Seven either.
Laughing at the way
life turned out sometimes, she headed back to the bridge to check on the rest
of the work crews.
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe eased quietly
through the front door, pushing it softly shut behind her. She hung her coat on its peg and moved
silently towards the stairs.
“Don’t think you’re
going to get off that easily.”
The voice came out of
the darkness, pulling a startled gasp from her as she turned to see her sister
and Seven sitting next to the dying fire in the living room. “Jesus!
You scared the crap out of me!”
She complained. “What are you
doing? Waiting up for me?”
Kathryn grinned. “You don’t think I’d let you go to bed
without finding out how your big date went did you?”
Phoebe sighed. “I guess that would be too much to ask for.”
“Tal Celes is a good
person, Phoebe.” Seven said gently. “State your intentions towards her.”
“And what if I
honestly don’t know what my intentions are?”
She slumped onto the sofa next to them.
“You must have some
idea how you feel about her.” Kathryn
pressed. “You braved the halls of
Starfleet Headquarters to ask her out after all. You don’t even go there to see me.”
“I don’t know what it
is.” Phoebe’s face took on a dreamlike
quality. “There’s just something about
her. She has these incredible eyes, a
wonderful smile, a beautiful voice…”
“Not to mention all
four of those nose ridges.” Kathryn
winked at her little sister, making her blush bright red.
Seven looked at the
two women in confusion. “Is there a
correlation between the number of nose ridges and sexual satisfaction?”
“Jeez, you guys have
sex on the brain!”
“Like you
don’t….” The admiral looked at her
pointedly.
Phoebe shrugged. “Ok, maybe I do. But I really like her. She has this incredibly playful side and a
very dry sense of humor when you get past her shyness.”
“Sounds like you’re a
little bit smitten.” Kathryn squeezed
her arm. “There’s nothing wrong with
that you know.”
“Did you tell
yourself that? When you knew you were
falling for Seven?”
The Admiral flushed,
looking back and forth between the two women who were now watching her
intently. “That was a different
situation.”
“Maybe the location
was different, and the circumstances, but attraction is attraction, no matter
where it happens. How did you come to
terms with it?”
“Obviously she did
not.” Seven raised one eyebrow. “Not until I forced the issue.”
“You?” Kathryn smirked. “I believe I was the first one to show up
wearing lingerie.”
“Perhaps, however it
was I that first broached the subject of things not said between us.” Her smile was wicked and all for the
Admiral. “And my nightgown was much more
revealing.”
“For which I will
always be eternally grateful.” Kathryn
looked at the Borg adoringly before bestowing a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Hello?” Phoebe waved at them. “Discussing me here, remember?”
“Right.” Kathryn took a deep breath, refocusing on her
sister. “So it’s obvious that you like
her, what’s the problem?”
“What isn’t?” Phoebe ran her fingers through her hair. “She’s female, for one. She’s a different race, for another. At least you were both human. How am I even supposed to know how to…”
“Research.”
Both of the Janeway
women turned to look at Seven.
The Borg lifted her
chin. “I had no prior knowledge as to
how to please your sister. I have found
that researching a situation can often curtail any problems before they may
arise.”
“So I’m supposed to
look up the mating habits of female Bajorans?” Phoebe blushed bright red. “Oh dear lord, just kill me now.”
Kathryn placed an arm
around her sister in support. “Look,
Pheebs, research may teach you everything you need to know about how to please
Celes; but whether or not you can love her… that’s something you’re going to
have to figure out all on your own.”
“She’s coming out to
the farm this weekend.”
The Admiral’s eyes
widened. “Then I suggest you figure it
out fast.” She patted her on the
arm. “The best advice I can give you is
to really look at all the reasons you have for not getting involved with her. If they outweigh how she makes you feel when
you’re with her, then you have your answer.
If they don’t…” She looked over
at Seven lovingly. “Then stop making
things hard for yourself. The heart
knows. I’m not sure how, but it always
knows. Goodnight.”
Phoebe watched them
as they walked up the stairs, their arms wrapped lovingly around each other. When they were near the landing, she heard
Kathryn whisper, “So tell me more about this research…”
Groaning loudly, she
closed the damper on the fireplace and dragged herself to bed.
Chapter Six – Better Late Than Never
Phoebe leaned back in
her chair at the dining room table and sipped her coffee quietly. She had been watching her sister run madly
through the house for the last twenty minutes.
“Seven!” Kathryn shouted up the stairs. “Have you seen my insignia?”
“Where did you last
have it, Kathryn?” The Borg called back.
“If I knew that I
wouldn’t be looking for it!” The older
woman grumbled under her breath as she searched the cushions on the living room
couch.
“Did you look in the
barn?” Phoebe snickered, and then
studied her coffee cup intently when she was hit with a level ten glare. “What do you need it for anyway? And why are
you wearing your uniform?”
“Trust me, where
we’re going, it’s more than necessary that I be flying my colors.”
“Whatever.” She set her coffee mug down and watched as
her sister dumped out the contents of the end table drawers. “You know, maybe if you hadn’t waited until a
week before the wedding to go pick out the bands, you wouldn’t be quite so
stressed out.”
Kathryn stopped and
took a deep breath. “You have no idea
the schedule Seven and I have been keeping at the base to finish up this
project before I go on leave. It’s not
like I can just stop whatever I’m doing in the middle of the day and go running
off to a jewelry store. Some of us have
deadlines.”
Phoebe snorted. “Whatever, Captain Procrastination.”
“I AM AN
ADMIRAL!” Kathryn snapped.
“Maybe,” Phoebe
shrugged. “But it doesn’t sound as funny.”
The older woman
closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying not to think of all the ways she
knew how to dispose of a body.
“Kathryn?” Seven walked down the stairs and smiled at
her gently as she held out the insignia in her palm. “I found it caught within the zipper on a
pair of my jeans.”
Phoebe coughed loudly
as her coffee went down the wrong way.
With a strangled laughed she excused herself to go and find a towel.
Seven moved closer to
Kathryn, quickly fastening the insignia onto her collar before smoothing her
hands down the front of the jacket.
Wordlessly, she leaned in and kissed her passionately, her hands
wrapping around her back before sliding up to tangle in her hair.
When she released her
several moments later, Kathryn whispered breathlessly, “What was that for?”
Seven raised one
eyebrow. “Because I can.”
Kathryn smiled at the
wicked look on the younger woman’s face.
My, my, my…
God, how I love this woman! “We’ll be back in time for dinner.”
“Acceptable.”
“Come on,
Phoebe! We don’t want to keep your woman
waiting!”
Seven walked them
both to the door and watched as they climbed into the hover-car and drove
away. She closed the door slowly and
leaned against it for a moment before squaring her shoulders and striding
purposefully into the kitchen.
Gretchen was
finishing a cup of tea as she entered and smiled up at her as she came to stand
before her. “Everything all right
Annika?”
“Yes.” Seven sat down
across from her and looked directly into her eyes. “There is something that I wish to do for
Kathryn and I believe that I will require your assistance to complete the task
before the wedding.”
“Of course,
sweetheart.” Gretchen squeezed her
hand. “Anything you need, you know
that. What can I do to help?”
Seven took a deep
breath. “First, I require your
permission…”
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe fidgeted
nervously with the buttons on her coat, causing Kathryn to laugh.
“Afraid she won’t
show or afraid she might?” The older
woman snickered.
“Who said I was
afraid of anything?”
“Well, you better
decide quickly because here she comes.”
Phoebe turned in the
direction Kathryn was facing and felt her heart jump up into her throat. Tal Celes walked towards them wearing a pair
of tight fitting black jeans that clung wickedly to her hips and a wool lined
denim jacket. She had a knit scarf
wrapped around her neck and her cheeks were rosy from the cold mid morning air.
When she reached
them, she raised herself up on her tip toes and planted a brief kiss on
Phoebe’s cheek. “Hello you!” She smiled.
“Hello, Admiral.”
“It’s Kathryn when
we’re nowhere near the base, Celes.”
Kathryn smiled and took the small overnight bag from the Bajoran,
handing it to one of the transport attendants who would stow it until they
returned later in the day.
“So where are we
going?” Celes asked brightly.
“
Phoebe and Celes both
looked at her in surprise. “
“Yep. Glad you wore a warm coat!” She hustled them both onto the transporter
pad and they were whisked away to their destination. When they arrived, they found a Starfleet
hover-car waiting for them.
Phoebe sat back in
her seat and watched the Bajoran with a smile on her face. “Never been here before?”
“Never had a
reason.” Celes grinned before turning
her attention back to the scenery outside the hover-car windows.
After a short ride,
they pulled up in front of an extremely old looking building. When they stepped outside into the cold air,
Celes cuddled against Phoebe’s side as she read the name carved into the marble
above the huge entryway. “Asprey
Holdings LTD.” Her jaw went slack as she
looked at the Admiral. “You don’t fool
around do you?”
“What do you
mean?” Phoebe slid her arm around the
smaller woman when she felt her shiver.
“Asprey has done
jewelry for royalty and diplomats for centuries.” Kathryn smiled.
They stepped inside
the grand doorway to be greeted by an almost reverent silence. The interior of the building looked like a
church with its stained glass windows and tall columns extending up to hundred
foot ceilings. They waited quietly in
the foyer for a few moments until a well manicured older gentleman dressed in a
tailcoat approached them.
“Welcome to Asprey
Holdings Limited.” He said in clipped
English tones. “May I have your title
and name please?”
“Admiral Kathryn
Janeway.”
The man pulled a
small device from the interior of his jacket and input the name. After a moment, he tucked the device away and
bowed slightly. “Come this way please.”
They followed him
quietly through the beautiful building, all of them admiring the artwork around
them until they were led through a series of doorways into a large room with a
number of antique tables inside of it.
Several similarly dressed individuals were working around them.
Their escort cleared
his throat. “Announcing Admiral Kathryn
Janeway and entourage.”
Phoebe laughed
softly. “I guess we’re the
entourage.” She whispered to Celes.
An elegantly dressed
gentleman approached them and held his hand out to Kathryn. “Admiral Janeway, what a pleasure it is to
meet you. I am Sebastian Moore. I will be your attendant today. Please, have a seat at this station.” When they had settled themselves around an
exquisitely carved mahogany table, he sat across from them and smiled. “I should tell you that we do not normally indulge
inquiries from anyone at Starfleet with less than a Fleet Admiral rank, but
you, of course, are a very special case.”
Kathryn returned the
smile easily. “Well, I appreciate your
assistance in this endeavor.”
Sebastian
nodded. “When you contacted me and told
me of your upcoming nuptials and the particulars of the situation, I
investigated our inventory thoroughly and I believe I have found something that
will be perfect for you.”
“Really?” She leaned forward. “I would love to see what you would
recommend.”
“I will return
shortly.” He stood and bowed.
Phoebe watched him
walk away and then turned to her sister.
“Damn, you get more play on our family name than Daddy did. All because you got lost in space?”
“I think it’s more
that she brought her people home, Phoebe.”
Celes smiled. “Hero’s deserve
this kind of attention.”
Kathryn shifted
uncomfortably under Celes’ obvious adoration.
“Well, whatever the reason, they let us in and that makes me happy.”
Sebastian returned
with a small velvet covered tray, roughly the size of a data PADD. He set it down carefully and then took his
place across from them. “Starfleet is an
interesting career choice.” He said
easily. “However, it does make for a
challenge when it comes to choosing appropriate matrimonial bands. These are quite exceptional.” He pulled the cover away to reveal four
incredibly beautiful rings that were shaped in an oddly curving pattern. Two
were brushed gold and the other two were obviously brushed platinum. Each was encrusted with a series of sparkling
diamonds. “This is called the Eternium
Band.”
Kathryn studied them
closely, thinking them gorgeous, but not really understanding why there were
four of them. “Can you explain their
origin and meaning?”
“Certainly.” He smiled.
“This band was originally produced by a now extinct race known as the
Xirin. The Xirin believed that each
person had a true ‘kenn’, what we would call a soul mate. The gold would represent one half of the
couple and the platinum the other. When
the nuptials occurred, a band of each color would be taken and
‘completed’.” He picked up one of the
gold rings and one of the platinum rings and held them against each other at a
slight angle. Gently he pressed them
together and there was a soft click as the two bands connected, making a seamless
single band of entwined colors. Even the
diamonds joined perfectly, creating a stunning setting of crisscrossing gems
that sparkled in the lights from overhead.
“The Xirin were also a space faring race. Often, one of the couple was required to
leave on a mission. When that occurred,
they would separate their own ring and add the other half of their own band to
that of the person being left at home.”
He picked up the other platinum band and gently connected it to the
first two.
“That’s
incredible.” Kathryn breathed as the
rings went together seamlessly once again, creating an even more intricately
entwined band.
“When the explorer
returned, the bands were again separated to create the original two rings. And,” Sebastian smiled softly. “When the years had passed, and one of the
married couple had passed on, the last band was joined to the others to create
the Eternium Band.” He held them close
together but did not snap them in place.
“You must be careful to never place the last band until that event
occurs however, for once all four bands are connected they form a permanent
bond, one that can never be broken.”
He separated the band
back into the four original rings and laid them out on the tray. “Each of the rings is of the purest gold and
platinum and each has a total weight of one carat in diamonds making the total
diamond weight for the Eternium Band four carats.”
Phoebe whistled
softly under her breath and Kathryn nudged her with her foot.
“Each set of two
comes in their own silk presentation box and Asprey Holdings will provide a
specially crafted ring pillow for the day of the nuptials. I believe this to be the set best suited to
your needs, however if you are not pleased with it, I can show you others.”
“No need.” Kathryn smiled softly, her eyes moist. “I think Annika is definitely the platinum
don’t you?”
Both Phoebe and Celes
nodded silently.
“The price for this
set-“ Sebastian began.
“Is irrelevant.” Kathryn smiled. “I’ll take them.”
