Seven of Nine, formerly of the borg collective, quietly worked alone in the Jeffries tube adjacent to Cargo Bay 1, repairing damage sustained in a series of attacks on Voyager. For weeks, alien vessels had futilely attacked the ship, hoping to pirate supplies and technology. It was unusual that repairs stretched into the gamma shift, the graveyard shift, since all previous repairs had been completed while Voyager was running at peak duty hours on both the alpha and beta shifts. Luckily, the attack was over as swiftly as it began and the skeleton crew working that night could handle the repairs with minimal effort as Voyager finally exited this region of space.

Seven held up her tricorder, scanned the dented conduit and read only minor damage. After removing the outer panel and observing a fried gel pack, she replaced it with a fresh one she had placed with her emergency supplies before leaving engineering. The panel had been tightly resealed, and immediately power was once again restored to the conduit, allowing her to move on to the next panel for inspection. Before she could gather all her supplies and move on, however, she heard voices and scuffling from the far end of the tube.

The first voice was unmistakably male, but who it belonged to was still unclear. "Come inside before someone sees you," he said, sounding irritated.

For a few seconds there was silence, then she heard the Jeffries Tube access panel close, some muffled dialogue she couldn't decipher, then a louder, clearer, female voice spoke.

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?"

Seven strained her neck and pointed her right ear in the direction the sound was coming from, holding her breath and remaining silent. Her borg enhanced hearing gave her superior audible range.

"Yes," said the male voice. "I'm going to shoot the captain."

"How are you going to do that without getting caught?"

"I'm not sure yet. I might need help though. Are you up to the challenge?" he asked the female.

"When do you plan to shoot her?"

The male voice was much softer now, almost as if he moved in closer to the female to whisper. "Before the week is out."

"Count me in. Just tell me what to do..." the female voice then trailed off.

Seven strained her neck farther and crawled a few paces closer trying to hear more, but all that was left was the sound of the panel door closing tightly behind the crewmembers who recently left. She remained in the Jeffries Tube a minute longer, analyzing what she just heard. Someone was plotting to shoot the captain. That person aspires to achieve absolute secrecy. At least two crewmembers are involved in the plot. The captain was going to be shot this week. With that thought, panic expeditiously streaked through Seven's body like a bolt of lightning. She hurriedly crawled out of the Jeffries tube, leaving her repair supplies behind and carefully opened the panel so as not to barge out, tipping off the perpetrators if they were still around.

When she got to her feet she checked behind the corner, making absolutely certain no one was listening. She had to tell someone but couldn't be sure who could be trusted with this information other than Voyager's chief of security. With that, she tapped her comm. badge and said, "Seven of Nine to Tuvok." The pause seemed eternal.

With a drowsy tone in his voice, the tired Vulcan replied, "Tuvok here."

"I wish to speak with you immediately."

"Seven, are you aware it is the middle of the night?"

Frustrated he was not as responsive as she would like, but understanding only because he was uninformed of the circumstances, she bluntly responded, "It is a matter of ship security."

That woke the Vulcan up and his words were more coherent now as he slowly spoke, "Come to my quarters."

"On my way," she answered and began to walk with a brisk stride in her step. As she passed a few engineers working on other repairs, she glanced at them distrustfully. No one was above suspicion at this point, especially since she couldn't make out the owners of the voices she heard.

She entered the turbolift, headed for Tuvok's deck, and took full advantage of the quiet to gather her thoughts. Why would someone wish to harm the captain? The only plausible reason she could think of was mutiny. The turbolift doors opened and she walked straight to Tuvok's quarters, focusing her attention solely on the matter at hand. Softly, there was a chime and the doors opened immediately, allowing her to see her Vulcan friend in his sleepwear for the first time. As she entered, they moved away from the door and over to his workstation where he picked up a pad for recording the specifics.

"Please explain the security issue you mentioned," Tuvok said with a hint of unease in his normally unemotional tone.

Calmly she replied, "I have reason to believe Captain Janeway will be shot this week."

Still skeptical, but unquestionably concerned, he raised his brow and asked, "What gives you reason to believe this?"

"I overheard two crewmembers plotting in Jeffries Tube 13 on deck six."

"Which two crewmembers?"

"I am unsure," she said, embarrassed by her faulty implants, "The voices were unrecognizable."

"Can you be more specific?"

"I was repairing a damaged gel pack and heard indistinct verbal communication from the far end of the Jeffries Tube," she paused, accessing her memory files. "I specifically heard a male voice say he was planning to shoot the captain this week and the female voice announced she would assist. I do not know who was speaking at the time but I believe this should be investigated. The captain's life is at risk."

"Thank you, Seven, but I do not require your advisement on how to do my job." His inflection was composed, yet concerned. He walked her to the door, placing his hand behind her back, and said, "This is now a security matter. Please do not discuss this with other crewmembers."

When she left his quarters she still felt disturbed but retrieved her repair tools left behind and continued working from engineering. Seven decided that two heads were better than one and she was going to secretly investigate this matter herself.

Several days had passed on Voyager without incident. Seven's senses were alert at all times and although she found nothing out of the ordinary, she still suspected an attack would come at the most unlikely instance. It was that thought that made her act as Janeway's shadow, always following the captain and being at her every location.

When Janeway entered the messhall for lunch after a dull morning on the bridge, Seven was only a few paces behind her. Once inside, she stood in the doorway watching and suspecting everyone. The room was full and all of the tables were occupied except for a small table off in the corner Janeway had reserved. She observed the captain speaking to Neelix as he handed her a bowl of pasta salad and detected that no one else in the room was paying the least bit of attention to the woman. She continued to scan the room looking for unusual behavior as Janeway took her seat in the corner but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Seven," called the captain from her small table, waving her hand to get the borg's attention, "Come join me."

Seven cautiously walked through the crowd, careful to remember everyone present, and storing the information in her memory files for later analysis. As she approached Janeway's table she become conscious of her back toward the lunch crowd. Moving to stand beside Janeway, now facing outward, she said, "You wanted to see me." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," Janeway said, wiping her mouth gently with a napkin. "Have a seat," she gestured with a waving motion of her hand.

"Thank you, but I do not require nutritional supplements at this time."

The older woman smiled, her grey eyes glistening with humor. Janeway jerked her head to the left to see Seven, who stood by her side as if by guarding her, and asked, "Then why are you in the messhall?"

She had to devise a credible explanation before the captain became wary. Quickly, Seven keyed in a command to her data pad that brought up a list of nutrients the doctor advised her to eat last week. "The doctor formulated a list of additional nutritional supplements for me to consume, however, I do not feel it is crucial."

Before Janeway could speak again, the Talaxian in charge came to the table. Rarely seeing the borg in the dining area, he welcomed her presence. "Seven, it's so good to see you in here. Would you like to try some soup?"

"Neelix," Janeway spoke, cutting off Seven's reply, "Seven has a list of foods the doctor gave her. Do you think you can help her with it?"

He took the pad from Seven's hand before she could object, glanced over the items and declared, "I'll have to improvise, but I'm sure I won't be too far off. Why don't you have a seat and I'll be back in a jiffy," and in a flash the stout man was trotting off to the kitchen area.

"So," Janeway said, "Would you care to sit while you wait? I could use the company." She took another bite of her salad and waited for Seven's response. When it didn't come, she added sarcastically, "Or you could remain standing behind me…"

"No. I will sit. However, I wish to face outward. Therefore you must move across the table."

Dumbfounded but not wanting to argue the point, Janeway picked up her utensils, stood up, and attempted to move across the table. "If that's what you want." The space allowed was very tight due to Seven's close proximity to the table, too close in fact, and Janeway was forced to squeeze between Seven's body and the table, causing her to slightly brush up against Seven's curvaceous body in a very provocative way. When she sat down again she felt flushed and terribly overheated. As she resituated her place setting she studied Seven's expression and noticed the young woman appeared to be paying no attention at all to her immediate surroundings and thus didn't notice Janeway's sudden glowing appearance. Rather, she was focused on the arrival of Harry Kim, Voyager's operations officer and Megan Delaney from Astrometrics. "Is there something on your mind today? You seem a million miles away," she noted, regaining her composure and taking a bite of her salad.

Seven broke out of her stare and took the now vacant seat. "No, I am merely recounting a discussion I overheard last week."

Janeway wiped her mouth with her napkin again, cleaning some white creamy sauce that clung to her bottom lip. "Oh, you had a flashback."

"Yes, a flashback." She couldn't be certain it was them she heard in the Jeffries Tube that night, but the presence of Harry and Megan triggered her memory and recalled that particular conversation, leaving her very angry that a trusted senior officer could violate the trust Captain Janeway placed in him and pose such a threat. "It is nothing I cannot handle," she stated.

