Title: Possession
Author:  Khylaren	
Contact: Khylaren@yahoo.com
Series: VOY
Rating: [R]
Codes: K/7, P/T

Summary: An away mission leads to a shuttle crash, and Tom Paris and Seven have to depend on each other for survival.  New emotions continue to surface for Seven, and Harry experiences a new one of his own:  Jealousy.  Will the green-eyed monster be the end of Harry and Seven’s new relationship?

Disclaimer:  Paramount owns the characters, but the story is mine all mine.  

AN: This was my second attempt at fanfiction, so please forgive any typographical or technological blunders.  This is the sequel to I Grieve and it is recommended that you read that first.

< > < > < >

“I will be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I’ll take your breath away
And after 
I’d wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes, dear….”
	-Possession, Sarah McLachlan

“Regeneration cycle complete.”  

The cool feminine tones of the computer echoed in Cargo Bay Two.  Seven of Nine, former tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix 01, stepped down from her alcove, her hands automatically touching the pad on the connected console to complete the termination sequence.  The green lights behind her dimmed in response.

“Computer, begin personal log: Seven of Nine.”

“Recording.”

Seven leaned back on the console, thinking over last night’s events, unsure of how much she should record.  

“The individual known as One gave his life for this ship and crew.  His…death…affected me in a way that I could not have foreseen.  I experienced the emotion grief and was greatly incapacitated by it.  If it had not been for the timely intervention of Ensign Harry Kim, I am uncertain how I would have recovered.  I am certain that if it had not been for his support, I would not have recovered as quickly as I did.  I am grateful for his understanding.  It gave me the opportunity to truly appreciate him not as a crewmember, but as a friend.  It also awakened several other emotions within me, which prompted me to ask him out on a date.”  

She swallowed; her cheeks flushed with remembrance, then continued in her usual cool, precise tones.

“While repairing a compromised section of power coupling on a shuttlecraft, Harry Kim kissed me.”  She paused, and a smile flitted briefly across her features.  “It was a fortunate event.  I believe that our date was greatly enhanced by it.  We engaged in dinner and a walk, which led to more kissing.”  She sighed deeply, smiling to herself.  “Harry is a proficient kisser.  It was an entirely enjoyable experience which I find myself looking forward to participating in again sometime in the near future.”  She seemed to shake herself out of her reverie and bring herself back to the task at hand.  “Harry wished to establish the parameters of our relationship by expressing his feelings and concerns.  His main concern, I believe, is that we will progress too quickly in the physical aspect of this relationship and that I would be hurt.  I feel that this is an inaccurate assessment and I plan to initiate events to change his flawed perception.”  She stopped her report, before continuing in a much less confident tone. “I am just not certain where to begin.”

“Captain to Seven of Nine.”

“Computer, end personal log.”  Seven tapped her combadge.  “Yes, Captain?”

“We’ve reached the M class planet.  Please report to Shuttle Bay Two.”  

“Yes, Captain.”   She grabbed the padd which the specifications on the planet and exited the cargo bay at a fast walk.  She nearly crashed into Tom Paris.

“Hey!”  He put both hands up to prevent being bowled over by the preoccupied Borg.  “I was just coming to see you.”  His blue eyes glinted with some hidden amusement.  

Normally Seven found Lt. Paris an annoyance, a young man full of idle and irrelevant chatter combined with a sometimes-juvenile sense of humor.  However, if anything, her relationship with Harry was teaching her the positive side of “irrelevant” conversation.

“Good Morning, Lieutenant Paris.”  She said, resuming her walk to the shuttle bay, albeit at a slower pace than before.  “I am on my way to the shuttle bay.  Is there something you require?”

Paris hid his surprise at her surprisingly friendly greeting. “Good morning to you too.”  He smiled, matching her pace.  “I am also on my way to the shuttle bay.  Who do you think they got to pilot for you?”

Seven’s mouth twitched.  “I am certain Captain Janeway knew I required only the best pilot on this mission.  Perhaps Commander Chakotay was unavailable.”

Tom nearly stopped walking in surprise.  Seven had just made a joke.  Well, not a joke, exactly.  But definitely a tease.  Seven teasing?  

“Ha ha, Seven.”  He caught up with her. “Paybacks are a bitch.”

He could see her working on that one, not being familiar with the slang. He finally relented.  “It means I may get even.”  She continued walking, but gave him a raised eyebrow in response.  “Never mind, Seven.”

They reached the shuttle bay and began doing a pre-flight inspection of the craft.  Seven stepped inside and took the co-pilot seat.  Tom settled into the pilot’s chair and began the sequence to launch the shuttle from Voyager’s shuttle bay.  

“Shuttle craft Apollo ready for launch.”

“Proceed, Mr. Paris.”  Commander Chakotay’s voice came over the com system.  “Good luck you two.”

“Luck is irrelevant,” Tom said under his breath, shooting Seven a quick glance.  She looked coolly at him, but her eyes glinted with amusement. 

The shuttle left Voyager smoothly, entering the black void of space.  “Entering coordinates 014 mark 1,” Seven said quietly, making the appropriate adjustments on the controls.  “Approximate time to destination, two hours.”

“Thank you, Seven.  Proceeding on the heading, full impulse.”  He pushed a few buttons on his console.  “And the monkey flips the switch.”  He sat back in his chair with a gusty sigh.

Seven raised an eyebrow at his comment and he grinned at her.  “Let’s just say that this is the boring part.”  

“You would prefer a problem to make things more exciting?” she asked, turning to the console in front of her.