“Very good. I will go and complete the documents for the
sale.”
When he had gone,
Kathryn turned to find Phoebe looking at her thoughtfully.
“What?”
Her sister
grinned. “There’s hope for you yet,
sis.”
* * * * * * * * * *
With the rings chosen
and paid for, they found a quaint old pub up the street from the Asprey
building to have lunch while they waited for the packaging to be
completed. Kathryn, looking very pleased
with herself, sat back in the booth and took a healthy swig of her ale as she
watched the other two woman who sat across from her. She noticed that Celes looked completely at
ease while her sister looked like she might jump and run at any moment. Interesting.
“So,” Phoebe tapped
the table with her fingertips, surreptitiously watching Celes out of the corner
of her eye as she spoke to her sister.
“Where are you planning on taking your betty for the honeymoon?”
Kathryn smiled. “Someplace exotic…”
“Risa?”
The Admiral
frowned. “No, I don’t think so. Seven has seen a lot of the galaxy, but what
she hasn’t seen a lot of is right here one Earth.”
“What are you thinking?” Celes asked.
“Someplace warm, wet,
and very, very… sexy…” A silly smile
covered her face for a moment and then she blushed. Standing up she nodded slightly. “Excuse me for a moment.”
They both watched her
walk away before Celes turned a questioning glance at Phoebe.
“She’s going to call
Seven.” Phoebe smirked. “She can’t go for more than a couple of hours
without hearing the woman’s voice.”
The Bajoran laughed
softly. “You sound wistful.” She took a sip of her merlot. “Or is it jealous?”
“Honestly? Maybe a little of both. I’ve had relationships, but nothing like what
they have. I honestly think that Katie
would give up Starfleet for Seven if she had to. I’ve never fallen for anyone that hard in my
life.”
One eyebrow rose as
Celes looked at her evenly. “Not yet.”
Phoebe swallowed and
pulled idly at her collar. “What about
you? Any red hot romances in your past?”
“I’ve had my share of
good ones, and more than my share of bad ones.
But if you're asking if I’ve ever had anything like what I see between the Admiral and Seven? Then my answer is
the same as yours. Not yet.”
“What about men? Any of them in your past?”
“Nope, not a one.”
Phoebe’s eyebrows
furrowed in confusion. “Then… how do you
know…?”
Celes laughed out
loud at the look on her face. “Sometimes
you just know, Phoebe.” She set her wine
glass down and leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper so that the other
woman had to lean in to hear her. “When
I was in my teens, all my girlfriends talked about was the jocks on the sports
teams, how big their muscles were, how strong their hands were… and all I could
think was how much I wanted to feel smooth curves under my fingertips. How much I wanted soft skin and gentle hands
and long, slow, deep kisses that went on for days. I would lie in my bed at night for hours
fantasizing about what it would be like to take a woman in my arms, to taste
her on my lips. I was sixteen when I
finally did and I can tell you… there was never
any question for me.”
Phoebe stared at the
Bajoran, her mouth dry and her pulse racing.
It took her several moments to realize she wasn’t breathing and that her
heart was about to hammer its way out of her chest. She drew in a long shuddering breath and
followed it with a swig of her ale, refusing to meet the smile in Celes’ eyes.
Kathryn chose that
moment to return to the table, a slight frown on her face.
“Couldn’t reach her?”
Phoebe was glad for the distraction.
“No. Couldn’t get Mom on the comm system
either. They must be out doing something.”
Phoebe laughed. “It just drives you crazy doesn’t it? Not knowing what they’re up to.”
Kathryn smiled. “Well, when Seven keeps a secret it usually
hits me right between the eyes.”
“Are you sure that’s
where it hits you?” Phoebe snickered.
The older woman’s
eyebrows rose, daring her sister to continue teasing her. The implied threat worked, Phoebe subsided
instantly.
“So where to
now?” Celes asked, completely unaware of
the small battle that had just been fought.
“I need to pick up the
package from Asprey and then we need to find a travel agent. I think we can do that back in
“Well, we wouldn’t
want to be late then.” Phoebe said
innocently.
They collected their
purchase and called for the hover-car to take them back to the transport
station. Within the hour they were
sitting in the very nice office of a local travel agent in
Kathryn found one
that interested her greatly. Shoving the
others aside, she opened it up fully on the table. “This is the one, what do you think?”
“Oh, wow.” Celes smiled.
“That looks like heaven.” She
glanced outside at the snow lined sidewalk. “Especially from where we’re
sitting.”
Phoebe nodded at her
choice. “Looks perfect to me, unless…”
“Unless what?” Kathryn looked at her in confusion.
“Can a Borg float?”
* * * * * * * * * *
A fire was crackling
merrily in the hearth when the three frost-covered shoppers returned to the
farm. They stood in the foyer, stamping
the snow off their boots as Kathryn called out, “Annika? Mom?
We’re home!”
“In the kitchen,
dear.” Her mother’s voice came back.”
“I swear that’s their
favorite room in the house.” Kathryn
smiled.
Hot cups of coffee
and tea were pressed into their hands as they entered and after bestowing a
quick kiss on Seven’s lips, Kathryn slid onto a stool. “What did you two get up to today?”
“What do you
mean?” Gretchen asked innocently.
“I called earlier and
no one answered.”
“Oh.” Her mother smiled at Seven. “We just had some errands to run.”
When it was obvious
no further information was forthcoming, Kathryn sighed and settled for studying
her bride-to-be carefully. Seven’s color
was high, her cheeks pink and rosy. The
two of them must have gotten home just a few minutes before they did.
“So what’s for
dinner?” Phoebe asked, climbing onto her
own stool.
“Pot roast.” Her mother smiled. “It’s been simmering all afternoon and should
be ready in a few minutes. Hello,
Celes.” She greeted the Bajoran
warmly. “Did you enjoy your day out with
my girls?”
“Yes, I did
Gretchen. They certainly know how to
show a girl a good time.”
Seven’s eyebrow
rose. “Indeed.”
Kathryn reached out
and took Seven’s hand, squeezing it gently as she whispered, “I missed you
today.”
The Borg smiled
softly, leaning in close to rest her face briefly against the Admiral’s
throat. “I missed you as well.”
Celes watched the
exchange with a small smile on her face.
She noticed Phoebe looking at her and whispered, “I never, ever thought I would say this but, Seven
and the Admiral are just so… cute.”
Phoebe rolled her
eyes. “I know, sickening isn’t it?”
The Bajoran swatted
her playfully on the arm.
“Can I interrupt you
two long enough to ask you to set the table?”
Gretchen interjected.
Phoebe slid off her
stool. “Sure thing, Mom. C’mon Cel.”
Dinner was casual and
over very quickly as both Kathryn and Seven pleaded tiredness and retired
early, ignoring Phoebe’s snickers with good natured grace.
Gretchen made up a
pot of tea and then took a cup to her own bedroom with a book she was reading,
leaving Phoebe and Celes alone in the kitchen.
Celes smiled. “Did I see a swing on the back porch
earlier?”
Phoebe’s eyes
widened. “Are you serious? It’s freezing out there!”
“I love the cold
air. Bring a blanket. We can keep each other warm and you can tell
me tales of the farm.”
“All right, but if
you get frost bite don’t go blaming me.”
A deliciously wicked
smirk played at the Bajoran’s lips. “Is frost the only thing that bites around
here?”
The comment sent
chills running down Phoebe’s spine, rooting her to the spot while her heart
raced wildly. When she was finally able
to bring it under control, she ran to the living room and grabbed a quilt off
the couch, returning to the porch she found Celes standing at the rail, waiting
for her.
“You’re taller.” The Bajoran pointed to the swing.
Phoebe sat at one
end, laying her left leg and arm along the back of the seat. Celes quickly joined her, snuggling her back
tightly against the taller woman’s chest before covering them both with the
blanket, tucking it in around them.
They both sat quietly
for a few moments as their body heat merged and filled the little cocoon, then
Celes sighed in satisfaction and laid her head back against Phoebe’s shoulder.
The silence was
comfortable and the warmth filled them both with a pleasant lassitude. Phoebe felt her eyelids just beginning to
drop when another soft sigh came from the woman in front of her. “Penny for them.” She whispered quietly.
The Bajoran sighed
again. “I wish I had had the opportunity
to get to know Seven when we were on Voyager. She is so different than how I perceived her
then; than how we all perceived her. It
just seemed like she was so aloof, like she didn’t need or want to know any of
us. Now I see that wasn’t true. It must have been so hard for her.”
Phoebe nodded. “I know.
It frustrates me the way people see her either as an ice maiden, a Borg
menace or a sex object. I mean, it
wasn’t her fault she was born looking like a pin up, or that she was taken by
the Borg at such a young age. She truly
was a product of her environment. It’s
unfortunate that more people don’t take the time to see who she truly is inside
the gorgeous exterior. She has such a
wonderful sense of humor and a truly kind heart.” She felt Celes stiffen slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“It sounds like you
might have a little bit of a crush going on there.”
Phoebe laughed. “Hardly!
Seven is great and I do adore her.
I love that she’s going to be my sister, but tall blondes are definitely
not my type.” She felt the body resting
against hers relax slowly.
“So what is your
type?”
She leaned forward
slightly, catching the light, sweet scent of the smaller woman. She nuzzled her face into the delicate hair
at the nape of her neck as she whispered, “Oh, I don’t know. Sweet, gentle redheads with chocolate brown
eyes, cute little noses and black velvet voices…”
“Meet many men that
fit that bill?”
Phoebe blinked,
startled. Shaking her head she laughed
softly under her breath. “Why do I feel
like I just got ambushed?”
Celes turned so that
she could look into her eyes. “I wasn’t
trying to ambush you. I just wanted to
make a point. Desire is fluid, Phoebe. Just like love.” She slowly moved closer, giving Phoebe time
to pull away. When she didn’t, Celes
pressed their mouths together softly, her tongue playing gently across Phoebe’s
lower lip.
The kiss was brief
but powerful. Afterwards she turned away
and nestled back into the taller woman’s arms, pulling the blanket tighter
around them both. Her right hand fell
casually against Phoebe’s leg where her fingers stroked softly against her
thigh right above her knee.
Phoebe focused on her
breathing, willing herself not to start shaking. After a while she lost herself in the feel of
the heart beating steadily in the body pressed tightly against her own.
Slowly, Phoebe let
her hands drop to the Bajoran’s waist.
For a few moments, she just let them rest there; then she began lightly
stroking along the edge of Celes’ sweater.
Finally, she held her breath as she curled her fingers under the edge
and ran her knuckles over smooth, warm skin.
The feel of it was
incredible. Soft like silk, but firm
with the lean muscles just beneath the surface.
Stretching out her fingers, she slid both her hands around the Bajoran’s
stomach until they met and splayed across her abdomen. She was so entranced with the texture beneath
her swirling fingertips that she didn’t realize Celes was smiling up at her.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Phoebe blushed to the
roots of her hair, stilling her hands immediately. “I’m sorry!”
She stammered.
Celes covered
Phoebe’s hands with her own, preventing her from pulling them away. “Don’t be.
I’m not.” She leaned back and
placed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth.
“You have wonderful hands.”
“Oh… uh…thank you?”
The Bajoran began to
trace across the back of Phoebe’s fingers, making the hair on the back of her
neck stand on end. She swallowed hard,
leaning back as the sensation sent chills down her spine that settled quite
firmly between her legs. She had never
responded so strongly to simply being touched before, not somewhere as
innocuous as the back of her hand! What the hell is happening
to me? She thought wildly. And whatever it is, please Lord do not let it stop.
Closing her eyes,
Phoebe brought one hand to Celes’ face, following the line of her jaw with a
feather light touch before sliding over her cheek to trace her brow, down the
bridge of her nose and across her lips, where the Bajoran kissed her fingertip.
“Why do I get the
feeling you’re painting me right now?” Celes asked softly.
“Because I am.” Phoebe breathed. “You have the most exquisite features. Delicate… soft…” She put one finger under the Bajoran’s chin
and used it to turn her head so she could capture her lips with her own. The kiss was gentle at first, then the
sweetness turned to passion as a fire began in her belly. Wrapping her fingers in Celes’ hair, she
pulled the smaller body against hers roughly, her tongue sliding inside to play
wetly in the recesses of her mouth.
With a small sound of
frustration, Celes pulled away. Sitting
up, she moved to the edge of the swing. “It’s late.” Her eyes were slightly glossy and her breath
was coming in small gasps. “I think we
better turn in.”
Phoebe nodded
slowly. They both rose and went
inside. Phoebe took her hand and walked
with her upstairs, leading her to the guest room. They stood outside the door for several long
moments as Celes studied her face intently.
Finally, she smiled and nodded.
“Goodnight, Phoebe.” She kissed
her briefly and went inside, shutting the door behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Seven opened her eyes
as the soft rays of dawn began to stream in through the window. Sighing happily, she turned to look at the
sleeping face of the woman she adored more than any other person in
existence.
Kathryn was sleeping
on her back, her left hand possessively snuggled in between Seven’s
thighs.
Rolling onto her
side, the Borg began to circle one of the older woman’s nipples softly with her
fingertips, watching in delight as it pebbled beneath her ministrations. Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward
and took the hardened nub between her lips, tasting it with her tongue as
Kathryn moaned quietly in her sleep.
Moving slowly so as
not to wake her, Seven slid down the much loved body until her cheek rested
against the fragrant patch of hair between Kathryn’s thighs. Parting her legs, she began to nuzzle into
the cleft, her tongue seeking out the soft ridge of flesh that she knew would
harden immediately beneath her touch.
Light moisture bathed her chin as she found it and began to stroke it
evenly; her hands wandering up to gently pull on the now completely stiffened
nipples. She felt the body beneath her
begin to writhe as soft sounds of pleasure floated down to her.
“Annika…?”
The sound of her name
set her on fire and her tongue quickened, pressing harder as her lover fully
awoke to wrap fingers wildly in her hair.
