Fantasy; it was a word that had represented an illogical activity. She was Borg. Duty and Voyager’s return to the alpha quadrant were the only things that mattered. Ironic how all of that had changed in an instant. Now her world was filled with ‘what if’ and ‘if only’. ‘What if the valley had not flooded?’ ‘If only I had told her what was in my heart’. Fantasy and sorrow had become Seven’s constant companions, hovering all around and awaiting the opportunity to spring at any moment.

But fantasy was not reality and all the burning hope in her heart could not make it so. Kathryn Janeway was dead. The light had gone out of her slate blue eyes and the memory of the catastrophic event two weeks ago that left Seven’s beloved broken and bleeding would haunt her forever. Each time she closed her eyes she could see Janeway’s body at the bottom of the ravine, caught in the branches of an uprooted tree. Every time she tried to regenerate her mind was locked in a loop as the event played out again and again in excruciating detail.

Sudden anger flooded Seven and she slammed a fist against the reinforced duranium of the Astrometrics workstation. It should not have happened! The day had been clear and bright, promising optimum conditions for a routine re-supply mission. Captain Janeway had just commented that it was a good thing she had decided to proceed with first contact. The Benthan were in their infancy with warp technology, but their supplies made it worth the effort. An unexpected storm had blown in from the west and rain pounded the area where she was negotiating with the Benthan minister. An earthen dam a short distance away, in need of repair, had given way and the entire valley was flooded. Harry Kim had tried his best to lock a transporter beam onto the captain, but she was moving too swiftly in the swirling waters. Seven didn’t know about his efforts at the time; she was too busy watching in horror as the woman she loved was swept away with nothing she could do to prevent it. And Seven had never told her the truth.

Tears rushed to her eyes as she cursed herself once again for her cowardice. Since being severed from the Collective three years ago Kathryn Janeway had become her world. From the moment she saw the small human standing on the cube there had always been something about her that drew Seven in. Even as a Borg drone that did not experience emotion she knew Janeway was special. When her individuality was returned, the captain’s presence affected her on every level and she knew she loved her. Seven kept her yearning to be with Janeway secret, convinced the auburn-haired captain could never want someone so imperfect. Now she would never have the chance, she would never truly know what could have been.

"Chakotay to Seven of Nine."

"Seven here." She responded to Voyager’s new commanding officer, but could not bring herself to call him captain.

"What’s the status of those binary stars?"

Blinking the tears from her eyes she refocused on the large forward screen. "The stars are becoming more unstable. They will go nova in approximately twenty-three hours, ten minutes, sixteen seconds. Solar flare activity is increasing exponentially."

There was a startled silence before the man responded. "Lieutenant Paris tells me it will take Voyager seventeen hours just to reach them. We can’t possibly get to minimum safe distance in twenty-three hours."

"Nevertheless, the stars will not alter their schedule for our convenience." Sarcasm had become very appealing in the last two weeks. Only by indulging in the seemingly useless activity could she vent, if only a little, her hurt and bitterness toward the universe in general. "Our alternatives are to turn around or alter course."

"You know we can’t do that."

Yes. She did. Seven had been the one to advise him that the area was heavily populated with dark matter and dangerous nebulae

 full of tetryon radiation. "Then I recommend going to station-keeping here. Voyager is far enough from the suns that we should be safe from the resulting explosion."

"Should be?"

Seven heard his frustrated sigh over the comm signal but her heart was so heavy she couldn’t have cared what his decision. If Voyager were destroyed the pain would end. Seven had never believed in an after life but if there was a possibility she could see the captain again, even if only for a moment, death would not be so bad. The thought was almost appealing as Kathryn’s crooked smile teased her mind.

"Very well. We’ll hold here. Keep me advised. Chakotay out."

Seven finished the shift trying not to be bitter toward Chakotay. It wasn’t his fault the captain died and assuming the mantle of commanding officer had been difficult for him, although Seven felt the position truly belonged to only one remarkable individual. From the moment he put the new rank on his collar it was clear that he was uncomfortable with it and preferred to be back at his old post. Yet she resented the four pips on his collar and rejected everyone else who tried to befriend her in those first awful days after the captain’s demise.

As soon as the shift ended Seven took the turbolift to deck three. The captain’s quarters had remained untouched since her death and it was only here, where her scent lingered, that she could almost believe the captain still lived. No one came here; no one attempted to remove her belongings. Seven was unsure if they ever would.

Tuvok had placed a security seal on the door, but she easily bypassed it and entered the quarters. They had secretly become her own. Seven could not regenerate without reliving the captain’s death and the cargo bay was too public a venue for her grief. Ten days after Kathryn died she had come here for the first time. She had lain on Janeway’s bed and buried her face in the pillow to inhale her scent and be close to her. It was the first time she had cried herself to sleep, but by no means the last.

Seven took a shower in Janeway’s bathroom and wandered for a time, just looking at the clothing in her closet and the captain’s pips on her nightstand. She didn’t open drawers or sift through her personal belongings. It was too intimate and would have been an invasion of privacy. Logic dictated that at some point someone would have to perform these tasks. Janeway’s belongings would have to be packed away and the quarters delegated to another. But not now. It was still too soon.

She pulled the covers back and slid into Kathryn’s bed. As soon as the captain’s lingering scent hit her nostrils visions filled her head. She wondered what it would have been like to be touched by Kathryn. What her lips would have tasted like and if she ever could have returned Seven’s feelings. Pain was sharp in the former drone’s chest that night and it was clear she would not sleep. The stars about to go nova were not far away and it occurred to her that Kathryn would want Seven at her post, keeping her beloved ship safe. The thought of what she would have wanted drove Seven from her haven and she dressed in her usual biosuit before preparing to leave Janeway’s quarters. She checked the corridor to ensure it was empty before leaving for the Astrometrics lab. Somewhere between decks three and eight she changed my mind.

"Computer, halt turbolift. Re-direct to deck five, section fifteen-alpha."

The computer dutifully responded, uncaring that its previous task had been altered. There were times she wished she could be equally emotionless; as emotionless as Voyager’s crew believed her to be.

