Weeks. It had only been a few weeks since she began sleeping with Seven, though she could have sworn it was longer than that. Something about their relationship, the way they connected with each other, made it all seem like it was destined to be this way. After all, she was never one to fall into the casual sex trap, having only had three previous lovers in her life, but this was different. Much different. With Seven she knew her place. She understood Seven would never tolerate the superiority complex she sometimes held as her defense when she felt threatened by something, always using her rank as an excuse when she felt vulnerable, and she recognized Seven would be there to catch her not if she fell, but when. Seven knew her inside and out, all her faults and weaknesses, and still managed to accept them. Accept her.

It had taken a lot to get to this point, but finally she was ready for more.

She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Seven’s brow in hopes of waking the young woman. When she noticed a slight curl to Seven’s lips, indicating the beginning of a smile, she knew she had accomplished her goal.

“Are you awake?” she asked, that seductive tone still present in her voice.

Seven murmured. “Kathryn, do you wish to make love again?”

Janeway snuggled closer, considering the tempting offer for a moment, but painfully declined. “You know I would love to, Seven, but I have a duty shift in less than an hour.”

“How unfortunate,” Seven said with a devious smile then kissed Janeway firmly on the mouth, capturing her lips in total surprise.

Janeway fought hard not to get too swallowed up in the kiss, always having a difficult time resisting the young woman’s lure for more.

“I would like to discuss something with you though,” she said. “Something of a serious nature.”

Seven pulled away, detecting a change in Janeway’s tone and was left unsure where this was heading.

“You know we’ve been engaged in…sexual activity for quite some time now,” Janeway began. God, it sounds so sterile when I put it like that.

As Seven sat up and listened intently, clearly interested in what she was saying, the sight of her nearly exposed bosom by the sheet barely covering her was hard to overlook and Janeway had to concentrate even harder to suppress the urge rising within her.

“There are times when I don’t feel that’s enough for me, and I was wondering how you felt about all this.”

Suddenly, a hurt look crossed Seven’s features as if she had somehow failed her lover. “Kathryn, have my attempts to give you pleasure been …inadequate?”

Janeway laughed. “No, Seven. You’re quite skilled in that area. Believe me.”

“Then you wish to have another person assist us in sexual our activities? A ‘threesome’ I believe it is called.”

“No!” Janeway yelped. “That’s not it at all.” She shook off the thought and tried another route. “I’ve been giving it some thought and I believe we’re ready for the next step.”

“And what is the next step?” Seven curiously asked.

Janeway contemplated the question. She realized she should have consulted The Doctor before discussing this with Seven, unsure of how far she had really advanced in her knowledge of human sexuality and all it entailed, but that would involve the man in their personal affairs and she wasn’t at that point yet. Granted, Seven had never failed when it came to any sexual activity. Far from it. But how much did she know about relationships?

“I guess what I’m saying is, I’d like to be more than the person you sleep with. I’d like us to do things couples do. I enjoy our time together, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. There’s something missing. Don’t you agree?”

“Then you wish to have the type of relationship Lieutenants Paris and Torres have?”

Janeway bit her lip. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“But you do wish to partake in human mating gestures, correct?”

“I guess what I’m saying is I want a little romance. Sex is great, but it lacks emotion.”

“Romance?” Seven asked in surprise as her brow raised sharply.

“You know, candles, dinner, perhaps a little dancing…romance. Surely all that research you conducted on Tom and B'Elanna must have given you some insight as to what’s involved in a romantic relationship. Aren’t you the least bit curious about trying it? Unless of course you’re comfortable with the way things are now, but in all honesty, Seven, I’m not sure I can continue this way. I know it sounds selfish but I need more.”

Janeway glanced at the timepiece on the wall and jumped out of bed.

“Damn. I need to get to the bridge,” she said as she padded into the ensuite. “Give it some thought, will you? And let’s have dinner tonight. 1900 hours, holodeck One?”

Seven nodded. As she prepared for her own duty shift she realized she definitely had more research to conduct on the subject.

Romance: to influence or curry favor with by lavishing personal attention, gifts, or flattery.

Seven was surprised the definition was even included in the Starfleet database, but if the database also included such things as schematics for replicating sexual aides and all forms of literature, including erotica, then the idea of the simple definition of romance didn’t seem as far fetched. For a moment she considered the meaning, wondering how she could apply it to her situation, and that eventually got her thinking about her feelings.

While there were many people on board Voyager she considered acquaintances, there were even fewer she considered her friends. Aside from the captain, there were a couple among the senior staff, though while she wasn’t quite sure B'Elanna liked her she still considered the engineer her friend, and then there was, of course, Naomi. But her feelings for Captain Janeway were different. She would never engage in any sexual activity with anyone she considered only her friend. It didn’t feel right. Whenever she thought about Kathryn, their sexual interactions seemed so natural.