Janeway felt the tension Seven let off and mechanically leaned closer and reached out to touch her gently on the hand, assuring her everything would be fine. She didn't even recognize what she was doing when Seven looked curiously down at her hand, still unaware something strange was happening.

Across the room, Neelix looked over to make sure Seven was still present before he brought over her food. She had a history of abruptly leaving the messhall, though he never took offense to it. It was her nature to keep occupied at all times and sitting still was something she never did well. As he peered from behind the kitchen wall he detected the captain holding Seven's hand in a romantic way. Both women had been leaning into each other as if in a private conversation and he thought he even noticed Janeway glowing. How strange he thought and shook it off.

As he returned to their table with an array of foods suitable for Seven at this time he noticed Janeway quickly let go of the grip on Seven's hand but chose not to remark on it. "I've brought you several to choose from, Seven. My favorite is this one," he smiled as he pointed to a fluffy, creamy-looking pastry. "You might say I'm a dessert connoisseur. Everything else here is abundant in the nutrients the doctor recommended." He leaned in closer so only the two women could hear his next words. "His list left a little to be desired. Save the pastry for last."

Seven eyed the choices before her, but nothing looked particularly interesting. She recalled the social lessons the doctor had been working on with her and tried to be as polite as she knew how. "Thank you," she offered with honest appreciation.

"I've been trying new recipes out for the spring festival this upcoming weekend," referring to a two-day party held to brighten spirits on board the ship and celebrate the end of the Talaxian winter season. Although the normal festival on Talax consisted of follies to awaken the spirit from a long winter along with a vast selection of rich foods, this celebration would focus mainly on a crew talent show and other forms of entertainment and interspecies foods. "It should be so much fun!" Neelix hunched over and whispered, "I heard a rumor Commander Chakotay plans to sing." He looked at both women and inquired, "You'll both be there, won't you?"

"Of course we will," Janeway replied. She glanced at Seven who looked back at her with a raised brow, thus reflecting the overhead light with her cranial borg implant right into Janeway's eyes. "We wouldn't miss it!" she continued as she express amusement at Seven's disturbed look.

Neelix smiled. "If you have any suggestions for food or anything else, don't hesitate to tell me. I want this to be a success." He patted Seven on the shoulder, comforting and encouraging her to try the food then returned to the kitchen, preparing for the second lunch shift to begin.

Janeway looked at the selection Seven had before her. There were many different colored and textured foods to choose from. The meaty-looking thing with spikes in the center appeared to still be moving. The noodle dish to the side looked interesting, but thought it looked too much like a dish she recalled from a previous dinner that was very bland. The fruit cup in the corner was probably the safest bet, but overall nothing of interest jumped out at her, probably because she generally chose not to indulge in Neelix's Talaxian concoctions, either out of her bias for Earth based food or fear of his creations. She wasn't sure which.

As the two women shared their meal, they avoided discussing Seven's peculiar behavior recently. Janeway was aware the young woman was following her and that, upon Tuvok's discovery, Seven had decrypted the security code and read some of her personal logs, but she didn't have a clue why. She was sure, however, that she had been too occupied on the bridge with the recent alien attacks and had been forced to cancel several holodeck appointments with Seven. She listened while the young woman talked about her duty shifts, social lessons with the doctor, and Kadis Kott matches with Voyager's only child, Naomi Wildman, along with the long work hours she had planned today. Then, when the meal was finished and the conversation had died down, she made her proposal.

"Seven, I have some holodeck time saved up. Would you like to go swimming?" Janeway offered. She was anxious to try out her new holodeck program.

Stunned, Seven remarked, "I do not know how to swim."

"That's ok. I can teach you. You'll love it!"

Seven consider the offer. Realizing it would give her more time to safeguard the captain, she concluded, "That would be acceptable."

"Great! Holodeck one, 1900 hours. Bring some beachwear. We'll be on the shores of Maui."

The women rose from the table and took their dishes over to be recycled. As the lunch crowd dwindled down, Neelix made his rounds, cleaning tables and preparing for the next wave. They headed out the door and straight for the turbolift, returning to their duties. Not a word was said while they waited for the lift but there was a tense, unrecognizable feeling in the air.

"You really will love this program, Seven. It'll be refreshing after such a long day," Janeway noted, breaking the silence.

"Indeed."

Janeway smiled. "I'll see you then," she said stepping into the turbolift before departing to the bridge.

Beachwear? Seven thought. She had some research to do before 1900 hours.

Janeway worked furiously on the sand, placing two large beach towels side by side, inserting a gigantic umbrella in the sand, and spreading various castle molds near a portable antique radio. Dressed in a black one-piece swimsuit and red shorts covering her bottom half, she was about to spread some suntan lotion on her shoulders when Seven's appearance on the beach stopped her. Behind the young woman, palm trees rich in color and breadth, swaying in the tropical breeze, lined the beachfront. A gift from the heavens, Janeway unconsciously thought.

"Seven, over here!" Janeway shouted at the young woman, yelling above the sound of seagulls, as she watched her friend walk over to her location on the sand.

Seven's blond hair hung loose on her shoulders rather than in the bun she normally kept it tied up in. She wore a white one-piece swimsuit, cut very low and exposed some cleavage that Janeway immediately noticed. A Hawaiian shirt with rolled up sleeves and unbuttoned for effect covered her shoulders and khaki shorts cut above the knee complimented the shirt. Her left thigh and right arm displayed small metallic implants that were normally concealed by her biometric suit. On her right shoulder she held an oversized beach bag filled with lotion, a beach towel, and magazines among other things. Sunglasses adorned her head and sandals on her feet completed the look. This was the first time so much of Seven's body was revealed to Janeway. When they played their Velocity matches, Seven's jumpsuit normally masked all her borg implants except the cranial implant on her left brow and the small metallic starburst by her right ear.

As Seven drew closer she smiled wide, revealing the most beautiful smile Janeway had ever seen. Without warning, she suddenly began moving her jaw up and down in rapid succession. With only a few meters between them now, Seven pursed her lips tightly together and greeted Janeway by forcefully shooting a purple glob from her mouth that bounced off Janeway's forehead and landed in the sand between her feet. Horrified, Seven screeched, "That was not my intention. I was trying to 'blow a bubble.' I apologize."

Janeway painstakingly tried to avoid bursting out in the laughter she felt would most definitely hurt the borg's feelings. Rather, she quickly gathered her composure, looked down at the object that was now covered in sand, smiled at Seven, and asked, "Was that chewing gum?"

"Yes," she replied. "It was something called Hubba Bubba."

"I wasn't aware you liked chewing gum."

"I do not," Seven bluntly replied. "It is…offensive."

This is too cute Janeway thought to herself and continued smiling. "It was never my favorite either." She stepped aside so Seven could place her bag on the towel. "I love your outfit!"

"I had to research the database to find suitable attire for this program."

Admiringly looking her over, Janeway commented, "You did a wonderful job. You look fabulous."

Janeway's wide grin revealed a side of the captain that Seven had never seen before and for a brief moment she even thought the captain was glowing. "Thank you, captain," she replied.

Janeway held up her hand. "Please, call me Kathryn when we're off duty."

Together they sat on the towels and took turns applying plenty of suntan lotion on each other's hard to reach places. Although the safety protocols were on, sunburn was still possible. Seven applied the cream on Janeway quickly and without making too much of the event, but as Janeway rubbed the velvety ointment onto Seven's back and shoulders, the young woman noticed it was very enticing. Janeway's sensual touch was firm and even, very leisurely, yet provocative and exhilarating at the same time. It occurred to Seven that Janeway was possibly giving her a massage rather than simply applying suntan lotion, but having never been to the beach or ever having received a massage before she couldn't be certain. There was no mention of this in her research regarding beach recreation. As Janeway finished up, Seven turned to study the older woman's face, trying to understand the captain's unusual conduct and reasons for her own sudden stimulation.

No answers came to her. They only stared at each other, staring through each other as if looking into their very souls. About thirty seconds had passed when Janeway finally ended the awkward silence.

"So, would you like to go swimming now?" Her voice was shaken, her speech slow, and her appearance radiant, but she had not broken eye contact with Seven.

"That would be acceptable. However, I must inform you again I do not know how to swim."

Janeway stood up and offered her hand to Seven. "No problem. Class is in session."

Seven took the stretched out hand and allowed herself to be lead to the water. The sand was hot and the rich blueness of the water looked inviting. Once they reached the water, she felt a glorious warmth fill her body, although she wasn't sure if the warmth was coming from the water or Janeway.