“Not exactly. It’s just that this part isn’t really piloting.  I’m just letting the computer drive using my directions.  It gets dull after a while.”  He turned slightly in his chair to face her, crossing his hands over his stomach, and watched her run a scan of the area of space they were in.  He knew that she and Harry had a date last night.  Gossip traveled faster than warp speed on a ship the size of Voyager.  He was dying to be the first one to know all the details.  

She finally noticed he was watching her and stopped her scanning.  “Yes?”

“How was your date last night with Harry?”

She sighed, turning back to the console.  “I was unaware that my date with Ensign Kim was common knowledge.”

“Come on, Seven.  It was common knowledge that you slept together in Astrometrics.”  He smirked.

Seven’s eyes flashed up at Tom, her lips tightening.  “Lieutenant,” she said coldly, “while it may be common knowledge that Harry and I were together in Astrometrics, and that he and I both fell asleep there, it is not common knowledge that nothing happened between us that would be cause for that insinuating tone in your voice.”  Her eyes were icy.  “I do not think that your friend Harry would appreciate your implication that we engaged in improper behavior.”

Paris held his hands up in surrender.  “I’m sorry, Seven.  I know nothing happened.”

“Then why did you insinuate that it did?”  She demanded, anger coloring her voice.

Tom shook his head.  “I was just yanking your chain. I’m sorry, Seven.”  He ran a hand through his hair, surprised that he was apologizing so readily to her.  He had never worried about hurting her feelings before.  Maybe it was because he was sensing something new, something vulnerable about her, a side of the “Ice Queen” he’d never seen before.  “And it isn’t common knowledge about you and Harry and the Astrometrics thing,” he admitted.  “Harry told me a little about what happened, and he told me he’d had a date with you last night.”

Seven blinked at him, slowly coming back to her calm demeanor, anger fading.  She recognized that this was something new indeed.  She couldn’t recall a single time in her existence as an individual on board Voyager that a crewmember had apologized for hurting her feelings.  Of course, she was just now admitting she had feelings to be hurt.  

“Apology accepted.”  Seven paused before turning back to her console.  “In the future, I would request that you please refrain from “yanking my chain”.  Particularly when it comes to Harry.”

Tom was speechless.  He didn’t know what exactly had transpired between his best friend and Seven, but it was having a profound impact on her.  He found himself viewing her in a new light.

“In response to your earlier query, our date was quite nice.”  Seven gave him a small smile, before turning back to her work.

Paris grinned.  “What did you guys do?”  He occupied himself with running a diagnostic on the shuttle’s systems.  

“We had dinner and a walk.”  

“Just dinner and a walk?” Tom asked innocently.

“Lieutenant!” Seven warned, the corner of her mouth twitched upwards briefly.

“Just asking, just asking.”  Tom chuckled at her tone.  “Just want to make sure that the rumors get started right.”

She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t dignify his comment with an answer.

Red lights flashed across both consoles and a warning klaxon issued from the computer.  “Warning, spatial anomaly detected 35 kilometers off the port bow.”

“I believe this is the excitement you were wanting, Lieutenant Paris.”  Seven said, immediately initiating scans of the anomaly.  

“How far are we from the transwarp conduit, Seven?”  Paris’ hands flew over the console, redirecting the shuttle’s flight path to avoid whatever the anomaly was. 

“Approximately 1.25 hours at full impulse.”

“Warning, spatial anomaly detected 15 kilometers off port bow.”  The computer stated calmly.

“It’s headed right for the shuttle,” Seven said crisply.  Her fingers danced over the controls.

“Initiating evasive maneuver,” Paris replied, frustrated.  “I don’t understand how it could be...”

“Warning, spatial anomaly detected 5 kilometers off the port bow.  Intersection with the anomaly will occur in 2 minutes.”

“Lieutenant,” Seven said sharply. 

“I know!  I know!”  He redirected the shuttle, giving in maximum power to move away from the anomaly.  

“Shuttle Apollo to Voyager.”  The com system gave a faint static sound, but there was no response from Voyager.  “Voyager, this is shuttle Apollo, please respond!”

“It is following to intersect,” Seven reported.  “Would initiating warp speed allow us to escape?”

Tom shook his head, his hands flying across the controls. “Your guess is as good as mine.  But it’s worth a shot.  Here’s hoping the Borg aren’t watching.”  He pushed the command for warp.  

Seven and Tom were both thrown forward into their consoles as the ship was rocked by an unknown force.  Sparks flew from overloaded circuits and the shuttle continued to shudder beneath them.

Report!”  Paris ordered, scanning the shuttle’s systems.

“Warp drive is off line.  Impulse engines are off line.”

“We’re sitting ducks out here,” he fumed, trying desperately to control the rocking and shuddering craft. “Seven, send out a signal on all frequencies locating our position and requesting assistance.”

 Seven was pitched out of her seat completely and onto the floor of the ship, hitting the corner of the control console with her arm in the process.  She winced in pain.

“You okay?”

“I am undamaged,” she reported, getting unsteadily to her feet.  “I will check the impulse drive.”

“Never mind, Seven!  Look,” Tom shouted, pointing at the view port in front of them.  Some gravitational force was pulling them rapidly closer to the planet; its green and white surface loomed ominously before them.  Tom grabbed her arm and threw her into her seat.  “Buckle up, we’re in for a rough landing.”

She complied, checking the sensor readings of the planet below them.  “I am reading a cold environment, -15° C, acceptable levels of oxygen, water, and organic matter.”  She pushed a few buttons.  “I have sent a distress signal on all frequencies.”