As the minutes ticked on and Seven unconsciously displayed the captain’s profile onto the giant view screen in hopes of shedding some light on her predicament, she spent most of her time thinking about Janeway’s desire for romance and closeness. She didn’t understand how candles, dinner, and dancing could possibly express how she truly felt about Kathryn, but if that’s what the captain wanted then she was going to deliver. It had been quite some time since their last disagreement, but when she saw the hurt in Kathryn’s eyes that day directed at her and how angry it made her feel to have been the cause of Kathryn’s distress, she vowed to never disappoint the captain again.

“Kahless, Seven. Don’t you ever get tired of drooling over her?”

Seven turned around in surprise to find B'Elanna standing in the doorway, though how long the engineer had actually been there she didn’t know. When she realized the captain’s picture had still been displayed on the giant screen, she ignored the teasing question and immediately switched the image to their current trajectory.

“Why don’t you just admit you like her get it over with?” B'Elanna continued. “Everyone already knows you two are hot for each other. Besides, at least if you admit it you can bring your full attention back to your job.”

Seven felt herself begin to blush but suppressed the feeling and returned her mind to her work. “State your purpose for being here.”

“Fine,” B'Elanna snapped, handing over some data padds. “I need this sensor information analyzed. Chakotay wants a report in two hours but all my people are busy. Think you can handle it, or should I find someone less…distracted?”

Seven gave a scathing look but didn’t bite at B'Elanna’s teasing remark. “I will have your report in one hour.”

“Good.” B'Elanna knew she could count on Seven, and no matter how distracted Seven appeared she always took a great deal of pride in her job. Teasing her didn’t help speed up her progress. It was just an added bonus.

“Lieutenant, may I ask you something of a personal nature?”

“It’s never stopped you before.”

Seven cocked her brow and deciphered the lieutenant’s remark as permission granted. Otherwise, given their history together, the engineer would have walked out of the room by this point.

“What romantic gestures has Tom Paris exhibited that enhance your relationship with him?”

“What?” B'Elanna barked in utter confusion before giving the matter some thought.

Seven read her confusion and tried another approach. “Romance, how does it improve your relationship?”

“You mean like wining and dining? I guess it lets me know he’s thinking about my needs more than his own. Is this about Janeway again?”

“Since the captain and I are about to announce our relationship I see no point in hiding this. The captain wishes to experience romance with simple gestures such as dinner and dancing but I am unsure how this will enable me to express my feelings more than I do now. In fact, we have arranged for a date on the holodeck this evening.”

If B'Elanna was surprised by the sudden announcement that Seven and the captain were already involved she surely didn’t show it. “Well, it sounds like she wants to show you off, sort of like a trophy.”

“A trophy?”

“Think about it Seven. I’m assuming that since you’re about to ‘announce your relationship’ you’ve already been involved for quite some time now. Why would she suddenly want to alter the parameters of your relationship?” As she studied Seven’s multitude of expressions she strongly wished she had the ability to read minds, or at least this one in particular.

“I’ll tell you why,” she continued. “Because she feels like she’s won a battle and she wants everyone to know. It’s the Starfleet way. It’s like making Admiral to her. She got the one thing practically every man on this ship wants, and that’s you. By showing you off as hers it’s her way of reinforcing her status as the leader. She’s got something no one else can have.”

“Captain Janeway is not that self centered.”

B'Elanna snorted. “Oh no? Why do you think she went after you when the Borg Queen wanted you back? Because no one was going to have you but her. She wanted to show even the Borg Queen herself that she was a force to be dealt with.” The look on Seven’s face made it clear she wasn’t believing any of this. “You think I’m lying? I can tell you this, Seven. If it were anyone else she wouldn’t have gone into that Borg conglomerate. She says she doesn’t abandon members of her crew, but did she tell you she almost left Harry behind once when he was transported from the ship and replaced with a dead body? She was about to give the order to leave when his body was suddenly transported back. She didn’t bring him back. He made it back on his own. He’s my friend so it’s hard for me to admit this, but he was expendable. He can be replaced by any number of crewmen, but you’re unique. She can’t replace you, and she’s going to make sure that no one else gets you but her.”

“You’re lying.”

“I know the truth hurts, Seven, but I like you. I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t tell you the truth. I guess to answer your question though, I’d have to say that the romantic gesture that really enhances my relationship with Tom is that we listen to each other and we’re there for each other. Janeway could never offer you that. She’s practically married to this ship. She could never be what you need her to be. You’d be better off alone than trying to have any kind of relationship with her.”