Kathryn brought her legs up to settle them on her shoulders as her hips
began to undulate against her.
“Oh..” The older woman cried out, not even trying to
be quiet. “Oh god yes!”
Seven pulled her hand
down and slid two fingers deeply inside of Kathryn, reveling in the velvet
wetness that clamped tightly around them.
Quickening her tempo to match the hips above her, she stroked the sweet
spot inside of Kathryn that she knew would drive the older woman over the edge.
“Oh Annika, yes! More!”
Smiling, the Borg
sucked deeply, flicking her tongue faster as the flesh in her mouth began to
spasm. She felt Kathryn begin to buck
wildly as her face was bathed in her essence.
“OH MY GOD!
YES!” Kathryn’s screamed as her body
rose off the bed. It stiffened briefly
and then fell back, trembling violently as the orgasm moved through her.
Seven withdrew and
crawled back up beside her to kiss her deeply, sharing the taste on her tongue
with the woman she adored. “Good
morning.”
“Hell yes it is.”
Kathryn chuckled. “You are incredible.”
“Thank you.” Seven smiled, rubbing her face wetly against
her love’s chin. “I believe your scent
to be my favorite thing in the universe.”
“I thought it was my
hands.”
The Borg moved back
slightly, a thoughtful look on her face.
“You are correct. I must amend my
statement.”
Laughing, Kathryn
pulled her back down for another kiss.
“What would you like to do today, love?”
“It is to be my
choice?”
“Sure.” The older woman stretched. “We will do whatever your little heart
desires.”
Seven smiled. “Then I desire to stay right here.”
Kathryn’s eyes
widened. “In bed?”
“Yes.”
“All day?”
“Yes.”
She opened her mouth
to protest and then closed it quickly; unable to think of a single reason why
that was a bad idea. “All right.” She smiled, her hands beginning to roam
across the blonde’s body. “After all, a
promise is a promise.”
* * * * * * * * * *
In her bedroom Phoebe
groaned and put a pillow over her head, trying to deafen herself to the sounds
coming from her sister’s room.
Again? She
sighed. They’re like fucking rabbits!
All night long she
had listened to the sounds of lovemaking coming through the walls and now it
was starting up all over again. She
hadn’t slept a wink. Of course, if she
was going to be honest, a lot of that had to do with the woman in the bedroom
on the other side of her own.
Without consciously
willing it, a memory of Celes’ face popped into her head. The chocolate brown eyes were sparkling and
the mouth was quirked up in a little smirk that seemed to dare her to do
something. Her mind started to complete
the image, drawing from her rich imagination to add smooth, cream skinned
shoulders for the red hair to spill across, followed by the soft swell of
breasts tipped with rosy nipples. The
chest tapered down to a slender waist that flared out again over supple hips
and silken thighs with light reddish curls at the apex.
Losing herself in the
fantasy, Phoebe’s fingers began to wander down her own body, her palms lightly
brushing over her nipples until they were swollen with need. She pinched them lightly, her hips rising off
the bed as she imagined the Bajoran’s mouth on them, biting them, flicking them
with her tongue…
Phoebe’s eyes flew
open and she bolted upright, her hands flying off her body as though they were
on fire. Breathing heavily, she sat
there for several minutes trying to collect herself, trying to push the
stubborn image from her mind but the fantasy simply would not let go.
Blushing slightly,
she laid back down, one hand returning to her breast as the other skimmed over
her stomach to slide between her legs.
She gasped in surprise at the amount of moisture she found there. Her fingers quickly became slick with it and
she brought some of it to her nipple, coating it before returning her fingers
to the stiff ridge of her sex. Her
fingers played over it knowingly as she imagined Celes’ mouth on her. She imagined herself tangling her fingers in
the long red hair to hold the woman where she needed her. Her hips began to move and her back arched as
she felt the familiar pleasure wash through her. She could almost feel the other woman’s warm
breath against her thigh as she climaxed, hard.
“Celes!” She cried out softly, through clenched teeth,
her head thrown back and her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Oh, god Celes…”
Slowly her body
settled back against the mattress. She
lay there for a moment, enjoying the pleasant aftershocks until there was a
knock on her door.
“Shit!” Jumping up, she stubbed her toe against the
end table and said something even more obscene under her breath. She cracked the door open slightly and peeked
out to see the object of her fantasy staring back at her. “Uh…hi… I mean, good morning. What’s up?”
Celes blinked. “Nothing.
Are you ok?”
“Yes, why?”
“Well, I was on my
way to the bathroom and I thought I heard you call my name.”
Phoebe’s cheeks
turned bright pink. “Oh, yeah, I heard
you walking by and I wanted to ask if you wanted to use the shower first. To shower… you know… because it’s morning…
before breakfast.”
“Oh.” Celes looked at her in confusion. “Yeah, that would be great if it’s ok with you.”
“Oh sure, go right
ahead, no problem. I’ll shower with you…
I mean I’ll shower AFTER you!” Phoebe
knew she was babbling like an idiot and couldn’t seem to stop. “Enjoy your shower. Bye.”
The Bajoran stood for
a moment and contemplated the closed door.
Phoebe was acting strangely, but then, she had seen the Admiral act the
same way around Seven, both on Voyager
and since their return, so maybe that was a good sign.
Apparently the
Janeway women were an odd bunch when it came to matters of the heart.
Chapter Seven – Turnabout Is Fair Play
Phoebe lay on her
back, listening to the shower running in the bathroom, trying to will her mind
not to envision Celes with her hair slicked back as water streamed down across
her breasts. Squeezing her eyes shut,
she tried to bring up images of her favorites works of art, only to find the
nudes at the forefront of her memory.
Groaning, she rolled
onto her side and buried her face in her pillow, wondering what part of her
body the Bajoran was soaping up at that moment.
“What the hell is
wrong with me?” Frustrated, she threw
the pillow across the room where it knocked over one of her field hockey
trophies.
She didn’t understand
why this was happening now. She had
known many attractive women, even been propositioned by them a time or two and
while the offers had been flattering, they just hadn’t been something she had
wanted to pursue.
So what was so damn
different about Celes?
Was it Seven? Was it seeing the happiness that Katie had
found in her arms? Was it being able to
look at that relationship as simply a relationship without trying to force it
into a box that could be easily labeled or defined?
Maybe Celes was
right. Desire was fluid. She had always been an open minded kind of
girl. And she was the first to admit
that her past forays into romantic relationships had been anything but stellar,
which was why she usually ended up channeling all of her energy, even her
frustrated sexual energy, into her art.
Picking up her
sketchbook, she flipped through the pages until she came to her drawing of the
Bajoran. She traced the lines of her
face with her fingertips, remembering how it had felt to run them across the
ridges along the bridge of her nose.
There had been something… electric in that touch. Something… real… and it scared the hell out of her.
Suddenly she felt
like she could understand her sister a little bit better. How she could have danced around Seven all
those years they were lost together out in the Delta Quadrant. Hell she had only known Celes for a month and
the woman had already upset the balance she had created for herself in her own
life. How hard must it have been for
Katie, with the object of her love and desire trapped on the same ship with her
for three years? She suddenly realized
that if Kathryn had given in, had let herself pursue Seven, everything else
would have become secondary.
Her sister deserved
more than her respect.
She deserved a
fucking medal.
The shower shut off
and Phoebe listened to the sounds of the other woman as she left the bathroom
and went back to the guestroom. With a
sigh, she pulled on her robe and ducked quickly through the hallway, hoping she
wouldn’t run into Celes again until she was fully dressed and much more under
control.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was almost two
hours later when Phoebe finally came down the stairs tying her long hair into a
loose pony tail with hands that were trembling slightly. As she neared the bottom, she heard her
mother’s voice emanating from the kitchen, followed by Celes’ light, musical
laughter. The sound caught her up short
as she pictured the two of them sitting together, drinking coffee or tea, the
way her mother had with Seven.
Taking a deep breath,
she stepped into the room. “Good
morning.” She said brightly.
“I think you mean
good afternoon.” Gretchen smiled at her as she climbed onto a stool. “Did you sleep well, dear?”
“Yeah.” Phoebe glanced at Celes and wished she hadn’t
as she felt her cheeks flush. “Fine.”
“Want some
coffee?” The Bajoran stood and went to
the stove.
“That’d be great,
thanks.” She took the offered cup with a
smile. “What smells so great Mom?”
“Ask Celes.” Gretchen
nodded at the young woman. “She cooked.”
“You did?”
Celes laughed. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. Are you hungry?” When Phoebe nodded she filled a plate with
Eggs Benedict and lean ham and potatoes, covering the whole thing with a light
drizzle of hollandaise sauce. She
brought the plate over. “Enjoy your
shower?”
Phoebe glanced up at
her like a deer caught in headlights.
“Uhm…yeah.”
As she slid the plate
before her, the Bajoran leaned in close to whisper quietly, “I think you would
have enjoyed your first offer more.” She
winked at her before turning away taking what little breath Phoebe had left with
her.
Gretchen studied her
youngest daughter over the rim of her tea cup, hiding a small smile behind a
carefully timed sip. “You look flushed,
dear. You were outside quite a while last
night. You didn’t catch a cold did you?”
Phoebe was mortified
when her mother stood and placed a cool hand on her forehead. “I’m fine, Ma. Probably just ran the shower a little hotter
than I should have.”
Her mother looked at
her keenly. “Whatever you say, honey.”
“So, where are Katie
and Seven?” She asked, trying to deflect
the attention away from herself.
“They haven’t come
down yet.” Celes waggled her eyebrows,
making her laugh.
Phoebe took a bite of
the food, her eyes closing in pleasure at the flavor. “This is fantastic! Where did you learn to cook?”
The Bajoran sat down
next to her and picked up her coffee cup.
“I have many hidden talents.”
“Well,” Gretchen took
pity on her youngest. “What are you two
going to be doing today?”
“I thought I would
show her my studio then maybe take her out to the lake.” She leaned back and peered out the
window. “Looks pretty clear out there;
we shouldn’t get any unexpected snowfall.”
“Maybe not, but you
don’t need to be trudging that far through the drifts either. You’ll get soaked. Here.”
She tossed Phoebe a set of keys.
“I had a repairman out to do a complete once over on the Sno-Cat. Its tuned up and gassed up.”
“Thanks Mom.”
“Sno-Cat?” Celes looked at Phoebe curiously.
“Don’t worry, you’ll
love it.” She finished up her breakfast
and quickly washed her dishes, ignoring the astonished look on her mothers
face. “Ready?”
Celes stood and threw
her a cocky grin. “And willing.”
She handed the
Bajoran her jacket and they both went out into the snow.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven sighed in
pleasure.
She was sitting with
her back perfectly straight and her head tipped back as Kathryn gently drew a
brush through her thick platinum locks.
“That is… most exceptional.”
Kathryn smiled. “I can’t believe I’ve never done this for you
before. I should be doing it every
morning.”
“I do not believe
that Starfleet would accept the manipulation of my hair as a valid reason for
tardiness, Kathryn.” She groaned
slightly in appreciation. “However, I am
more than willing to allow this activity to occur on a regular basis.”
“You know,” The older
woman leaned forward and buried her face in the silken strands. “Your hair used to drive me crazy.”
Seven leaned back
into the touch. “Elaborate.”
“You always wore is
so severely. Always up in that tight
little bun. My fingers used to tingle
when I would think about releasing it from its pins. I would fantasize about watching it tumble
down around your shoulders, about how it would feel for you to trail it across
my body.”
The Borg’s eyebrows
rose. “Indeed?”
“Yes.” Kathryn’s voice was a husky whisper. “I knew it would be like silk in my hands…”
Seven reached back
and caught her by the wrist. “This
hand?” She slowly closed her lips around
the Admiral’s index finger, sliding the length of it into her mouth where her
tongue played against it wetly. Then she
nuzzled her nose and lips into the sensitive palm, her tongue flicking out to
caress it gently.
“Yes…” The older woman closed her eyes as her body
began to tingle. “You have no idea how
hard it was to keep my hands off you that last year…”
“You were foolish,
Kathryn.” Seven turned in the embrace,
pressing the smaller woman back into the bed with the weight of her body. “There is nothing I would not have allowed you
to do to me, so long as you did it with these hands…”
The words trailed off
as she brought their mouths together, their lips meeting hard, insistently,
their tongue wrestling wetly.
Kathryn raised her
knee, pressing her thigh firmly against Seven’s intimate flesh as her hands
slid around to cup her buttocks. She
could hear the Borg’s heart slamming hard in her chest and recognized the look
of need that ran wild in her slightly glossy eyes. As she pulled forward with her hands, Seven
arched back, giving her room to take one firm nipple between her teeth. She bit down on it, harder than she normally
would, and was rewarded by a low growl that was ripped from the younger woman’s
throat.
Seven began to rock
wildly against her, pressing her firmly against the bed as she slid up and back
along the skin of her thigh, the hardened ridge of her sex skidding gloriously
over the muscles that bunched under their exertion.
Kathryn watched her
lover’s face as all vestiges of the Borg fled from it. The cool collectedness was gone, as was the
look of keen intellect. What was left
was the flushed face of a gorgeous woman caught in the throws of passion. Her heart swelled as she realized that she
was the only person who would ever see Seven this way. “Beautiful…”
She whispered as the younger woman was gripped tightly by her
orgasm. “God I love you.”
Seven felt her heart
expand with joy at the whispered words a moment before the intense pleasure
took her over the edge. She hung there
for a long moment, her eyes tightly shut, until her muscles finally gave out and
fell limply to the bed.
They lay there
quietly for several long moments as Kathryn’s hands slid smoothly up and down
her back, comforting her as she still shook from the force of her release.
“Every time… it is
more.” Seven whispered, tucking her face
into the Admiral’s shoulder. “Will it ever cease?”
