Seven of Nine woke in the grey light of pre-dawn, acutely aware of the body in her arms, deliciously soft and wonderfully warm. Smiling, she pressed close to the form with sleepy delight, feeling the smooth back against her breasts and stomach, the soft buttocks that fit neatly into her groin. She did so love waking up next to Kathryn. It was a profound pleasure, one that filled her with such supreme happiness that she could scarcely remember what it was like to terminate regeneration in an alcove. No, she decided, she did not miss her abdominal implant at all. 
She nuzzled the auburn hair, felt her lover stir briefly in response, making a quiet sound of contentment before settling down into a deeper sleep, her breathing slow and deep. Seven wanted to stay here forever, where it was comfortable and cozy in the sleeping bag, wrapped around Kathryn for all eternity.
However, she had promised B'Elanna she would assist in the project the engineer was planning this morning, and from the stealthy sounds across the camp, she knew the Klingon was already on the move. With a great reluctance, Seven carefully untangled herself from Janeway and eased out of the warm cocoon. She froze as Kathryn stirred again, a murmur of protest on the captain's lips, but Janeway did not wake, instead, curling up into a fetal position in the depths of the sleeping bag.
Seven let out a slow breath and crawled out of the habitat, wrapping her uniform around her torso to hide her attributes though, except for B'Elanna who eyed her sardonically, there was no one else up this early. The two women skittered across the wet grass on bare feet to the runabout, sealing the door. B'Elanna motioned with her head, indicating Seven could have the facilities first, and the Borg gratefully acceded. She would have preferred a hydro burst, but the shuttle was outfitted only with a sonic shower, so she utilized it quickly, the vibrations shaking away the dirt and dead skin with an efficient thoroughness. Seven replicated a new outfit, black like her Velocity workout outfit which left her arms bare to the shoulders, and slipped out of the small lavatory, barely avoiding B'Elanna who immediately darted into it.
As B'Elanna prepared herself, Seven replicated a mug of nutritional supplement that she knew would be enough to carry her through the day. As she sipped the clear, sweetish liquid, she looked out through the viewport lining the front of the runabout. A grey mist danced over the still waters of the lake, wisping like ghosts seeking shelter from the oncoming sun which was already beginning to suffuse the fog with a golden light. Seven shivered slightly, wondering why she felt apprehensive, then recognized the fact that B'Elanna's plans were usually the sort that Kathryn did not always appreciate. However, the element of fun that always seemed to be present in them made her participation irresistible, even with the threat of the captain's disapproval looming over her.
B'Elanna exited the head, and went over to the replicator, materializing a mug of coffee and a breakfast bar for herself. She ate quickly, then in a low undertone, directed Seven to help break out the containers from the compartment at the rear of the runabout. Moving quietly, they carried them down to the water's edge, Seven watching curiously as the engineer activated the largest container which unfolded into a bright yellow, inflatable raft. B'Elanna tossed two oars into the boat, along with the rest of the other equipment before helping Seven into the red life jacket. She donned her own, and together, the two wrestled the raft over to the lake. They were just about to slide it into the deeper water when a slender form materialized from the mist.
"What's going on here?" Captain Janeway asked coolly, eyes grey in the predawn.
B'Elanna yelped and whirled, hand pressed to her upper chest. "You scared three years out of me!" she objected.
"I find that unlikely," Janeway said wryly. "You haven't answered my question, Lieutenant."
"We are going fishing," Seven told her proudly.
"Do you like fishing, Seven?" Janeway asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I do not know what fishing is," Seven responded honestly.
Beside her, Seven saw B'Elanna roll her eyes, and she thought she detected a hint of amusement in Kathryn's even gaze.
"Why are you going fishing?"
"Because I'm not going to waste this wonderful lake," B'Elanna responded with a touch of defiance. "I'm betting there's a load of trout out there with our name on their little sides." She regarded Janeway with careful consideration. "There's an extra life jacket," she added with a sly grin.
Janeway lowered her head a little. "I presume this is not a catch-and-release expedition," she said.
B'Elanna shrugged. "You can release yours if you want," she said, "but I'm going to keep anything I get. I'll be damned if I'm gonna eat that leftover mushroom stew for the next two days."
"Will you join us, Kathryn?" Seven asked. She smiled wistfully at the captain. "It will be more fun if you come."
Janeway stared at her for a moment, her eyes softening perceptibly, and then nodded abruptly, reaching into the raft to pull out the other life jacket. Chortling quietly in triumph, B'Elanna pushed the raft onto the water, and the three gingerly climbed in. Janeway and Torres appropriated the oars, and with quiet splashes that barely rippled the surface, they paddled the raft out a certain distance, then began to follow the shoreline, looking for a likely area to find fish. Seven sat in the middle of the boat, cross-legged on the bottom, watching all this with lively interest, feeling warmed by the presence of her partner behind her, and her friend in front.
They found a quiet spot where the lake shallowed into the beginnings of a marsh, and B'Elanna unpacked the other containers which held long, thin metal rods. Seven observed closely as B'Elanna quickly strung hers with a fine filament, attaching a brightly colored object with a sharp hook at the end. With Kathryn's help, Seven prepared her own tool which the captain told her was called a 'fishing rod', threading the 'fishing line' through the little metal guides. Her 'lure' was a silver and blue metallic object, and with Janeway on the seat behind her, arms wrapped around her to assist her action, Seven made her first 'cast', the line shooting over the still water with a quiet hiss before plopping into the lake.
"Nice," B'Elanna said softly, already having sent her line spinning into the water. She eyed the captain briefly. "Done this before, have you?"
"Once or twice," Janeway allowed in a tone so dry it threatened to suck up the lingering remains of the mist.
B'Elanna snickered, and pulled in her line, recasting.
Seven peered over her shoulder into Kathryn's face. "What now?" she asked.
"Turn the lever," the captain instructed quietly, resting her hands gently on the Borg's shoulders. "That will pull the line in, dragging the lure through the water, making it look like prey. The key is to attract the fish into biting it where the hook will snag in its mouth, and you can haul it in."