“Thank you for your insight,” Seven said as B'Elanna left. She was hurt by the lieutenant’s opinion of the captain but refused to let it show. If B'Elanna hadn’t given two specific examples of Janeway’s past behaviors she would have dismissed the words as nothing more than conjecture. When she did ask the captain why she hunted her down after she rejoined the Collective, Janeway simply stated she ‘doesn’t abandon her crew under any circumstances.’ It was enough for her at the time and she let it drop, but given B'Elanna’s view on things and this new information about nearly leaving Harry behind several years ago, she was going to do some more research into Captain Janeway’s command and see exactly how many of these ‘trophy’ incidents come up in her past.

Kathryn sat at the bar in Sandrine’s talking to some of the hologram patrons while she waited for Seven to arrive. Normally she would have arranged for some type of private dinner with Seven, but since this new feeling of wanting to expand their relationship ensued, she felt ready to announce to anyone who would listen that she and Seven were an item. Even now there were several crewmen in here enjoying their off time, playing pool and having a few drinks, and this was as good a time as any to make their relationship public.

The clock on the wall read 7:05 and she ordered another drink. It was unlike Seven to be late for anything but it was still within acceptable time of their date and she ignored the minor infraction. Ten minutes later when Seven still had not arrived she hailed the young woman to see what the hold up was about.

“I’m sorry captain. I am not able to make our date this evening,” was all Seven offered as explanation.

“What could possibly be so important that you’d stand up a date with me?” she joked, but apparently Seven didn’t find it as humorous as she did.

“Captain, you have often told me that I should be true to myself. That is exactly what I am doing.”

Janeway had no idea what Seven was talking about but decided to let the woman continue with whatever it was she was working on and get to the bottom of it in the morning when they had breakfast. She wished Seven goodnight and quickly downed the remnants of her drink before retiring to her quarters for the remainder of the evening. If nothing else she could continue reading the book she began a couple night ago.

When morning came and there was still no sign of Seven in the mess hall, Janeway hailed the young woman again.

“I am sorry, Captain, but I am unable to have breakfast with you this morning.”

“Seven, I was willing to let you slide last night, but I’m starting to get the feeling you’re avoiding me. Is everything alright?”

There was a long pause, and while nothing was said verbally, the silence spoke more than any words could.

“Everything is fine, Captain,” Seven said eventually, but it was too late. She had no idea Janeway was already on her way to the Cargo Bay.

A few minutes later the doors hissed open and Janeway briskly walked through them. “What’s going on?”

Seven turned in confusion.

“You’ve blown me off last night. You’ve blown me off this morning. Are you having some reservations about going public with our relationship?”

But Seven still hadn’t said anything. She clasped her hands behind her back and searched for the right words as they continuously escaped her for the moment.

“Seven, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I do not wish to be your prize.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know all about it, Kathryn. Your desire to prove yourself, your drive to win at everything you do. I will not allow you to use me that way.”

Janeway stepped closer and looked into the icy blue depths of Seven’s eyes. There was so much pain, so much she didn’t hear from her voice that could only be seen up close. She reached up to stroke Seven’s cheek but Seven stepped back.

“Where did this come from?” she asked. “Have I pushed you into something you’re not ready for?”

“It is you who is not ready for this, Kathryn.” Seven’s icy tone sent a definite chill through the air as she laid it out for Janeway. “I’m a fool for believing you cared when all you really cared about was tightening the hold on your command.”

Janeway raised her hands in anger. “Back up one minute. Where do you get the idea I don’t care?”

“You retrieved me from the Collective in an attempt to prove to the Queen you are a force to be reckoned with. You told me it was because you never abandon your crew—“

“And I don’t.”

“Then why did you nearly leave Ensign Kim when he was transported to another planet and replaced with a dead alien whose neural energy was released to an asteroid? Was it because he was expendable and you view me as your prize?”

“I didn’t want to leave Harry,” Janeway explained when she recalled the vivid memory. “If you read the reports you’ll see the ship was being torn apart by the onslaught of neural energy from all the dead bodies being beamed aboard. We couldn’t find him and we needed to leave. Luckily, before I gave the order he was returned. He was dead, Seven, but he came back to us so I was never forced to make that decision. Now can you please explain what the hell is going on here?”

“When you severed me from the Collective, why did you take it upon yourself to mentor me?”

“I guess it was because I felt guilty for taking you from everything you knew, but I also knew I could offer you so much more than you had.”

“Are you sure it didn’t have anything to do with proving yourself as conqueror of the Borg?”

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Seven?” Janeway laughed at the absurdity and raised her hand to Seven face but the young woman pulled away again.

“Do not attempt to change the subject.”

“No, Seven. It had nothing to do with proving anything to anyone. I admit I get cocky sometimes, but I do not, under any circumstances, consider myself conqueror of the Borg.”

“What is the real reason you returned for me when I made it clear I wished to return to the Collective?”

At that something changed in Seven’s expression. A soft of softening crossed her features and she needed to hear something from Janeway that would restore her faith in the woman.