Kathryn smiled and
dropped a kiss into her hair. “I
wouldn’t know. I’ve never felt this way
before. But something tells me, we’re
never going to have a problem with this part of our relationship. I can’t imagine a time when I wouldn’t want
to touch you.”
“MMm.”
The older woman
looked down, startled by the lack of eloquence in the reply and grinned when
she saw the younger woman’s eyes were closed.
She had fallen asleep.
Smiling happily, she
wrapped her arms around the beloved body pressed against hers and closed her
own eyes. An afternoon nap sounded
lovely.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Celes moved about the
loft slowly, taking in the half finished pieces of art that adorned every spare
inch of wall space. The barn was
comfortably warm, heated below by an old wood burning stove that Phoebe had
stoked into life as soon as they entered and from above by a standard heating
unit. She had shed her jacket and gladly
accepted a glass of blush wine from a small cooling unit the artist had hidden
in a corner. “I’m surprised you don’t
have a replicator tucked away out here.”
With a sly wink she
shoved aside an old tool chest to reveal a unit half built into the wall. “It took me a week to get this thing in here
and even longer to run the power lines.
Mom was In San Francisco checking on Katie’s townhouse at the time. I just couldn’t handle having to travel an
hour back and forth when I needed a certain color.” She pushed the tool chest back into
place. “But, I try not to use it except
when I absolutely have to.” She put a
finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“It would be against
Starfleet Regulations to withhold information from a superior officer.” Celes laughed, remembering how they met. “But since I don’t think mothers officially hold that rank, I could be
persuaded to keep quiet about it.”
She took her wine
over to a couch that sat beneath one snow lined window. As she sat down, she noticed a colorful book
lying in the center of a low slung table.
“Visions.” She read the
title. There was no author listed. Flipping it over, she found a picture of the
tall redhead on the back side. She was
sitting on an artist’s stool, holding one paintbrush in her mouth while she
held another against the canvas. A dark
gray smudge of paint adorned one cheek.
Across the bottom of the photo it read ‘Artist: Phoebe Janeway’. “This is your work?”
Phoebe flushed as she
realized what the Bajoran was holding.
“Yeah, some of it. Marie put that
thing together after my very first showing.”
“I get the feeling
you refused to pose for the photo on the back.”
Celes laughed.
“I told them if they
wanted a picture to take it, otherwise they could leave it off.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Gee, I can’t imagine
why people think artists are difficult.”
She patted the cushion next to her, inviting Phoebe to join her. When she had settled next to her, she began
to flip through the book, her attention immediately captured by the bold images
portrayed in the redhead’s artwork.
There were a couple of still life pieces, and several images of spatial
phenomena, but the pieces that grabbed her attention and really held it, were
the nudes. They were drawn and painted
in a style that seemed to tread a thin line between impressionism and
realism. But more than that, their
colors and lines seemed to almost vibrate with a sensual energy. A decidedly feminine sensual energy.
Silently, Celes
continued to turn through the pages, a small smile gracing her features when she
reached the end with the exact results she expected.
There was not a
single image of a male model anywhere in Phoebe’s work.
“Something amusing?”
Celes looked at the
artist. “No, I am in awe.” She wasn’t lying exactly. She found her work extraordinary. She just wasn’t going to bring up the
decidedly female orientation of her visions.
Gentle little nudges were one thing.
She wasn’t going to hit her over the head with a two by four. “Your work is exquisite, Phoebe.”
A feeling of warmth
settled into the taller woman’s chest.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like
them.”
“So, are you going to
tell me what a Sno-Cat is?”
“Oh!” Phoebe tossed her the jacket she had
abandoned earlier, an enthusiastic smile on her face. “Follow me.”
They went down into the
lower barn and through a door that led to an area that smelled of gasoline and
motor oil. Phoebe flipped on the light
switch then took her by the shoulders, turning her to face a large lump that
was covered by a gray tarp. Grabbing the
corner, the artist pulled it off with great flourish. “Voila!”
Celes looked at the
contraption in confusion. It looked kind
of like a hover bike, with its one long leather seat and handlebars, but
instead of the air jets there were eight circular gears with large teeth that
seemed to crisscross over each other.
“What the hell is it?”
Phoebe laughed. “One of the last few remaining Sno-Cats. Dad had it for decades. This thing will travel across snow, slush,
ice, pretty much anything that has to do with frozen or partially frozen
water.”
“Wouldn’t a hover
bike be easier to maintain?”
“That’s what I said,
until the first time I rode it.” She
handed Celes a set of goggles, a thick leather cap and two knit scarves from a
cabinet nearby before she slid the outer door open, letting in the cold
air. She pulled on her own gear and
jumped onto the Sno-Cat, turning the key before jumping on starter to bring the
machine roaring into life.
“It’s loud!” Celes laughed as she climbed onto the seat
behind Phoebe.
“Don’t worry!” The artist called back. “Your ears will get too numb to notice!” She threw a reckless grin at the startled
Bajoran. “Hold on tight!”
Celes didn’t need to
be told twice. She wrapped her arms
around Phoebes waist, pulling herself up tightly against the taller woman’s
back.
The sled lurched
forward, slowly at first until the gears found their purchase below the top
layer of powder, and then the Sno-Cat took off like a bat out of hell. Glancing back, the Bajoran saw a huge plume
of white being thrown up behind them as the snow was chewed up and spit out
from beneath them.
“WOOO HOOO!” Phoebe cried out happily as they tore across
the landscape. She could feel Celes’
heart beating wildly against her back and heard the soft cries of delight that
escaped from her throat as the machine went airborne over one of the higher
snowdrifts. “Now this is something a
hover-bike can’t do!” She shouted over
the wind. The Sno-Cat hit the edge of
the frozen lake and the gears dropped down, flattening into a solid tread that
hugged the ice, but did not cut into it.
Phoebe felt them change and banked the Cat hard, delighting in the
Bajoran’s laughter as the vehicle slid sideways across the frozen lake top,
spinning in lazy circles as it traveled.
They rode out the drift until the Cat snugged up against the opposite
bank and then she powered down the engine and slid her goggles down around her
neck. “So? What did you think?”
“Oh my god, Phoebe,
that was fabulous!” Celes leaned in and
gave her a quick kiss. “Just let my
heart catch up with us, I think it’s over there someplace.”
Phoebe laughed and
helped her climb down and then rummaged around in the saddlebags on the back of
the bike.
“What are you
doing?” Celes asked.
“Looking for
these.” She held up her bounty
triumphantly.
Celes’ eyebrows
furrowed as she looked at the objects in Phoebe’s hands. They looked like long knives with one edge
attached to a flat piece of plastic.
The artist grinned at
her confusion. Setting the items down,
she took her around the waist and lifted her so that she was sitting sideways
on the Sno-Cat’s seat. Celes watched
her curiously as she took one of the blades and placed the plastic plate
against the bottom of her boot. Small
clamps popped out and locked down firmly on the sole. She then did the same to her other boot.
“Skates!” Celes grinned in delight.
Phoebe nodded and
donned her own and they pushed off from the Sno-Cat, both of them trying to
remember how to balance on the thin blades now attached to their feet.
Childhood lessons
came back quickly though and soon they were skating figure eights around each
other as a light snowfall began to dust over them.
They skated for
another two hours until the snowfall had become so thick they could barely see
each other, then they removed the blades and climbed back onto the Sno-Cat. With the weather quickly turning against
them, Phoebe drove much more carefully, grateful for the warm interior of the
barn as they pulled inside. They quickly
closed up the barn doors and covered the bike before climbing the stairs up to
the loft where Phoebe poured them each three fingers of whiskey to warm their
insides.
“I’ve got something
better than that.” Gretchen smiled at
them from the top of the stairs. “I saw
you ride in and knew you would be chilled to the bone. So I brought you some soup, sandwiches, and
some hot tea.” She handed them two
thermoses and a bag before turning to leave.
“Thanks, Ma.” Phoebe smiled at her. “Do you want to join us, or are you eating
with Katie and Seven?”
“Oh, no, those two
still haven’t come down.” She shook her
head with a small grin. “But I have a roast to get started. And trust me; they WILL be coming down for
dinner.”
Celes watched the
older woman go before accepting a sandwich and a mug full of steaming hot
chicken noodle soup. “Your mother is
really something else.”
“Yeah…she’s a
keeper.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn sighed
happily as she opened her eyes, feeling the warm weight of Seven’s limbs still
pressing down on her. She glanced over at her love and was surprised to see
bright azure eyes studying her intently.
“Hey you. You’re awake.”
“Yes.”
“What are you
thinking about?”
Seven traced one Borg
enhanced finger across her chest thoughtfully.
“I was just considering my situation and how differently things may have
occurred had you not found yourself lost in the Delta Quadrant.” Tears filled her eyes and began to spill down
her cheeks. “What might have happened to
me if you had not…” Her voice broke and she buried her face in the older
woman’s neck.
“Shhh.” Kathryn ran her fingers through the blonde
hair and down her back in soothing strokes.
“You don’t have to think about those things, Annika. They don’t matter anymore.” She smiled reassuringly. “What you should be thinking about is what
our future holds.”
“I do not possess
precognitive abilities.”
“I know.” She laughed softly. “But you can still imagine what we might
have, what direction our lives might take.”
“Elaborate.”
“Well, for example,
what if I remain stationed on Earth?”
“Then I would find
work here to occupy my time.”
“And if I did manage
to get another ship?”
“Then I would follow
you, wherever you might go.”
“Starfleet might have
a thing or two to say about that.”
“Starfleet is
irrelevant, Kathryn.” The Borg
stretched, arching her back and neck.
“If need be, I will accept a commission to remain with you.”
Kathryn felt a lump
in her throat and swallowed. “And where
would we live, here on Earth? Where
would you like to have a home?”
“Where do you see us
living?”
“I see us in a big
old house with a music room where I can listen to you sing in your sweet, clear
voice, and a modern kitchen, complete with every form of appliance since you
seem to love that room so much.”
“What else?”
“A large living room
with a fireplace for us to snuggle in front of and a wooden deck where we can
sit in the summer months and take in the sun.”
“What else?”
“A bedroom with a
king size bed for us to lounge in.”
“What else?”
“A dog.”
“A canine?” Seven arched one eyebrow.
“Yes.” Kathryn smiled. “A house never seems like a home without a
dog to greet you when you get there.”
“I see. What else?”
“Have I forgotten
something?” The older woman looked at
her. “What do you see?”
“One more room.” An almost shy look covered her features
causing Kathryn to grin.
“What would be in
that room?”
Seven took a deep
breath. “A small bed... and toys.”
Kathryn stopped
breathing.
“A little girl?” The Borg looked at her, her eyes full of
emotion. “With red hair and eyes like
the
“A child.” The older woman said carefully. “You want to have a child… with me?”
“I wish to have our
child, Kathryn.” She tightened her
embrace. “I find the love I have for you
growing exponentially. It seems at times
that there is more of it than we need, for just the two of us. The logical course of action would be to add
a sub-unit to our collective. An
additional member to share all of the love we have to give.”
“All right. But what if I want a little girl with white
blonde hair and bright blue eyes?”
“Then we shall have
to have two.”
Kathryn laughed. “You’ve been talking to mother.”
“We have discussed
it.” Seven admitted. “She agrees with my hypothesis.”
“She would. All right, a little girl.” She took a deep breath. “What kind of time frame are we looking at
here?”
The Borg laughed
softly. “It does not need to be
immediate, Kathryn. I wish for us to
spend time together first. A year should
be sufficient.”
The older woman
cleared her throat. “A year, hmm? All right, we’ll discuss it in a year
then. You won’t let me forget will
you?” She teased.
“I shall not.” Seven renewed her interest in Kathryn’s
chest, her fingers swirling closer to the rosy nipples that hardened under her
touch.
“Something tells me
we’re done talking for the moment.”
The younger woman
rolled them over so that Kathryn was on top of her. “You are correct.”
Smiling, the Admiral
closed her eyes as her lips were captured in a passionate kiss.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The last rays of sunlight were fading from the
sky as Phoebe and Celes stepped through the back door and into the kitchen, the
rich smell of pot roast teasing their senses as they hung their jackets up and
accepted mugs of coffee from Gretchen.
“Any sign of the
happy couple yet?” Phoebe asked.
“Nope.” Gretchen rolled the last biscuit into shape
and placed it into the pan to bake. “Why
don’t you girls set the table and then give them a thirty minute warning for
dinner?”
They did as they were
asked, and then Phoebe went to rouse the missing women while Celes went to the
guest room to change into her dress whites so that Gretchen could see if they
needed to adjust anything before the ceremony.
When she came downstairs, Phoebe looked at her with open
appreciation.
“You look good in a
uniform.” She whispered as she circled
around her, trailing her hands across the smaller woman’s shoulders.
Gretchen joined them
and took several holo-images from different angles, explaining that she would be
using them to create the outfit that Phoebe would be wearing when she served as
the Maid of Honor. When she was done,
she hugged Celes briefly. “You’re
perfect. Why don’t you leave those
here? No sense dragging them back and
forth to the base when the wedding is only a week away.”
Celes agreed and went
back upstairs to change into her regular clothes.
Gretchen watched as
her youngest daughter’s eyes followed the Bajoran until she was out of sight.
“She’s a lovely girl,
Phoebe.” She smiled.
“Yeah… yeah she is.”
“What are you going
to do about it?”
Phoebe sighed. “I’m still working on that one, Mom.”
Gretchen
laughed. “As different as you and
Kathryn are, it still amazes me how much you are the same.” Refusing to say anything more, she went back
into the kitchen to pull the roast from the oven.
Forty five minutes
later, Kathryn and Seven finally came downstairs. They both looked tremendously relaxed, their
hair still damp from the shower they had taken together.
The five women sat
down to dinner and talked easily as the night wore on.
“I want to hear about
Phoebe when she was young.” Celes pushed
her empty plate away and picked up her wine glass. “Was she always an artist?”