"How will I know that a fish has taken the bait?" Seven said, keeping her voice low. Apparently it was important to be quiet, much like sneaking into a building after becoming drunk. Perhaps fishing was also a covert operation.
"You'll know," Janeway said. "There'll be a tug on the line, then a lot of resistance."  She grinned.  "Which of course, would be futile."
"Oh," Seven said. She did as she was instructed, but when the lure finally left the water, it was still empty, dripping as the metal gleamed briefly in the sunlight now filtering through the mist to bring sparkles to the water around them. Seven gazed at it with profound disappointment. "It did not function."
"It doesn't always," Janeway said with a smile. "So you try again ... and again, until one of two things happen."
"What two things?"
"You catch a fish..." Janeway began.
"Or you bust your rod in two, throw it in the water and go home," B'Elanna finished for her.
Janeway actually laughed a little at that, and Seven looked back at her, surprised to see the relaxed grin on her lover's face, the way the captain's eyes sparkled a brilliant blue, reflecting the water and sun. This fishing is good for Kathryn, she thought. We must do more of it in the future.
"I will try again," Seven said. With Janeway's assistance once more, she cast out over the still water.
"Try turning slower," Kathryn advised. "Make the lure a little more appealing."
Seven did as instructed, decreasing the speed with which she brought in the lure. The day was beginning to warm up, and B'Elanna took off her tunic, rolling her sweater sleeves up over her forearms which showed well defined musculature as she flexed them, casting.
The boat had a slight, rocking motion, the bottom undulating beneath Seven where she sat, periodically casting as the captain lounged behind her. The Borg was aware of the water around them, a mass of sparkling shadows, while the purple, blue and white-capped mountains loomed majestically over them, almost comforting in their solid bulk. Seven could hear the captain's soft exhalation of breath stirring the hair on top of her head, and there was a constant, gentle splash of tiny waves lapping against the raft. The long, green reeds stirring off to the side where the marsh settled, whispered low in the soft breeze that wafted around them, carrying with it the smells of the forest and lake. Seven could also detect the faint fragrance of Kathryn so close to her, a warm, musky scent, vaguely spicy from the soap she liked to use, the warmth of her body reaching out to surround her with a perceptible sense of love and devotion. Seven felt a profound and utter contentment fill her, this moment etching itself forever in her mind as one that was truly happy.
She glanced back, wondering if Janeway was feeling the same sense of peace. Kathryn's face was composed, still, eternally calm, her bright eyes distant as she stared at the granite rock rising above them. On this side of the lake, the water butted up against the sheer cliffs and crystalline veins sparkled as they ran jagged up the rock face. She seemed to feel Seven's eyes on her and she shifted her attention to her partner. Kathryn smiled at her then, warm, relaxed, completely at ease, teeth white against her wine-shaded lips, and she leaned against Seven, resting her forearms on the Borg's shoulders. 
"Ever rock climb, B'Elanna?" Janeway asked suddenly.
B'Elanna considered the mountain. "Not that one," she warned gently. "Fun is fun, but that's too much like work."
Janeway brushed her lips close to Seven's ear. "I think I shall have to teach you rock-climbing, love," she said, her voice low, making the Borg tingle from the nearness of it.
"I would like that," Seven responded. She was about to say more when she felt a sudden tug on her line. "I have something."
Janeway's hands were firm on her shoulders, keeping her from leaping up in her excitement, which probably would have capsized them all. "Easy, Annika," she said, eyes glowing. "Just be calm. Pull it in gently."
"It is struggling," Seven noted, the rod flexing in her hands, tightening her grip to hold onto it. Her eyes were wide with astonishment and glee, especially when she saw the fish leap high in the air, a hefty silver form that poised for a breathless instant in the sun, before plunging back into the cool depths of the lake.
"It's a big one," B'Elanna noted professionally. "We'll eat well today. Don't lose it, Seven."
"Let it exhaust itself," Kathryn advised calmly. "B'Elanna, do you have a net?"
"Right here," the engineer said, scooting to the side of the raft, a metal hoop with emerald netting attached to it. "Bring it into the side, Seven."
Seven tried to listen to all this advice, the vibration from the rod making it hard to hang onto as she carefully turned the lever, the fish making difficult what once was easy. She thought she now understood the appeal of this endeavor ... this 'fishing' ... though she had been quite skeptical when B'Elanna had explained it the night before. It was fun, and very exciting trying to bring the creature to her, even though the relative comparison of brain capacity between her and a fish should have precluded any sort of challenge to it at all.
Finally, the fish was close enough to scoop into the net, and B'Elanna strained as she hauled the catch into the boat. Seven regarded it with huge eyes.
"It is so big," she said.
"That it is, darling," Janeway said with a laugh.
"Hold it up, Seven," B'Elanna told her, handing the slimy creature to her.
Bemused, Seven grasped it tightly, her mesh covered left hand gripping the snapping head, her right holding tightly to the tail with a good two and a half feet in between. Janeway reached around her, helping hold onto the creature which did not seem willing to stay still, flopping in her grip as the captain worked the hook from it's gaping jaws.
"Hurry up, Lieutenant," Janeway ordered.
"Smile for posterity," B'Elanna instructed, aiming her tricorder at them, recording their actions.
"What are you doing?" Seven asked, feeling her grip slip.
"Giving you proof," B'Elanna said. "What every fisherman needs after the rest of the evidence is eaten."
"Are we going to eat this?" Seven asked, feeling squeamish as she regarded the thing in her hands. Honestly, she knew the Klingon had that in mind when they started, but now that she actually was seeing the fish up close, it held very little appeal.
"Unless you want to throw it back," Janeway offered. "You can release it if you want."
"Yes," Seven said. "I wish to let it go."
"Oh, Seven," B'Elanna said, staring at them both in astonished dismay. "You can't mean it."
"Yes," Seven said. She glanced at Janeway, feeling her grip slip more as the fish seemed to sense she was about to free it, redoubling its flailing. "May I release it now?"
"Anytime," Janeway said, smiling at her.
