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The Ice
Queen
A J/7 Advent
Calendar Story 2008 by Gun Brooke
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Gun
Door 19
Janeway couldn’t stop looking at the stunning beautiful
features of Seven of Nine. She was suddenly taken back in
time to when she first saw her physical beauty in all its
glory, in cargo bay two, after the Doctor had removed the
last of her more disfiguring implants. She had stood there,
rigid, reluctant, and all dressed in her first bio suit—all
sleek and silvery.
“Seven…” Janeway said huskily. “It’s been more than three
years.”
“I am aware exactly how many hours and minutes and seconds
since I was severed from the Collective.”
“I know. But want I want to say is, we’ve had out fights
over the years, we’ve disagreed, and sometimes had to resort
to agreeing that we disagree.”
“Capt—Kathryn?” Seven shifted barely noticeably from foot to
foot.
“You and Harry built the astrometrics lab, which has shaved
years off our journey, and is also the reason we’ve been
able to avoid trouble by plotting the most favorable
course.” Janeway heard herself sound way too formal for what
she was about to say. She took a deep breath. “So, add that
to the fact that I find you endlessly intriguing—“
“You do?” Instead of Seven’s normal low infliction of tone,
she spoke with an underlying breathlessness and tremor that
tore at the barricades Janeway normally erected around her
aching heart.
“I do. Of course I do.” Janeway smoothed the already
impeccable lapels of Seven’s jacket. “And beautiful, and
attractive, and so many other things. Being without you for
three months—“
“Ninety-six days, four days, eight hours, and four minutes.”
Seven’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I could specify
the seconds, but I will not.”
“I have counted seconds too.” Janeway remembered staring at
the collapsing singularity that had carried Seven away to an
unknown fate. “If you only knew how many times I cursed the
fact that I allowed you to go alone.”
“It was the logical thing to do. Only I could open the
singularity, sustain it, and it was not necessary to risk
any other crew members when all they could do was observing
my actions.”
“I know. I know all that.” Janeway drew a couple of deep
breaths, willing her racing heart to calm down. “But, don’t
you see…I wanted to be there with you!”
Seven surprised Janeway completely by suddenly hugging her
close. “I wished for the same thing. I could endure being
marooned anywhere, or reside in any alien setting, if you
were there with me.”
“Oh, Seven.” Janeway knew she couldn’t resist any longer.
Those lush lips, now slightly parted as the tip of Seven’s
tongue moistened them, beckoned her, drew her in. She stood
on her toes, closing the distance between them and adding a
couple of inches to her size. Janeway framed Seven’s face
with her hands and pulled her closer. This was it; she
couldn’t wait a moment longer to finally kiss Seven of Nine.
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