“I thought this planet had sunshine and beaches,” Paris grumped, being buffeted about by the turbulence as they entered the planet’s atmosphere.

“That is on the southern continent.  There is a 97.8% chance we will be landing on the northern continent, which is much colder,” Seven replied through clenched teeth, watching the planet’s surface approach with frightening speed.

“I have to ask.  What is the 2.2%?”

“We will land in the water, which would not be conducive to our survival.”  Her face was pale.

Paris reached out and took her hand.  He started to make a smart-ass comment about how if they didn’t get out of this alive, it was nice knowing her, but one look at her face kept him from speaking.  She was terrified.  He gripped her hand tightly instead, and braced for impact.

< > < > < >

Tom opened his eyes, thankful that once again he’d managed to survive and silently thanked the resident deity of this planet for not smashing them to tiny bits on landing.  He sat up in his seat, quickly taking stock of his condition.  Sore ribs, possibly cracked, but nothing a sub dermal regenerator couldn’t repair, and bump on the head.  His fingers investigated the bump and found the wound was barely bleeding.  He wondered how long he had been unconscious.  He looked at the control panel in front of him.  Part of it was actually smashed in from impacting with his head; blood covered a few of the panels.  It flickered in front of him, useless at the moment.  He looked over to see how his co-pilot faired.

Seven was still unconscious.  She had been flung across her panel as well, the console absorbing the impact.  As he watched, she started to come around, her eyes fluttered open and a groan escaped her lips.

He unbuckled his belt and reached for the medical tricorder that was in the first aid kit above his head.  He knelt down next to her and scanned her for injuries.  Fractured ribs, concussion, broken collarbone…the rest of her injuries were minor.  The crash had certainly beaten her up a lot more than it had him.  He reached back into the first aid kit for the bone knitter and began working on her injuries.  Scans revealed that she was actually healing at a much more rapid pace than could be expected using a bone knitter.  He frowned at his readings.

“Nanoprobes,” she said, her voice raw.  “Borg technology at its finest.”  She sat up, pushing him away from her.  “I will be fine, Lieutenant.  Give me a moment.”

He remembered then that the nanoprobes that ran through her system were capable of healing grave injuries.  He sat back on his heels and looked around the shuttle.  Despite the roughness of their landing, the shuttle seemed intact.  At least it hadn’t fallen to pieces on impact, which was something to be very grateful for in this cold climate.

“Computer, are the climate controls still functional?” he asked, standing up to check for any damage that wasn’t immediately noticeable.  

“Negative.  Climate controls are offline.”

“Computer, what other systems are offline?”  He almost hated to ask.  

“Main power grid is offline.  Engines are offline.  Life support is offline.”

“Any other bad news?” Paris asked sardonically.

“Please restate the question.”

“Never mind.  Computer, what is the state of the hull integrity?”

“Hull integrity is at 62%.  There are multiple breaches on the fore and aft compartments.”

“Lieutenant,” Seven interrupted.

“What!” Paris snapped, turning to her.

“This exercise is pointless.  I calculate we have approximately 1.2 hours before the shuttle becomes uninhabitable due to the temperature.  I recommend we seek shelter elsewhere.”

“We should stay here.”  

“Inadvisable.  The multiple hull breaches continue to let in the colder outside air. It would be pointless to try to maintain any type of warmth here,” Seven explained patiently.

“Well, we’ll just check into the motel then, ok?” 

Seven looked at him, making him feel foolish for his outburst.  She pushed a button on her console and the sensor readings she had taken before they crashed scrolled up.  

“There is a deep thermal cave approximately 1.2 kilometers north from here.  There are hot springs located in its center.  I do not know if the water is potable, so I would recommend we pack in our own water and as much food as we can carry.”

“Sounds like a perfect vacation.”  He stood up and offered his hand to her, helping her to her feet.

Silently, they packed up the emergency rations and changed into Starfleet Issue cold weather gear.  Seven pulled her hood up and fastened it snugly at her chin.  Paris followed suit, shouldering the heavier of the two survival packs. He knew she was physically stronger than he was, thanks to her Borg heritage, but it seemed the right thing to do. She lifted hers and settled it firmly between her shoulders, taking the tricorder and phaser he offered her.  

Seven took a deep breath and stepped outside of the shuttle door, Paris close behind her.  Even dressed as she was, she wasn’t prepared for the icy chill wind that bit through her clothes and seemed to seep into her very bones.

“Which way?” Paris shouted above the wind.

She gestured with her tricorder, and they set off in search of shelter.

< > < > < >

Ensign Harry Kim stood at Ops, his brow furrowed with worry.

“Tuvok, has there been any further sign of their shuttlecraft?”  Captain Janeway sat in her command chair, turning to look at the Vulcan.

“Negative.  Last known contact was 3 hours ago.”

“Could they have landed on the planet?”  She looked at Harry.  His fingers had never stopped moving over his console, never stopped searching for any possible sign of the shuttlecraft.  

“If they did, it wasn’t on the southern continent.  There is no sign of them there.  The northern continent is currently covered in storms and our sensors can’t penetrate them enough to detect the shuttle’s signature.”  He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Any sign of it clearing off soon?” Chakotay asked, his voice soft with sympathy.

Harry shook his head, angry and frustrated with the instruments he was working with.  He wanted to race off the bridge, steal a shuttlecraft, and fly down to that continent.  He’d search it on foot if he had to!