Seven heaved it away from her, sending it several yards away where it plunged into the lake with a mighty splash.
"Simply dropping it over the side would have worked as well," Janeway offered mildly.
B'Elanna just looked disgusted. "Bleeding heart," she said. She grabbed her rod and cast. "Maybe if I'm lucky, it'll be stupid enough to hit again." Almost immediately, her rod bent and she chortled happily as she started hauling in her catch. "A really dumb fish there."
Seven raised an eyebrow as the top of the water was suddenly disturbed, and she sensed Janeway frowning beside her.
"That doesn't look like the same fish," Janeway noted worriedly.
Suddenly, B'Elanna's catch rose out of the water.
And kept rising, higher and higher, the huge creature throwing a shadow over them as all three women gaped like children at an amusement park. Horn-like protrusions rising from its forehead, eyes glinting emerald in the sun as the horselike head wove back and forth on a serpentine neck which spouted from the bulk of the body still submerged in the roiling water. B'Elanna had let go of her rod, and it dangled, ludicrously small, out of the corner of immense jaws that were full of jagged teeth, its scales glowing iridescently in the mid-morning sun.
"This can't be good," B'Elanna muttered.
"Don't move," Janeway said quietly.
Seven just stared, eyes as wide as they would go, periodically remembering to close her mouth only to have it drop open again as soon as she refocused on the behemoth before her.
"Paris to Janeway." The captain's comm badge chirped. Three sets of eyes settled on Janeway's chest in horror. "Captain, we're being scanned. Sensors indicate two separate L'Borna forces heading in this direction, one a L'Bree detachment, the other, a government squad. We're between enemies."
Seven heard an audible gulp from B'Elanna, and a quieter one from Kathryn behind her.
It occurred to her that she probably should have remained in bed this morning.
 
Captain Janeway stared up at the creature with a dry mouth, acutely aware of Seven huddling against her legs while B'Elanna stared pop-eyed at the other end of the boat. Unobtrusively, the captain began to reach her hand across her front, going for her phaser, and saw the chief engineer mimic her motion. Instantly the huge head darted down, staring at them from only a few feet away, and they both froze, barely daring to breathe. Janeway heard Seven make a little sound in the back of her throat, though she suspected the Borg was unaware that she had done so. 
The creature examined them closely, tilting its head from side to side as it regarded them, first with one emerald orb, then shifting to the other. It blew out its breath in a rush, blasting them with a wave of warm air that smelled of fish and sulphur. Janeway gulped and attempted to inch her fingers to her weapon once more, wishing she carried it on her right hip, rather than the traditional cross-draw position that Starfleet officers tended to use. The nearest eye immediately centered on her, the pupil an ebony slash against the brilliant green. The huge jaw dropped open, revealing row upon row of white, gleaming teeth and a serpentine, forked tongue slithered in the cavernous mouth like an independent living thing.
"Excuse me, but that wouldn't happen to be an energy beam weapon you're attempting to pull, would it?" the creature remarked, raking her with an appraising look. "Or are you just happy to see me?"
Janeway felt all the blood drain from her head as her brain started running about in circles, gibbering wildly. The voice was low and rumbling with ... and she could scarcely fathom this ... a distinctly Scottish accent. With a huge effort, one she thought she would never be capable of generating again, she firmly brought her mind to heel and looked at the creature with what she hoped was a properly dignified, diplomatic expression. Though she had a sneaking suspicion she looked more like Seven and B'Elanna whom, she saw out of the corner of her eye, were displaying twin masks of utter discombobulation.
"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager," she said, hoping it ... he? ... knew what a starship was ... and that it didn't hear the distinct quaver in her voice.
"Are ye now?" it said, moving its nose closer, sniffing avidly at her. "You're definitely not a L'Borna, to be sure."
The fine whiskers that surrounded his muzzle tickled Janeway as they moved over her. "No, I'm not," she admitted carefully. "I am a Human from a planet called Earth in the Alpha Quadrant."
The head suddenly drew back, the abrupt motion sending a surge of water which rocked the boat. Janeway was profoundly glad she was already sitting down, or she would have ended up on her ass ... or over the side.
"Earth?" The voice took on a thundering tone, reverberating in their ears. "Ah, yes, I know of Earth. That miserable piece of dirt upon which the sniveling little inhabitants hounded and harassed me until I finally had to leave. So you've tracked me down here, have you?"
Janeway felt her eyebrows do their best to crawl off her head. "You know of Earth?" she said. "I'm afraid you have the advantage on me."
The head was suddenly level with her again, eyes narrowed as it regarded her. "Yes," he hissed, and before she could react, the tongue darted out and slapped at her tunic, leaving behind a trail of slimy wetness, before disappearing back into the gaping jaws. "I believe I do ... which is a nice change. Have you come to take me back to the Loch? Surely you can gather your tourists by some method other than by parading me around. "
Janeway swallowed, trying hard to follow this line of discussion. "I assure you, we intend you no harm," she said imploringly. "We're explorers, lost in the Delta Quadrant. We were attempting to make our way home when we stopped to aid the L'Borna in destroying an asteroid which was on a collision course with this world."
"The L'Borna know you're here then," he noted. "You didn't just land on a whim."
"No," Janeway said. "There was an uprising, a social disturbance which our regulations forbid us to interfere in so we attempted to hide from them. Unfortunately, I've just been informed that there are two separate groups on their way here now. They must have tracked us somehow."
A blast of air peppered her liberally with assorted fish scales, no doubt from his last meal. "This is terrible," he roared. "For centuries, I have evaded their notice, living peacefully in my lake. Now you're telling me that, not only have you disturbed my rest, agitated my food and hit me in the head with a fish, you have led the inhabitants of this planet directly to my hiding place?" 
"It was completely unintentional," Janeway said sincerely. "I'm very sorry."
"You're responsible for this," he roared.
"Yes," Janeway said. "I take full responsibility."
"No," Seven spoke up for the first time. "I am the one who struck you in the head with the fish. I am responsible for that."
"I'm the one who chose this area to hide from the L'Borna," B'Elanna said, giving the creature the evil eye. "So if you want to whine about it, blame the fates. We all just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Deal with it."