Waves growing in intensity rolled in as the women walked farther out into the water. At first they were tiny ripples lapping at the shore, but eventually became quite large by the time they had reached waist depth in the simulated ocean. Seven held onto Janeway's hand for support as they carefully walked through the crashing waves that nearly knocked them off their feet when a very large wave rolled in and did just that, dragging Seven below the water's surface.

Frantically splashing the water trying to find Seven, Janeway shouted, "Seven! Where are you?" Another wave suddenly broke right in front of Janeway and she barely had enough time to pull herself under the wave and avoid the full impact of its force. She counted to five, allowing the wave to pass, then emerged and found Seven standing about thirty meters back in knee deep water with a staggered expression on her face.

Janeway bodysurfed the next wave in to reach Seven much quicker than if she had tried to walk over to her, fighting the ocean the whole way in. When she arrived at Seven's location, she noticed Seven's hair was dripping wet and tousled, a huge glob of green seaweed rested on her shoulder, and the wet, white swimsuit now revealed even more of Seven's body, leaving nothing to the imagination at this point. She tried not to stare but the pink nipples protruding through Seven's swimsuit were too much to ignore.

"Are you alright?" Janeway asked, refocusing her attention on her friend's eyes.

"I am functioning," Seven replied. Her body trembled from the cool breeze chilling her soaking wet body as she declared, " However, I feel that I am not suitable for this form of recreation."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I should have realized that when I programmed the wave intensity." Janeway was angry with herself for being so dense. "Computer, lower the wave intensity to level 2." That would make the ocean appear to be as calm as a lake with only ripples at the shoreline.

"Thank you, cap…Kathryn," Seven said, bowing her head with gratitude. She stood in the water for a moment as the waves subsided, still facing Janeway and observed her strange behavior. "Kathryn, are you injured?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Your pupils are dilated and you are pulse is racing."

Fighting the desire that now burned deep within her as she looked at Seven, Janeway partially satisfied that desire by placing her left arm around the young woman's waist while motioning with her right, suggesting they go for a walk while things calmed down before they attempted to go swimming again. As they headed for the shore and walked along the beach in ankle deep water, Janeway talked about the different Hawaiian islands, describing the adventures they hold for visitors and how each island is unique. She talked about how she sprained her ankle horseback riding on Kauai before entering the Academy, how she spent a month on Oahu with her old fiancé, Mark, and how it was always a dream to visit every one of the islands. They collected a variety of seashells on their walk and Janeway even introduced Seven to various Hawaiian words, including aloha, mahimahi, and her favorite vice, kona.

Seven eagerly listened to Janeway talk, swallowing up every bit of information the captain provided her and retained it for future reference. She enjoyed listening to the captain, who seemed very excited by now, and she instantly shared in Janeway's cheerful mood. She was now relaxed enough to brave the ocean once more.

Their walk forced them to circle the shore and they eventually arrived at their original starting point on the beach an hour later. Now the water was considerably calmer and conditions for swimming were perfect. This second attempt proved to be rewarding and both women enjoyed the rest of their evening playing out the scenario and enjoying themselves immensely.

After several hours had passed and both women had exhausted all their energy, Janeway suggested they call it a night.

"It's getting late. We should get going," she sadly admitted. She wanted nothing more than to continue spending time with Seven on the shores of Maui but she had to report for duty again in six hours. Although the sun still shone bright overhead the hour was past midnight.

"Yes."

Janeway feared Seven had not enjoyed herself as much as she did because the young woman had suddenly gone silent in the last few minutes. "I had a good time tonight. I think we should do it again."

"Agreed," Seven briefly replied. Her mind was obviously on other things. Her original intention of spending this time with Janeway was for security purposes, but in the recent hours that passed, she found herself dropping her guard and purely enjoying herself in the setting and company of Kathryn Janeway.

They gathered up their belongings, leaving behind a gigantic sandcastle they built, and silently walked toward the holodeck exit hidden behind a water ice stand.

"I am curious, Kathryn," Seven said as she watched Janeway the whole time, paying careful attention to the older woman's odd behavior once more.

Janeway paused before leaving the holodeck and regarded Seven with an inquiring look. She couldn't help but smile as she reached out to grab a tiny piece of seaweed dangling from Seven's hair. "Curious about what?" she asked.

"Are you ill?" She observed Janeway's surprise reaction and added, "Your heart rate has again increased significantly and your appearance is flushed. You have been behaving strangely all night."

"I feel fine." Janeway paused, but Seven simply waited for her to elaborate. "It must be all this sun. I'm not used to it," she added defensively, waving her hand to shoo away a fly buzzing around her head.

"Perhaps next time you should not overexert yourself swimming with large reptiles."

Janeway chuckled. This evening she spent with Seven had been the most enjoyable she could remember in such a long time. They spent quality time together swimming with giant sea turtles, collected seashells, built a sand castle, attempted surfing when Seven felt more at ease with the motion of the ocean, and just relaxed, leaving the worries of Voyager behind with the rest of the Delta Quadrant. I could certainly get used to this she thought to herself as she reflected on the evening.

"Maybe you're right. Next time I'll leave that to someone in better shape," Janeway said, grinning at Seven. "Perhaps next time we could visit another island and go snorkeling or scuba diving."

Seven beamed. Although the evening started off badly with her spitting gum at Janeway and then nearly drowning, the rest of it transformed into a wonderful time. Her first trip to the holodeck in this simulation turned out to be delightful and promised a return trip that sounded equally enjoyable. Perhaps the captain was correct about too much sun though, because now she started feeling strange as well, noting that her own heartbeat had increased and creating a strange sensation inside her stomach that left her feeling very unsettled.

Unable to mask her happiness, Seven replied with a chipper tone in her voice, "That sounds pleasing. I look forward to it."

Janeway returned the smile and reached out for Seven's arm, cupping and squeezing her upper limb gently. Her eyes opened wider as she thanked Seven for a wonderful evening.

Together they left the holodeck, shutting down the program, and parted ways: Janeway to her quarters and Seven to sickbay. She had something of the utmost importance to discuss with the doctor.

Seven strode down Voyager's nearly empty halls still dressed in her beachwear. With each step she took, her sandals echoed loudly and her loose shirt flapped in the breeze she created with her stride, recreating the gentle sounds of summers on Earth. She felt terribly out of place wearing the unconventional clothing but it didn't show on her face, for her smile spoke volumes about her newfound bliss.

When she entered sickbay, the automatic materialization of Voyager's EMH pleasantly greeted her.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The doctor's tone changed from pleasant to concerned as he took in her unusual appearance. "Seven, what's wrong? Why are you dressed this way?"

"Doctor," she said as she crossed the room and perched herself on a biobed, "I do not feel well."

He picked up a medical tricorder, advanced to the bed, and began scanning her from top to bottom. "What are your symptoms?"

Seven sat upright and looked outward, trying not to make eye contact with the doctor as he scanned her head. "I am not certain," she began. "I am experiencing discomfort in my abdominal area and my heart beat has steadily increased since I left the holodeck. It is not biologically possible for me to sweat, yet my palms are perspiring uncontrollably and I cannot concentrate. My thought patterns are irregular and random."

He continued scanning but found nothing. "I'm pleased to inform you, Seven, that your readings are normal. What were you were doing on the holodeck so late?" He knew she should have been regenerating at this late hour because she had her weekly maintenance with him at 0700 hours that morning and he was aware then that she had a long workday ahead of her. He placed the tricorder on a small table beside the biobed and moved back around to stand in front of her.

"I was participating in recreation activities," she said dryly, trying not to be evasive, but it really wasn't his business what she was doing. She was aware he was, as B'Elanna would say, 'pumping her for information.' Her mind wandered for a moment as she thought about her night with Kathryn, how much fun they had on the beach, the way her insides fluttered when Kathryn smiled at her, and how awful she felt when they left. When she snapped out of her daze, she added, "I was swimming."

"Well, regardless of what you were doing or who you were doing it with," he bluntly stated, almost as if his feelings were hurt, "You appear to be aroused. Your borg nanoprobes control your need to perspire as well as other biological functions, but when your emotions get carried away it places them in a temporary overload. It's nothing to be concerned about. When you calm down again things will return to normal." It was no secret to anyone that the doctor, among others, was very affectionate of Seven. Now it was becoming clear she was returning some of that affection, but to whom still remained unclear to him, although he did have his suspicions.

Seven was shocked. "You are mistaken. I am borg. I do not become…aroused."

With a straightforward expression on his holographic face, he explained, "Seven, the only other condition your symptoms point to is the early stages of the Pon Fa'ar." To be stricken with the Pon Fa'ar, for Seven, was an impossibility since only Vulcans went through this biological need to take a mate every seven years. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Between you and me, I think we can rule that out."