A gentle hand tempered his anger. He looked up into Chakotay’s understanding face.  “You can’t ride off and rescue her just yet, Ensign.”  He said for Harry’s ears alone.  “Be patient.  Seven is a resourceful woman, and she has Tom to help her.  We’ll find them.”

Harry managed a grateful smile at the commander. “Thank you, sir.”

“Meanwhile, keep checking those sensor logs.  Maybe we’ve overlooked the obvious.”

“We know their last heading.  It is logical to conclude that they landed on the planet, on the northern continent, and are unable to leave its surface unaided.  We need merely wait until this storm clears to beam them both to safety,” Tuvok said.  While his face was as calm and stoic as Harry could remember ever seeing, his eyes also betrayed an understanding of the ensigns’ concern.

“It will be all right.”  Chakotay squeezed his shoulder once, before returning to his place next to the Captain.  

Their words had the desired affect upon the young ensign.  Naturally an optimist, he took comfort in their words.  He continued his shift until Ensign Alverez came to relieve him at 1600 hours.  He debated on whether or not to eat in the mess hall or in his quarters.  Deciding that he’d rather have company than be alone, he headed for the mess hall.

B’Elanna Torres, half-klingon, engineer, and Tom Paris’ lover, looked up as Harry entered the mess hall, gesturing him to come and sit with her.  He grabbed a plate of Neelix’s latest concoction and slid into the seat across form her.

“What news have you heard?” she demanded before he could even get a bite into his mouth.  Not that he blamed her.  She felt the same way he did right now.

“Nothing new.  We’re waiting until the storm clears on the northern continent, then we’ll look for them there.”  He took a bite of food, barely tasting it. 

B’Elanna slammed her fist onto the table.  “Damn it!  I hate this wait and see attitude!”

Harry put his fork down and reached across the table, taking B’Elannna’s hand.  “Hey,” he said, giving her a faint smile. “It’s going to be all right.”

She squeezed his hand.  “I know, Harry, I know.  But I hate knowing he’s down there, with only Seven for company.”

Harry’s smile faded.  “What do you mean by that, exactly?”

B’Elanna pulled her hand back, grabbing her cup and taking a deep drink of its contents.  She avoided Harry’s gaze.  “Nothing, I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

“You meant something by it.  I can tell by your face,” Harry insisted, not sure if he should be insulted by what she implied or worse.  

She sighed, toying with her cup.  “Tom and I had a fight before he left.  He’s been distant lately, and I’m afraid I really messed things up between us for good.”

Harry decided he didn’t like the direction this was going.  “He’ll miss you so much while he’s down there he’ll forget about whatever it was you were fighting about.”

B’Elanna smiled bitterly into her cup, “Or, he’ll decide to try his charms on a beautiful woman while he’s down there.  She’d be quite the feather in his cap.”  She looked up and gasped.  Harry’s face was black with anger.

“Don’t...”  He couldn’t even finish what he wanted to say. He glared at her, and stood up, knocking his chair over.  Without looking back, he stormed out of the mess hall.

B’Elanna sat there, speechless.  She wasn’t quite sure what it was she had said that set Harry off.  She debated on going after him or waiting until he cooled down a little to talk to him, and decided on the latter.  Maybe she could apologize for offending him, if she could find out what she had done wrong.

Harry entered his quarters, furious with himself and with B’Elanna, but mainly with himself for loosing his temper.  B’Elanna didn’t know about him and Seven yet, so he couldn’t really blame her for a comment that would have been totally natural to her otherwise.  B’Elanna was known for her jealous streak, and Tom, being a natural flirt, had given her plenty of reasons to feel jealous.  Harry knew he’d never actually cheated on her, but Tom wasn’t always as insincere about his flirting as he pretended to be.  He also knew his friend had been feeling uncertain about his relationship with the volatile half-Klingon, something he was sure had been obvious to B’Elanna for some time now.  He shook his head, his temper finally cooled, and walked over to the replicator.

“Green Tea, Hot.”

The cup of tea materialized in the dispenser.  He took it gingerly and sat down on his couch, thinking.

Tom was charming; Harry had to agree on that scale.  He’d charmed most of the women on this ship at one time or another.  Except for one: Seven of Nine.  The tea started to churn in his stomach as he thought about how vulnerable she could be down there, alone with his handsome friend.  He shook it off.  Seven would never, ever betray him like that.

But the thought, planted like an ill intentioned seed, grew with the tenacity of a weed in the back of his mind.  He prayed that that the storm would end soon.

< > < > < >

Seven spotted the entrance to the cave ahead.  It had seemed further than sensors had indicated and both she and Lieutenant Paris were becoming dangerously fatigued.  The wind chill factor was -30° C and she knew if they didn’t get out of it soon, they were in danger of dying.  They entered the cave, grateful to finally be out of that buffeting wind.  It was still cold at the entrance, however, and they needed to move deeper inside to where the temperature was warmer than the surface.  She checked her tricorder readings. “This way.”

Tom followed her, trusting her instincts and skills.  His mind was concentrating on putting on foot in front of the other without stumbling.  He was so cold he wondered if he would ever be warm again.  Gradually, as the outside light faded and they walked deeper into the cave, he could feel the temperature getting warmer.  He stripped his gloves off and felt the air with his numb hands.  It was definitely getting warmer.  He turned on his wrist light and gestured for Seven to do the same.
 
Seven pushed her hood back, feeling the warm air caress her face.  “There are thermal winds down here, and my tricorder indicates that there is a hot spring approximately six yards from here.” 

“Honey, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Tom joked.