The creature looked at the other two, sniffing. "You two aren't Human," he said. "The skinny one smells of machines, and the hard little one smells of something different altogether. Why do you protect the Human?"
"She is our captain," Seven said. "I do not know why you are angry at Humans, but after centuries of being in the Delta Quadrant, your complaints seem irrelevant."
"Seven," Janeway muttered warningly.
The creature's mouth gaped and from deep inside, came a thundering noise. It took a few moments before they were able to identify it.
Laughter.
"You are feisty, aren't you, little machine girl," he said. "I like you ... and you fed me a tidbit. So, tell me, what am I supposed to do now? I can't eat you. I never liked the taste of Humanoids. You taste too much like pork. High in cholesterol and gamey besides."
"I'm sure if you submerge, they'll never know you exist," Janeway interrupted carefully, forestalling Seven's reply. She could clearly see that the younger woman was intrigued by the supposed 'taste' of Humans, and was about to argue it. "It is us they are pursuing, after all. We'll leave, and I give you my word that we will not reveal your presence here."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because," Seven said with absolute conviction, "Captain Janeway always fulfills her promises."
He regarded the Borg for a few moments, then with a sigh, he dropped his head below the surface and disappeared, only a ripple showing he had ever existed. Janeway felt her head pound. That had to be one of the oddest experiences of her life, and now that he was gone, she found she had a million questions to ask it. Where exactly on Earth did it come from? How did it get here, 60,000 light-years away? What kind of creature was it? What method of transportation did it use? How long had it been alive?
"You know what?" B'Elanna said in the stillness that followed. "I turned off the tricorder after scanning Seven's fish, and forgot to activate it again. No one's going to believe what we just saw."
"Oh god," Janeway said, feeling overwhelmed. "Let's get back to shore."
From over the mountains, she could hear the hum of approaching aircars, and through the breaks in the jagged peaks, she saw the first, silvery shapes of vehicles racing towards them from two separate directions. As they paddled frantically for the campsite, they saw that each group had different colored paint striping their machines. One, the royal red, the other, the fanatic yellow ... and that they were firing at each other with great enthusiasm.
 
Seven helped B'Elanna haul the boat on to the shore, pulling it up to the grassy bank as Janeway sprinted for the Mississippi. The Borg noted that the campsite had been neatly removed, with little to indicate anyone had been there beyond a few marks in the turf. Even the fire pit had been covered and scuffed over. Working in tandem, Seven and B'Elanna picked up the boat, and hustled for the runabout, trying to reach it before the L'Borna ships came within scanning range, their location still protected somewhat by the towering peaks. At the ramp, they threw the boat aboard, then plunged in behind it, the ramp retracting at their heels as the door slid down to seal the vessel. Tom Paris, manning the helm, immediately lifted off, the deck canting under the woman's feet, and they had to grab at the two nearest empty seats to keep from tumbling to the back of the cabin. 
Seven discovered she had chosen the science station, and immediately activated the console, scanning the oncoming vessels. She was aware of B'Elanna at the port side engineering station, monitoring the runabout's systems, while Sek and Neelix sat in the passenger seats, and tried to stay out of the way. Janeway had taken the co-pilot's seat and was attempting to hail the L'Borna.
Unfortunately, the two sides were still in conflict, and both were blocking sub-space as well as the various atmospheric frequencies with their jamming techniques. They continued to fire on each other, and now, had apparently targeted the Mississippi as well. The little ship rocked slightly as it was struck by a stray shot. Janeway allowed a little impatience to color her motion as she deactivated the comm signal.
"Seven, what's the status of the ion storm?" she snapped.
Seven touched her controls, getting a reading on the space lying beyond the atmosphere they were dancing through. "The storm is still present," she reported crisply. "It has lessened in intensity, but is still too strong to attempt to leave the system."
The runabout suddenly rocked again as either the L'Bree or maybe it was the government forces, began to direct the full power of their weapons on its aft shields. The L'Borna weapons could not generate enough force to penetrate the shields, but the repeated impacts tended to make the ship shudder, and it made for some bumpy flying.
"Captain, we can keep this up all day," Lt. Paris said calmly. "The question is, do you want us to?"
"Can we outrun them?"
"Not in the atmosphere," he admitted. "Those vessels are designed for it. The Mississippi is primarily a space vessel, and not aerodynamic at all."
"Can you shake off their pursuit?"
"I can try," he advised. "But you should strap in."
"Do it," the captain ordered.
The rest all utilized the restraints that were on their chairs, strapping themselves down. The sandy-haired pilot glanced back to see that they were all locked in, then proceeded to throw the ship into a series of wild maneuvers designed to escape the pursuing forces.
Or cause them to be violently ill, Seven noted, swallowing hard.
The ship was executing stunts she did not feel were possible for such a vessel, and the fact that they were still in the atmosphere made things even worse. Gravity came and went with a randomness that sent her stomach rolling and she felt nausea rise sharp within her. She could see the faces of her fellow crewmembers from the corner of her eyes, and knew they were also experiencing affects from the careening ride. She glanced forward at Kathryn, and noted the distinctly greenish tinge to her porcelain features. Perversely, it made her feel a little better to know she was not alone.
"This ... isn't ... working." The captain said between clenched teeth. "We ... need ... another ... plan."
Tom immediately flattened out the flight ,and it was with distinct relief that Seven took a deep breath, then another.
"What if we don't leave the system?" B'Elanna offered suddenly.
Janeway looked back, raising an eyebrow. "Explain," she ordered.
"What if we just make a short jaunt to the moon?" B'Elanna said. "Hole up there. Those ships aren't designed for space travel, they're atmospheric only. It's unlikely they have any space ships in orbit to track us. They'd have all been brought into port."
"We should be able to cover such a limited distance with no affect to the systems," Seven concurred, going over the projection on her board. "The L'Borna satellite has a limited atmosphere. We will be unable to breathe it, but it is enough to protect the systems from being affected once we're there."