Frustration at the doctor's lack of medical knowledge concerning her condition caused Seven to jump down from the bed and head toward the door. She didn't give one word of thanks to him as she left, nor did she look back to see his reaction to her abrupt leaving. Rather, she headed down to Cargo Bay Two and began her regeneration cycle, chalking up her confusion and ailment to a very long and over-worked day.

She drove her vessel down a long, barren, dirt road. It was a bathtub on wheels, she noted. A few dead trees stood lifeless in the distance and tumbleweed blew across her path. Stopped at a fork in the road, she weighed her options. On her immediate right she could see a beautiful castle standing seven stories tall with white lilies surrounding it, separated from the road by a moat with only a covered bridge to access it. To the left the desolate road continued. As she drove the bathtub closer her vision was lost: she was completely blind now. Fear and panic overcame her senses and she woke from her nightmare in a cold sweat.

Quickly sitting up, Janeway waited for her awareness to settle back in before jumping out of bed and beginning her day. This has got to stop, she thought to herself. She dressed swiftly and headed directly to sickbay.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the doctor announced as the doors hissed open. Although it was still very early in the morning, the gamma shift was about to end and the alpha shift would begin. "Captain," he asked with a satirical tone, "What brings you to my humble abode so early?"

Janeway was never one to come to sickbay unless something was seriously wrong with her or another crewmember was in trouble. In fact, she had always delayed her own physical checkups until the doctor had threatened to relieve her of duty.

She moved across the room and jumped up on a biobed. Her nightmares of the last few weeks were beginning to interfere with her duties and something had to be done to correct the problem. With hesitation she began, "Doctor, I have been having recurring nightmares. I would like you to give me something to stop them."

"I see." He took a tricorder and scanned her for unusual readings. "Tell me about your nightmares."

Cautiously, she told him of her nightmare, careful not to leave anything out. When she finished she noticed he looked at her oddly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Captain, that's one of the most symbolic dreams I've ever heard. It supports a theory I've been working on this evening," he said, recalling his encounter earlier with Seven and her bizarre behavior. He placed the tricorder down and began his explanation. "The road represents your mission…your life, so to speak. The bathtub represents a trying to cleanse yourself of your worries. A seven-story castle is quite interesting, but I'll skip that. This castle is a great opportunity you see while the covered bridge signifies your desire to keep the opportunity private. The white lilies signify purity and innocence. You come to a fork in the road, that's the decision you're forced to make. Should you take this chance and be happy or continue traveling down the dark path? You recognize the castle as a wonderful thing, but your sudden blindness prevents you from 'seeing' the opportunity. I can't believe how perfectly this proves my theory."

Shocked, Janeway sat on the bed with her mouth dangling open thinking about how symbolic her nightmare had truly been. She felt like a fool to have it pointed out to her like this. Was it that obvious? she thought to herself though still in denial about what he was hinting at. It's true she had often dreamed of being with Seven on some romantic setting but she always kept those feelings to herself. She was always sure not to let on how she genuinely felt about her friend. These recent nightmares were so far from those dreams she had. When enough saliva had gathered in her mouth she swallowed to prevent drooling and asked, "And what theory would that be, doctor?"

"The theory that…well…" he hesitated, "Let's just say your bio readings are normal and there seems to be an epidemic on board tonight."

"An epidemic of what, doctor?" Her tone was stern and her command mask had been put back on.

"Without divulging doctor-patient confidentiality, someone else came in earlier who was in a very aroused state. You seem to be suffering the same effect."

"Doctor, I don't know what you're talking…" she was cut off.

"Captain, may I be frank with you?" His tone became serious and his expression concerned. He knew she was the most stubborn person on the ship and often denied her true feelings for the benefit of the crew. Whether it was suppressing hatred for Seska's duplicity or refusing to become romantically involved with the first officer because it created a conflict, she never allowed her command mask to be removed and leave her vulnerable. He saw how her actions plagued her for weeks, sometimes months after the fact, and he wasn't about to let the cycle continue.

"Of course, doctor." Janeway tilt her head down so their eyes were level and scrunched her brow, studying his face.

"Captain, it's no secret we're going to be out here for a long time," he began. "Speaking as your doctor, I would advise you to explore your options. You have a tremendous burden on your shoulders getting this crew home and there's no telling how long it'll take. I'm not sure someone with that kind of responsibility could handle what I'm suggesting. However, speaking as your friend, I think you should seize this opportunity. It may never come around again."

She stared at him with subconscious, imitated confusion. She wasn't one to play games, but she also had no intention of giving in to her desires solely for her own benefit. "What opportunity would that be, doctor?"

As he continued to look into her eyes, trying to read her mind, her newly enlightened expression betrayed her. Confirming his suspicion that she already knew what the answer was, he raised his brow and said, "I think you already know."

As if hit by lightning, it all made sense now. Those feelings she suppressed were overwhelming her, haunting her dreams, and the best-case scenario came true, that Seven had feelings for her too- if, in fact, she properly understood what the doctor was hinting at. Janeway felt like a ton of bricks was dropped on her chest. This was both the best and worst news she could have gotten. She wanted nothing more than to pursue a relationship with Seven, but under no circumstances could she have a romantic relationship with someone under her command: it wouldn't be ethical. She had some serious thinking to do before she could play on the beach with Seven again.

"Doctor, I thank you for your honesty. I'll take your advice under advisement." She hopped down from the bed and left sickbay with more on her mind than when she came in.

Seven of Nine stood in her borg alcove regenerating in Cargo Bay Two. Deep in her distant awareness she heard voices in the same room she occupied but the regeneration cycle prevented her from focusing solely on those voices. To disturb the cycle one had to make a conscious effort to "awaken," which often took several minutes, or the shutdown sequence had to be keyed in from the control pad on the outside of the alcove for an immediate "wakeup call." She concentrated heavily on the voices but heard only fragments of a conversation.

"…no, check over there…small container…" announced one faint male voice.

"…you need this for…" asked a female voice.

Seven heard some minor banging and what sounded like heavy objects sliding across the floor.

"…poison…for Janeway…don't tell anyone…"said the male voice.

"…trouble…" the female voice whispered.

Seven then heard loud clicking and the voices seemed more distant now. She was focusing her attention on breaking from the regeneration cycle but still had another minute before she would be alert enough to step down.

"…got it…" announced the male voice in a louder tone.

"…sshhh…wake Seven…"

"…get out of here," said the male voice.

The last thing Seven heard was a loud hiss and a few seconds of silence.

"Warning. Regeneration cycle incomplete" announced the computer as Seven of Nine was finally able to step down from her regeneration alcove. She glanced around the room, certain she heard voices but found no one in sight. Various cargo containers, some standing as high as twelve feet, were scattered around the room, partially obstructing her view, and definitely not in the same places they were when she entered her alcove a few hours prior. She cautiously walked toward the rear of the cargo bay in hope of forcing out whoever was in the room with her but found no one. She was certain that she heard talk of poison for Janeway and that triggered an angry response.

Her initial reaction was to inform Commander Tuvok of this new information, but since he had found no evidence of a scheme to shoot the captain when she knew she heard it plotted, she concluded his investigation was inadequate and it was deemed useless to involve him with this as well. Perhaps he was involved in the scheme as well. He had been on board the Maquis ship when Voyager became stranded in the Delta Quadrant. If she wasn't careful, this had the potential to 'snowball,' as Janeway would put it, and if nothing else came out of her poking into personnel files one thing was quite clear: she was on her own.

She walked over to the data console in the room and began searching crewmember profiles in hope of finding some clues that would link someone to a plot to shoot the captain and now another to poison the captain. Her search was concentrated on the former Maquis crewmembers since they were against the Federation when they joined Voyager several years ago. There were several possibilities, including Commander Chakotay, who seemed the most likely suspect since he would gain command of the ship in lieu of Janeway's death until she came upon the file on Voyager's helmsman, Tom Paris.

Tom had spent several months in a penal colony in New Zealand before Janeway recruited him for the mission that stranded them in the Delta Quadrant. He was to betray the Maquis and deliver them to Janeway. It was also noted in the file that he had no love for the Federation in those early days on Voyager and Commander Chakotay continuously questioned his loyalty over a time span of years. In addition, he had purposely disobeyed the captain's orders nearly one year ago and consequently been demoted to Ensign. It wasn't until recently that he regained his lieutenant rank again.

Seven made a mental note to 'pump' B'Elanna, the chief engineer, for information the first chance she got. Not only was B'Elanna her friend and Tom's love interest, but she also served with Tuvok on board the Maquis ship and knew him fairly well. In the meantime, she had some reports to complete before the senior staff meeting at 0900 hours.