“From the time she
could hold a pencil she was drawing.” Gretchen
smiled at her youngest fondly. “She was
taking advanced art theory when she was twelve in a class full of students five
years older than she was.”
“That must have been
interesting.” Celes mused.
“Oh, you don’t know
the half of it!” Kathryn laughed. “There was this one time, when the instructor
assigned the students the task of completing a nude study over winter break.”
Phoebe choked. “You are not going to tell this story!!”
“Oh yes I am!” Kathryn grinned. “The rest of the class came
back from break with artistic renderings of museum nudes, but not my little
sister.”
“What did she
do?” The Bajoran leaned forward, eager
for the punch line.
“She did one of
herself! She stood naked in front of the
mirror in her bedroom for days!! The instructor
was speechless from what I understand.”
Phoebe groaned and
dropped her head into her hands as Celes placed a comforting hand on the back
of her neck.
“I still have that
drawing somewhere around here.” Gretchen added.
“Mom!”
“Really?” The Bajoran grinned. “I would love to see it!”
“Don’t you
dare!” Phoebe warned.
Kathryn pushed away
from the table laughing. “Dinner was
great Mom. If you ladies will excuse me,
I have to send some communiqués to Starfleet before we turn in. I’ll see you all later.”
Gretchen stood and
began to collect the dishes.
“Let me help with
that.” Celes offered.
When they had left
the room, Phoebe eyed Seven, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “So, did you two have a good day?”
“It was most
enjoyable.” Seven replied.
“That’s good. I thought maybe the two of you would be
having a hard time with the abstinence thing.”
“The ‘abstinence
thing’?”
“Oh,” Phoebe feigned
surprise. “I guess Kathryn didn’t tell
you about that tradition.
“Explain.” Seven demanded.
“It’s an old Terran
tradition. The betrothed couple is
supposed to remain chaste until after the ceremony. Apparently it’s symbolic of the purity of
their love.”
The Borg looked
thoughtful. “Are you certain? Kathryn did not mention it.”
“Oh sure.” Phoebe took a sip of her wine. “I’m sure if
you check the database on Terran matrimonial traditions you’ll be able to read
all about it.”
“I will do
that.” Seven stood and headed for the
stairs. “Thank you, Phoebe.”
“Anytime.” The redhead watched her go and then began
chuckling to herself.
“That was downright
mean.”
Phoebe glanced up and
saw Celes standing in the doorway, her arms crossed as she looked at her in
amusement.
“Hey, I had to get
even.”
The Bajoran sat down
next to her. “So, do I get to see this
self portrait of yours?”
“Maybe…” She heard her sister leave the den and head
upstairs. “But not tonight. I think it’s time we headed back to
* * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn shut the
bedroom door and smiled at Seven who was curled up under the blankets reading
over a data PADD. “What’s that?”
“Research.”
“Ahh.” She slowly stripped off her clothes and slid
between the sheets. Snuggling her body up against the Borg’s lanky curves she
was surprised to find that she was wearing pajamas. “What’s with the outfit?”
“It is
appropriate.”
“Ok,” The older woman
shrugged. “Why don’t you put that PADD
away and come hold me?”
Seven set the device
on the bedside table and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, placing a
gentle kiss on her forehead before whispering, “Goodnight, Kathryn.”
“Goodnight?” The Admiral sat up and looked down at her in
confusion. “You can’t possibly be
tired.”
“I am not.”
“You… don’t want to
make love?”
“My desire to make
love with you is irrelevant. We cannot
indulge in that activity at this time.”
Kathryn blinked. “Ooookay.
You want to explain that one to me?”
“It is my
understanding that a betrothed couple should remain chaste until after the
wedding ceremony, to prove the purity and depth of their love for each
other. Is that not a Terran
tradition? I have read about it.”
“Well, yes it is an old Earth custom. I wasn’t aware it was one we were
recognizing.”
“I find that it has
merit.”
“All right. If it’s what you want.” Frustrated, she lay back against her pillow.
“What made you look up that particular tradition anyway?”
* * * * * * * * * *
“We’re heading out,
Mom.” Phoebe handed Celes her jacket and
pulled on her own. “It’s starting to
look kind of nasty out there and I want to get Celes to the transport station
before the snow really starts to fly.”
Gretchen opened her
mouth to reply but was cut off by a loud shout from upstairs.
“PHOEBE!!!!!!”
“Gotta go! I’ll be staying at the gallery this week” She
kissed her mom on the cheek quickly and pushed the Bajoran out the door.
Gretchen watched them
go, confusion plain on her features. Her
confusion only grew when Kathryn stormed into the kitchen tying her robe around
her waist.
“Where is she?”
“Phoebe? She just left to take Celes back to
town. What’s going on?”
She explained what
her little sister had done through clenched teeth and then waited patiently
until her mother stopped laughing.
Patting her arm
gently, Gretchen smiled at her. “Oh,
come on dear. It’s not that bad. It’s only a week.”
Kathryn sighed,
pinching the bridge of her nose. “Seven
years, Mom.”
Her mother tried hard
not to start laughing again. “I know
honey, but think how much better the honeymoon will be.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe and Celes
spent the ride back to the transport station in silence, both of them lost in
their own thoughts. When they finally
reached their destination, Phoebe reached out and took her hand.
“Celes…” She began.
The Bajoran
swallowed, a sad look crossing her features.
“Is this the part where you tell me what great friends we’ll be?”
Phoebe blinked in
confusion. “What? No!
Well, yes I’m sure we’ll be great friends but this isn’t a brush off.” She smiled as the light came back into the
smaller woman’s eyes. “I just wanted to
say that I had an incredible time this weekend, but I’m going to have to stay
in
“I do. And I’m flattered.”
“Good.” She leaned over and kissed her gently,
pulling back before her barely restrained passion could break through. “I’ll see you at the transport station in
“I can’t wait.” Celes stole one more quick kiss and then
jumped from the hover-car, disappearing into the swirling snow.
Chapter Eight – Elegant Ultimatums
Admiral Janeway
stalked through the corridors of the Cathain
on her way to engineering. It had been
three days since she and Seven had last made love and the excess energy was
driving her to distraction. Added to
that was the fact that the MercDrive installation was nearly complete, meaning
that the Admiral’s council would soon be starting their deliberations as to who
would be sitting in the Captain’s chair, a decision that might be made while
she was out on leave.
All in all, Kathryn’s
frustration was reaching a dangerous level.
She was surprised to
find Engineering empty when she arrived, the work crews having moved on to
other areas of the ship. Circling the
warp core, she nearly tripped over a pair of long, shapely legs sticking out
from beneath the dilithium chamber assembly.
“Seven? What are you doing down there?”
“I am attempting to
complete the final conduit assembly but I am experiencing difficulty with the
last coupling.”
“What kind of
difficulty?”
“I have found it hard
to hold both ends of the conduit and turn the connector at the same time.”
“What do you need?”
“A third hand?” Came the frustrated reply.
“Where is B’Elanna?”
“She has gone to the
bridge to oversee the installation of the weapons failsafe. She has refused to
assist me in any case.”
“What? Why?”
There was a long
pause. “B’Elanna has stated that I am
far too ‘bitchy’ to be around at this time.”
Ahh so the
self imposed abstinence has affected even Borg efficiency!
Sighing, Kathryn
dropped to the deck and worked her way up to where Seven was struggling with
the coupling. “Where do you need me?”
“Place your hand
here.” She directed her to one end of
the conduit hose.
The older woman had
to squirm closer, half lying on top of the supine blonde to reach the offending
mechanism. She held the hose steady as
Seven began to turn the coupling, tightening it against the other end of the
relay.
Kathryn closed her
eyes as the Borg’s scent washed over her.
It was clean and sweet, slightly tangy with exertion and she could not
stop her free hand from stroking the long line of her neck from her ear to her
shoulder. Forgetting where she was for a
moment, she let her fingers wander further, trailing them down the front of
Seven’s bio-suit to pass over the soft swells of her breasts.
“Kathryn.” The Borg’s voice was husky. “That is not conducive to completing our work.”
“Why not?” She smirked.
“You said you only needed one of my hands. The other is free to do what it wants.”
Feeling decidedly
wicked, she closed her fingers over an already firm nipple, reveling in the
sharp intake of breath from the woman beneath her.
“We cannot…” Seven began.
“And we won’t.” Kathryn finished for her. “Not only is this an inappropriate place, but
I always keep my promises. However,
there is a big difference between making love and a little heavy petting.”
With a growl, Seven released
the coupling and grabbed her, pulling their bodies together roughly in the
tight space. Her hands slid possessively
down the small body to firmly cup her buttocks as Kathryn’s teeth nipped
playfully at her throat. The Borg’s
strong thigh slipped between her legs as she captured her lips, her tongue
sliding inside her mouth to wrestle wetly with her own.
Kathryn indulged this
behavior for several delicious moments and then pushed her away, crawling out
from beneath the chamber to straighten her uniform. “Anything else I can help you with, dear?”
“No.” Seven’s voice was strained. “I have completed my repairs.”
Smiling, the Admiral
turned on her heel and headed out of Engineering. She ran into B’Elanna at the door.
“Admiral.” The Klingon nodded at her. “I came down to see if your woman still
needed any help.”
“Oh she does.” Kathryn smirked. “But I don’t think there’s anything you can
do for her.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe stared at the
painting in front of her, trying to envision an acceptable way to complete the
multicolored nebula that swirled beautifully at her from the canvas.
It was based on one
of the many images that Seven had supplied her with from the Astrometrics
database on Voyager. The scene was gorgeous on its own, but she
couldn’t shake the feeling that it was lacking somehow.
With a sigh, she
dropped her paintbrush and picked up the bottle of wine she had been nursing
all day. Drinking directly from its
neck, she cocked her head to one side and let her thoughts wander.
As expected, the
first image to enter her mind was one of Celes, but it was quickly followed by
Seven, and then Kathryn and each of the members of the senior staff that she
had come to know since the ship’s return.
It suddenly occurred to her that Voyager
had been so much more than a ship to its crew.
It had been a home, a fortress and a savior all in one.
Humming to herself,
she picked up her paintbrush again and started to work.
* * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn Janeway stood
outside of the Admiral’s Council Chambers wondering which way this meeting was
going to go. It was Thursday, the last
day she would be at Starfleet Headquarters before taking her month leave for
the wedding and honeymoon.
She had asked that
this session be convened for a specific reason and while she knew her motives
to be true and sound, it did little to quell the anxiety she felt rising up
inside of her.
Finally, squaring her
shoulders, she entered the room to find Admiral Paris, Admiral Neyechev,
Admiral Stewart and a host of others seated around the semi-circular
table. She stood at attention before
them, only relaxing when
“You’ve done an
excellent job on the Cathain, Admiral
Janeway.” He nodded. “We are very pleased with your work and the work
of Seven of Nine.”
“Yes,” Neyechev bared
her teeth in what passed for a smile. “Now all that remains is for us to assign
her crew and for you to assist in their training.”
“That is what I
wished to discuss with you.” Janeway
lifted her chin. “I respectfully request
a demotion back to Captain and that I be given command of another ship.”
There was a moment of
collective silence and then Neyechev responded. “No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The answer is
no.” She repeated. “You are too valuable to us in your current
position. We require your expertise in
the training of not just the crew of the Cathain,
but in that of all the officers who will soon be graduating from the
academy. Your experience is too vast to
waste on the command of a single vessel.”
Janeway silently
counted to ten as she reigned in her temper.
“With all due respect, I do not belong behind a desk or behind a
teaching podium. I belong on the bridge
of a starship and you know that.”
“Then perhaps you
should have considered that before accepting your promotion. Our determination is final. We expect you to fulfill your obligations as
Admiral upon your return from leave.”
She took a deep
breath. "All right, you have
explained what you expect. Now let me make my position perfectly clear. I'm going on leave to be married. When I return in 28 days, I will either have
my demotion and a new command, or you will have my resignation. Either way, I won't be wearing an Admiral's
insignia any longer."
"You would do
that?" Admiral Neyechev leaned
forward in her chair. "Throw away
your whole career?"
"This isn't the
career I want, sitting behind a desk, pushing reports. I'll be honest, I want the Cathain.
But beyond that, I want the stars.
If I can't have them with Starfleet, I’m sure there are hundreds of
private ventures out there that could use a seasoned Captain."
"Especially one
with your name." Admiral Paris looked amused.
Janeway leaned her
head to one side and smiled but did not respond to his remark. "I'll see you in 28 days."
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe stood self
consciously at the transport station in
I guess I
should take it as a compliment. She mused
to herself. She was not one to normally
fuss about her appearance, but she had taken an extraordinary amount of time on
herself this afternoon. Her hair was brushed
until the sunlight glinted off the deep red curls that flowed over her
shoulders and down her back, accented by the two perfectly done braids on
either side of her face. She was wearing
a custom tailored black tuxedo with tails, the pants neatly taken in to show
off her curves, the bow tie and cummerbund a deep crimson against the ivory of
her shirt. She knew she looked pretty
good, she just wished people wouldn’t stare.
Ten seconds later she got her wish.
The platform went silent as another woman stepped into view
that totally eclipsed her appearance.
Celes walked casually in her direction, a glow about her as
she took in the look of awe on Phoebe’s face.
The Bajoran was wearing a slinky black evening gown that had
one thin strap holding it up over her shoulder.
It cut deeply down across her full breasts, leaving her shoulders bare
and ended just below her knees where it met the tops of high black lace up
boots. Gloves stretched from her elbows
to her fingertips where she clutched a small black purse. Her hair was a mass of sparkling red curls
that were drawn up at the sides by glistening silver combs that caught the
light no matter which way she moved.
“You look…” Phoebe
swallowed. “Radiant.”
Celes smiled. “Thank
you. You look very debonair
yourself.” She placed her hand daintily
on Phoebe’s outstretched arm and allowed herself to be led to the hover-car
waiting at the curb.