"Who knows how long the storm will last," Paris objected. "No offense, but being stuck in a small runabout with five other people for days on end is not my idea of fun."
"However, it is survivable," Janeway noted. "We will no longer be interfering in this planet's social development. Somehow, we've become some sort of prize for both sides and it's time to remove us from the playing field." She nodded at Tom. "Lay in the fastest course to the moon. Seven, scan for a crater, the deeper the better, which will give us the most protection with the thin atmosphere. B'Elanna, maintain a constant monitor on our systems. Our survival counts on their proper working order."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Understood."
"Aye, Captain."
Seven set to work, scanning the moon intently. She felt the deck angle upward beneath her, and a quick glance through the front viewports revealed the last wisps of blue giving way to the deep blackness of space ... a darkness streaked with vivid, glowing strands of ionized energy from the storm awaiting them. The Borg set her teeth, and refocused on the board, determined to provide Kathryn with what she had requested as quickly as possible.
"Three possibilities, Captain," she said. She fed the data to the fore console, along with the coordinates. The ship swayed and bumped as it was buffeted by the energy fluctuations surrounding them, and Seven knew that B'Elanna was keeping a close eye on the diagnostics, drawing power from some of the systems to bolster the shields when necessary.
The captain looked over Seven's selection, and chose one. "Here," she said, showing Paris their destination.
"Got it."
Before long, they had entered the thin atmosphere of the moon, and were racing over the jagged surface, seeking the crater which would shelter them from the worst of the storm's effects. They plunged into a deep hole which seemed to descend forever, a violent tear in the lunar surface, shadowed dark and unappealing. The ship descended for long minutes, their exterior lights the only thing showing the way until they reached the bottom, and with a delicate precision, Paris activated the landing gear and set the Mississippi down.
"We have arrived," he stated. He glanced at Janeway who patted his shoulder approvingly.
"Well done," she said. She glanced back at the rest of the crew. "All right, I don't know how long we'll be here, but we'll maintain standard operating procedure. An around the clock duty roster will be applied, and while we're here, we might as well do scientific readings on this moon's interior, as well as a constant sweep on the storm. The second it lets up, we're heading after 
Voyager."
"So much for the celebration in our honor," Neelix noted dryly.
"A shame," Sek said, unhooking her harness. "I would have liked to have studied the L'Borna longer. Now we'll never know what really caused the uprising, how it will turn out, or what effect it will have in the long term development of their society."
"Unfortunately, that's the price we pay here in the Delta Quadrant," the captain told her sympathetically. "We'll probably never know what happens with most of the beings and civilizations we encounter. The L'Borna will just have to work out their own destiny ... whatever that includes."
"What of Nessie?" Seven remarked. Everyone looked at her and she motioned to her board. "I just ran a description on the creature we encountered on the surface," she said. "The only correlation of Earth creatures to the description I provided was something called the Loch Ness Monster who supposedly inhabited a glacial lake in an area known as Scotland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The local inhabitants nicknamed it 'Nessie'."
"What are you talking about?" Paris asked, staring at her blankly.
B'Elanna groaned. "I knew no one would believe us," she muttered.
The captain held up her hand. "Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to investigate it further in the future," she promised. "In the meantime, however, we need to secure from quarters ... and for god's sakes, get rid of that raft, it smells like fish."
Paris reached over and flicked a scale off Janeway's tunic, sniffing audibly. "With all due respect, Captain," he said, grinning. "I don't think it's the raft."
 
B'Elanna Torres stepped off the runabout, and into the startled embrace of Chakotay, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Apparently the chief engineer was making a public statement, Janeway thought wearily as she strode down the ramp onto the deck of Voyager's hangar. God only knew what repercussions that would bring, but she wasn't going to think about them now. 
It had been a long week trapped on that moon, and an even longer few days of chasing after the starship. She had never felt so glad to return to Voyager before, completely sick of the interior of the Mississippi, and convinced that she'd never volunteer to head up another away mission. Let her first officer do all the grunt work she decided with exhaustion. She'd be more than glad to lounge on the bridge from now on, and she promised herself she'd never complain of feeling crowded on board her vessel ever again.
"Captain," Chakotay said, untangling himself from the Klingon. "Glad to have you back." Janeway smiled wearily as she saw the blush had darkened his face to a deep, rusty brown.
"Glad to be back, Commander," she said. "Status?"
"All systems normal," he responded. "We've resumed our course for the Alpha Quadrant."
"Excellent," she said. "I'm heading to my quarters where I shall be in my bathtub for the foreseeable future."
"Understood," he said with a grin.
She headed for the hangar doors, feeling the familiar presence of Seven fall into step with her. Casually, almost as an afterthought, she reached out and linked her hand with that of the tall, cool blonde, feeling the warm fingers entwine with hers. She thanked all the powers that be that Seven had been with her on that trip. Her partner had been the one thing which had made it bearable, especially towards the end of the first week at the bottom of the crater, when the runabout walls started pressing in, and the bickering between Tom and B'Elanna threatened to resume. If Seven hadn't managed to keep the engineer occupied with discrete little system failures, Janeway was sure that she would have had to toss one or both of the ex-lovers out the runabout's airlock. For that, she would be forever grateful to the Borg.
She squeezed the young woman's hand and glanced at her from beneath lowered lashes. "Can I interest you in a bath?" she offered.
"I'm going to take a shower," Seven said quietly.
That disturbed Janeway, unable to remember her partner ever refusing such an offer before. However, Seven had been uncharacteristically subdued for the past couple of days, and it was possible that she was simply feeling the need for space after so long in such crowded conditions. Still, as a Borg, it was unlikely she had been more affected by it than the captain. When they walked into their quarters and sealed the door, Janeway immediately began undoing her tunic, eyeing her partner closely.
"Seven, is something wrong?" she asked.
Seven shook her head slightly. "No," she said as she headed into the bathroom. "I will not take long. I will make dinner while you are bathing."
"All right," Janeway said, frowning as the younger woman disappeared into the ensuite.