The senior staff was seated around an oval table in the conference room. Heading the table was Janeway, followed in order on her left by Chakotay, Tom, Neelix, Seven, Tuvok, B'Elanna and finally rounding out the group was Harry. Their meetings usually ran long, often attempting to resolve various ship related problems, but after a long week of nothingness and not much new to report the meeting today was cut short and winding down.

"Harry," Janeway looked at the young man and asked, "Anything new to report?"

"No ma'am. All systems are running at peak efficiency."

She nodded her head in acceptance and looked over at Neelix. "Neelix," she said, "How are the preparations coming along for the festival?"

With the beginning of the spring party tonight, everyone was excited and anxiously awaiting the start of the celebration. Not only would this provide a distraction from boredom but the festival would also allow the crew to socialize with colleagues who worked opposing duty shifts.

"Just fine, captain," the Talaxian stated with excitement in his voice. "I'm creating a varied selection of dishes and I'm sure everyone will find something delicious to eat. I've asked Ensign Tal Celes to lend a hand in the decorating. She has a talent for organization and she's very creative. In addition, I've posted a talent signup sheet and the response has been overwhelming. I'm sure it's going to be a huge success!"

Janeway smiled wide. It was always hard to celebrate holidays with such a diverse crew without insulting someone's beliefs. Neelix always had a way of getting around that though. If it was time for a morale boosting party then he came up with the perfect solution, which in this case was the spring folly celebrating the end of the Talaxian winter. This would be the perfect opportunity to talk with Seven as well, if only she knew what to say. She quickly glanced at the young woman but Seven was busily keying buttons on her data pad.

"Alright then people, if there's nothing else…" Janeway left the opportunity for discussion lingering for anyone to add a bit of information if they wanted to but all that followed was silence. She glanced around the room, looking at each crewmember but no one spoke. She nodded her head and announced, "Dismissed."

The group stood up and began quietly leaving the room, returning to their duty stations. Seven hesitated leaving and remained at her seat until B'Elanna had passed by her. When the Klingon had left the room and headed for the turbolift, Seven followed.

"Lieutenant, I must speak with you immediately," Seven stated, surprising the other woman as she moved into the turbolift to join her friend.

B'Elanna turned around and moved to her left, allowing the borg to enter with her. "What's up, Seven?" Seven's first days on Voyager were difficult for everyone and B'Elanna was one of the last to fully accept the borg as a credible member of the crew. But once they worked out their differences by almost coming to blows at times, B'Elanna put aside her volatile temper aimed at the drone and Seven her objective for borg perfection, and they quickly became good friends.

"There is a matter of utmost importance I must discuss with you." Seven preferred not to involve anyone else in this security breach, especially B'Elanna since she was romantically involved with Seven's primary suspect, but she hoped her trust in her friend as well as the lieutenant's reputation for loyalty to the captain would prevail and help her understand why Tuvok and Tom Paris were working together in a murderous plot against Captain Janeway.

As the turbolift carried the women to engineering Seven informed B'Elanna of the things she heard and the information she had gathered, leaving nothing out. Seven told her about overhearing someone, quite possibly Harry, planning to "shoot the captain" and about overhearing two people in Cargo Bay 2 not so quietly looking for a container of "poison for Janeway." She also recounted her findings in Tom's personnel file and her suspicions regarding Tuvok.

"That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard, Seven," B'Elanna screeched as the turbolift doors opened at their destination, causing most of the engineering crew to look over at the commotion. "How can you possibly think Tom and Tuvok would plan something like that?"

"Lieutenant," Seven began as she noticed they now had an audience, "Can you please lower your voice? I do not wish to 'tip off' any perpetrators." She gestured to the upper level of engineering and headed to the lift for seclusion with B'Elanna reluctantly in tow.

B'Elanna was floored by Seven's assumptions. She had always thought highly of Tuvok, despite his undercover work to infiltrate the Maquis, and would trust him with her life, and Tom was her lover. There wasn't anything about him she didn't know. He was harmless. It was almost impossible for him to hurt anyone on the crew much less Janeway, whom he respected deeply.

When they had reached the upper level of engineering and attained more privacy, B'Elanna turned to face Seven and continued the conversation. "I can understand why you might believe what you do, given the talk you heard, but honestly, Seven, don't you think there's a slight chance someone is pulling your leg? I mean, Tom was with me when you claim someone was in the cargo bay looking for poison so that rules him out."

Seven considered this new information. It was possible Tom was still involved with the plot and had someone else retrieve the poison but that sounded too farfetched at the moment. Perhaps Tom was with B'Elanna and they were both in the cargo bay looking for the poison. That would certainly make B'Elanna's statement true and place Lt. Paris at the location. It was becoming more difficult to trust anyone but herself now. Some further investigation was definitely required to rule out the inaccurate facts but she had to deceive B'Elanna into thinking she had dropped the matter just in case she was involved. Without too much emotion giving her away, she stated, "I will consider your statement an alibi for Lt. Paris."

"Gee. Thanks," B'Elanna said sarcastically. She waited for Seven to either continue or turn to leave but the borg just stood there watching her. "Was there something else you wanted?" she curiously asked with raised brows.

"Yes." Seven hesitated, contemplating discussing her experience with Kathryn but she was at a total loss as to what to do next. All her research regarding human feelings of arousal led her to conclusions of dating rituals and mating, but there was no mention of how to be certain you were aroused. Besides, she wasn't completely convinced the doctor's assessment of her condition was accurate to begin with. Without warning, she burst out, "Tell me about the beginnings of your relationship with Lt. Paris. Did he deflower you? How did you know you were ready for copulation? Is he an adequate lover? How many times per week do you initiate sexual intercourse?"

If it was at all possible to shock her more after suggesting her lover was involved in a ship mutiny, this did it. "Excuse me?!" Once again, her screeching turned a few heads from the lower deck.

"It has been suggested I have developed feelings of an amorous nature toward another member of this crew. I would like to know for certain," Seven stated innocently.

B'Elanna was more embarrassed than anything else and sighed. Seven was always coming to B'Elanna with problems like this and her lack of subtlety left a lot to be desired. When Seven first became interested in dating she followed B'Elanna and Tom around the ship, taking notes and studying their behaviors. She had even gone so far as to inform B'Elanna, in a crowded messhall and not so delicately, that everyone on that deck was aware of when the couple had sex. "Isn't there someone else you can talk to about this, like the doctor. Or Janeway?"

Seven stared at B'Elanna, sharply straightening her stance and taking a step backward. "I have been spending time with the captain in the holodeck and I do not believe it is appropriate to discuss this matter with her. As for the doctor, he is unknowledgeable in matters of the heart and therefore it is pointless to discuss this with him."

Everyone knew Janeway and Seven had a unique relationship, but there was something in Seven's reaction to Janeway's name that tipped B'Elanna off that it could possibly be something more than anyone had previously thought. She knew the captain always held special feelings for the borg, but it had always seemed maternal. Maybe she read the signs wrong. "And you think I can help?" she asked, leading her friend into what sounded like a very interesting discussion.

Seven suddenly became defensive. "If you do not wish to assist me I will find another way," she said and turned toward the lift to main engineering.

"Whoa, hold on, Seven." B'Elanna grabbed Seven's arm, pulling her back and preventing her from leaving the room and the juicy discussion. B'Elanna loved gossip nearly as much as she loved Tom. There was no way she was going to let this tidbit slip away if she could avoid it. As if she was talking to herself, she looked down and said to Seven with a barely audible tone, "This is a little embarrassing to talk about, but hell, we're friends, right?" Her head lifted as she continued, "Okay, when two people feel something for each other, you just know it. It's not something I can explain. Your heartbeat races when you see that person. Sometimes you feel sad when they're not around. You have trouble concentrating on normal, everyday routines. You even go out of your way to spend time with that person. You want to be with them all the time. Tom and I worked double duty shifts for weeks just to have some off time together. Is this making any sense?"

"I believe so." Seven took in B'Elanna's words carefully and applied them to her own situation. She had experienced an increase in her heartbeat in the captain's presence as well as difficulty concentration on her work. They had been spending a lot of time in the holodeck, though recently they didn't have as much time and that did sadden her. "How did you know you were ready for copulation?"

"That's something you're going to have to figure out yourself, Seven. But believe me, you will know when the time is right," She paused. "I'm glad I didn't get involved with Chakotay and waited for Tom. He's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Before the women could continue, a chirp came over Seven's comm. badge. "Janeway to Seven…"

"Seven here."

B'Elanna could hardly believe her eyes. Seven's face light up light a Christmas tree when she heard the captain's voice. A faint trace of a not entirely concealed smile was present, and her eyes held a twinkle B'Elanna had not seen before in the young borg.

"Seven, if you're not too busy around 1800 hours I'm running the DaVinci program. Would you like to join me?"