As they settled into the back seat, Phoebe angled her body
so that she could continue to look at her.
“You’re staring, hun.”
“I can’t help it.”
She knew she had a goofy smile on her face and didn’t care. “I think you are the most beautiful thing I
have ever seen.”
“Sweet talker.”
When they arrived at their destination, the taller woman
jumped out of the craft eagerly, once again extending her arm to help the other
woman from the conveyance. The members
of the press who had gathered outside had a field day snapping holo-images as
the two smiled and waved before they entered the building.
Arm in arm, they climbed the short flight of stairs to the second floor where Celes was handed a program before they entered the gallery.
“Duality: Beauty in Borg Space.” She read with a smile, then a small laugh
escaped her lips. “A new showing by
Phoebe Beatrice Janeway? You’re
kidding? PB&J?”
“Yeah,” The
taller woman flushed. “I heard that all the time from Katie when we were kids. How do you know about peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches?”
“Tom Paris
recommended them. He said it was his
favorite comfort food.” She ran her hand
down the front of the taller woman’s lapels.
“It suits you. Dry on the
outside, soft and sweet on the inside…”
Phoebe
swallowed. “C’mon. I’ll show you the
exhibit.”
The two women swept into the room to applause from the people already in attendance. Phoebe bowed slightly and then took Celes by the hand, leading her from one painting to the next. As they came to the second to last, she heard the smaller woman sigh in appreciation. “Oh, Phoebe, this is wonderful.”
The artist
smiled. It was the painting she had been
having trouble with the night before.
She had finally completed it by adding an image of Voyager in the swirling colors of the nebula and half hidden images
of Kathryn, Seven, B’Elanna, Tom, Tuvok and Harry in the shadows of the clouds.
“Voyagers.” Celes read the name. “It’s lovely.”
“Thank
you.”
“Is this
the focal point? The one you’re giving
Seven and Janeway as a wedding gift?”
“Oh
no.” She took the Bajoran’s hand,
leading her to the center of the room.
“That one is right there.”
Celes
looked at the charcoal study title Duality,
her jaw slowly dropping at the intricate detail that Phoebe had put into her
work. The lines were perfect, the
representation impeccable.
“It’s…exquisite, Phoebe. Truly.”
“Do you
think they’ll like it?”
“I think
they’ll adore it.”
They spent
the rest of the afternoon winding through the crowds with Phoebe stopping now
and then to speak with admirers of her work.
Finally, exhausted, they retired to the refreshment area where Marie caught
up with them.
“Looks like
we have a bidding war going on for Voyagers,
my dear.” The woman smiled broadly.
“They’ve already hit six figures.”
“That’s
wonderful, Phoebe!” Celes threw her arms
around the taller woman and hugged her tightly.
“We do have
one small problem though.” Marie sighed.
“Problem?” Phoebe frowned. “What’s going on?”
“There is a
gentleman that is adamant about purchasing Duality.”
“It’s NFS,
Marie.”
“I know
that, he just doesn’t seem to want to take my word on that.”
“All
right.” The artist sighed. “Where is he?
I’ll talk to him.”
“He’s
standing right next to it.”
They walked
back towards the focal piece and Celes felt Phoebe tense beside her when they
saw who was standing there.
“Hello,
Phoebe.” He nodded.
“Chakotay.” The artist’s voice was like ice. “What can I do for you?”
“I want to
purchase this item.”
“Well, as
you can see from the little card at the bottom, Duality is NFS.”
He
smiled. “Everything has a price.”
“Not
everything.” Celes interjected.
Chakotay
looked at the Bajoran, a nasty smirk on his face as he took in her hand tucked
snuggly within Phoebe’s. “I guess
deviant behavior runs in your family.”
Celes took
a step forward but Phoebe stopped her.
“The only deviant I see here is you.”
The artist said quietly. “Duality is not for sale, at any
price. And even if it were, I wouldn’t
sell it to you.”
Without
another word, she led the Bajoran away to speak to an art critic that had been
trying to get her attention all day.
Frowning,
Chakotay walked into the outer hall where he caught one of the ushers by the
arm. “I would like to talk to the artist
alone about one of her creations. What
time is the showing over?”
“The
showing ends at six.” The young man said
helpfully. “But she won’t be available
then, I’m afraid. The gallery will be
closing down early to accommodate a private party.”
“A private
party?”
“Yes. I believe it is a bridal shower for the
artist’s sister. Excuse me, sir.”
Chakotay
watched him walk away, a small smile on his face.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven and
Kathryn stepped off the transport pad at the
“You look
wonderful” Kathryn breathed. Her hands
slid down the front of the shimmering red dress the Borg wore, delighting in
the feel of the silk that clung to her like a second skin.
“As do
you.” Seven smiled. “Seeing you in a tuxedo has always had a most
gratifying affect on me.”
“I'm the one who she be grateful for the effect it has on you.” Kathryn grinned. She kissed the Borg again, her barely
restrained passion breaking through more than just a little.
“One more
day.” Seven promised.
“That is
one day too long.” The Admiral growled.
The car
pulled up in front of the gallery and they stepped out, surprised to find
members of the press still there, happy to snap holo-images of them as they
made their way inside. On the second
floor, they met up with Gretchen, Tom, B’Elanna, Sam, Naomi, Tuvok, his wife
and the Doctor as they loitered outside the entrance.
“What are
you all doing out here?” Kathryn smiled.
“They
wouldn’t let us in until you got here.”
Tom complained. “Apparently your
wedding gift is in there and they want it to be a surprise for everyone.”
“I
see.” The Admiral turned as she heard
someone call her name and did a double take.
Her sister walked towards them with Celes on her arm and she had to
admit, the two looked incredible together.
“Phoebe,
Celes.” She nodded at both of them. “You two look lovely this evening.”
“As do
you.” Celes smiled at the crowd. “All of
you.”
“So,
everything is ready.” Phoebe winked at
her mother. “Come on in.”
The gallery
had been decorated with red and white streamers, platinum balloons tied to the
tables around the corners of the room.
There was a large buffet spread and an open bar set up, as well as a
raised dais in the center of the room that held an object covered with a silver
cloth.
“It is
lovely, Phoebe.” Seven smiled at her
soon-to-be sister.
“I’m glad
you like it.” She raised her voice. “Everyone, please! Get yourself a glass of champagne and meet us
in the center of the room!”
The senior
staff, as well as the multitudes of other well wishers hurried to comply and
within minutes they were gathered in a well mannered throng around the raised
platform. Phoebe jumped up into the
stage and held out her hand to pull Celes up beside her. Holding up her own glass of champagne, she
smiled and addressed the crowd.
“We are
here this evening, to celebrate the extraordinary good luck of my big sister in
finding the one woman in the universe that could put up with her.”
The crowd
laughed softly.
“Katie,”
She smiled down at the Admiral. “I love
you dearly and I cannot imagine anyone more fitting for you to share your life
with than the incredible woman who is standing beside you at this very
moment. Seeing the two of you together
is enough to make anyone believe in true love.”
Shouts of
“Here, here!” broke out as the crowd drank in tribute to the happy couple.
“I know
that the people in this room have had the opportunity to know what a truly unique
and special woman Annika Hansen is, but I thought it unfair that the rest of
the world has not yet had that opportunity.
As such, I present my wedding gift to the two of you. It is my tribute to you Seven, and to the
love that allows us all to see you for who you truly are. I give you: Duality.”
With great flourish, she pulled away the silver cloth, revealing the canvas beneath.
For a
moment, the room was completely silent as they took in the image of Seven
wearing blue jeans and a white button down shirt lounging sideways in an
overstuffed chair. The Borg was barefoot
and there was a look of infinite longing on her face, one so completely… human…
that everyone in the room was moved to tears.
“Oh my
god.” Kathryn stepped closer. “Phoebe… that is… remarkable.” Tears welled up in her eyes and slid quietly
down her cheeks as Seven wrapped her arms around her from behind.
“I
concur.” The Borg nodded in
appreciation. “You’re work is flawless.”
“So is the
model.” Celes held up her glass. “To the happy couple!”
Everyone in
the room cheered and took a drink. The
crowd started to break up, most of them filing past the piece of art for a
closer look before heading off to the buffet table and the bar.
Kathryn
silently pulled Phoebe down from the stage and wrapped her up in a hug. Not trusting herself to say anything, she
cupped her sisters face in her hand and kissed her on the cheek before walking
away with Seven at her side to help support her in her emotional state.
“I think
that went well.” Celes slid her hand up
Phoebe’s back.”
“Me
too.” The artist smiled in satisfaction.
“Oh
yes.” A sarcastic voice said from behind
them. “Three cheers for the happy
couple.”
They both
turned to see Chakotay standing by the open doorway to the balcony. He had a glass of amber liquid in his hand
and from the sound of his voice, it wasn’t his first.
“I don’t
remember inviting you.” Phoebe said
darkly as she stepped up to him, her chin rising to study him with disdain.
“Hey, I was
a member of Voyager’s crew,
too.” He spat back. “I should be here.”
“You
forfeited whatever rights you had when you hit Seven.” Phoebe growled.
Chakotay
laughed. “So sanctimonious. You sound just like your sister.” He took a large drink from his glass. “It isn’t like Seven didn’t already get even. I’m sure you heard about how she blindsided
me after I risked my life to save her.”
“You risked
your life?” The artist said indignantly. “You’re a joke!”
“I’m a joke?” He gestured towards Seven
and Janeway. “Those two are the joke. The Federation hero and her pet Borg.” He
sneered. “Who wouldn’t be worth a damn without all those implants. She certainly wouldn’t have been able to get
the drop on me!”
“So,”
Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to one side. “What you’re saying is that the only reason
Seven managed to lay you out is because she has Borg enhancements?”
Chakotay
nodded, turning to snort in their direction.
“She’s a freak…just like…” His
words were cut short as he turned back towards Phoebe to find his face
connecting with a solid right hook. The
woman’s fist was small, but there was a lot of anger behind it and the force
pushed him backwards, directly into the foot Celes had planted in his
path. Arms flailing wildly, Chakotay
went over the balcony railing, landing with a satisfying thud in the rose bed
ten feet below.
Phoebe ran
to the railing, making sure the obnoxious man’s chest was moving before she
turned a delighted smile on the young Bajoran.
Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed Celes resoundingly, her
eyes going wide when she heard a soft sigh and the lips beneath hers
opened. She felt a tentative hand at the
nape of her neck and gentle fingers brushing through the delicate hairs, making
them tingle. They were kissing…. Right
here…out in the open! For a moment, her
brain tried to focus on all the reasons she had for not getting involved with
Celes, but when the soft, pink tongue reached out and gently caressed her upper
lip, all reason fled. She wrapped the smaller
woman up in her arms, arching her back slightly as the kiss was passionately
returned
The embrace
went on for several delicious moments until they heard footsteps
approaching. Pulling away, Phoebe turned
to see Tom and Harry rushing over.
“What
happened?” Tom looked from Phoebe to Celes,
taking in the slightly flushed expressions with concern. “We heard a scream.”
“Oh,
that.” Celes managed. “I believe Chakotay zigged when he should
have zagged.”
Harry and
Tom both looked down over the railing, their concern turning to laughter when
they saw their former First Officer trying unsuccessfully to extricate himself
from several thorny rose bushes.
“C’mon,
Tom.” Harry shook his head. “We’d better get him out of there before he
causes a scene.”
Phoebe
watched them go then took the smaller woman by the hand. “You were wonderful, thank you.”
“I think I
prefer your previous method of displaying gratitude.” The Bajoran smiled and moved closer, closing
the distance between them to place a gentle kiss on her lips.
Suddenly
all the nervousness was gone. All the
second guessing herself, all the worries about what was right or wrong for her
just disappeared beneath Celes’ velvet lips and the soft weight of the body in
her arms.
“Whoa!” Kathryn stopped short just inside the doorway
to the balcony. “So sorry to
interrupt.” She snickered. “I was just wondering where Tom and Harry
rushed off to.”
Phoebe
glanced over the railing before throwing her sister a playful wink. “Oh, they just went to take out the trash.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe
waved goodbye to the last of the partiers and then flopped tiredly into a
chair. Her bow tie had long since been
removed and her ivory shirt was unbuttoned almost down to her breasts. Smiling to herself, she grabbed a half-full
bottle of champagne from a nearby table and drank directly from its neck before
offering it to Celes, who slid gracefully into a chair beside her.
The Bajoran
accepted the bottle, taking a long drink as she watched the taller woman’s hand
play idly with the laces on one of her boots before it slid up over her knee to
lie possessively on her thigh. With a
grin, she handed the bottle back.
“Phoebe Beatrice Janeway, I do believe you’re drunk.”
“On life maybe,” The artist smiled. “But not on champagne. I think the party went well, don’t you?”
“I think
so. Your sister seemed relieved that you
hadn’t ordered strippers for the occasion.”
Phoebe
snorted. “Don’t think the thought
hadn’t occurred to me. Somehow though,
something more sedate seemed called for.
They really do adore each other.
Don’t need strippers to commemorate that fact.”
“Agreed.” Celes looked at the mess around them. “What now?
We clean up?”
“Oh hell
no! Marie has a crew for that. They’ll be in an hour or so before dawn and
the gallery will look good as new.”
“So then… I
guess I head back to the base.”
Phoebe
looked thoughtful for a moment. “Listen
why don’t you come out and stay at the farm again? Your dress whites are already there and the
wedding is early in the afternoon. No
sense in you going all the way to the base just to head out to
“I didn’t
bring anything with me.” Celes
protested.
“I have a
toothbrush you can borrow and something comfortable for you to change into.” She saw that the Bajoran was wavering. “Come on, I’d really like it if you did.”
“All
right.” She smiled. “But you get to cook for me in the morning.”