She dropped her tunic on the sofa, glad to be home once more, realizing with a certain surprise that was exactly how she was viewing her quarters. For the first time since leaving the large, white house in Indiana where she had grown up, she had finally made herself a home, and if it wasn't the Alpha Quadrant, then it was still where she belonged, simply because of the woman in the ensuite. She couldn't deny that feeling anymore. Sitting down on the chair in the living area, she kicked off her boots, wriggling her toes with a quiet enjoyment as she looked around the cabin, at all the personal items that the couple had been acquiring over the past few months, the smells and sounds that surrounded her, familiar, comfortable.
Yet, the captain believed something was bothering her partner, and decided that if she just asked the right questions ... in just the right manner ... Seven would tell her. The Borg was not very good at keeping things secret, Janeway decided, looking up as Seven entered the room, catching her breath as she saw the short, black robe the woman had donned. It was a personal favorite of both of them, and she felt desire stir within her, chasing away her exhaustion.
Later, she told herself sternly. Bath first, then dinner. Afterward ... well, they would get to it at its proper time.
"I am finished in the ensuite," Seven informed her, her hair still damp from it's towel drying, spilling wild and tangled over her shoulders. "I have started your bath."
"Thank you, love," Janeway said. She peeled herself off the couch, but did not go toward the bathroom immediately. Instead, she drifted over behind the taller woman who had gone to the replicator and was materializing various ingredients. Gently the captain placed her hands on the slim waist, and rested her chin on the narrow shoulder, having to stand on tiptoe to do so. "What's for dinner?"
"I think a casserole," Seven replied coolly. "Beef flavored, with corn and potatoes."
Janeway smiled. "My favorite," she said.
"I know," Seven responded.
Janeway stared at the profile turned slightly away from her and frowned again. Seven's eyes were distant, troubled, but Kathryn knew in her gut that if she pressed right this moment, the younger woman would just draw farther away. Give her time, Kathryn told herself. Let her settle in a little more, get more of a sense of home reestablished.
"I won't be long," she said quietly, and kissed Seven on the shoulder through the silken robe.
She went into the bathroom, stripping off the rest of her uniform with relief. She could swear that there was still the odor of fish about it, though of course, that was impossible. She had replicated it about twenty times since the creature known as Nessie had exhaled all over her, and though she had been picking the scales out of her hair two days after the fact, she knew she didn't smell of that ... just of spending too much time in a runabout.
She settled into the tub with a sigh of bliss, letting the hot water soothe her muscles, easing her mind of its worries. Before Seven, this had been the only thing in her life that could lighten the burden of command somewhat, and she loved her bathtub with a pure and honest intensity. She noted that Seven had put the captain's favorite oils in to scent the water, making it flow silky smooth over her skin, and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes happily.
More time passed than she realized, and she started as Seven came into the bathroom, bearing a tray of food.
"I'm sorry, Annika," she exclaimed, sitting up as Seven positioned her dinner next to her, the specially designed tray clamping onto the edge of the tub. "I lost track of time."
Seven smiled briefly, just a touch to the corners of her mouth. "I realized you would," she said indulgently. "You always do when you're taking a bath."
Janeway realized suddenly that whatever it was that was bothering Seven, it wasn't her and she gave a silent sigh of relief. She glanced at the tray and decided that Seven had brought her own dinner in as well, apparently planning to eat it with her while crouching on the floor beside the tub which wouldn't do at all. With a deliberate intent, Janeway assumed her most appealing expression ... her 'puppy dog' look as she called it. It was rarely used and as a result, was fairly potent stuff. "Join me, darling," she said persuasively. "I know you've already showered, but come in the tub with me. Please?"
Seven hesitated, took one look at those blue eyes that Janeway went so far as to bat at her, and was lost. "Very well," she allowed grudgingly. She slipped out of her robe, and gingerly eased herself into the tub opposite Janeway.
Janeway, who had already tackled her food, regarded her measuringly. Yes, Seven did seem a trifle more relaxed now, less disturbed. The captain knew that was a result of preparing food, which for some reason, Seven found enjoyable, and the soothing properties of the warm water in which she was immersed. Seven's legs entangled in hers as the Borg moved closer to the other side of the tray, and began to eat.
They didn't speak as they consumed their meal, content to simply be in each other's company as they enjoyed the first food in weeks that hadn't come from Starfleet rations or Neelix's imagination. Finally replete, Janeway leaned back in the tub, lounging in the hot water which maintained its temperature by internal heaters, and regarded Seven with stuffed benevolence. 
"As always, darling," she said. "That was incredible. My compliments to the chef."
Seven nodded distantly, and Janeway decided enough was enough. She carefully moved the tray out of the way and straddled Seven, wrapping her arms around the startled young woman's neck.
"Talk to me darling," she said, dipping her head to look into the pale blue orbs. "Tell me what's bothering you, please. I want to help."
Seven lowered her eyes. "I do not know if you can," she said softly.
"Let me try?" Janeway urged gently. For some reason, this was not something where she could be commanding with her questions though she didn't know how she knew that. This was something she had to tease out of Seven, carefully, gently, lover to lover. Definitely not captain to crewmember. She kissed Seven on the temple, tenderly pressing her lips to the pulse point there. "I would really like to try," she murmured.
Seven raised her face a little, and Janeway took the opportunity to kiss her again, sweetly on the mouth, persuasively. "Maybe if we talked," the Borg allowed, a little breathlessly when her lips were finally released.
"I want you to talk to me, darling," Janeway replied softly, running her hands gently over Seven's shoulders, down her arms.
"Then we should get out of the tub," Seven noted dryly. "I think it would be easy to become ... distracted here."
Janeway, who discovered she had been idly tracing Seven's breasts with her fingertips, agreed. There was just something about being with her lover in this scented water that made it easy for her to lose track of what she was doing. "All right, sweetheart," she said with an abashed grin. "Where?"
"I am tired," Seven admitted. "Can we go to bed? Can we talk there?"
"Of course," Janeway acceded. She kissed her again and drew away.