"That would be acceptable," Seven answered without giving a second to ponder.

"Great! I'll see you then. Holodeck One."

"Yes, Captain." Seven quickly regained her composure and looked B'Elanna squarely in the eye. "Thank you for this discussion, lieutenant. Please do not repeat what I have told you for security purposes. I must complete my work now." No sooner did she finish her statement than she was off, heading for the lift that brought her up here.

B'Elanna was floored. Seven was going to leave with this topic dangling and drive her friend nuts with curiosity in the meantime. Because Seven was already on the lift down to main engineering and on her way to Astrometrics by the time she figured out what was happening, there really wasn't much she could do to stop it. She was, however, going to have plenty to talk about tonight at the party with Tom.

The DaVinci simulation was dark and warmer than the average temperature of the ship, giving off the impression one was truly in Tuscany Italy. Sunlight filtered through the window but was not luminescent enough to allow proper lighting the area needed. The room itself was designed to reproduce the studio of the famous artist and although Janeway was barely able to convince the man at first to allow her a small corner to work in, she had taken over quite a bit of the room with her belongings only a few short months later. Now, amateur paintings and sculptures of various sizes and shapes were spread around, a drafting table with diagrams and architectural schematics were the centerpiece of the room, and off to the far corner still dressed in her Starfleet uniform, standing out like a sore thumb, she sat humbly trying to piece together sections of wood. Nearby, a variety of hand tools, screws and nails, molding, and paints and brushes littered the floor. A small droplet of sweat trickled down her brow and she had an enormous smudge of grease decorating her forehead. Deep concentration in her project as well as her upcoming discussion prevented her from hearing Seven enter the simulation through the door.

"Captain, is this the scenario we will be participating in tonight?" Seven said as she stood silently in the doorway observing the captain's obsession with a hand drill and a piece of wood.

Seven's abrupt appearance startled Janeway and she dropped the piece of wood as she unsuccessfully tried to grab the drill that slipped from her sweaty hand. Annoyed, she looked up and asked, "Do you always sneak up on people like that?"

Janeway had been thinking about her relationship with Seven. It was obvious to her now, as well as the doctor, that she had special feelings for the younger woman that went deeper than what a captain feels for the average crewmember. To add fuel to the fire, Seven returned those feelings. However, it was only clear to one side that the couple felt the way they do about each other; Seven was oblivious to her feelings. She could either encourage the relationship to grow into something more, which she so desperately wanted, or she could dissuade it before things got out of hand and someone got hurt, which is why she invited Seven here tonight. She had to stop it before their relationship changed and they couldn't go back to the way things were.

"I apologize, captain. I was unaware you did not hear me knock on the door." Seven was obviously amused with Janeway's trouble in this simulation. She knew the captain had been raised as a traditionalist, without replicators and other modern conveniences, and that she should have been able to accomplish simple tasks such as sculpting, painting, and building things from scratch but Janeway never had the finesse for it. Holodecks were mainly used for pleasure and she could not understand why someone would put so much effort into something that only returned torment. "May I ask what you are doing?" she asked as she approached Janeway.

Janeway's annoyance subsided as she watched Seven move toward the workbench. The way she walked, so composed and sure of herself, gliding as if walking on air, gave Kathryn a head rush.

"I'm making a dollhouse for Naomi. Would you like to help?" Janeway knew Seven was fond of Naomi Wildman, who was barely five years old. She stood up and moved over to a table for better leverage.

"Of course," Seven added. She gathered up a handful of screws and nails from the bench, picked up a hammer, screwdriver and Janeway's dropped drill and joined the captain over at the table.

Standing only a breath away from each other, Janeway explained the design of the dollhouse to Seven. She noticed Seven's arm inadvertently brush against hers while she reached for some adhesive and that immediately sent butterflies to her stomach. She knew it was going to be so hard to break off this friendship, or at the very least stop spending so much time with Seven, but she didn't have much choice if she was to remain an ethical captain. Captains don't get involved with crewmembers she repeatedly told herself.

"So, how was your day?" She asked Seven, trying to break the awkward silence.

"It was acceptable," Seven stated. She noticed her stomach had that feeling again, that nauseas, unsettled feeling and she was having difficulty remembering the design specifications of the dollhouse. "I completed long range scans and found three systems with class M planets of interest." She recalled her conversation with B'Elanna and decided it was time to find out if the doctor was correct. "I also had an interesting discussion with Lt. Torres." The mere idea of discussing this with Janeway caused her insides to do flips.

"Oh really?" Janeway asked in a surprise tone, becoming slightly excited. When it came to discussions with B'Elanna, they were usually never dull. The last time Seven informed her of an 'interesting discussion with B'Elanna' it was after the engineer had introduced Seven to erotic literature in the entertainment database. She was curious to find out what the two women had been discussing this time. "What did you two talk about that was so interesting?" she asked, using her husky tone.

"We discussed her involvement with Lt. Paris, their sexual relationship, and how to be sure you are physically attracted to someone," she noted, concentrating on her work as she picked up two slats of wood and measured for accuracy.

Seven's mention of sex definitely turned Janeway on now. Her palms were very sweaty, her heartbeat raced, controlling her breathing became harder, and for the first time in a long time she felt her private area throbbing. She suspected that Seven was going to confess her feelings for her at any moment and it scared her more than any encounter with a Borg cube had. She had brought Seven down here to encourage seeking out friendships with other members of the crew, thus freeing herself from the heartache of seeing the younger woman's hurt face when she told her it wasn't wise they spend as much time together. It wasn't fair that she hogged all Seven's free time. Now telling her this was the last thing she wanted. She wanted to hear Seven's confession. She needed to hear it.

Janeway stopped what she was doing and focused her attention on Seven, who still concentrated on the dollhouse. "And what did B'Elanna have to say about physical attractions?" she asked fearfully, certain the influential Klingon's casual use of vulgarity would rub off on Seven one day.

Seven stopped her work now, looked at the captain and stated, "Kathryn, I believe we should screw."

Janeway's eyes bugged out and she lost her breath. She brushed the hair away from her forehead and rubbed her temple. She tried to speak but the words never came. Only silence. Something deep inside her tingled as she replayed those words over in her mind. Kathryn, I believe we should screw. She was deeply aroused now, more so than at any other time she could remember. Seven had a way of pushing those buttons inside her that no other person in her life could, including all her previous lovers. She gulped loudly and wondered how Seven remained so composed. Calm down she told herself. When she regained the use of her voice, she whispered softly and slowly, "Do you know what you're saying, Seven?"

Seven appeared a little confused at Janeway's sudden look of horror as her face went pale. "Kathryn, you do not look well. Are you physically unable to perform this action?" she asked very concerned.

Janeway stood at the table flabbergasted by Seven's crude terminology of the beautiful act she laid awake fantasizing about so many nights. She was going to have to teach Seven the finer points in being romantic and sweet-talking.

"Captain?" Seven said to her as she held up two panels of wood, interrupting her thought process. "These panels. I believe we should screw them together."

When Janeway realized it was the wood Seven referred to and not the physical act Janeway first believed, she experienced a sense of embarrassment wash over her like the waves in the Maui simulation that night on the holodeck.

"Yes, that's fine," Janeway stated. She was very frustrated with herself for her lack of self-control. She had to get out of here. Seven was driving her wild. The desire she felt for this woman was starting to take over her senses and she was now thinking with her heart rather than her head. She made a lame excuse to leave, "Can you finish this part? I just remembered I have to check with Commander Chakotay about a report before the party." Before waiting for Seven's response she briskly walked out the door.

As Janeway quickly left the holodeck Seven immediately reviewed the last few minutes of their discussion to discover why Janeway had suddenly left and lied about a report. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. She was attempting to discuss her feelings with her friend while working on a project for Naomi. She hadn't felt this bad since…she couldn't remember ever feeling this bad. Just as she turned around to leave B'Elanna walked through the door.

"Hey, Seven, what's going on?" she asked. Rather than wearing her Starfleet uniform of black and gold she was casually dressed in brown trousers, a cream colored blouse and her hair was pinned to her head.

"What do you mean?" Seven asked.

"I just saw Janeway running down the hall and I knew you two had some holodeck time reserved," she paused, looking around the room. An afternoon of pondering their earlier discussion led her to the conclusion that Janeway felt enamored about Seven and had suppressed her feelings about it for months. After their conversation earlier in the day, though, and her thoughts of Seven returning those romantic feelings in the captain, the last thing she expected to see was Janeway running away from the borg.

She continued looking around the room at the strange artifacts. This simulation certainly didn't look like much fun, but then her idea of fun didn't included archaic tools and sculpting equipment. "Everything ok?"

"I am not certain."

