Part 3 added on 21 Dec 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: PG13
Authors Notes: Thanks a lot to my beta-reader voyooho! a bunch of hugs! :)
Spoilers: Set after Unimatrix Zero II
Seven woke up in sickbay. She was surrounded by almost every member of the crew.
"What happened?" she asked the doctor as he began scanning her.
"You have been assimilated, but don't worry. I have removed all the technology from your body and you are functioning perfectly again. You just need some more rest." The Doctor felt that tears were appearing in his eyes. They weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy because Seven was finally awake again.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Almost a month."
Seven closed her eyes. She was terribly tired and would have wanted to fall asleep again, but her thoughts on what had happened to her inside the Borg cube kept her awake.
"Doctor, I wish to speak with you... alone," Seven suddenly said. The other crewmembers left sickbay at once.
"It didn't happen by accident, did it?" she asked him. The Doctor immediately knew what she was talking about, although almost a month had passed since he had touched her hand while scanning her.
"No, it didn't." He tried to take her hand again, but Seven pulled it away.
"I am sorry," she said. She moved her head aside so that the Doctor and her did no longer look at each other. The Doctor knew right away what this m eant: Seven did not requite his feelings.
After having regenerated for two weeks, Seven was back to normal and could resume her normal duties on Voyager.
B'Elanna walked up to Seven right away when she entered engineering.
"Good morning. Is your regeneration cycle already complete? It's only 0530 hours.
"Yes, it is," Seven replied coldly. She didn't think it was her duty to tell B'Elanna the truth about her regeneration cycle which had already stopped at 0400 hours. That's why she was in engineering so early, and that' s why Seven and B'Elanna were the only people there.
"Are you assigned here today?" B'Elanna asked the former Borg with the intention to start a conversation.
"Yes, I have to have a look at the homing beacon and navigational array. Tuvok told me there was a malfunction. According to him, signals are not being transferred efficiently any more." She pressed a few keys at the keyboard, attempting to access the homing beacon and navigational array's primary matrix. She noticed that B'Elanna was still standing next to her, and that she was observing here.
"Am I disturbing you, Lieutenant?" she asked her.
"No, no ... it's alright, just ..." B'Elanna seemed quite puzzled. "I think I'll resume my work on the warp core." She walked away as quickly as possible.
"Lieutenant Torres, wait!" Seven shouted after her. "Is my work not sufficient?"
B'Elanna stared deeply into Seven's eyes. She couldn't resist her sparkling eyes, her reddish cheeks and her full lips any longer, and so she let happen what was bound to happen.
She walked up to her till the two women were standing face to face. Then B'Elanna took Seven's hands into hers.
"Lieutenant, what..." Seven said, and B'Elanna could see that Seven was puzzled.
B'Elanna didn't think for a moment about whether she should continue what she was doing or not. She moved even closer toward Seven, so that the bodies of the two women touched. B'Elanna's fingers let go of Seven's hands and found their way to her blonde hair. She touched it, and it felt as soft as silk. She was electrically charged up and she had the feeling that she would explode if her lips didn't cover Seven's now, so she moved her head closer to Seven's, holding it a little oblique, so that her lips could find their way to Seven's...
"Paris to Torres," Tom's voice suddenly interrupted them. Seven looked irritated at B'Elanna.
"What is it, Tom?" B'Elanna answered, letting go of Seven.
"We need to talk. Meet me in my quarters. Paris out."
B'Elanna was filled with uncertainty. She had enjoyed that moment with Seven so much, but now that she had heard Tom's voice and that she saw the irritated and maybe even frightened look on Seven's face, she wasn't sure whether it was right to move in on Seven like that. She left engineering in a hurry and made her way to Tom's quarters.
"What is it?" B'Elanna asked Tom after having entered his quarters.
"I want to know we us should go on," he said in a serious tone.
"Well, that might sound a little hard for you, but the way I see it we won't go on at all." B'Elanna looked at Tom with big eyes. She was not afraid of his reply, as she knew it was not going to hurt her, She didn't have any feelings but indifference for him any more.
Tom sat down on his bed. "You... you're telling me it's... over?"
"Yes, it's better that way, believe me." She left Tom's quarters with the intention to return to engineering.
She could not wait to see Seven again. She tried to think through in her head what the conversation between Seven and her would be like: She would be telling her what she feels for her, how much she was longing for her and that now that Tom and her had broken up no one would be standing between them.
B'Elanna arrived at engineering, but Seven was not there any more. She saw another ensign, though, who was checking the energy fluctuation levels. She asked him whether he had seen Seven, but he replied that engineering had been empty when he arrived.
B'Elanna went to Cargo Bay Two. She found Seven regenerating in her alcove. She looked at the woman of her dreams with a smile on her face, and in her mind she painted pictures of how it would be to have a romantic relationship with Seven.
Then she ended the regeneration cycle. Seven opened her eyes. She seemed a little surprised at the sight of B'Elanna.
"Good morning, again," B'Elanna said and gave Seven the most beautiful smile she had ever given to any one.