In moments the doors parted and Seven entered the corridor outside the morgue. It was Starfleet tradition to jettison a crewmember’s body into space following a suitable memorial, but not so for the captain. Her body had been placed into stasis and would be lovingly returned home to the alpha quadrant. Seven had not been in this room since the captain’s death fourteen days ago; the thought of looking at her lying so still had been too much. But she was suddenly driven to see Janeway. No one was about this late in the shift and the doctor’s program had been shut down for the evening. With no witnesses to see she walked into the morgue and looked over at the single occupied stasis tube in the corner. Sudden dread bloomed within her and it was with hesitant steps that she made the last few feet of the journey. She needn’t have worried.

The doctor had repaired the damage to her features and Kathryn looked as though she merely slumbered in the coffin-like structure. Her hair was still the shiny auburn that Seven remembered and the lines of tension had relaxed around her mouth and eyes.

"Kathryn," Seven whispered, saying her name aloud for the first time in those endless two weeks. With the uttered name came tears, hot and bitter. Sobs filled her chest, but she held them in for fear the sound would cause the computer to activate the EMH. Despair washed through her as she gazed down at the captain’s still form; a reminder of what would never be. Seven turned and left the morgue. She would not come here again.

By the time she reached Astrometrics Seven was once again composed. The binary stars were growing even more unstable, but it would be hours before they posed a threat. With that in mind she began a new set of scans for the area beyond the twin suns. It was important to know what they would face once Voyager cleared the sector. Establishing a data link with the probe she’d sent out two days before, she began to upload and analyze the new data. At first there was nothing extraordinary or unexpected but then Seven noticed an odd signal embedded in the data. It was a small mystery, but it gave her something to focus on other than her sorrow. When she finally determined what it was she was stunned. It appeared to be a Starfleet communications signal that was being bounced off the pulsars.

Using every Borg algorithm she could think of, Seven isolated the signal and attempted to clean it up. "Computer, replay transmission."

The static was heavy, so heavy that she could hardly make out the voice even with her enhanced hearing. "… don’t worry, Chakotay. The Benthan minister assures me… has everything we need."

The voice was unmistakable and for a moment Seven wondered if she was dreaming. Had she fallen asleep in Kathryn’s bed after all and remembered this communiqué from the day before the captain was killed? Even as she considered the possibility Seven discarded it as untrue. This was real. She was hearing the captain’s voice. Logic dictated that it was impossible, but Janeway’s loss had affected everyone on Voyager and she was desperate to find out if it was truly the captain, logic be damned!

Working quickly, Seven remodulated the signal and patched it into the comm system. "Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway." There was no response to her shaky voice so she tried again. "Seven to the captain, please respond."

"Janeway here, Seven," came an amused voice. "What can I do for you?"

Relief, anxiety and confusion swarmed over Seven as Kathryn answered. A thousand questions flowed through her mind but she settled for the one that was predominant. "Are you all right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?" The signal became stronger the longer they spoke and now there was little static. "The Benthan seem very accommodating and we should have all this wrapped up by tomorrow."

A sudden possibility occurred to the former drone and in a nanosecond she determined how such a thing could be. The pulsars were giving out large quantities of tetryon radiation and flares were erupting repeatedly from the surface. With the right combination it could have been enough to open a tear in space/time.

"Captain, what is the stardate?"

"What?"

"Please, it is important. What is the stardate?" She must have heard the desperation in Seven’s voice.

"It’s stardate 54274.8."

The theory had proven correct. "Captain, you must listen to me. The stardate here is 54337.2."

"Seven, what are you talking about? That’s not possible. I just saw you five minutes ago."

"No! It has been two weeks since Voyager traded with the Benthan. Tomorrow there will be an accident. The valley where you will be negotiating will be engulfed by a flashflood and you will die!"

"Who is this?" Sudden suspicion colored the captain’s voice but Seven’s sole concern was in warning her of impending doom.

"Please, Kathryn! Do not go to the valley tomorrow!"

"Okay, now I know this is not Seven of Nine. We have never been on a first name basis and I can see her not more than twenty yards away. I don’t know how you got this frequency or what you’re playing at, but it stops now!"

"Your body will be found down river caught in the fork of a large tree! You must believe me!" Seven sobbed out of frustration, but Janeway seemed not to hear.

"I don’t have to do anything. Commander Tuvok will investigate this incident. Do not interrupt these trade talks again!"

The transmission was terminated abruptly and Seven was left staring at the Astrometrics view screen in horror that her warning had not been received.

Captain Janeway terminated the connection just as Seven of Nine walked back to her side. For a moment she was tempted to share the strange conversation with her crewman, but finally refrained. It couldn’t have been Seven on the other end of the transmission, but something told her that whoever it was they had been sincere.

It can’t be the Benthan, they don’t have the Starfleet frequencies, she thought. A practical joke by a member of the crew? It that’s what it was, it was in pretty poor taste. Maybe I should have Tuvok investigate.

"Is something wrong, Captain?"

Janeway realized she was frowning and quickly cleared her expression. "Seven, have you seen anything on Astrometric scans to indicate a storm headed this way in the next twenty-four hours?"

"No. All Astrometric readings indicate there will be sunshine and clear skies for at least five days."

"Great. Well, there’s nothing left to do here until tomorrow. We'll meet at the transporter room at 0930 hours."

Seven nodded and walked back toward the rest of the away team. The captain followed slowly, the strange conversation still on her mind. The fact that the warning had come in Seven’s voice was enough to make her glance worriedly at the sky overhead. Kathryn had grown up in farm country in Indiana. She knew how quickly and unexpectedly a storm could blow in, but she also trusted Seven of Nine when she said there was no indication of bad weather. The fact was that she just didn’t know who had been on the other end of that communiqué.

Captain Janeway returned to Voyager and tried to concentrate on the mission for the rest of the evening. It was difficult when her mind kept circling around to the conversation concerning her death. It was bad enough being told she was going to die tomorrow, but even worse to hear the prediction in the voice of the woman she loved.