"Well, what happened?" She looked at Seven who appeared to be looking sad. She had never seen the borg look this way before so she had no previous expressions to compare it with. She walked toward the table for a more intimate chat.

Seven remained behind the table, looking down at the unassembled dollhouse. "Kathryn and I were building a gift for Naomi. When I suggested we assemble these two parts together," she picked up the wood to show her friend, "Kathryn became upset and fabricated a story about discussing a report with Commander Chakotay." Her voice indicated she was very upset. She felt that Kathryn had lied to avoid hurting her and she blamed herself for driving the captain away. She speculated that Janeway had suspected where the conversation was going and that she did not share the tender feelings.

B'Elanna put her arm around her friend's shoulder for comfort. She knew what it was like to have someone you cared about run off. "That's weird. What were you talking about right before that?"

Seven replayed the incident. "We were discussing the events of my day, including my long range scans of nearby systems and our conversation pertaining to romantic feelings."

"Ah," B'Elanna sighed. She realized Janeway had been unable to suppress her feelings any longer and wondered if she had finally confessed her feelings to Seven or left her in the dark. "Did you notice anything strange about her behavior when you talked about your feelings?"

"She has been behaving strangely since our holodeck visit to Maui last night. We did not get to discuss my feelings, however, before she abruptly left."

"What were you doing on Maui that made her behave weird?" B'Elanna was fascinated with this. She had always had voyeur tendencies and this was the next best thing to being able to watch. Of course, she had to be careful not to manipulate her friend too much or she could cause further damage to Seven's already hurt feelings.

"We were participating in beach activities. We had also planned to visit another Hawaiian island soon." Seven paused, happily remembering that night in question. She had no idea what went wrong with the captain today, however. "I do not feel I am suited for interpersonal relationships. It is too complex."

B'Elanna chuckled and moved around to curiously study the design plans on the bench behind them. "That's going a bit far, isn't it? Tell me exactly what was said right before the captain left."

Calmly, Seven began retelling the events as they unfolded as if rattling off a list. "As I mentioned, we were discussing the events of my day. The captain asked me what you and I talked about. I continued working on the dollhouse, measuring panels of wood for accuracy. I suggested we screw. Captain Jane…"

"WHOA!" B'Elanna yelled as she quickly turned around and ran back to Seven. "You said what!?"

"I suggested we screw," Seven said innocently, unaware of the problem at hand. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Damn, Seven. It's a wonder you didn't suggest your next Hawaiian visit be to Kaman'awanalayu Island."

Seven stared at B'Elanna with a baffled expression. "I do not understand."

B'Elanna took a moment to gather her thoughts. She had to explain this in such a way so as to not betray Janeway's feelings, but to ensure that Seven understood the nature of what was happening. She chose her words carefully, "Seven, do you know what inference means?"

"Inference?" Seven questioned her with disbelieving ears. She wasn't sure what this had to do with recent events but gave B'Elanna the only meaning she knew. "Do you mean the act of passing from one statement considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow that of the former?"

B'Elanna looked at her with distress. Seven was always doing this to her: making a mountain out of a molehill. "Yeah. Well my point is, certain words we use have more than one meaning. Like for instance," she slowly shook her head searching for the right example and when it struck she continued, "consider the word date. It can mean a day on a calendar, a piece of fruit, or a person on a romantic social engagement. If you don't clarify which denotation you intended then it becomes ambiguous. Do you understand?"

"I understand what inference is. I do not understand what this has to do with Captain Janeway."

B'Elanna had no choice. She had to tell Seven about Janeway's feelings. There just wasn't any other way to explain it. "Seven, screw is one of those words. You meant it to be used as fastening the wood panels. Captain Janeway mistook it for the other meaning, which is a sexual reference."

For a moment the two women stared at each other; B'Elanna desperately wanted to read Seven's mind, while Seven finally gained understanding of what was really happening and for the first time accepted the fact that she was indeed attracted to Kathryn Janeway, captain of Voyager. She also realized that Janeway had similar feelings toward her. Why else would she react that way to such an innocent statement? She believed what she wanted to believe, heard what she wanted to hear, and when that meaning wasn't what she thought, she became embarrassed and left. It was understandable.

"Seven?" B'Elanna spoke, watching and wondering if Seven interpreted Janeway's peculiar behavior the same way she did. She gently poked her friend on the arm. "You alright?"

"I am well." It was obvious Seven wasn't feeling well, that this news of Janeway's interest in her was painful to accept because the captain hid her feelings for so long and still had not told her. She wondered why the captain had not mentioned this before. Was Kathryn embarrassed to be with her? Had she not lived up to the captain's expectations? That the news came from a third party was even more painful, though she didn't fault B'Elanna.

B'Elanna felt horrible right now. Seven's first romantic interest, she realized, turned out to be with someone who denied her the pleasure of exploring that option. In order to make her feel better she offered to take her mind off things. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's go to the party and let loose."

"No, I must find Kathryn." Seven inquired about Janeway's whereabouts with the central computer and found the captain was in the messhall for the start of the weekend long party.

"It looks like fate is drawing you there. Come on, let's go." B'Elanna grabbed Seven's arm and practically dragged her from the holodeck and down to the messhall. When they entered, the room was full, the aromas in the air smelled fabulous, and everyone was with their back to the door, listening to Captain Janeway give the opening commemoration speech.

The messhall was decorated wonderfully. Crepe paper hung from the ceiling, balloons clung to the wall as well as floating high in the air, the tables were removed allowing a huge dance floor, and a collection of holo images was proudly displayed near the window. Over in the corner of the messhall Janeway stood facing the crowd and well able to see the many faces of the crew. Dressed in a casual cream-colored spring dress, her hair fashionably styled and showed off a beautiful pair of opal earrings, she was the portrait of elegance. She immediately noticed Seven enter the room and lost her place in the speech she had prepared for this occasion. Quickly, she skipped ahead to the end…

"…And so on this first night, let the celebrations begin."

The crown cheered and the music began filling the air. Couples began dancing to the Caribbean sounds selected by Tom Paris for this occasion. People had gathered into small groups for conversation, others at the buffet tables, yet while others at the small makeshift bar retrieving drinks from Neelix and Lt. Ayala, who offered to play bartender on the first night.

B'Elanna spotted Tom and Janeway talking together and stood in the doorway with Seven watching, and waiting. When Janeway noticed the two women were not coming over to join them she excused herself from Tom and began walking toward the doorway to speak with Seven. B'Elanna took this as her cue and went over to meet her partner.

"Captain," Seven remarked, "You look wonderful this evening." Despite the captain's performance earlier that evening, Seven was very happy to see Kathryn again. Normally she would have been furious with Janeway for lying to her the way she did, but something about Seven's newly recognized feelings this week had put a halt to the feelings of anger.

"Seven, I owe you an enormous apology," Janeway began. "Can we talk for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Janeway led Seven past the buffet tables and headed toward the far wall near a fake palm tree. As they passed one of the tables she observed Seven looking at the many foods and slowed down. This was the dessert table, she noticed, filled with pastries, tarts, the creampuffs Neelix had served Seven a few days ago and the finest fruits of countless species' throughout the quadrant. Among the fruits were Seven's favorites, strawberries, and adjacent to the dish was a bowl of whipped cream. Seven generally wouldn't have given the food a second glance but when it came to strawberries she couldn't resist. They were like a drug to her but she hesitantly continued to follow Janeway.

"Would you like to get some food first?" Janeway asked.

"No thank you, Kathryn. Although everything looks aesthetically pleasing I do not require…"

"I know," Janeway cut her off, "You don't require nutritional supplements at this time. Don't you want to indulge though? This is a celebration after all."

Seven considered this information but still declined. She merely wanted to clear things up with Kathryn. "No, I will consume food later if I become hungry."

They continued walking toward the palm tree and passed Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry laughing and standing before the holo images she spotted earlier from the entrance. Now that she was closer she could make them out and spotted many members of the crew in amusing settings, including one of Captain Janeway on a surfboard from the Maui simulation. Both women spotted the picture at the same time and looked at Harry for an explanation.

"I hope you don't mind, Captain," Harry began as he stifled his laugh. "I heard you were surfing and I had to shoot this picture."

Janeway was fairly amused at how ridiculous she looked and when she glanced over at Seven to see the younger woman's reaction she thought the borg was blushing.

"Did you say shoot, Mr. Kim?" Seven asked. It had finally dawned on her that not only had she caused Janeway great discomfort with her use of the word screw, but she herself had misunderstood someone else's meaning with the word shoot. No one was going to murder Captain Janeway. Mr. Kim was going to capture her picture on a holo imaging device. The conspiracy she contrived in her mind involving Tuvok covering up the murderous plot, Harry and Megan attempting to shoot the captain, and Tom's search for poison left her feeling foolish.