Seven smiled, knowing he couldn’t see her face.  She knew that Tom’s joking was his way of dealing with stress.  It was good to hear the humor in his voice.  

They found the hot spring just where Seven’s tricorder said it would be.  Scans showed that while it was potable, it contained high amounts of sulfur, which would probably make it less than palatable.  

“It will do in a pinch, if we run out of our water before Voyager finds us.”  Tom dipped his fingers in the spring, a gasp escaping his lips.  “Oh, that has got to be the best thing I’ve felt all day.”  He stood up, shedding his pack and his outer parka.  He began digging through his pack.

Seven watched him curiously.  “What are you searching for, Lieutenant?”

“A towel. But I guess Starfleet didn’t think we’d be bathing in an emergency situation.”  He laughed.

“Bathing?”  Seven’s eyebrow raised in query.

Tom gathered up a small pile of rocks and used his phaser to heat them up until they glowed.  He began to remove his damp clothing, placing it carefully across the heated rocks.  He looked at her. “You should do this too.  Or at least get out of those damp clothes. You’ll catch pneumonia.”  He shucked the last of his clothes, and without any modesty, stepped into the hot water.  “Ah,” he gasped with pleasure.  “Warmth!”  He found a place where the rocks formed a natural bench and sat, the water rising up to about mid chest.  

Seven observed him for a moment.  She was still quite cold, even though they were out of that bitter wind and the temperature of the cave was approximately 18° C.  Her bones still ached with the chill that even the warmth of the cave couldn’t dispel. She decided that Lieutenant Paris’ idea had great merit and, after heating an additional pile of rocks with her phaser, she stripped down to her icy skin.  After carefully laying her clothing out to dry on the rocks, she walked across the cave to the spring. 

She was conscious of Tom watching her, but felt no embarrassment as she stepped into the water.  She gave an involuntary gasp as the heat seeped through her skin to her very bones.  Tom was right; it did feel wonderful.  She found a place to sit across from him, sinking down until the water touched her chin.  She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth.

“Do you think we can just stay in here until they rescue us?” 

She opened her eyes, seeing Tom smile at her.  She smiled faintly in return.

“That is not likely, as we will most likely need to eat and sleep at least once before they locate our shuttle.  Our food is located in the packs across from the spring.”

“Damn,” he said, sighing.  “I suppose we shouldn’t stay in here too long any way.  We’d turn into prunes.”

Seven raised an eyebrow at his description of what happened to human skin after it had been submerged in water for too long.  

They basked in the warmth a while longer, chasing the chill from their bones, until hunger finally drove them out of the water. Tom grabbed an extra blanket out of the packs and proceeded to dry himself, watching Seven out of the corner of his eye as she did the same.  Her torso gave a fascinating shimmy as she dried her back, and Tom found he had to look away lest he engage in less than pure thoughts about his best friend’s girlfriend.  Well, even less pure than what was normal for him.  He reached for his clothes and found that only his pants were dry.  His shirt was still slightly damp.  He shrugged; it was plenty warm in the cave without it, now that the chill was gone.  He pulled his pants on.

When he turned, he found Seven looking at him oddly; her dark blue eyes glittered with some emotion he wasn’t sure he wanted to identify.  She held the towel in front of her, feeling uncharacteristically modest.

“Clothes still damp?” he asked, feeling his mouth go suddenly dry.  

She nodded, still clutching her towel.  

He thought for a minute, and then smiled.  “I have an idea.”  He stepped close to her and took the blanket from her, wrapping it around her midsection like a beach towel, tucking the corner of the blanket underneath itself to hold it in place.  The end of the blanket hit her about mid thigh.  

“It won’t hold up to vigorous activity, but it should do for now.”  He smiled at her.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”  She said quietly.  Finding a large rock to sit on, she positioned herself across from the heated rocks.  

Paris looked at her a moment. “Call me Tom.”

She nodded, looking suddenly uneasy.  

He turned away and searched their packs for the emergency rations.  He pulled out two trays and placed them on the ground, pulling the metal tab that released the cover off of the tray and simultaneously heated the food.  They reminded him of 20th century TV dinners he’d read about.  He wordlessly handed her one and took the other.  He glanced up at her from time to time as they ate, watching her pick at her food without much interest. Something was bothering her; he didn’t need a degree in psychology to tell him that.  Finally she put her tray aside with a sigh.  He looked at the quantity of food she had left.

“Seven, you have to eat more than that,” he scolded, smiling to take the sting out of his words.

She shook her head.  “I do not require as much nutrition as you do.  My nanoprobes are quite efficient with small amounts of food.  I will save that for consumption later.”  She was frowning down at her food, as if it were the cause of her worry.

“What’s wrong, Seven?” he asked, putting his now empty tray aside.  “Something is bothering you.”

“It is not relevant,” she said, looking around the cave, carefully avoiding his gaze.

“What isn’t relevant?” he prodded. “Come on, Seven.  We could be stuck here a while.  You need to talk to me.”

She looked at her knees, clasping her hands in front of her.  “It is just that I found your body attractive.”  She said it so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

“What?  When?  Just now?” He looked at her, seeing the slow flush stain her cheeks.  He would have sworn a week ago that Seven of Nine didn’t have the ability to blush.  Apparently, he was wrong.  He wondered what else he’d misjudged about her.  

“When you were dressing.  I was looking at you, thinking about Harry, and wondering if he looked like you without clothing.”  She still wouldn’t meet his eyes.  “You are aesthetically pleasing, something I had not noticed until now.”

Tom laughed, unable to help himself. 