"I have not been regenerating for a very long time, I feel tired," Seven said. Her voice was trembling. B'Elanna noticed that Seven felt uncomfortable while talking to her. The smile on her face faded.
"Seven, I think we need to talk about what has happened in engineering."
"Is that why you are here?" Seven asked while stepping out of her alcove and taking a position right in front of B'Elanna.
"Yes. I..." B'Elanna didn't know how to put her feelings into words. The whole conversation she had made up in her head, all the things she had planned to tell Seven now seemed ridiculous. "I want to be with you, only you," she finally said.
Seven tried to stay as calm as possible, although she felt as if she was being shaken from the inside. "What does Lieutenant Paris think of that?"
"My feelings for you are none of his business. I broke up with him after I noticed my feelings for you."
Seven didn't know what to say or how to react. The kiss that the two women had shared earlier that day had showed her that she also felt something for B'Elanna, but she didn't know how to deal with these emotions or whether to let them come to the surface at all.
"I think it would be the best if I leave now. There is work to do in engineering," B'Elanna said and turned her back on Seven. She walked slowly toward the door. On the one hand she wished Seven to walk after her or at least say something, but on the other hand she knew it would be better if she just left the Cargo Bay and never talked to Seven about this incident again.
"Lieutenant Torres, wait!" Seven suddenly shouted. B'Elanna turned around with a smile on her face as she remembered what had happened the last time Seven had said this.
B'Elanna walked toward the tall blonde woman. She put her arms on the former Borg's shoulders and then traced her head toward her own. Meanwhile, Seven put her arms around the half Klingon's hips bringing the two bodies closer to each other. B'Elanna's lips covered Seven's, and both women enjoyed the kiss as if it was the greatest experience in their whole lives. They couldn't let go of each other.
Later on that night, B'Elanna and Seven had an appointment for dinner in Cargo Bay Two. B'Elanna entered the Cargo Bay at 1900 hours as this was the time when Seven had requested her appearance, but Seven was nowhere to be found.
"Seven?" B'Elanna searched for her new lover as she suddenly saw her coming out of her hiding place behind a big vassal filled with phasers. She looked glorious. She wore a light blue long dress and her blonde hair, which was slightly curled, was falling over her shoulders. Suddenly she began to sing:
"I don't know what it is that makes me love you so
I only know I never wanna let you go
'Cause you started something
Can't you see
That ever since we met you've had a hold on me
It happens to be true
I only wanna be with you
It doesn't matter where you go or what you do
I wanna spend each moment of the day with you
Look what has happened with just one kiss
I never knew that I could be in love like this
It's crazy but it's true
I only wanna be with you
I just wanna be beside you everywhere
As long as we're together, honey, I don't care
'Cause you started something
Can't you see
That ever since we've met you've had a hold on me
No matter what you do
I only wanna be with you."
While singing the last two lines, Seven approached B'Elanna and stroked her right cheek. Then she gave her a soft kiss.
"Lieutenant Torres," Seven said while entering engineering. Her voice sounded commanding.
"Oh, good morning, Seven," B'Elanna replied.
"You are not concentrating sufficiently," Seven told the chief engineer.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your daydreaming has caused us a minor plasma fluctuation on deck 8."
B'Elanna was puzzled. It was hard to get torn out of such a wonderful dream by such an embarrassing issue, and by the woman whom she had dreamt about of all people.
"I... didn't know you were fit to return to duty yet," B'Elanna said as she was trying to change the subject.
"I actually am not. I wanted to leave sickbay. The Doctor got a little... possessive of me." She pressed a few keys on the keyboard. "After I have tried to compensate the plasma fluctuation, I will go to my alcove and regenerate. It will take me at least another two weeks to be fully operational again." She walked to another keyboard, but on half way there she returned and walked toward Lieutenant Torres. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me in the Borg cube. You risked your life to rescue me. Thank you."
B'Elanna was absolutely puzzled. She just managed to send a little "That's fine" out of her mouth.
Seven continued trying to compensate the plasma fluctuation. She noticed that B'Elanna was still standing behind her, observing her.
"Am I disturbing you, Lieutenant?" she asked her.
"No, no ... it's alright, just ..." B'Elanna seemed quite puzzled. "I think I'll resume my work on the warp core." She walked away as quickly as possible.
"Lieutenant Torres, wait!" Seven shouted after her. "Is my work not sufficient?"
B'Elanna stared deeply into Seven's eyes. She had the feeling that she could no longer resist her sparkling eyes, her reddish cheeks and her full lips any longer, and so she would have wanted let happen what was bound to happen, but she knew that this was impossible. "I... need to resume working," she said and walked toward the warp core, but then she turned around one more time. "Seven, don't worry about your work being insufficient or about your disturbing me, you do no such thing and your work is as good as usual."
Seven of Nine left engineering for Cargo Bay Two where she stepped into her alcove and started her regeneration cycle which would last two weeks.
After B'Elanna had completed her work at the warp core, she went to pay the sleeping drone a visit. While looking at Seven, she thought that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She walked that close to her that she could take her hand. "Too bad it was only a dream," she said to herself while touching Seven's hand softly.
The End