Kathryn could freely acknowledge her love for Seven, at least to herself. She’d had three years to get used to the idea and now it was simply a fact of her life. The first time she saw the former drone standing in the cargo bay in a silver biosuit Kathryn had felt like someone had suddenly removed all of the oxygen from the room. Although she had experienced those feelings rarely in her life, she recognized them immediately. Still, that didn’t mean she had to act on them. Seven had been vulnerable and all Kathryn wanted to do was help her. A deep and abiding friendship had blossomed and she had never been willing to risk their relationship by admitting to feelings that Seven could never return.

Which brought her thoughts back around to the warning. Finally she decided she was just being silly. Seven had been standing right there when the weird call came through so it couldn’t have been her. Period.

That night her dreams were filled with Seven’s frantic voice begging her to be careful and telling her that Voyager needed its captain. When she awakened the next day she felt like she’d been wrung out and hung up to dry. At 0931 she walked into the transporter room to find that the rest of the away team had already arrived.

In moments they were on the ground and she was walking toward the Benthan delegation. The sun was shining overhead and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

She walked over a rise and looked down on the lush green valley below. Birds sang in the trees and the occasional insect flew by. Flowers bloomed and all in all Janeway thought it looked like something out of a storybook. She walked down into the valley floor and noticed absently that there was a dried creek bed running through the area. Grass grew over it and it had obviously been quite some time since it had been an actual stream. A dam in the distance was clearly an explanation for the dried stream.

"Minister," she smiled as the man held out one of his six arms to shake her hand in the human tradition. She shook his hand and they began to finalize arrangements for the food supplies to be delivered by the Benthan while Harry Kim beamed down medical supplies from Voyager.

A sudden rumble from overhead made her look up in surprise and at the same moment a moderate wind sprang up from the west. She glanced to her left and where moments ago there had been nothing but clear skies now there were dark shadows in the distance.

Janeway turned and looked at Seven and Tuvok. Although her security officer appeared as unflappable as ever the former Borg looked as perplexed as Janeway felt so the captain turned back to Minister Kral.

He smiled at the confused look on her face and said; "Don’t worry. It’s just a summer storm. Very common for this time of year. They tend to come in without warning and precipitation can be very heavy, but there is no reason for concern."

Kathryn looked to her left again and noticed the darkness had taken over most of the sky. From where she stood in the valley she could see it was already raining quite heavily and she feared the wind was blowing the storm in much faster than the minister realized. Lighting flashed, punctuating the rolling thunder and her heart suddenly sped up as she remembered the warning from the previous day. Postponing the negotiations was out of the question since the Benthan would regard any interruptions as a serious insult.

"How long do you think it’ll be before your people arrive with the supplies?"

"They are on their way from Capitol City now. With the storm they may be slightly delayed, but surely they will arrive in the next…fifteen minutes."

The information did nothing to alleviate her sudden trepidation. Capitol City was west of their location and Janeway knew the Benthan would be traveling by out-dated hovercraft. The winds and heavy rain would undoubtedly wreak havoc with the ancient transport vessels. She decided to give the whole thing another fifteen minutes and if the Benthan hadn’t arrived she would sever the trade regardless of any hurt feelings.

The captain was unable to leave without insulting the minister, but she could see no reason to put her officers in harms way. "Tuvok, you and the others head back to the beam out area. I’ll advise you when the supplies get here."

She wished just once he would let the breach of protocol go without an argument but it wasn’t meant to be.

"Captain, I must remind you that Starfleet regulations clearly state…"

"That’s an order, Commander."

Her remark came out much sharper than intended, but Kathryn’s worry was increasing. Seven of Nine meant the universe to her and Tuvok was her best friend. She’d lost enough crew along the way and wasn’t willing to risk the security contingent either. She had to be here. They did not. He looked like he was going to refuse, but finally relented with a sharp nod. She would hear about it later, but right now she was too relieved to care.

Seven of Nine looked like she was going to argue as well and Kathryn was surprised when she merely turned and followed Tuvok and the others up the hill. The young woman had never hesitated to disagree with the captain in front of anyone in the vicinity. On one hand Janeway was relieved that she didn’t put up a fuss, but on another she was disappointed that Seven hadn’t analyzed the situation and realized the possible risks.

The away team reached the top of the rise and Seven turned around and dispelled that last notion entirely. The concern on her youthful features was evident and she would go no farther than the top of the rise regardless of the captain’s orders to proceed to the beam out point.

Janeway turned to face westward again and noticed three Benthan transport vehicles in the distance. She couldn’t hear the vehicles over the rising noise from the storm, but she felt relief flood her system at the sight. The wind suddenly increased again and heavy raindrops began to fall, slowly at first and then much more quickly.

"It’s just a little rain, Captain. I assure you we will be fine."

Just a little rain, she thought. Right. It’ll be fine, forget about the warning, it’s just rain.

She flashed the minister what she thought was a reassuring smile, refusing to allow any concern to actually show on her features. The hovercraft approached steadily and she saw they were hardly affected by the strength of the wind. Maybe this wasn’t such a big deal after all.

Just then thunder rumbled so hard that it shook the ground beneath their feet and a bolt of lightning shot down to impact directly on the center of the dam face. Janeway slammed into the ground as the dam split before her eyes. Water burst from the fracture, widening the rift, and poured down the valley with the strength of a tsunami.

I’m not going to die, Kathryn thought refusing to give in that easily to a mysterious prediction. She struggled to climb to her feet but the wind threw her down again. The Benthan were multipeds and had no such hindrance. They scrambled away leaving her to her fate. Absently she heard Seven of Nine cry out her name, but she was too busy trying to get away from the wall of water coming toward her. If she could make it to the tree line at the top of the rise Kathryn thought she would be all right. A wide channel had been cut through the valley an eon ago and would serve as a chute to funnel the water away from the rest of the area. She almost made it.

"Captain!"