“As long as
you can live on coffee. That’s about all
I can make!” She took Celes by the hand
and they strolled casually down to the hover-car that was still waiting for
them by the curb. Within twenty minutes
they had arrived at the transport station in
Celes was
grateful for the added warmth as they climbed into the Janeway hovercraft as it
took a good five minutes to get the heat moving through the conveyance. After that the ride was comfortable and the
Bajoran spent the time spellbound by the winter covered fields that sped by
outside the windows.
The farm
was dark and quiet when they finally reached it, the only light on was coming
from the kitchen and the two women made their way there silently to find
Gretchen sipping a cup of tea.
“Hello, darling.” Her mother stood and placed a kiss on her
cheek. “Wonderful party. I was quite proud of you.”
“Thanks
Mom.”
Gretchen
looked startled for a moment when she saw Phoebe wasn’t alone. “Celes!
Hello dear!” She wrapped the
smaller woman up in a warm hug. “I
wasn’t expecting to see you this evening.”
“Oh,” The
Bajoran looked momentarily flustered.
“If I’m causing an inconvenience-“
“Nonsense!” Gretchen smiled. “You are always welcome here. There’s just one small problem.”
Phoebe
looked at her mother’s mischievous smile curiously.
“Tom,
B’Elanna and little Miral are in one guestroom and Sam and Naomi are in the
other.” Gretchen explained.
“No
problem.” Celes smiled. “I’ve slept on a couch before.”
“Well,
unfortunately Harry Kim is on the couch.”
“Oh.”
Gretchen
tried hard not to laugh. “But Phoebe has
a queen size bed so I am sure the two of you will do just fine.” She patted the Bajoran on the arm. “If she starts to snore, just poke her in the
ribs.”
“Mom!” Phoebe complained.
“Goodnight,
girls!”
They stood
quietly in the kitchen for a few moments after the older woman had gone.
“You all
right with this?” Celes asked quietly.
“Oh,
sure.” Phoebe nodded, swallowing. “Come on, let’s turn in.”
They
climbed the stairs quietly so as not to wake up any of the sleeping
guests. Once they were in her room,
Phoebe closed the door softly and turned to look at Celes who was staring at
the bed.
“Something
wrong?” She asked.
“Just
curious what side you sleep on.”
“Oh.” The taller woman blushed slightly. “Just pick the side you want, it’s all the
same to me.”
“Ok, but I
can’t exactly sleep in this Phoebe.
Didn’t you promise me something comfortable to change into?”
“Right!” The artist rummaged through her drawers and
came up with an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts. “Here you go.”
Celes sat
down on the bed and took off her boots then stood and presented her back to
Phoebe. “Can you help me with this; the
clasp is in the back.”
“Sure.” Phoebe’s hands were shaking as unhooked the
small gold fastener, wondering idly who helped the smaller woman get into the
dress and finding herself surprised at the bolt of jealousy that shot through
her. “There.”
“Thank
you.” Celes let the dress slide down to
reveal that she was wearing nothing underneath and Phoebe turned quickly away,
hiding her flushed cheeks as she stripped down to the tank top and boxers she
wore under her tuxedo. She waited while
Celes slid between the sheets on the right side of the bed, then turned out the
light and climbed in on her side.
She lay
there for a few moments, counting silently to herself, willing herself to calm
down, sure that the Bajoran could hear the pounding of her heart. She had just managed to get it to behave when
Celes turned onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow to look at her.
“You sleep
on this side don’t you?”
Heart
hammering even harder in her chest Phoebe whispered, “Why do you say that?”
“Because
this pillow…” As she spoke she leaned in closer. “Is covered with the scent of your hair…”
“Oh?” She looked up at the beautiful face just
inches from hers. “Is that a problem?”
“I’m not
sure I’m going to be able to sleep.”
“Why not?” Phoebe whispered, her lips a breath away from
the Bajoran’s.
“Because
it’s going to drive me insane.”
The
distance closed between them and their lips met in a soft kiss that deepened as
Phoebe released the passion she had been holding in check since their kiss
earlier that night. Her arms went around
the smaller woman, crushing their bodies together as their tongues met and
played wetly within their mouths.
“Phoebe…”
Celes groaned, pulling away reluctantly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” The artist growled. “I’ve never been more
sure of anything in my life.”
“Then by
the Prophets, please… put your hands
on me.”
Phoebe slid
her hands up under Celes’ shirt, marveling at the feel of warm, smooth skin
under her palms. Grabbing the garment
with her fingers, she pulled it over Celes’ head then followed it with her own
before pulling the smaller body against hers once again.
Celes’
breasts were soft against hers, except for the two hard points of her nipples
that rubbed deliciously against her skin.
Moaning softly, she brought her lips to the Bajoran’s neck where she bit
lightly against the pulse fluttering wildly beneath her skin.
“Yes!” Celes whispered, her hands stroking across
the plains of Phoebe’s back before sliding down to hook into the band of her
shorts. Pushing gently, she slid the
garment down the taller woman’s legs where Phoebe kicked them off to get lost
amidst the blankets.
The artist
groaned loudly as small strong hands cupped her buttocks, using them to pull
her closer. Dropping her head, she
trailed kisses down Celes’ chest and up over her breasts, stopping for a moment
to take in the sight of her gently heaving chest, the swells capped beautifully
by dusky rose colored peaks. With a sigh
of pleasure, she took one in her mouth, her fingers finding the other as her
tongue and teeth played over the hardened flesh. She felt Celes shiver against her, heard her
quietly moaning her name and knew whatever she was doing, she was doing it
right.
Celes
buried her fingers in Phoebe’s hair, holding her head against her chest as the
woman lavished attention on her breasts.
Her eyes closed in ecstasy as teeth grazed over the swollen nipples
roughly before being replaced by the gentleness of tongue and lips. She hooked one of her legs over Phoebe’s hips
and pulled the artist to her, reveling in the smooth skin of the well muscled
thigh until the fabric of her shorts came between them.
As if
reading her mind, Phoebe’s hand slid down her stomach and under the garment,
pulling it off to toss it aside carelessly.
Freed,
Celes rolled over on top of the taller woman, her legs falling open to straddle
Phoebe’s hips. The hair between their legs tangled sweetly together, the
moisture mingling delicately as she slipped down to position herself on
Phoebe’s thigh.
Slowly, she
began to rock, the hardened ridge of her sex bumping deliciously over the muscles
beneath her. She heard Phoebe cry out at
the contact and felt the long, slender fingers slide down between them to play
wetly between her legs.
“Tell me
what to do.” Phoebe whispered
breathlessly.
“Go
inside.” Celes commanded.
Phoebe
obeyed, sliding two fingers into the velvet warmth and gasping in pleasure at
the muscles that contracted around them.
She raised her knee slightly and Celes began to ride her, pulling up and
back before sliding back down.
Phoebe put
her hand on the small of the Bajoran’s back, using it raise herself so that she
would not lose contact with the breasts she was adoring with her mouth. The fingers she had buried deeply within the
smaller woman curled reflexively and hit a smooth, slick spot, causing Celes to
throw her head back and cry out as her orgasm took shape within her.
Phoebe kept
her eyes open, watching the ecstasy as it transformed Celes’ face, watching the
pleasure course through her as the muscles of her neck went taught with
exertion, delighting in the salty taste that came with the light sheen of sweat
that was coating them both.
Finally
Celes body stiffened, going completely still as she cried it, “Oh Prophets, Yes
Phoebe!” And then the small body fell
forward, collapsing against her, melting into her until she could not tell
where her body left off and Celes’ began.
They lay
that way for several long minutes, Phoebe gently kissing the top of the
Bajoran’s head as she whispered endearments to her. Slowly, she pulled her fingers from her body
and brought them to her lips. The scent
was intoxicating, light and musky, like the earth after it rained. Sliding them into her mouth, she whimpered in
appreciation at the taste.
When she
opened her eyes again she found the smaller woman smiling at her. “Hey you.”
Celes whispered. “You all right?”
“All
right?” Phoebe laughed, hugging her
tightly. “I’m fantastic! That was… incredible.”
Desire
rose, dark and deep in the eyes gazing into her own. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Phoebe
swallowed, her head slamming back into her pillow as Celes’ mouth closed on one
of her nipples. The Bajoran’s tongue
flicked over it rapidly, realizing that Phoebe would be almost painfully
aroused and knowing she would not have much time to play.
Replacing
her mouth with her fingertips, the smaller woman slid down the generously
muscled torso, stopping here and there to lick and nibble at Phoebe’s abs in
her descent. She kissed the extended
navel gently, surmising that, as an outtie, Phoebe would be very ticklish,
before moving down further to nuzzle her lips through the red curls between her
legs.
“Oh, god
Celes…” Phoebe whispered.
Smiling,
the Bajoran opened Phoebe’s folds with her nose and reached out with her
tongue, finding the bundle of nerves that was red and swollen with need. She felt those long glorious fingers tangle
in her hair as she began to move her tongue over the ridge, bathing her face in
Phoebe’s essence as she suckled the small nub with her lips.
Phoebe’s
hips began to move under her ministrations, each stroke causing her to push
further and further up off of the bed.
Her mind was a whirl of chaos but even through all of it she recognized
that nothing… no one… had ever made her feel the way Celes was making her feel
right now with just her lips and the tip of her tongue.
Celes’
fingers continued to pinch her nipples exquisitely as her mouth increased its
tempo driving what was left of any rational thoughts from her mind. She closed her eyes tightly and saw the bight
colors of her orgasm flash behind her eyelids as she cried out into the
stillness, “OH DEAR GOD CELES!!” And
then she began to shake as the wave crashed over her, but Celes did not
stop. Over and over she brought the
taller woman to orgasm until Phoebe thought she might pass out.
Finally, unable
to bear anymore, she took Celes by the shoulders and pulled her up. The Bajoran came to rest on top of her,
capturing her mouth in a searing kiss that tasted of herself.
“I love
you.” Phoebe whispered as she wrapped
her arms around the smaller woman.
She felt
Celes smile against her chest. “It’s
about time.”
Phoebe
laughed.
“I love you
too, PB&J.”
Chapter Nine – You Are Cordially
Invited
Phoebe
staggered downstairs and into the kitchen, yawning as she reached for a mug to
pour herself a cup of coffee.
“Long
night?”
She turned
quickly, blinking to clear her vision and saw her sister, her mother, Seven,
Tom, and B’Elanna sitting around the breakfast bar. Miral was sitting on her mother’s lap,
cheerfully covering her with oatmeal.
“Oh,” Phoebe
blushed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“You look a
little flushed sis,” Kathryn smirked.
“What’s up?”
“Huh? OH,
nothing.” Phoebe climbed onto a
stool. “I guess I just drank a little
too much last night.”
“Uh
huh.” Kathryn took a sip of her coffee
to hide her smile. She was about to say
something else when her attention was grabbed by something behind her
sister.
Phoebe
turned to see Celes stumble into the kitchen.
She was dressed in one of Phoebe’s old field hockey jerseys and a pair
of boxer briefs. Her hair was tousled
and she had a very satisfied look on her face.
Everyone at the table watched in amusement as the Bajoran poured herself
a cup of coffee then walked up to Phoebe and dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“Morning
PB&J.”
B’Elanna
looked at Kathryn, mouthing ‘PB&J’?
Celes
finally glanced at the rest of them.
“Good morning.”
Without
another word, she turned and left the kitchen.
Phoebe’s
face was blushing so hard she thought she might burst into flames. Finally, she glanced at her sister to see the
knowing look on her face. “What?”
Kathryn and
B’Elanna grinned at each other before saying in unison, “Damn small house.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Kathryn
Janeway stood in the small room that served as the Groom’s Chamber at the
church and fidgeted. Her dress whites,
which she had always found more than comfortable, seemed to have shrunk somehow
in the last hour or so and she was continually pulling on her collar, trying to
free up the blood flow to her brain.
Calm down, Katie! She chastised herself. It’s not like
you weren’t prepared for this. This is
Seven… Annika… The woman you want to spend the rest of your life with!
But nothing
helped. Her heart continued to race and
she continually had to wipe her palms against her slacks to dry them.
Pacing
around the small room, she was glad she had skipped breakfast. Her stomach was doing flips and threatening
to toss out the coffee she had allowed herself as it was.
A brief
knock interrupted her pacing and Tom entered the room. “Admiral?”
“Don’t call
me that on my wedding day!” She snapped.
Tom blinked
in confusion and then grinned. “A little
nervous?”
She dropped
her head, grinning ruefully. “I’m sorry,
Tom. Maybe just a little.” She started to run her fingers through her
hair and then stopped, having been warned by B’Elanna that she would suffer a
fate worse than death if she messed it up.
“Did you go through this when you got married?”
“You don’t
remember?”
“At the
moment I can’t remember my own name!”
Tom
laughed. “Ok, yes I was terrified. I was marrying a Klingon for God’s sake!” He
straightened Kathryn’s insignia. “But I
will tell you something else. I haven’t
regretted it for a moment.”
Kathryn
nodded. “You guys look really happy.”
“You have
no idea.” He took her by the shoulders. “Getting married was the best thing I ever
did, next to having Miral.”
“You’re
happy being a daddy?”
“Oh
yeah.” His eyes got a little misty. “You
haven’t lived until this little person that means more than anything to you
tucks her hand in yours and says ‘I love you pawpaw’.” He noticed a strange wistful look on
Kathryn’s face. “Are you two… considering…”
“Seven
mentioned it.” She smiled. “She wants a little girl with red hair and
blue-gray eyes.”
“I can’t
imagine anything better.” Tom smiled and
hugged her briefly. “You two would be
incredible parents.”
“Yes,
well.” She tugged on her jacket. “That’s for later. For right now I would be content with getting
through my wedding without passing out.”
“You’ll do
fine.”
The door
opened again and Tuvok stepped inside.
“It is time, Kathryn.”
The Admiral
paled and Tom felt her slump slightly against him. “Come on.”
He grinned. “Where’s that command
mask?”
“I must
have left it in my sock drawer.” She said absently.