They got out of the tub and dried each other off with large, fluffy bath sheets, quickly without the normal teasing and caresses. Janeway felt her concern deepen as Seven left without noticing the black robe which had been left in a heap on the floor. As the captain scooped it up, and brought it into the bedroom with them, laying it on the lounger, she hoped Seven wasn't picking up all of B'Elanna's bad habits. Crawling into bed, Janeway stretched out on her back, bringing down the lights to a dim illumination. Seven waited until the captain was settled before snuggling close to her, resting her head on her shoulder, placing her left hand carefully on Janeway's chest. Her long leg draped lightly across the captain's thighs, and Janeway sighed as she wrapped her left arm around the slender torso, happy to be in her own comfortable bed once more.
She entwined her fingers with Seven's, feeling the careful grip of the Borg implant closing over her right hand, and she rested her cheek on the blonde hair, smiling gently. For several moments, they lay together in the darkness, Janeway feeling the warmth of the body next to her penetrate her own to the very bones. For a moment, she thought Seven might have fallen asleep, but the breathing was too uneven for that.
"Tell me, darling," she requested quietly.
"It is B'Elanna," Seven said softly. "I deceived her."
Janeway blinked. "When?"
"When we were on the runabout, and I created the series of system failures," Seven said.
"That was at my request," Janeway said carefully. "You cannot take responsibility for that."
Seven shook her head. "I must," she said. She hesitated, then added in an uncertain tone. "You may have noticed, I do not always follow your orders."
"Oh, I've noticed," Janeway said dryly, a wry grin touching her lips.
"I choose which of your commands I will follow," Seven elaborated. "I am not Starfleet, nor do I necessarily believe in the concept of a chain of command. I do not obey you out of any conditioned sense of duty or training. I obey you because I wish to, and that means I am always responsible for my own actions."
"All right," Janeway said after a moment's contemplation of that. It wasn't pleasant to hear, but it was accurate ... more accurate than she had allowed herself to recognize before this. "I don't know that I'm comfortable with that, but I allow it's what you believe. It was your decision to follow my instructions."
"Yes," Seven said. "However, after thinking about it, I feel I chose incorrectly. It was wrong to deceive B'Elanna that way. She is my friend."
"Yes she is," Janeway said. "However, if you hadn't caused those system failures, what do suppose would have happened? What was already happening?"
"She and Lt. Paris were resuming their antagonism," Seven answered readily. "Which would have been annoying, but that is no reason to betray her."
"I think 'betray' is too strong a term, Annika," Janeway said slowly. "You shouldn't look at this as a betrayal. Perhaps if you realized why I made the request, you would feel easier about it."
"I know why you made the request," Seven noted. "It is because you did not wish to listen to them argue. I did not either, which is why I did it, but that does not make it right."
Janeway shook her head. "No, that's only part of it," she said patiently. "Seven, we were six people, including a hologram unfamiliar with social skills, two lovers and two ex-lovers, trapped in a very small area for an unknown length of time. It is very easy for tempers to become frayed in such a situation, sometimes seriously. It was important for all of us to maintain our heads, and if that meant creating a series of false readings to occupy my chief engineer, then that's what had to be done. In fact, I would have done it myself, but I thought your Borg ingenuity would be a little more untraceable. However, I wouldn't have asked you to do it if I knew it was going to bother you later. I believed it was the best decision for all of us on that shuttle."
"That is not the point. It was wrong," Seven insisted in a low voice. "You taught me that it is harmful to deceive the people I care about. You told me how much it hurt you when I kept the fact that I needed my implant removed from you, even though I thought I was doing what was best for you. So why was it right to deceive B'Elanna here?"
Janeway took a long, slow breath. Seven wasn't trying to be argumentative, she was honestly trying to understand the moral implications of this situation. Granted, it seemed like a minor thing to be upset about, but how could Seven understand the different degrees of compromises Humanity required to co-exist? The answer was that she couldn't, at least not yet. At the moment, she was just confused, and frankly, Janeway couldn't blame her.
"It was not necessarily 'right', Seven," Janeway said quietly. "Not all decisions are a matter of right or wrong. Some are a matter of choosing what is less wrong."
There was a pause as Seven contemplated that. "I do not understand," she said with a frustrated little sigh. "You were angry when I decided it was best to deceive you. B'Elanna would be angry as well. Why is your anger justified and hers not?"
"Her anger would be justified," Janeway responded, stroking her hair soothingly. "I knew that possibility existed when I made the decision, but that's part of taking responsibility, Seven. I knew B'Elanna could discover the deception, and would be angry, but I was prepared to deal with it in order to maintain the peace in the runabout for as long as possible. It was a consequence I was willing to take, and I would not have let her be angry at you for following my order."
Seven shifted uncomfortably in the dark. "Who are you to decide this?" she asked. It was not an accusation, it was a question, honestly posed.
"I'm the commander," Janeway said, and she tightened her embrace, wanting Seven to listen closely to what she was about to say, needing her to understand. "Regardless of my rank. That's what being in command is about. Making decisions not only for myself, but for those I'm in charge of. It is a power, yes, but more importantly, it is a great responsibility. I know that I won't always make the right decision, Annika. I won't even always make the one that's less wrong, but I will always accept the responsibility for making that decision, I will always accept the consequences of making it. When you find yourself in command, you also must accept it."
"Why would I want to be in command?"
Janeway smiled. "It's not always a matter of wanting to," she said dryly. "Sometimes, it's just something you have to do, because no one else can or will. I accepted it freely. I trained and strived for it, just as others in Starfleet have, but even when you haven't, you will still find yourself in a position where you have to make decisions. In fact, you already have. When I placed you in command of creating the Omega chamber. When you took us through the nebula all by yourself. You wanted those responsibilities, didn't you?"
Seven was silent for a moment. "Yes," she said slowly. "I did, but that was because I wanted to please you."
"Why did you think that would please me?" Janeway asked. "In fact, both times, I tried to dissuade you. Why was it so important that you convince me that you could handle such responsibility?"
Another pause as Seven thought hard. "Because it meant that you trusted me," she said.