Seven’s shouted warning caused Janeway to look over her shoulder and she realized it was too late. She took a deep breath just as the water crashed over her and carried her away. She was tossed end over end through the swirling water, but refused to panic as she was held down. Eventually the water would have to release her and when it did she would fight her way to the top. Kathryn knew struggling against the current was futile and forced herself to go limp. Moments later she could see daylight overhead and struggled to clear the water for a breath of air. No sooner had she taken in a lung full of air than she was hit in the side by a rushing piece of debris. The air was forced out of her lungs and the water took her under once again.

Darkness filled the edges of her vision and her body insisted that she inhale much needed oxygen, but Kathryn fought the urge knowing she would inhale only water. When she cleared the surface moments later she took several deep breaths, grateful that she wasn’t struck again. She could see the edges of the old creek bed and struggled to swim sideways with the current. There wasn’t anyone else in sight and Kathryn knew she was on her own.

A tree stood at the edge of the deluge. With the water halfway up the trunk she thought she could reach the lower branches and cling to safety, if she timed it right. Angling for the massive tree she concentrated on kicking as hard as possible. Seconds later her fingers grazed one of the branches and she threw her arm over it. Janeway held onto the branch with both arms as water flowed all around trying to pull her back under. For many long seconds she could only pant and try to get her wind back.

She had traveled a long way from the Benthan meeting place very quickly and she was alone, but at least she was still alive. Now if she could only get out of the water and make her way back to where she had been before. Her ribs throbbed from the impact she had taken and it was hard to draw breath, but Kathryn managed to climb onto the tree limb. Her uniform was heavy from the dunking and her body shook in strain as she climbed out of the water. Eventually she made it onto the tree and lay there trying to get some strength back.

Habit made her reach up with a trembling hand to touch her combadge, but there wasn’t even the chirp of an open channel. The water had ruined the device.

"This just keeps getting better and better."

Why hadn’t she heeded that warning anyway, she wondered. It didn’t matter if it had been Seven or not. She should have taken extra precautions. Kathryn realized she was wasting time castigating herself and sat up slowly to move toward the bank. Four feet from dry land she heard the limb begin to break under her weight. Instinctively she reached for the branch overhead but it wasn’t as strong as the one she was standing on. Both gave way and she plunged back into the frigid waters. Her arm became entangled with the limbs of the branch she was standing on and when the rapidly moving water snagged it her shoulder was wrenched at an awkward position. She bit off the scream of pain as it separated at the joint and she was carried helplessly away.

Debris struck her body in various places but the minor hurts were nothing in comparison to the fire in her shoulder. Bobbing up and down, Kathryn took in air when she could and struggled to hold onto consciousness. She was exhausted and barely had the strength to lift her head out of the water. Fortunately the floodwaters were slowing down. When she realized it Kathryn summoned the last of her reserves and looked for somewhere to hang on until rescue came. The answer loomed almost immediately in front of her. A tree had broken in half and was caught in a fork in the river. White water swirled on either side, but the branches formed a ‘v’ that would brace her body and allow her to rest while she waited for the away team to come.

Janeway leaned toward the felled tree and struck out toward it before she remembered about her shoulder. Agony lanced through her and unconsciousness hovered again. If the tree hadn’t been right in front of her she would have missed it. As it was she was slammed forcefully into the niche and was held there by the current.

Finally she could rest. More exhausted than she could ever remember being Kathryn lay her head on the massive trunk and allowed her body to relax. The conversation with the other Seven came back to her and she heard the words over again.

"Your body will be found down river caught in the fork of a large tree!"

She groaned and lifted her head. This was definitely a fork in a large tree, but she wasn’t dead and the force of the water had receded substantially. Maybe the warning had changed events for her and this was the end of the adventure. A loud rumbling sound was heard over the already rushing water and Kathryn turned to look. Another wall of water was coming toward her, even larger than the first. Another dam had given way somewhere. She knew she would not survive when the tidal forces hit and slammed her already injured body into the tree and boulders. The prediction was about to come true if she didn’t do something.

Forcing her tired brain to focus she realized she had only one choice. She would have to leave her temporary sanctuary and allow the water to carry her away toward whatever fate awaited. The idea was startling in the extreme and she looked for something with which to anchor herself even as the current grabbed hold. A floating log, caught in the uprooted tree, was the answer. Kathryn threw herself over the top of the log and kicked away from the tree. Her away mission jacket snagged in the tangled limbs and she was held fast. With her shoulder injured Kathryn couldn’t pull hard enough to free herself. Fear caused her heart to clench and she cast a worried glance toward the certain death rushing at her.

Putting everything she had left into the move, Kathryn wrenched back with all of her remaining strength. She cried out in pain as the jacket sleeve parted at the seam and was torn off. Her arm was bleeding from a deep gash but at least she was free. Now there was no choice but to steel herself and wait for whatever would happen next.

Seven still had memories of the broken woman who had formerly commanded Voyager and was now being carried home in a stasis tube. Now, however, she also had conflicting memories of the rescue team finding only Janeway’s torn uniform sleeve and nothing more. Though they had searched diligently for six days no sign of the captain had been found, neither through scans or a physical search. After six long, exhausting days the decision was finally made to move on without Captain Janeway.

Though she held both sets of memories Seven knew one of them was false.

"Computer," she demanded as she strode into the turbolift, "what is Captain Janeway’s location."

"Captain Janeway is not onboard Voyager."

She let out her breath in a relieved rush. Had the body still been in the morgue the computer would have replied to that effect. Chakotay had not been able to bring himself to list the captain as deceased in the ship’s logs without the proof of a body lying before him, even if he had made the final decision to move on. Still, she had to see for herself.

Seven entered the morgue and came to an abrupt halt when she saw the EMH moving around the room. "Doctor, what are you doing here?"

"Hmm?" He looked over as though surprised to find someone else had entered the room. Seven thought that unlikely since his program was part of the main computer system. "Just doing weekly maintenance. What are you doing in the morgue?"

Rather than respond Seven walked over to the stasis tube positioned near the far bulkhead. Fear of what she might discover slowed her steps but finally she was able to look inside to see that the unit was empty.

"She is not here."

The words were uttered quietly and the doctor looked at her with sincere concern. "Seven, is something wrong?"