Harry looked at her blushing face quizzically. "Yes, why?"

B'Elanna caught on to what Seven was getting at and relieved her friend of the embarrassment she would have faced in front of the captain. "Uh, Harry, I'll explain it to you later."

Janeway stood by watching this interaction between the senior officers and although confused by it all chalked it up to an inside joke and put it out of her mind. She congratulated Harry on a job well done. It wasn't easy making her look like a pro on a surfboard, especially since she had been as nervous as she was that night. She looked at Seven for approval and together they headed to the secluded corner for some private talk.

"Seven, I wanted to apologize for my behavior this evening. It was unacceptable." Her tone was sincere and, though it was not her intention, her apology added some points in her favor. She was still not aware, however, that Seven knew she was in love with her.

"There is no need to apologize, Kathryn. I understand why you had to leave. My unfamiliarity with words containing multiple meaning has caused me great embarrassment this week."

Confused, Janeway asked, "How so?"

"It is not important. What is important is that we share tender feelings regarding our relationship and we must discuss this."

Janeway was floored. She had apologized for her rude behavior but she still wasn't able to admit to her romantic interest in Seven, especially not within earshot of half the crew. "I don't know what you're talking about, Seven," she added, still in denial.

It took a lot to enrage Seven, and this endless spiral they seemed to always be going through was enough to do just that. Her face turned red and she barked out, "Kathryn Janeway, if you do not wish to admit your true feelings to yourself that is fine, but do not lie to me. I do not lie to you and I expect the same in return. I had to find out from Lt. Torres you have romantic feelings for me. Do you know how unpleasant that feels, that you could not tell me yourself? " With that Seven briskly walked out of the room, practically knocking over Commander Chakotay as he approached the couple.

Janeway had never seen Seven so mad before. What made it worse is that anger was directed at her and it wasn't due to a subordination issue or one of their normal arguments. She had lied to Seven, denied her feelings, caused the woman great embarrassment, and now probably lost any trust the young woman placed in her.

Chakotay had a dumb look on his ugly face when he arrived at the captain's location and asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh Chakotay," she reached over to hug the burly man, "I messed up." She wanted to cry right now but buried her face in his shoulder instead.

"Kathryn, what's going on?" he returned her hug with a gentle bear hug.

"Chakotay, I may have lost her before really finding her."

"Are you talking about Seven of Nine?" He was still very confused.

She pulled herself away from his comforting embrace and stared into his eyes. They had been good friends for many years and he advised her on her toughest decisions, often gave her a shoulder to lean on, and simply listened when she needed nothing more than a friend. Her head still questioned whether it would be wise to confess her feelings but her heart won the battle. She didn't care anymore. If she had to tell the whole Delta Quadrant how she felt in order to get Seven back then she would. "Chakotay, I'm in love with Seven."

Seven of Nine stood regenerating in her alcove. Events of the day filtered through her mind and she felt absolutely horrible at the way she handled the situation with Janeway. As she recalled the DaVinci program and everything B'Elanna had told her she sensed a presence in the room with her. No words were spoken, but this presence was a familiar one, warming her from the inside out. She had felt it so many nights and knew who was in the room with her, quietly watching her regenerate.

Kathryn Janeway stood beside the activation panel looking up at the borg before her. She came here often to watch Seven, to catch a glimpse of her sleeping. She watched Seven stand so still in the alcove, her features were soft and peaceful, she looked so relaxed. She wondered how it was possible to regenerate in an upright position. She studied her face, memorized every curve, and lusted after that woman who drove her mad with desire every night she came here to watch. Now was the time to end this game of denial she played. She reached over and keyed in the deactivation sequence that immediately awoke Seven.

Seven's eyes opened in revelation, yet she wasn't surprised in the least to see Janeway standing in front of her. She stepped down from the alcove and walked to the captain's position. "Captain?" she questioned Janeway's reason for being here.

"Seven, I've come to apologize again. You have every right to be angry with me." Janeway paused and paced a few steps. She came here after her talk with Chakotay and he convinced her to come clear with Seven, though she had already made up her mind to do that when she confessed. She just wanted to hear him say it, convince her she wasn't being unwise. She didn't need anyone's approval, but that's what it felt like that night. She turned around to face Seven, who stood quietly, watching her pace the room. When she saw those big blue eyes looking back at her she didn't see the anger the expected, but rather a love deeper than anything she had witnessed before.

"Kathryn, you do not need to apologize. I realize you are a stubborn woman and I accept that. It is too bad we are not both drones. I would have known your feelings immediately and this could have been avoided." Seven was being sarcastic and trying to lighten the tense mood in the room.

Janeway froze then chuckled nervously as she walked back to Seven, realizing the young woman was trying to be facetious.

"That was a joke. You have encouraged me to use my sense of humor, have you not?" Seven remarked with a grin.

Janeway couldn't refrain any longer and suddenly burst out, "Seven, I've been such a fool. I should have been the one to tell you, not B'Elanna. I'm so sorry I led you on the way I did then denied what I was feeling. I've been telling you to express yourself and I couldn't even do that myself. What kind of mentor am I? When the doctor pointed this out to me I was unable to accept it. It has nothing to do with you though. It's me. I felt like I couldn't get involved with you because I'm your captain, but I don't care about that. I don't know when my feelings for you changed. It wasn't at any one moment. I think it happened gradually, and when I started to realize that I suppressed it." She reached up to cup Seven's face and pulled her closer. "I love you, Seven. I have loved you for a long time now. I know you love me too, and that's what frightened me most. I had to make a decision that I wasn't prepared to make but I don't care anymore. I want to see where this leads and I think you do too."

Seven's insides were doing flips again and she could no longer contain herself. With only a breath between them she grabbed the back of Janeway's head, leaned closer and touched Janeway's lips with her own. Kathryn's lips, she noted, were so moist, so delicious. Those few seconds seemed eternal and she would always remember this moment as her first kiss. The magnitude of the kiss caused Janeway to become unstable and when they parted she unconsciously leaned to Seven for support.

"Captain, are you alright?"

"That was a powerful kiss. Where did you learn how to do that?" Janeway's voice was still shaken.

Seven smirked. "I assimilated the knowledge from species 69."

Janeway's suspicions had been correct: B'Elanna's vulgarity did rub off on Seven. It didn't bother her though, she somewhat enjoyed seeing this new side of Seven's personality. "You are incorrigible, do you know that?" she asked with her husky, purposely attempting-to-be-sexy voice.

Seven smiled. "No, I am borg."

For the rest of the evening they remained in Cargo Bay 2 enjoying foods that Janeway had brought back from the messhall in a picnic basket. They sat on a blanket and ate samples of all the foods from the dessert table that Seven had salivated over, including some strawberries and whipped cream that Kathryn enjoyed feeding her by hand. They talked about what they wanted from their new relationship, the rule they made of keeping no secrets, the privacy they wished to futilely retain, and although several people had already known about it, they suspected the rest of the crew would find out by the end of the night with thanks to B'Elanna's insatiable need to gossip.

As they polished off their first of two bottles of wine Janeway had included in the picnic basket, she mentioned a brief conversation she had with B'Elanna while gathering the food.

"Seven, B'Elanna tells me you thought I was going to be murdered this week."

Seven froze. She had hoped to keep her ignorance a secret but no doubt B'Elanna found it humorous enough to tell Kathryn. No secrets she reminded herself. "That is accurate. I overheard Mr. Kim telling Ensign Delaney he planned to shoot you and Lt. Paris talk about poison for you." She hiccupped.

Janeway laughed. "You understand what they meant now though, don't you?"

Feeling foolish , Seven speculated, "I understand what Mr. Kim meant, but I cannot comprehend why Lt. Paris needed poison. He did not have an exhibit displayed in the messhall."

"Tom's making me batteries for my beach radio. He needed cadium, which is poisonous, for the batteries and poison can't be replicated. We keep small supplies like that locked up in the cargo bays." She placed her hand gently on Seven's lap. "I assure you, there are no plots to bump me off- at least not this week."

"I will have to familiarize myself with double meaning words before I jump to such conclusion in the future."

"Yes, that's wise," Janeway offered. She opened the second bottle and refilled both their glasses.

"I must warn you, Kathryn," Seven concluded, "The next time I suggest we screw I may not be referring to assembling sections of wood." She grinned, showing Janeway a beautiful smile that promised nothing but good times ahead.

Janeway was shocked. She wasn't as fearful as she was a few hours ago in the DaVinci simulation and actually looked forward to Seven's implication. "I should hope not, dear." She held up her glass to make a toast. "Here's to implications," and the two glasses clanged.

The End

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