Janeway recognized it immediately. Whatever had Seven second guessing her in the last twenty-four hours had enough power behind it to challenge everything they shared, everything they felt for each other. Now was not the time to be in command. It was time to let it all on the table, to show Seven how much she cared, to prove everything she felt was real and not some show to make herself look good. She wanted signs of romance and she was going to get it, but not with candles and dinner. She was going to use the one thing she had at her disposal: truth.

“You want to know why I came for you?” She took a step closer and this time Seven didn’t back away. “I came because of how I feel. Would I have risked it all for another member of my crew? Probably not. That’s why I didn’t take Voyager. I took the Delta Flyer. I was going to go by myself but Tom and The Doctor insisted on accompanying me. I knew I needed help and the fewer people I involved the easier it was. It was either accept their help or lose you. I knew there was a very real possibility I would have been assimilated and that’s why I ordered Voyager to stay behind, but would I have let you go? No. Would I have left without you? Hell no. I was too involved, and I don’t mean with that mission. I mean with you. I was so in love with you that losing you wasn’t an option. I would rather have been assimilated or killed than let that happen, only I couldn’t say anything because I didn’t think you were ready. It wasn’t until the next morning when you stepped from your alcove after knowing I was there with you all night that I knew you were ready. Do you remember what you said?”

Seven recalled the memory as if it had happened only this morning. “I asked why you were watching me.”

“That’s right. And I asked if you wanted me to leave. There was something in your eyes that knew why I was there and I needed to hear you say it.”

“I said no. I wanted you to stay and I kissed you. I had never kissed anyone like that before, but somehow I knew it was the right thing to do.”

Janeway closed the space between them and brought her hands back up to Seven, softly cupping her face. “It was the right thing to do because we were in love, Seven. And as far as I’m concerned nothing has changed. Please tell me nothing has changed for you.”

Being with Kathryn like this, close enough to breathe her in, was intoxicating to Seven. “Nothing has changed, Kathryn.” She leaned down and captured Kathryn’s lips with her own, reiterating the promise that nothing had changed with a gesture so simple, so pure, there could be no doubt.

A minute later when they parted, Janeway still remained confused about how all this had started in the first place. “Do you mind telling me how you got the idea in your head that you’re my trophy?”

“B'Elanna had mentioned—”

“I should have known she had something to do with this!”

“Her argument was very convincing,” Seven admitted.

“That may be true, but remember when you overloaded your system with all that Borg data and you kept thinking about one conspiracy theory after the next? Those were pretty convincing too and they couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”

“I remember all too well.”

“Just promise me one thing, Seven. Next time you have any doubts about us, come to me first. Don’t let someone else tell you how I feel, ok?”

“I will,” Seven promised.

“Good. Now,” Janeway took Seven’s hand and pulled her away from the console she had been working at when she first arrived. “Let’s get some breakfast. I’m starving.”

“Come in.”

Janeway sat at her desk poised and ready for the encounter, though she wasn’t sure the engineer would offer much resistance after Seven had a few words with her. Tuvok’s security report indicated that Seven had dangled B'Elanna over the top level of Engineering and threatened her using Klingon obscenities, but since he had only gotten a report of the encounter second hand and no one who actually spoke Klingon was present at the time, the incident was nothing more than speculation. Of course, B'Elanna had apologized profusely to both Seven and her at least a half dozen times in the last day so whatever it was Seven had threatened her with had made a definite impact with the normally composed Klingon woman.

“Captain, I’d like to apologize again for any craziness on Seven’s part. I fully respect you both as a Starfleet officer and as a woman and—”

Janeway raised her hand. “There’s no need to keep apologizing, B'Elanna. I believe you’re sorry for whatever it is you said to Seven, and I don’t know what happened between you two but it’s my understanding that it’s been resolved.”

“It has, Captain.”

“Good. Then that brings us to another matter at hand.” Janeway slid over a padd containing several lists of various unfinished maintenance tasks over the last several months. “I’d like you to personally see these duties are finished. Some of them are a little filthy, such as cleaning out all the manifold intake valves and degreasing various conduits, but I’m sure being an engineer that’s right up your alley.”

The look on B'Elanna’s face had Janeway convinced that B'Elanna wished she had just been assigned to clean the entire ship with her toothbrush, but she simply gritted her teeth and accepted the job, knowing full well she got off lucky for interfering with the captain’s love life.

“I’ll have this done as soon as possible.”

Janeway smiled. “There’s no rush.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Thank you, B'Elanna. Dismissed.”

As the engineer turned to leave, Janeway sensed something from the other woman. She had known her for several years, and the Klingon never really got along well with Seven, but she sensed the beginning of a great friendship between them, a relationship she didn’t quite understand but could definitely appreciate in its unique way.

The End.