"Captain Janeway," she finally said, turning to face her friend. "She is not here."

The hologram’s expression became dour and he replied. "No. She’s not. I almost wish she were here, in this room. At least that would be a sort of closure. Not knowing is so much worse. The whole ship is grieving and there isn’t anything I can do about it."

Despite his sarcastic wit and slightly narcissistic personality subroutines Seven knew the physician was hurting. He wanted to be able to help the crew through this painful time, but there was nothing he could do and he wasn’t programmed to be a counselor.

"Perhaps I can."

"Seven?"

"I have just obtained information that proves Captain Janeway is not dead."

"No one ever said she was," he pointed out. "Only missing and presumed dead."

Seven realized he had no memory of the other time line and wondered if the warning she had given the captain had more of an effect than anticipated. "You are mistaken. I have just held a conversation with Captain Janeway. She was…lost…after the accident, but she is still alive."

"What are we waiting for?" The doctor asked, suddenly excited. "We’ve got to get this information to Captain Chakotay."

"I believe you mean Commander Chakotay."

"Yes, yes, of course," he agreed, urging her toward the exit. "We can argue semantics later."

Seven allowed the doctor to rush her toward the bridge because it suited her purposes. She even permitted him to break the news to Chakotay where he sat in the captain’s chair. What she would not do was inform him of what had transpired until he had assembled all of the senior staff in the conference room for an emergency meeting. Though her opinion of the man had improved somewhat over the last two weeks because of his reaction to losing Kathryn, there were still many things in his past she could not easily dismiss.

Chakotay had never been hesitant to let Seven know he didn’t trust her and there was the possibility that he would refuse to turn around if she brought this information to him alone. Bringing the EMH with her to tell the news bolstered her credibility and revealing her conversation with the captain to all the senior officers would insure their support in going back for the captain.

"All right, Seven. Let’s get started. What’s this about?" Chakotay had waited impatiently for the rest of the staff to assemble and now that they had he more than ready to move along.

"The doctor tells me that Captain Janeway was missing after the accident on Bentha and presumed dead."

"We all know that, Seven," Tom responded with a frown.

"I have just been in contact with Captain Janeway."

"What!" Chakotay shouted, looking like he’d been hit over the head.

B’Elanna jumped to her feet. "When? How?"

Tuvok settled for frowning in concern and Harry Kim looked like he might faint. Only the EMH looked unaffected. Commander Tuvok broke the silence. "That is unlikely. We are several light years from the Benthan home world and a signal from a communications badge will not carry that far."

"Normally no," Seven agreed. "I believe the pulsars are responsible for magnifying the signal."

"What did she say?" Harry asked, finally finding his voice.

Seven knew she would be required to lie and she hesitated but only for a moment. If there was any chance of bringing Captain Janeway back to the ship she was more than willing to do much more than lie.

"She was swept downstream and rendered unconscious." Within the realm of possibility. "When she regained consciousness she had been badly injured and could not move for some time."

"Seven, we scanned the area," Chakotay pointed out. "Torres and Kim performed every scan they could think of and there was no sign of her."

"Perhaps we did not look closely enough." Seven lifted her eyebrow daring anyone to disagree.

"It’s possible," B’Elanna said with a shrug.

"When do we head back?" Neelix took Seven at face value. He had always looked up to Captain Janeway and had been one of the last to acknowledge they needed to move on without her. Seven was pleased he had voiced the correct course of action so quickly.

"At warp nine we can be back there in four days," Tom said and jumped to his feet to rush out onto the bridge.

"Hold on, Tom. Not so fast."

Everyone looked at Chakotay in astonishment. How could he not order them to turn around?

"Seven, are you sure about this? We all want the captain back, but I need to know this is real before I’ll order Voyager to turn and fly back the way we came."

"I am sure, Commander." Seven deliberately used his former title. "She is alive and if we do not return to Bentha we will be abandoning her."

For long, tense moments the former drone and the outlaw Maquis stared at each other in a battle of wills neither was willing to lose. As usual Seven prevailed. Chakotay dropped his eyes to the conference table and smiled.

"Then what are we waiting for? I can’t wait to get some sleep again."

"And just think," Tom added. "Those pulsars will already have gone nova by the time we get back and we won’t have to worry about the explosions."

"That’s just like you, Paris," Harry said, slapping his pal on the shoulder as everyone headed back to stations. "Always looking on the bright side."

It hadn’t been difficult to convince the senior staff to turn around and Seven began to realize she wasn’t the only one hurting at Janeway’s loss. Chakotay had looked relieved and the only moment of difficulty had more to do with his dislike for Seven than anything else. Voyager turned on a dime under Tom Paris’ skillful control and streaked back for the Bentha home world while Seven returned to Astrometrics. All that was on her mind now was re-establishing contact with Janeway, whether from the past or present she didn’t care. She just needed to hear Kathryn’s voice.

*****

Kathryn Janeway rose into consciousness reluctantly, her body resisting the necessity of wakefulness as it clung to healing oblivion. With awareness came pain from numerous cuts and contusions. Drawing breath was a labor of agony with her bruised ribs and the fire in her dislocated shoulder was an added bonus from hell. Her face rested on something wet, cold and yielding with the consistency of clay but with her eyes closed Kathryn couldn’t have guessed what it was. For a few more moments she lay there and concentrated on the fact that she was still alive. A bone-deep chill caused her to shiver and water lapped against her legs. She was still in the river of floodwater, but it lacked the tsunami forces that had carried her away. Now it was soft, rhythmic and enticing her to sleep.

Get up, she thought to herself. What would your crew think if they could see you lying here afraid to move?

The thought of her crew did what it always had. It forced her to keep going when the thought of surrender held sway. Those times were usually reserved for her darkest moments, like when depression loomed after the death of a crewman. This time she knew she was afraid of the damage her body had suffered. She was concerned the injuries would prove fatal and she would be left to die with no one aware of what had become of her; with Seven unaware.

If you’re in pain then you’re alive.