"That's also what command is all about," the captain said. "I command through trust. It is possible to rule through fear, but not effectively, or for very long, especially in the situation we're in. My crew has to trust that I will do what I believe is best for them, and even when I make mistakes, that I will take responsibility for that as well. In the nebula, I put my trust in you, Seven. I believed you would make the right decisions for us. It was a great responsibility. How did you feel when it was over?"
"It ... I felt good," Seven noted with some surprise. "It made me feel ... stronger, more confident. To know  you trusted me, to know that I could make the correct decisions in a difficult situation, made me feel ... successful."
"Yes, and that's how I feel too," Janeway admitted. "There is something inside me that likes the challenge of it. It's very much a part of me, of who I am and I didn't realize how much it was until I was lost here in the Delta Quadrant." She cuddled Seven close to her, kissing her gently on the forehead. "I will admit, though I wouldn't let anyone else know this, it means more that you follow my commands because you want to, not because you feel you have to. I had to earn your loyalty, darling, and that makes it far more precious to me." 
Seven nodded. "I think I understand," she said. "However, I still want to tell B'Elanna what I did, and apologize for it."
The captain nodded. "Do you understand why I can't?" Janeway asked her quietly.
"I believe so," Seven allowed. "You can never regret decisions, you can only accept the consequences of them."
Janeway smiled. "That's very good," she complimented. "That's exactly right."
"Are some are more difficult than others?"
The captain sobered. "Yes," she said softly. Faces and names crossed her mind. Crewmembers killed while under her command, people she had lost. People she had failed.
"So you would never regret severing me from the Collective?"
Janeway hesitated, surprised, then laughed as she recognized the hint of teasing in the tone, of what the original question had really meant.
"No darling," she said. "I just have to accept those consequences." She cupped Seven's cheek in her palm, and raised her face to hers, finding the full-lipped mouth and kissing her gently.
"For the rest of my life if I'm very, very fortunate," she added in a gentle murmur.
 
Epilogue

B'Elanna slammed the spanner down on top of the console as Seven winced at the crash it made. She didn't think the Klingon was taking this at all well.
"You mean to tell me that I've been driving myself crazy running diagnostics on the runabout trying to figure what was causing those system failures, and all along it was you!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs.
"I am sorry," Seven apologized profusely. "It was not my intention to cause you harm. I just wanted to ... divert you from the situation."
"This was the captain's idea, wasn't it?" the engineer snarled. "The conniving bitch."
Seven blinked, hesitating as she considered what Kathryn had said. Still, this could not go unopposed. "I obeyed the request," Seven said firmly. "I also agreed that it would keep you and Tom from resuming your bickering. Please do not refer to Kathryn in those terms. Your anger may be justified, but it does not excuse demeaning the captain, or my partner."
"Yeah, and what the hell are you going to do about it?" B'Elanna returned hotly.
"Grab you by the neck and hold you upside down over the rail until you apologize," Seven responded coolly. "Or until you are unconscious, whichever comes first."
B'Elanna opened her mouth to respond, hesitated as she gauged the sincerity in the tall blonde's eyes, and growled in frustration. Seven was one of the few people on the ship who could actually carry out such a threat, and from the Borg, it was not a bluff, it was a promise. Not that B'Elanna was afraid of a fair fight, but the idea that Seven might actually dangle her from the upper level of engineering in front of the whole staff was so potentially humiliating, she didn't want to risk it.
"All right," she muttered. "Though it wasn't really an insult, Seven. Not from me."
"Still, not everyone knows you as I do," Seven said, aware of the rest of the engineering crew hovering just within earshot on the main level below where they stood on the catwalk bordering the warpcore. "While the captain might forgive it were she here, I cannot."
"Okay, I take it back," B'Elanna said gruffly. She looked at Seven with dark eyes from beneath her proud ridge. "But dammit Seven, we're supposed to be friends."
"We are," Seven told her sincerely. "That is why I told you of this. It was not my intention to make you appear incompetent." She paused. "In truth, I was surprised you were able to repair most of them so quickly. It was difficult to keep coming up with new ways to divert your attention."
"Why didn't you just tell me to lay off Paris?"
Seven blinked. "Would that have been effective?" she asked in astonishment.
B'Elanna glowered at her, then was finally forced to smile. "No," she said.
"B'Elanna, I am truly sorry I followed the captain's order," Seven said humbly.
B'Elanna shook her head. "You have to obey the captain," she said.
Seven was about to point out that in fact, no she didn't, but she sensed it would initiate a much longer and more frustrating discussion than the one they were already involved in. Instead, she just nodded gravely.
"Do you forgive me?" she asked.
B'Elanna looked disgusted but since she wasn't looking at her directly, Seven suspected it was for the benefit of the onlookers, not her. "All right," the engineer grumbled. "But next time, divert Paris, why don't you."
"I promise," Seven said. She continued to look at B'Elanna. "Are we still friends?"
B'Elanna actually blushed, which Seven found fascinating.
"Yeah," she said shortly and glared down at her staff who immediately occupied themselves with their work.
"Can I hug you?" Seven asked, pushing for all she was worth now.
B'Elanna's head came up and she stared at the Borg who managed to keep a sincere expression on her face. "What?"
"I understand that when Humans have a disagreement, one usually offers a physical display to indicate the conflict is at an end," Seven said blandly.
"How about if I shake your hand?" B'Elanna said, frowning.
"If that is the acceptable alternative," Seven responded and held out her hand.
When B'Elanna took it, however, Seven immediately wrapped her up in a bear hug, squeezing tightly.  The Klingon was very aware of her engineering crew observing this with extreme amusement.
"Seven," B'Elanna whispered. "Let me go."
"Certainly," Seven said, and kissed her soundly on the cheek before releasing her.
Stunned, B'Elanna stared at her, flushing deeply, then roared.  "You are a dead woman!"
Seven was forced to leap over the rail as the Klingon lunged at her, and without a backward glance, she bolted out of engineering, running for her life as B'Elanna plunged down the ladder and howled after her. The crew watched the two disappear out the door, and went back to their tasks, shaking their heads in tolerant amusement.
Things were back to normal on Voyager.

The End

On to JB 06