Seven looked at him finally, exasperated. “What is it with men that they find humor in the strangest times?” she demanded.

“Seven.  Please.”  Tom managed to get control of his humor, his laughter finally fading.  “It’s okay, really.”  He chuckled again, softly.  “I’m flattered, really.  Please do not feel that you’ve done something wrong.  You’re human.  You were bound to notice other people eventually, especially now that you and Harry have…” he trailed off, shaking his head, still chuckling.  

“But I feel like I have betrayed Harry!” she burst out, obviously still dismayed by her actions.

“Nonsense, Seven.”  Tom held up his hand to forestall further argument from her.  “You love Harry, don’t you?  Or at least, you really like him, a lot, right?”  She nodded mutely, so he continued.  “You don’t feel that way about me, do you?  You don’t want the same things from me that you want from him right?  Of course, I’m right.  So, there is nothing to feel bad about.  You haven’t betrayed Harry.  You had a human moment, that’s all.”  He smiled ruefully at her.  “I have them all the time.  So long as you don’t act on them...”  He trailed off, obviously thinking of something else.  

Seven frowned at him.  “So it is acceptable to look at other individuals besides your mate and find them attractive, as long as you do not act on the attraction?”

“Yes!  No!” he sighed.  “It isn’t that simple, Seven.”

She echoed his sigh.  “I have the feeling that nothing in human interactions is simple.”

He laughed again.  “Seven, you said a mouthful!”

< > < > < >

“Captain, we have sensor lock on the shuttle.  I recommend beaming down a rescue team to locate Lieutenant. Paris and Seven of Nine.”  Tuvok said calmly from his station at Tactical.

“Agreed.  See to it, Mr. Tuvok.”  The captain smiled at him, relief apparent on her features.

“Captain, if I may?”  Chakotay touched her arm, his eyes bright.  “Sensors indicted natural cave formations and hot springs below the surface.  I would love the opportunity to…”

Janeway chuckled. “Say no more, mister.  Just bring them home with you.”

He squeezed her arm in response and stood, following Tuvok and Harry off of the bridge into the turbo lift.  It was unspoken between Tuvok and himself that Harry Kim would be accompanying them on this rescue mission.  As if they could hold him back.  Already, Chakotay could see he was twitching, anxious to get down to the planet’s surface.

“Easy, Ensign.”  He put a hand on Harry’s arm. “You saw the readings yourself.  The shuttle crashed intact and there was shelter readily available to them.”

“I know, I know.”  He smiled.  “I just can’t wait to see her.”

The reached the transporter room, dressed for cold weather.  The storm had cleared below them, but it was still a bone chilling -5° on the surface.  They stepped onto the platform and the transporter took hold, beaming them directly down to the shuttle’s location.

Harry was the first one inside the shuttle.  A quick look around made it apparent why it had been abandoned.  There was ice forming on the consoles and small snowdrifts had piled themselves in the corners of the craft.  Still, he knew Tuvok would demand a thorough investigation before they moved onward.   He ran his tricorder over the consoles, and blanched at the blood on the pilot’s control panel.  He knew odds were that it was Tom’s blood, but he couldn’t help the fear that jumped into his throat.  He didn’t find anything else useful, and left the shuttlecraft, waiting for Tuvok and Chakotay to finish.  He tried to control the worry, tried not to think about Seven injured, or worse, dying in some dark cave, Tom unable to help her, holding her, comforting her, Tom’s hands on her…he knew he was on a bad train of thought.  He took a deep breath.  It would be better once she was safe. He would stop this foolish nonsense.  It wasn’t like him to be jealous.

Tuvok and Chakotay came walking back and joined him.  

“The most likely shelter for them to take is a cave, 1.2 kilometers north from here.”  Tuvok stated, scanning the area with his tricorder.

“Let’s start there.” Chakotay agreed.  

< > < > < >

Seven was back in the spring, basking in its warmth, enjoying the feeling of buoyancy it gave her.  Tom was telling her some amusing anecdote and she listened with only half an ear. They’d been here for two days now, and she was beginning to understand why Harry liked the blonde helmsman.  He was charming, and amusing.  He’d made her laugh, actually laugh out loud, at least twice.  Laughter was something delightfully new to her, and she would always be grateful for the gift of it.  Still, as charming as her companion was, she was realizing that the ache in her heart had nothing to do with the cold and everything with missing a certain raven-haired ensign.  She hoped that Voyager would come for them soon. She was afraid to admit that she missed him so badly; she’d taken to dreaming of him last night.  

“And so B’Elanna was totally furious with me at that point.  She actually threatened to do bodily harm to me with a batlith,” Tom continued, aware that his audience was only paying partial attention.  He knew what was on her mind, and admitted to himself that he also had been preoccupied, with thoughts of a certain dark lady with a volatile temper.  He sighed, enjoying the warmth of the spring, not bothering to continue his story.  It didn’t have a good ending anyway.  So many of their encounters didn’t have good endings lately, and he was beginning to admit to himself that he had most likely been the cause for most of them.  Perhaps it was time to really admit how deeply he cared for B’Elanna, instead of hiding his heart and pushing her away.  It was time to admit to her that he’d been afraid all along; afraid to give her his heart completely, when she deserved so much more.

“I am hearing voices.”  Seven broke the silence.

He grinned.  “I don’t know if I’d be admitting that, if I were you.  Some people might get the wrong idea and think you’re crazy.”