Her father’s words rang in her ears as Kathryn groaned and opened her eyes. She had assumed night had fallen while she lay unconscious and what she found was a surprise. Somehow the floodwaters had carried her underground, most likely into ancient channels and caverns beneath the mountain range. Unknown minerals in the rocks had luminescent properties and the environment held a sense of deep and timeless dusk. The air was fresh and sweet though without a detectable breeze. From experience Janeway knew the underground caverns could be enormous.

She bit her lip and pushed up onto her knees with her good hand, breathing past the pain in her shoulder. Her uniform was saturated with mud and the left sleeve ripped away but the rest of it was relatively intact.

Kathryn felt the pockets of her jacket and was lightheaded with relief to discover she still had her phaser and tricorder. At the last minute before leaving Voyager she had opted on the away mission uniform. Normally she would have worn her duty uniform to meet alien dignitaries, but those jackets had no pockets for supplies. In this case that simple choice had made a tremendous difference; possibly between life and death. If she hadn’t received that mysterious warning it was likely she would have made the wrong choice.

Deciphering that mystery was beyond her for the moment. All she could concentrate on was survival and that meant getting out of the cold water and finding some heat.

Every bone in her body hurt but Kathryn did her best to ignore the pain as she moved through the enormous chamber. The natural illumination allowed her to see though the shadows were deep and the floor rocky and uneven. Each footstep was carefully placed to avoid a fall and broken bones. She would need both legs whole if she were to get out of this situation alive.

Kathryn climbed down an incline and discovered a sandy floor littered with an assortment of small stones. This would have to be her haven for now. It was only a short walk to the underground river that could provide drinking water and the surface was only slightly moist. She hadn’t found anything to burn, but without a fortuitous opening in the overhead she would only cause herself to suffocate anyway. That meant generating heat in a more modern way.

She piled small and medium sized stones together in a circle and stood holding her breath while she aimed her phaser. Not all stones were capable of holding the isothermal energy from a phaser blast. Kathryn pressed the trigger and a ruby beam shot from it to impact the makeshift campfire stones. One sustained blast was enough to turn the rocks red hot. Heat immediately flowed outward from the pile and Kathryn closed her eyes as the numbness began to leach out of her bones.

With the heat her body began to relax and the pain in her shoulder was magnified. Every step on the short journey to this spot had caused the bones to grind together and now she knew it was time to tend to the problem. Kathryn wasn’t a doctor, but she knew one good way to put the appendage back in place. A high rock formation near the cave wall would serve the purpose, but Kathryn wasn’t looking forward to it.

Janeway faced the sturdy formation and lined her arm up. She took a deep breath and rammed into the stone as hard as she could. The humerus popped back into its socket with a sickening wet click and Kathryn sank to her knees. Unconsciousness rushed in once again and in her weakened condition she was too tired to fight. She slumped onto the cave floor and slipped back into darkness.

*****

"Captain Janeway, please respond."

The repeated and insistent calling of her name slowly pulled Kathryn back into the dusk of the underground caverns. She blinked and realized Seven of Nine was calling her name. The only questions were, which Seven and why was her combadge suddenly working? The devices were notorious for being worthless once they became wet and had to be replaced instead of repaired.

"Janeway here." Kathryn sat up slowly, pushing tangled hair out of her face. The shoulder was still sore and continued to throb, but at least the pain had diminished somewhat and she could sort of use her arm, even though it really belonged in a sling.

"Kathryn!" The relief in the voice and the fact that the woman used her given name told Janeway to which Seven she was speaking.

"How are you able to contact me? My combadge was ruined by the flood."

There was a startled silence before the Astrometrics officer’s voice inquired, "You were in the valley when the dam gave way? How are you still alive?"

Kathryn grinned a little and said softly, "You’re a voice from heaven, my own angel calling back in time to give me a warning. I’m just sorry I didn’t listen to it. Fortunately, I did hear enough to remember to zig instead of zag at the right moment. But you didn’t answer my question. How are you managing this connection?"

"I believe it has something to do with the twin pulsars near our present location. They are nearing nova and emitting critical levels of tetryon radiation as well as a slight temporal variance."

"You know how much I love time travel," the captain intoned, already feeling the throb of a slight headache.

"It is unfortunate however this rift seems to have created a connection between our two combadges."

"That’s good news. What’s Voyager’s status?"

Kathryn was asking about the well being of her ship and crew, but Seven obviously didn’t apply as much importance to those issues as she did to the captain’s situation. "Commander Chakotay has ordered Voyager to return to the Bentha home world. We are coming to rescue you, Captain. Can you advise me of your location?"

"I wish I could. I was unconscious when the river spit me out in some kind of underground caverns. My tricorder doesn’t seem to have the capacity to scan outside these chambers so I’d have to say there’s some kind of reflective property in the minerals."

"Do not worry. We will find you."

For the first time Janeway was convinced this really was Seven of Nine calling from a future time line. There was just no mistaking the accidentally arrogant tone in that voice. Kathryn smiled and said, "You sound awfully sure of that."

"I am Borg."

The hint of amusement in the beloved voice was clear and the captain was reminded of something else. "By the way, you say the last time you saw me I was dead and I’ve already seen the flood with my own eyes. So how is it that we’ve moved to the point of you calling me by my given name? I don’t remember that happening."

"It is a… long story."

"Well, I’d very much like to hear it sometime."

"I will consider your request, however there is something else you should be aware of."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn’t going to be good news?"

"You are correct. As Voyager moves farther from the pulsars our connection is becoming weaker. The static is increasing and there may come a time when we cannot communicate or where our communication will become clear on only one side. If you no longer hear my voice, please know I will not stop until we have found you."

The words were forceful and sincere and so heavy with emotion that the former Borg unknowingly told Kathryn everything. Oh my God, she loves me! That’s why she was so intent on warning me.

Kathryn’s eyes closed as she imagined the grief Seven must have gone through. She must have suffered so much in the last two weeks. It had never occurred to Kathryn that the young woman could have returned her feelings.

Her voice was huskier than usual when she finally replied. "I’ll keep that in mind. How long until I can expect you?" she asked going for a light tone.

"Our ETA is ninety-six hours."

