Captain Janeway strode down the corridor with an extra skip in her step this afternoon. Fresh from a break after a long, dull morning on the bridge, she was happy with the outcome of her spontaneous decision to surprise Seven this afternoon. She briskly walked past various crewmembers that paid her little attention as she continued on with a smile large enough to swallow a shuttlecraft, or maybe that’s how it felt to her. Once inside the turbolift, she straightened her uniform and brushed the front with her hands, removing any foreign objects and making it look fresh again. She was due back on the bridge but wanted to make a quick stop by Astrometrics to make plans with Seven for some holodeck time after their shifts. A sudden jolt from the stopped lift caused her to lose her balance and brace against the wall for support.
“Janeway to Engineering”
“Torres here”
“B’Elanna, why have the turbolifts stopped?”
“Uh, I’m not sure Captain. I’ll get back to you.”
“Please do. Janeway out.”
She bit the inside of her cheek in anticipation while waiting for B’Elanna’s hail. When that got old, she looked at the ceiling. What the hell? she thought as she noticed a smiley face painted on the ceiling and looking right at her. Shaking it off, she made a mental note to discuss this with Tom Paris who she was certain was responsible for the defacement.
“Torres to Janeway.”
“Janeway here.”
“Captain, there’s a ship wide energy drain coming from a broken warp coil in Jeffries Tube 13. It’ll take a couple hours to fix.”
“Can you beam me out?”
“No. Transporters are affected too.”
“So I’m stuck in here until then?”
“Sorry, Captain. There’s nothing I can do."
“You have one hour Lt.”
“But Captain…”
“One hour. Janeway out.” Damn.
Pause.
“Janeway to Seven.”
“Seven here.”
“Are you busy?”
“I am attempting to boost the scanning frequency for long range scanners in Astrometrics.”
“I see.”
“Is there something else you wish me to do?”
“Seven, I’m stuck in the turbolift.”
“That is unfortunate. Have you determined the source of the standstill?”
“There a broken coil in Jeffries Tube 13. B’Elanna’s working on it.”
“I’m sorry, Captain. Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you fix a warp coil in under an hour?”
“A challenging task but not impossible.”
“So you’re saying you can do it?”
“I believe the engineering crew would be more adapt at handling this repair.”
“You’re right. I’m just anxious to get out of here.”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Well, let’s just say my big lunch is beginning to kick in.”
“Kick in?”
“I should have used the facilities before I left the messhall, but I was in a hurry.”
“I am curious, Kathryn.”
“Curious about what?”
“Short of an alien attack, I do not understand what would cause Captain Janeway to return to duty before using the facilities after a big lunch.”
“I had an appointment.”
“An appointment?”
“It’s part of a surprise I had for you.”
“Intriguing. Who was this appointment with?”
“If I tell you it won’t be a surprise.”
“Kathryn, I do not take pleasure in surprises.”
“I know, but you’ll like this one. It has something to do with what we discussed in bed last night.”
“We discussed many things last night.”
“I bet you can’t guess.”
“Is this a challenge?”
“I’ll give you three tries, Seven.”
“You are finding this amusing.”
“Not as amusing as how I’m going to look in an hour running through the corridor for the nearest lavatory.”
“Shall I have an escort team standing by?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Take a guess now.”
“Very well. I speculate that you have replicated a sexual aid such as the one we discussed to create penetrating coital pleasure.”
Gasp. “Nope, though not a bad guess. Try again.”
“Kathryn, your voice has cracked. Are you in discomfort?”
“No. You just surprised me with your guess.”
“Then I suppose you are not the only one with surprises today.”
“I guess not. Ok, are you going to try again?”
“Yes. You have replicated a meal and arranged a romantic setting for us after our duty shifts.”
“Ooh, not bad, but incorrect. Last try.”
“You must tell me who your appointment was with.”
“You want a hint?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. That defeats the fun of guessing, Seven, and you’ll probably figure it out if I tell you.”
“Kathryn, It is my understanding of this type of challenge that I am entitled to at least one hint.”
“You want a hint? Ok. Think blue.”
Pause.
“Seven? Are you still there?”
“I am thinking.”
“You give up yet?”
“No. I believe you have met with Chell.”
“Seven!”
“Am I correct?”
“You’re good at this game. Can you tell me what Chell and I discussed?”
“Kathryn, I have concluded that your motivation for meeting with Chell is that you have cut your hair again.”
Pause.
“Kathryn? Am I correct?”
“How did you figure that out?”
“It was not difficult. I recalled the topics of discussion after each time we made love last night. From that knowledge I narrowed down the possibilities to potential surprises.”
“And you guess from that?”
“No. When the answer still escaped me, I traced your whereabouts of the last two hours using the computer’s navigational array and discovered you were in Crewman Chell’s quarters. Since there is no other reason you would meet with him in such an informal setting, I concluded that you had your hair cut, which was one of the things we discussed.”
“Damn, Seven, you really have to stop cheating.”
“It is the most efficient method of obtaining a quick outcome.”
“So you’ve stated in the past.”
“Kathryn, you are disappointed.”
“No. It’s part of who you are. I guess I’m just going to have to find another way of stumping you.”
“Stumping me?”
“Nevermind.”
Pause.
“Seven?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Kathryn.”
“You deserve someone better than a crusty old woman like me.”
“Kathryn, what has prompted this change in attitude?”
“I was just thinking about us.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Mostly about you growing up in the collective, missing out on so much, and now I feel like I’m stealing what’s left of your youth, not giving you a chance to explore your humanity before being committed to someone like me.”
“Kathryn, do you trust me enough to make my own decisions?”
“Of course.”
“Then why do you doubt my feelings.”
“I don’t doubt them. It’s more like I think you’re jumping in too quick. You don’t even know what love is.”
“Kathryn, I know that when I see something beautiful it is you I am looking at. I know when I feel pleasure it is you that causes it. I know that when I am apart from you my heart aches and my work suffers. If this is not love then please inform me so that I may seek medical treatment.”
Pause.
“Captain?”
“I’m here.”
“Kathryn, are you crying?”
“No.”
“Do not attempt to deceive me, Kathryn. I know you perhaps better than you know yourself.”
“Ok, maybe I am just a little.”
“Why are you crying?”
“Because no one has ever said such beautiful things to me and made me truly feel. I’ve been engaged twice, once to my best friend, yet neither of those times have I felt the way you make me feel, Annika.”
“Perhaps you have not really loved them.”
“No, Seven, I loved both of them, but I’ve never been in love with them the way I am with you. You are my heart.”
Pause.
“Seven, are you there?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Why do you sound different?”
“I am going to Jeffries Tube 13 to speed up the repairs.”
“What prompted this?”
“I wish to hug you.”
“I see. I can’t wait then. Oh, Seven?”
“Yes?”
“Can you hurry? I have to use the lavatory badly.”
“You will be out in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, love.”
She looked back up at the smiley face on the ceiling, focused on its symbolic implication, and asked it a question, speaking more to herself than the drawing and was unable to stop smiling in return.
“How did I become so blessed in finding her?” Seven, you are truly my heart.
The End