She splashed water at him in annoyance.  “No, Tom.  I am actually hearing voices in the cave.  It sounds like Tuvok and Chakotay.”  Her sudden smile lit the cave.  “And Harry!”

She leapt up out of the water, grabbing her blanket, wrapping it snugly about her torso the way Tom had shown her.  

Tom grinned at her enthusiasm, deciding he’d better get out himself.  He grabbed his own blanket and began to dry off, laughing as Seven sprinted down the corridor towards the voices she heard.  He distinctly heard a startled “Ooof!” from Harry as Seven crashed into him.  He quickly pulled on his uniform, listening to the conversation via the strange acoustics in the cave.

“Seven, why are you dressed in a blanket?”

He could just imagine Harry’s expression.

< > < > < >

“Chakotay to Voyager.”

“Go ahead, commander.”

“Five to beam up.”

“Acknowledged.  Stand-by.”

They appeared on the platform in the transporter room moments later, and immediately started shedding their warm outer gear.

“Its good to have you back, Seven, Tom.”  Chakotay said warmly, smiling.  “You’re both to take a day’s leave after you see the doctor.”

Tom groaned theatrically.  “I just spent two days on leave!  I want to get back to work!”

“That’s an order, Mr. Paris.”  Chakotay turned to Seven, his eyes twinkling with humor. “Am I going to have any trouble with you, Mr.?”

Seven raised an eyebrow, mouth twitching in repressed smile. “I will comply.”  She said dryly.  

“Mr. Kim, the same goes for you.  Take the day off.  Relax.  I’ll see you tomorrow at 0700.”  Chakotay clapped him on the shoulder and left the transporter room.

Tom looked at Seven and Harry, who hadn’t gotten more than a few feet from each other since they’d been found.  He grinned.  “Hey, you two.  I have someone to see first before I go to sickbay.  I’ll catch up with you later.”  He left the transporter room, not even sure that they had heard him. He chuckled softly to himself.  

“Computer : locate Lieutenant Torres.”

“Lieutenant Torres is in Lieutenant Paris’ quarters.”

He practically ran all the way there.

< > < > < >

Harry looked at Seven and softly stroked her cheek. “You had me worried there for a while.”

She relished his touch.  It felt like it had been far too long since he’d touched her last.  “I regret that I caused you any anxiety.”  She caught his hand with her own, holding it over her heart.  “I missed you.”  

He smiled.  “We’re on duty right now, or I’d kiss you.”

“Then let me visit the doctor, so that I may be ‘off-duty’. Then you may kiss me as much as you like.”  She smiled up at him.

He walked with her to sickbay, asking questions about how she and Tom survived on the cold continent.  He listened as she told him about finding the warm cave, and the wonderful hot spring there.  He frowned when she described disrobing to bathe in the hot water.  He was bothered by the thought of his best friend seeing his girlfriend naked.  Advanced culture or not, some things just didn’t change over time.  

“Tom has a very nice body,” Seven remarked as they approached sickbay.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks.  “What?”

She turned to look at him quizzically.  “Tom has an aesthetically pleasing body; I noticed it when he was getting dressed.”

“You want to tell me what you were doing looking at Tom’s naked body?”  Harry asked tightly. 

Seven blinked at him, noticing the dilated pupils, the slight flush to his cheeks, and not understanding where his anger was coming from.  “He was getting dressed.  I was thinking about you and I wondered if you looked the same…”

Harry snorted, his hands tightening into fists against his sides. “Right.” The urge to strangle Tom Paris was nearly overwhelming. “So you just had to look at Tom.” His voice was scathing.

Seven flinched as if he’d hit her.  “I have seen pictures of nude human males in the ships database, and I do have the assimilated knowledge of numerous species to draw on; however I have not seen a naked male first hand since I was severed from the collective.”  She stiffened, her eyes narrowing at him. “I resent the implication in your voice that my behavior was less than proper.”  

Harry realized he had gone too far. “Seven…”

She stepped close to him, all warmth gone from her expression.  “One of the only things I can say about being in the Borg collective that is better than being in the human collective is this:  The Borg do not lie.  Unlike humans, there is no ability to dissemble among the collective.  Consequently, I do not have the ability to lie either.  It is not an ability I have ever wished to acquire.” She turned away, taking a deep breath, her voice was cold steel.  “If you are not able to trust me in our relationship, then I suggest we terminate it before it goes any further.”  She stepped away from him and into sickbay, the doors swooshing shut behind her.

Harry felt as if someone had hit him in the chest with a sledgehammer.  He stood there in the passageway, realizing what a fool he had been.  He only hoped she would accept his apology and let him back into her heart.  He turned on his heel and headed for his quarters.  He had a few things to take care of if he was going to win her trust again.

< > < > < >

“Doctor.  I wish for you to explain something to me.” Seven sat on a biobed, watching the EMH run a medical tricorder over her torso.  

He snapped the tricorder shut and sighed dramatically.  “Is this about interpersonal relationships?”

Mutely she nodded.

He sighed again and began to load a hypospray with an antiviral agent to combat the virus she and Tom had picked up in the hot springs.  Really, he thought to himself, you’d think that after all this time they’d learn to check for these things before getting in the water.  “Ask away.”  He pressed the hypospray against her neck, hearing it release its medicine in a hiss.

“Harry accused me of looking at Tom Paris while he was naked.”

The doctor blessed his programmers for including the algorithms that allowed him to maintain his professional demeanor.  “And did you?”  He ran a few more scans, checking the status of her implants.

“Yes, but not the way the Harry thinks.”

“Your ocular implant needs adjusting.  Hold still please.”