Four days, Kathryn thought. She had a couple of ration bars stashed in her pockets, a tricorder, a phaser and fresh water only a few hundred feet away. Surely she could survive four days.

"I’ll be waiting."

As she went about establishing a temporary camp Kathryn considered all the possible ramifications It was true she’d been in love with Seven almost from their tumultuous beginning, but realization was as far as it had ever gone. Janeway was a very strong-willed person and she had never allowed her waking mind to dwell on fantasies. Dreams were another matter. No one could control what they dreamt about, but they could control their actions. Seven had just been through the trauma of seeing her closest friend and mentor killed. There was a very good possibility that Seven wasn’t really in love, just greatly relieved.

"That’s got to be it," Kathryn thought out loud, settling beside her heat source and giving the rocks another blast from her phaser. Thank God she hadn’t said anything!

Janeway was feeling light headed from hunger. It had been hours since breakfast. She hesitated to eat any of her rations but her tricorder told her it was well into the middle of the night. She nibbled on a ration bar and considered that tomorrow she would have to search the caves for something to supplement her rations. With the luck she was having it would probably turn out to be beetle stew.

After her meal Kathryn settled onto the damp floor and tried to sleep. Her slumber was fitful and a dry cough began to nag her. What sleep she did get was filled with shouted warnings, which she blithely disregarded.

*****

Two days later Kathryn had grown steadily weaker while her cough grew stronger. A low-grade fever set in and she found herself resting a lot. The connection with Seven had become static filled and one-sided. To make up for the lack of dialogue Seven filled Kathryn in on every little detail of Voyager’s travel back to Bentha space. Seven seemed to understand Kathryn was getting weaker and it was the sound of her voice that kept Janeway holding on. She would talk for hours unless her duties interfered or she was regenerating. On the third day things changed. Kathryn awakened to discover that Seven’s monologue had become distinctly more personal.

"Captain, I am unaware if you can hear me, but I must tell you the truth. Only you could have kept me onboard Voyager. In the beginning I was very angry. I am quite sure you are aware of that."

Kathryn smiled thinking of the volatile start to their friendship.

"When the Caatati wanted to take me from Voyager to exact revenge for what the Borg had done to them you refused. I could not understand why you would do that. As a drone I had murdered thousands. I felt I deserved my fate."

Tears glistened in her eyes as Kathryn listened to the grief and confusion in Seven’s voice. After all this time Seven still didn’t understand she had been as much a victim of the Borg as anyone.

"You thought it was my humanity reasserting itself when I offered to help the Caatati replicate the ore they needed for their ships. You called it a ‘random act of kindness’ and I did not have the words to tell you otherwise. In truth I thought… just this once… I wish to make her see me. I wanted you to notice, to be impressed. Even then I…"

Seven paused and even through the static Janeway could hear her nervous swallow.

"Even then I loved you, but did not know what it was I was experiencing. That was not the only time I hoped you would notice me. When Species 8472 penetrated our hull and the Hirogen came for the creature you accused me of having no regard for alien life. I owe you an apology for allowing you to believe it was true. I was angry because you did not see the motivation behind my actions. When I activated the transporter to send 8472 to the Hirogen vessel it was your face I saw. I thought ‘let her see, just this once, what I will do to keep her safe’. I thought you would be proud of me."

Seven paused momentarily before starting again. "I still do not regret that decision. There is no price too high to protect you and if Commander Chakotay had not agreed to return to Bentha I would have commandeered Voyager and operated the vessel on my own if necessary. My only regret is that I did not tell you the truth long ago. I was a coward. Though light years separate us and even if you cannot hear me… just this once I must say it aloud. I love you, Kathryn Janeway. From the day you stepped onto a Borg cube three years ago you have become my universe. I do not ask that you return my feelings. As captain I know that can never be. I simply wished for you to know."

The combadge went silent and tears stung Kathryn’s eyes. How could she have been so blind? All of the evidence had been there from the beginning. As a Starfleet captain you learned to deal with crushes from the crew, learned to recognize the signs and how to redirect the doe-eyed ensigns and crewmen. Janeway had apparently failed that lesson. She had missed the signs of an initial crush and, by not redirecting the crewman in question, allowed a crush to blossom into a deep and abiding love. Of course Kathryn would not have wanted to redirect this particular member of her crew. But would she have had the courage to allow a romance to blossom between them?

Thinking back on Seven’s closing words Kathryn already knew the answer to that question. As captain she never would have allowed it to be and neither would she have had the other woman’s emotional bravery. A woman reared by the Borg and separated from the hive mind only a few years ago had more courage than she did in admitting her true feelings.

A sudden coughing bout derailed her train of thought and after it was over Kathryn realized she hadn’t eaten since yesterday. She forced her tired body up from beside the campfire to search for food. The ration bars had run out, but that didn’t mean she intended to just curl up and wait for death. Seven was coming for her and regardless what the future held, whether they were destined to be together or whether Janeway buried her head in the sand, Kathryn intended to be here when she arrived.

Kathryn wandered through the shadows with her tricorder, turning over rocks and searching for something more appetizing than worms or bugs. Her cough plagued her during the search. It hadn’t gotten any worse over the last few days, for which she was grateful, but it hadn’t improved any either. Half an hour later she returned to the campsite with a handful of twisted tubers that her tricorder informed her were edible, although it was doubtful they would prove tasty.

A shallow, bowl-shaped rock served as a pot. She poured water into the bowl and set it onto the campfire, giving the stones another blast from her phaser. It didn’t take long for the water to begin to boil and Kathryn washed off the tubers before breaking them into smaller pieces and dropping them into the water.

While her meal boiled she thought of Seven. In all this time she had never engaged in fantasy, but now she couldn’t help but wonder what being with Seven would be like. There was no question it would be a relationship of equals. Seven would never settle for anything less and Kathryn smiled as she realized she wouldn’t have it any other way either.

Then something else hit her and the smile faded like it had never been. Seven had always influenced her decisions. Chakotay had recognized it and pointed it out, but Kathryn had refused to see it. Now she saw it was true.