“Tuvok, a
little help here?”
The men
stood on either side of her, offering their silent support as they left the
room and strode down the center aisle of the church. The pews on either side were filled to
overflowing with friends and family.
Janeway thought she caught sight of Owen Paris but lost him quickly in
the sea of smiling faces beaming up at her.
They
reached the altar and she looked across from her to see B’Elanna and Celes
looking resplendent in their dress whites.
Beside them, Phoebe stood smiling, her hair pulled back in a French
twist, a form fitting white tuxedo gracing her curves, complete with a white
skirt that ended below the knee and showed off the long legs that ended in
sandals tied up her calf. She tried to
still be irked at her sister but when she took in the look of love and support
on her face, all she could do was smile in gratitude.
Suddenly
the organist began to play and Kathryn felt her heart kick up a notch. Turning with the rest of the wedding party,
she faced the back of the church.
Naomi came
down the aisle first, a small basket in her hands that she reached into,
dropping rose petals behind her as the music swelled.
When Seven
stepped into view, her arm tucked neatly into that of the Doctor, Kathryn
thought she had surely died. All the
sounds around her faded away as the blonde began to walk towards her.
She was
divine.
It was the
only word that would do her justice.
She looked
like a goddess with her hair flowing down her back, caught up on the sides by
golden combs to pull it back over her ears.
The dress was a vision in white and Kathryn recognized it
immediately. It was her mothers.
Lace
wrapped around the long beautiful neck and covered the expanse of her chest
before it was replaced by silk that flowed down her body like liquid. Silk covered her shoulders and arms as well
and trailed behind her in a long train that whispered over the carpet like
fairies wings.
A thin lace
veil covered but did not hide the classic features of her face and she held a
bouquet of white roses in hands that joined in front of her.
When she
came to stop in front of Kathryn, she could feel love emanating from the azure
blue eyes and all of the nervousness fled.
This woman
was her destiny, pure and simple.
The Doctor
stepped away and Phoebe took the bouquet from Seven, who turned and held her
hands out to Kathryn.
The Admiral
took them with a smile.
They turned
slightly as the minister stepped up to the podium, but did not take their eyes
off of each other.
“We are
gathered here today,” He began. “to witness the union of two very special
women. Women who have done more than
simply come to love each other, through their trials and tribulations, they
have come to truly know and cherish each other, something which is very rare
indeed. While I am honored to preside
over this union, it is my understanding that Kathryn and Annika have written
their own vows. They will speak them
now.”
Kathryn
turned to face Seven fully. “Annika, I
met you at a time in my life that was unlike any other. It seems fitting that you should also be a
woman unlike any other. You reached a
part of me that I did not know I even possessed, a part of me that I now give
to you freely. You are my heart and
soul, and I pledge to you that you will be the one thing I hold above all
others for the rest of my life and beyond.”
A small
smiled graced the Borg’s lips. “Kathryn,
at one time I thought you small. I
thought you insignificant. I did not
wish to be like you. Since that time I
have come to realize that being like you is the one thing I should strive for
in my existence. That far from being
small, you are the universe to me. You
took a drone and gave her back her humanity.
You gave me back my life, my hope… my heart. I am here today to offer you these things
freely. To give myself and my life to
you, to share myself with you for now, for ever and beyond.”
Behind them
they could hear the sounds of tears in the crowd but they only had eyes for
each other as the minister began to speak again.
“Let anyone
who would speak out against this union do so now, or forever hold their peace.”
There was a
weighted silence, but no one spoke.
Naomi stood
and stepped forward, holding out the ring pillow carefully.
The
minister spoke loudly and clearly. “Do
you, Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded
wife, to have and to hold, to honor and cherish for all of your days, through
the rest of this life and into the eternity of the next?”
Kathryn
picked up two of the bands and joined them together, taking Seven’s Borg hand
to slide it onto her ring finger. “Oh
yes, I do.”
He turned
to the other woman. “And do you, Annika
Hansen-Janeway, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to
hold, to honor and cherish for all of your days, through the rest of this life
and into the eternity of the next?”
Seven
picked up the remaining bands and connected them, sliding them onto Kathryn’s
hand where they fit snugly against the engagement ring. “I do.”
The
minister smiled. “Then, by the power vested
in me by the United Federation of Planets, I now pronounce you lawfully
wed. You may both kiss the bride.”
The church
broke into applause as Kathryn raised the veil and the two of them leaned in
close to share a brief, loving kiss.
Then they turned and smiled at the congregation, waving at them as they
made their way back down the aisle amidst the shower of streamers and confetti.
Outside the
church, a large tent-like structure had been erected to hold the reception and
the two of them stepped into its warmth, striding up to the raised stage where
the wedding party would be seated.
Waiters passed through the arriving people, quickly filling glasses with
champagne as guests found their tables.
Once they
were seated, Seven turned to her wife, a concerned look on her face. “Kathryn-“
The Admiral
held her hand up. “I know what you’re worried about Annika and its ok. The minister might have gotten your name
wrong but the marriage is still legal.”
“He did
not.”
Kathryn
blinked. “He did not what?”
“He did not
‘get my name wrong’.” She handed her a
long envelope. “This is my wedding gift
to you. I hope you find it pleasing.”
Kathryn
opened the envelope slowly, her eyes scanning the document before her as her
jaw slowly dropped. “…legally binding
name change…approved…Annika Hansen-Janeway.”
Her eyes filled with tears so quickly she could no longer see the paper
before her. Sobbing, she wrapped her
arms around the blonde and held on tightly.
“Kathryn?”
“Oh Annika,
it’s wonderful. You didn’t have to do
that.”
“I wished
to do it.” The Borg said calmly as she
wiped the tears from the beloved face.
“You are a part of me. I wished
for everyone to know it.”
“How did
you…” Janeway grinned. “Mother.”
“Yes. She ‘pulled some strings’.”
“Remind me
to thank her later.”
The last of
the guests had found their seats and Tom stood, tapping his spoon against his
glass to get their attention.
Clearing
his throat, her fair-haired helmsman smiled.
“I’m sure you are all expecting the typical Best Man’s toast, where I
stand up here and make jokes at the groom’s expense. And honestly, I was planning on doing that
very thing.” The crowd laughed. “But then, as I was sitting down to write
this speech, I began to think back on all the time we shared together in the
Delta Quadrant. We started out as a
group of Fleet officers, Maquis traitors, and criminals and Captain Janeway
managed to turn us all into a family. We
had a few rough spots along the way, but through it all, we knew that she was
there, taking care of us.”
He turned
to look at the couple. “Those of us that
were closest to her, always wondered if she was ever going to find someone to
take care of her. Being as dedicated as
she was, we all thought it would take an army to break through that resolve. We were wrong. All it took was a single Borg drone.”
“When Seven
of Nine joined the crew, there were many who were concerned. But over the years, she proved that she was
not only a valued crewmember and an incredible individual, she was also the
only person who had ever gotten behind the command mask. Oh, the Captain made her wait until we got
all the way back to the Alpha Quadrant, but that doesn’t mean that we weren’t
all very aware of how they felt about each other.” He laughed at their incredulous looks.
“Damn small
ship.”
He raised
his glass. “To the two women in the
universe that could never be more perfect for each other, all our love, all our
joy, and all our best wishes for you, always.”
He took a drink as cheers went up around the hall. Finally he put his hands up in the air to
quiet them down. “OH! And all you guys who bet on ‘Never’ in the
pool? Meet me outside after the
reception! We have some settling up to
do!”
The crowd
cheered and Tom sat back down as all of the women stood expectantly. Kathryn took Seven by the hand and led her to
the front of the stage. Taking the
bouquet from where it sat on the table, she placed it in Seven’s hands and
turned her around so that her back was to the room.
“Now throw
it gently.” She smiled.
Seven
raised one eyebrow and tossed the flowers over her shoulder. Sounds of amusement rose up from the crowd
and she turned to see Gretchen hugging the roses to her chest.
“Well,” The
woman smiled. “If Katie can find
someone…”
The crowd
laughed and the women sat as the men gathered around the dance floor. Tom brought a chair over and Kathryn pushed
Seven gently into it. Reaching carefully
up under her dress, she hooked her fingers under the garter around Seven’s left
thigh, one eyebrow rising lecherously in the blonde’s direction.
Standing,
she pulled the garment back like a rubber band and let it fly. For a moment no one seemed to know where it
went then B’Elanna started to laugh.
Over by the
bar, Phoebe stood with her mouth open, the garter hanging loosely from her
fingertips.
“Good luck,
Celes.” Kathryn winked at the
Bajoran. “You’ve got your work cut out
for you there.”
The music
started and Kathryn held her arm out to her bride, leading her down to the
dance floor to begin their first dance as a married couple.
Four hours
later, the wedding party led the happy couple outside where they found an old
fashioned sleigh complete with two large reindeer hooked up to it. The driver tipped his top hat with a smile as
Kathryn and Seven stepped into the conveyance.
“The Venture is ready and waiting for you at
the base.” Tom called over the
wind. “Have a great time!”
“Oh don’t
worry!” Kathryn tucked a fur lined robe
around Seven’s legs. “We will.”
They all
stood and watched until the sled was out of sight and all that could be heard
was the bells tinkling merrily in the distance.
Then the party broke up. Many
headed home, while others went back inside to finish off the evening in style.
Celes
walked over to Phoebe who was sitting at a table in the corner, playing idly
with the garter in her hands. “Penny for
them.” She smiled as she sat down.
“Oh, I was
just thinking how lucky Katie and Seven are.”
She leaned forward and kissed the startled Bajoran passionately. “And how lucky I am too.”
Celes ran
her finger down Phoebe’s cheek. “So I
was thinking of staying over at the farm for a few more days. Think you can find me something comfortable
to wear?”
“Oh yeah,”
Phoebe stood and took her hand. “I don’t
think that will be a problem at all.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Seven looked out the viewport of the Venture at the landscape below, her eyes going wide at the beauty beneath them. “Where are we, Kathryn?”
“Moorea.” The older woman smiled. “You’ve been all over the galaxy, I figured you might like to see a little bit more of Earth.” She buzzed the craft low over a series of huts that stretched out over the crystal clear water. “That one on the end is ours.”
They
beached the Venture nearby and turned their luggage over to the attendant who
was waiting for them with a hover-car.
Within minutes they were stepping into the charmingly appointed
room. From the outside it may have
looked primitive, but inside it was appointed with everything newlyweds could
want, including and most importantly, a huge king sized bed.
Locking the
door, Kathryn came up behind Seven and wrapped her arms around her, her lips
brushing against the sensitive spot at the top of her spine.
The Borg
laughed. “Do you not wish to unpack?”
“What I
wish,” The older woman growled. “Is for
you to be wearing much less clothing as soon as possible.”
“That is
acceptable.” Seven felt the zipper being
released on the back of her gown and gracefully stepped out of it, kicking off
her sandals as she reached for her wife.
“You’re not
wearing anything underneath!” Kathryn
gasped, shocked.
“I am aware
of that, Kathryn.” The Borg began to
remove her jacket. “You are not the only
one who does not wish to waste time.”
Laughing,
Janeway pulled off her clothes and grabbed the lanky blonde, propelling them
both onto the bed. Her lips captured the
full red ones roughly as her passion exploded.
Their tongues wrestled wetly as Seven ran her hands down Kathryn’s back
and over her buttocks, using the purchase to pull the smaller woman firmly onto
her thigh.
“Not like
that, not this time.” Kathryn pleaded.
Smiling,
Seven pulled her body upwards instead, drawing her over her chest until her
knees settled on either side of her face.
“Like this then?”
“Oh yes,
Annika.”
The Borg’s
hands reached up to capture her nipples as her lips and nose nuzzled into her
folds, finding them already slick with moisture. “You have been thinking of this have you
not?”
“All the
way here.” Kathryn groaned.
Losing
herself in the texture and taste of her wife, Seven’s tongue sought out and
found the hard bundle of nerves that seemed to quiver beneath her touch. Lapping at it roughly, she was rewarded by
whimpers of pleasure from above her as Kathryn’s hips began to move, grinding
her intimate flesh gently against the woman beneath her.
Pulling one
hand away, Seven entered her firmly from behind, causing the older woman to cry
out as the long fingers found the rhythm she needed to drive her into a passion
induced frenzy. As the body above hers
began to shake, she quickened her pace, not stopping when the first wave
crashed through her, nor the second, only content to ease off her ministrations
when a third orgasm left Kathryn weak and weeping in her arms.
She held
her as her breathing became more regular, listening quietly as the precious
heart within her chest slowed its wild beating.
She knew Kathryn would fall asleep, but that was acceptable. They had an entire month in which to make
love.
Seven
looked down at the face of the woman she adored more than anything and felt her
heart swell painfully with knowledge that this was the one place in the
universe that she truly belonged, safe in the arms of this one, small being.
Chapter Ten – 28 Days Later
Kathryn
Janeway stepped out of the conference room, her heart beating loudly in her
chest. She reached up idly and felt the
empty edge of her collar. With a sigh,
she glanced down at her uniform, wondering what it would be like to never wear
it again.
She heard
footsteps approaching and looked up into the bright azure eyes of her wife.
Seven
stepped close to her, stopping well within her personal space. She studied the beloved face for a moment
before a small smile curled the edges of her mouth. Raising her arm, she extended her hand.
With a
smirk, Janeway reached up and dropped the four small bits of brass into her
open palm.
The Borg
took each one and reverently affixed them to the collar of her wife’s
uniform. When she was done, she stepped
back and looked at her in appreciation.
“Captain
Janeway.” She whispered. “It is good to see you again.”
Captain
Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Cathain
smiled brightly. “It’s good to be back.”
The End
(No, not really. Part IV: The Desired Effect – The Further Exploits Of Janeway, The U.S.S. Cathain and The Crew That Boldly Kicked Ass Like Never Before!–
Coming First Quarter 2008)