“He was so angry.  I couldn’t talk to him.”

The doctor made the final adjustments and placed his instruments down in the tray next to the biobed.  

“Seven, I think that Harry was so worried about you, it translated itself into anger and jealousy.  After all, Tom, his best friend, was there with you.  Not him.  He couldn’t be there to help you, which made him feel helpless, which in turn, makes him angry.”  

Seven shook her head.  “There is no logic to that.”

“Oh, I’ll agree with you on that, Seven.”  The doctor chuckled.  “Humans are a totally illogical race.  However, I would almost guarantee that right now, Ensign Kim is trying to figure out a way to apologize to you.”  He shook his head in wonder at the expressions fleeing across her face. It amazed him how far she had come in the past few days, how much closer she was to achieving her goal of experiencing true humanity.

“I will go and find him,” she stated firmly. “I will tell him he is wrong to be jealous of Tom.  I will tell him how much I care for him.  Will that be sufficient?”

The doctor nodded, smiling indulgently.  “That will most certainly do the trick.”

Seven exited sickbay at a rapid walk, the doors whooshing shut behind her.

“Computer, locate Ensign Harry Kim.”

“Ensign Kim is in his quarters.”

She stepped into the turbo lift, giving directions to the appropriate deck absently.  She stepped out when the lift stopped, walking to Harry’s door.  She rang the chime and waited impatiently.

“Who is it?”  She heard his voice through the door.

“It is Seven.”  She waited.

The door to Harry’s quarters opened and he stood there, framed in the doorway.  He was out of uniform, dressed instead in some comfortable looking blue pants and faded blue T-shirt.  He stood looking at her for a moment, trying to read the emotions in her eyes.  Finally, he spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.  “Can you forgive me for being a complete idiot?”

She reached out and touched his face.  Swallowing, she nodded, unable to form the words that had been in her mind in the turbo lift.  She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she didn’t have the words, didn’t know how to say what was in her heart.

He took her hand and led her inside his quarters.  The dining area had a small table that was laid out in a dinner setting for two.  A single red rose bloomed in a vase in the center of the table.  Without another word, he pulled her close into his embrace, holding her tightly.  “I’m sorry, Seven,” he whispered into her hair.

“You are foolish, Harry,” she whispered back.

He pulled back quickly, looking worried, until he saw the small smile on her lips.  “Come here,” she said.  If she couldn’t tell him, maybe she could show him.

He allowed her to pull him back into her embrace, totally surprised when she took the initiative and kissed him.  Her lips touched his gently at first, then more inconsistently.  He allowed her to control the kiss, opening his mouth under hers so that she could explore him further with her tongue.  

His hands moved gently up her back, caressing her spine, touching the nape of her neck, sliding back down to stop just above her buttocks.  Her hands repeated a similar pattern, sliding over the soft cotton material of his tee shirt, feeling the muscles beneath his skin.  

She released his mouth and licked his jaw, investigating the warm, spicy scent of his neck.  He felt her bite him gently on the neck and shivered.  He took her head in his hands and took control, kissing her with a heat that threatened to overwhelm them both.  Her hands slid up his chest, found his nipples through the thin material of his shirt, and touched them, eliciting a low groan from him. Intrigued, she continued to touch them, feeling them grow rigid beneath her fingers.  She found the edge of his shirt and wormed her hands up underneath it to touch his bare skin.  It was like touching hot satin; his skin was so smooth and heated beneath her fingers.  She found his nipples again and resumed her exploration of this new facet of him.  His body was pressed close to her, and she could feel him hardening, lengthening against her.  He groaned against her mouth.

Harry’s mouth bruised hers, his tongue darting in and around her own.  His hands brushed down her sides, caressing her hips, sweeping back up, his thumbs barely brushing the undersides of her breasts.  She gasped at the contact, feeling warmth spreading through her, a slow fire beginning to build in her midsection, blazing downward to the junction of her legs. She took one of his hands and placed it directly on her breast.  Her own nipples had hardened and were extremely sensitive to his touch.  She arched a little into his hand, a moan escaping her as his fingers found her nipples, squeezing them gently.  Harry pulled back and looked down at her, breathing a little ragged.

“Seven,” he said huskily.

She placed a finger against his lips, warning him to stay silent.  “Do not stop because of some preconceived notion about how we should be proceeding in this relationship.”  She touched his lips with her finger, caressing them even as her hand resumed its exploration of his chest.  “I have a desire to continue.”  Her blue eyes looked deeply into his.  They were stormy with emotions. “I need you to continue.”

He took her finger in his mouth, sucking the digit slowly, running his tongue over its length.  The experience was extremely arousing, she found herself focusing on his mouth, the way his pink tongue darted out to lick and suck her finger.  He stopped and smiled at her.  He scooped her up in his arms, holding her closely and kissing her, running his hands more freely over her body, enjoying the responses he elicited from her.  He carried her into the sleeping area and placed her gently on his bed.  He looked down at her, smiling with tenderness and passion.

“Do you know how often I’ve dreamed of seeing you here, in my bed?”  He asked softly, tracing a line down her jaw, across her neck, down her midline between the valley of her breasts.  She smiled up at him, feeling her heart race under his gaze.  

Afterwards, they lay together, Harry holding her tightly against him, pulling the sheet across their bodies.

“I love you,” he said softly, smiling down at her. “No regrets, I hope?”

Seven shook her head, unable to form a coherent sentence.  Except for one.  She knew she could say it, now that she knew what it was.

“I love you too, Harry.”

The End