Somehow, all along, she had treated Seven as her partner even though they had never acknowledged or consummated a relationship. Why would things be any different if their union became a physical one?

**********

"Captain, are you there?"

Janeway awakened again to Seven’s voice calling her over the ruined combadge. She didn’t remember falling asleep and wondered how she could be so exhausted when she hadn’t done anything.

"Voyager will be entering the Bentha system in the next sixteen hours and I am unsure how long we will be able to maintain this connection."

A burst of static punctuated the communication to prove Seven’s theory and Kathryn had to strain over the next few words until the signal cleared again.

"You asked me how I came to call you by your given name. The truth is that I did not have permission. I must apologize for being so presumptuous."

Kathryn smiled gently, but she knew Seven was actually giving her an out by making her revelations over a comm signal. If Janeway didn’t reciprocate she would never have to respond.

"I have always thought of you as Kathryn."

An eyebrow went up in disbelief and Janeway actually chuckled when Seven amended her statement. "Perhaps not always. I have thought of you as Kathryn since that day aboard the Delta Flyer when you came for me. You convinced me not to self-terminate by reminding me of our bond. Then you knelt before me with such a gentle look on your face. For several seconds, before you called for the beam out, I thought you would kiss me. I hoped you would kiss me. I thought that if you did you would feel how much I loved you and for just a moment I wanted it more than I have ever wanted anything. But you did not kiss me and I have found myself repeatedly wondering what would have happened if you had. Since that moment you have been Kathryn. It was only after your death that I spoke your name aloud. I have a confession to make, Captain."

Janeway frowned, wondering at the sudden nervousness in the young woman’s voice and how she had just reverted to using her title. What could possibly be so bad after everything else they had gone through?

"I had just been lying in your bed with your scent all around me. Memories of your broken body were swirling in my head and I could not sleep."

Do you lie in my bed often, Kathryn wondered, finding that the idea fired her imagination. She had to force herself to concentrate on what Seven was saying.

"I apologize for the breach of protocol, but in your quarters was the only place I could find sanctuary after your death. At any rate, I could not sleep. I went to sickbay and observed your body inside the stasis chamber. Seeing you lying there so peacefully; you looked as though you merely slept. That was the first time. Since then I have not been able to think of you any other way."

The static became suddenly stronger and almost obliterated Seven’s voice. For several long seconds Kathryn listened as hard as she could, but couldn’t make out any thing else. The signal terminated with a sharp squeal and Kathryn knew that was the last she would hear from Seven until the rescue team arrived.

Search teams were dispatched to the northern mountain range to find Captain Janeway. Seven was forced to wait on board Voyager, but she held post at the aft science station on the bridge. If her exceptional skills with the sensors hadn’t been needed no one could have kept her on the ship. As it turned out no one else could have finessed the sensors enough to find the captain and the task had proven to be almost beyond even her abilities.

"I’ve found her, Commander. Sending the coordinates to your tricorder now."

Chakotay was leading a team near the entrance to large set of caves and was nearest the captain’s location. He responded quickly.

"I have them. It looks like it’ll take about an hour to reach her. We’ll contact the ship as soon as we come back into communication range."

"Understood."

Seven acknowledged the first officer though technically Tuvok was in charge of Voyager at the moment. The Vulcan merely raised an eyebrow and Seven ignored him as she waited for the next communiqué from the rescue team.

Two hours and ten minutes later the communications channel came to life. "Commander Chakotay to Voyager. We have her."

Then the beloved husky voice came over the signal and the former drone realized Kathryn was using Chakotay’s combadge. She sounded tired, but her voice was strong.

"This is Captain Janeway. Thank you all for coming back for me."

Cheers erupted throughout the bridge and Seven smiled through her tears. Tuvok settled for looking slightly relieved, but she didn’t think she imagined the small quiver in his voice. "Understood, welcome back, Captain. Preparing to transport the away team to Voyager."

Seven heard the last as the turbolift doors closed and she commanded the computer to allow emergency velocity. She wanted to be standing by when the captain transported back aboard the ship. Seven made it just in time. She fairly skidded to a halt on her stiletto heels as the transporter came to life. The EMH walked in just as the away team began to rematerialize, but Seven ignored him.

The forms on the transporter pad solidified and Seven was astonished by the emotional impact of meeting Kathryn Janeway’s gaze. Tears glistened in her eyes as they held the ones of the woman she loved. Suddenly the transporter room was bustling as people moved all around. Chakotay was giving orders and briefing the doctor, but Kathryn hadn’t moved from the transporter pad.

Her complexion was gray and sickly. Seven noticed worriedly that she had a cough and appeared to have a fever. In addition, the captain held her left arm at an unusual angle and appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight.

"Welcome back, Captain!" the doctor said, grinning widely as he walked up and placed a hand on Janeway’s shoulder. "Now don’t argue with me. Your first stop is sickbay."

The attempted humor had the effect he wanted and everyone chuckled slightly. Janeway was notorious for avoiding the medical bay but for once she didn’t argue. She nodded and allowed herself to be led down the short flight of steps. Just as she reached Seven of Nine, Kathryn stopped and looked up into her eyes.

She didn’t care that the others were watching. Though she was an intensely private person she had something important to say. No one else would understand what was being said, but she had to make sure Seven did.

Looking deeply into Seven’s blue eyes Kathryn said, "Just this once…I’ll go without arguing. Just this once…I’m open to all there can be."

She watched as the knowledge of what she was truly saying hit Seven. Her eyes widened and then filled with all the love she had concealed. A small smile curled her lips that the others probably wouldn’t have noticed, but to Kathryn that smile eclipsed the brilliance of a supernova. Only Kathryn's eyes returned the smile, but it would be enough for now.

The doctor cleared his throat in confusion and said, "Uh, all right. That’s good to hear. Right this way, Captain."

Kathryn reluctantly accompanied him out of the room, but her eyes lingered on Seven. As soon as she was given medical clearance she intended to make Seven say her name several times in a short period of time in several varying ways. Maybe Chakotay could be convinced to maintain command of Voyager for a few more, uninterrupted, days.