The BLTS Archive- Possession
by Khylaren (khylaren@yahoo.com)

---

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

---
"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 2. Seven of Nine, formerly 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, then continued 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 2."

"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, Lt. 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 downright friendly (for Seven) 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," he stated in professional
tones.

"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
conspiratory 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, 2 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 sigh.

Seven raised an eyebrow at his comment. 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
queried, 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, watching 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 with all the coolness she could muster, "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. "It's not 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, her
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," came the cool reply.

"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, Lt. 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 barked at him, concern etching itself across he
features.

"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's following to intersect," Seven reported. "Would initiating warp
speed allow us to escape?"

Tom snorted, 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'm undamaged," she reported, getting unsteadily to her feet. "I will
check the impulse.."

"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.

---

Darkness.

Pain.

Cold.

Fear.

Darkness.

---

Tom opened his eyes, thankful that once again he'd managed to survive.
He 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 a 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 fared.

Seven was still unconscious. She had been flung across her panel as
well, the console absorbing the impact as much as possible. As he
watched, she started to come around, her eyes fluttering open and a
groan escaping 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?" He was bitterly
sarcastic.

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. She lifted hers and settled it
firmly between her shoulders. They each had a Tricorder and a phaser.
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 normally golden skin ashen with
worry.

"Tuvok, has there been any further sign of their shuttlecraft?"
Captain Janeway, sitting in her command chair, turned 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 ensign's concern.

"It will be all right," Chakotay squeezed his shoulder once, then
returned 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.

Lt. B'Elanna Torres, half-Klingon, engineer, and Tom Paris' lover,
looked up as Harry entered the mess hall and gestured 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 softly, grinning at her. "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 had 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.
Mainly with himself for losing 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. His
Seven. 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 Lt. 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 as 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 6 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 had 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. 
"Ohh. . . . 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, amusement in her eyes. "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. "Ahhhhh. . . " 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 Lt. Paris'
idea had great merit and, after heating an additional pile of rocks
with her own 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, this 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 in return,
lips curving in amusement.

"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 sighed. "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, his mouth suddenly dry. She nodded. 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 sighed, putting his now empty tray aside.
"Something is bothering you."

"It's not relevant," she said, looking around the cave and 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's
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, bent double, tears running down his face. "Oh..oh.." he
gasped, unable to speak.

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, wiping the
tears from his face. "It's okay, really." He chuckled 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. "Its not that simple, Seven."

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

He laughed. "Seven, you said a mouthful!"

---

"Captain, we have sensor lock on the shuttle. I recommend beaming down
a rescue team to locate Lt. 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."

They 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 lately didn't have good endings. He was beginning to
admit to himself that he had most likely been the cause for most of
the bad endings. Perhaps it was time to really admit to himself 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'm 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'm 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/towel, 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/towel 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.

"It's 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 Lt. Torres."

"Lt. Torres is in Lt. 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 growled, eyes darkening with jealousy.

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. . . "

"Right. As if I'm supposed to believe you don't know what a naked male
human looks like," he said sarcastically.

Seven flinched as if he'd hit her. "I have seen pictures of nude human
males in the ship's 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." Her voice grew
cold. "I resent the implication in your voice that my behavior was
less than proper." 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's 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're an idiot, 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 insistently. 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.

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. 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 said throatily. 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