Too Late

halfofone's picture
Submitted by halfofone on Fri, 05/08/2005 - 13:55.

Star Trek: Voyager

Janeway/Seven

Sat, 01/01/2000 - 13:00

12 or PG13

TITLE: Too Late
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: PG13 CODE: J/7
SUMMARY: Janeway returns from a shuttle mission and decides that life is too short not
to make her feelings plain to the one she loves.
WARNINGS: Angst
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom.


TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.


Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.

Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.


"Regeneration cycle incomplete" announced the computer. Seven of Nine opened her eyes and stepped forward. Her gaze fell on the slight athletic figure of Captain Kathryn Janeway, with her arms folded, leaning against the control panel of the alcove.

"Captain you have returned." Seven noticed that Captain Janeway was paler than normal and looked a little tense.

Kathryn smiled sweetly and offered Seven her hand. The Borg looked at her enquiringly but took the proffered hand.

"May I help you Captain? Are you well?"

"I need a little company Seven. The past few hours have led me question things which I believed were absolute." Seven was openly puzzled. The Captain waved her free hand vaguely "You know how it is, in the quiet watches of the night ..."

"You wish to have a philosophical discussion Captain?"

The Captain put her head back and closed her eyes tiredly. "I wish for a little more than that Seven." Seven noticed a dark bruise on the Captain's left temple. She dropped the Captain's hand and touched her fingers very gently to the bruise.

"Captain you are damaged. I will call the Doctor."

"Seven it's nothing, just a bruise. The Doctor can examine me tomorrow." She opened her eyes and looked at Seven with a trace of her usual energy. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable Seven. Computer, initiate an untraceable site to site transport, Seven of Nine to my quarters. Authorisation Janeway, pi alpha." Seven was surprised at the Captain using her authority so frivolously. It was uncharacteristic but she grinned at Seven of Nine as the latter shimmered in the transporter lock.

Seven materialised in the Captain's quarters to find Janeway already there and still looking at her with a mischievous grin. The grin faded and the Captain's eyes seemed to darken to the colour of blue slate.

"Seven what do you feel about me?"

"You are an impressive and resourceful leader." Seven paused before adding "You are often autocratic and rash."

Janeway's response was harsh. "Seven I did not want your opinion of me as Captain, I want to know how you feel about me, Kathryn Janeway." Seven was confused and seeing this Janeway moderated her tone. "I was imprecise Seven, I'm sorry but this is hard for me. I am not in the habit of allowing my crew, or anyone else, to judge me. It makes me jumpy." The fearless leader of the starship Voyager stood nervously with folded arms biting her lower lip.

Seven hesitated. She had never seen the Captain like this and was not sure what was required. She was saved from trying to decide by the Captain speaking quickly in her low firm voice.

"Okay, I will go first. I have been a coward Seven, hiding behind four pips and a mountain of protocol. I have risked my ship, my crew and my closest friends for you but I never told you the truth, never told you how I felt."

The Captain closed the distance between them and placed her hands on either side of the Borg's face. "I loved you from the first hour you stepped out of a dark alcove on that soulless mechanical Borg cube. You were beautiful and arrogant. And impossibly angry and passionate. 'I do not want to be what you are.' " Kathryn quoted from distant memory.

The Captain's hands were cool against her cheeks and Seven of Nine shivered a little. "I would like to kiss you Seven. Is that acceptable?" Seeing the expression on Seven of Nine's face the Captain continued "Don't be frightened Annika."

"I am not afraid Captain." Seven's wide blue eyes belied her words. "You may proceed."

Kathryn Janeway smiled her wonderful lazy smile and Seven of Nine knew an instant of perfection.

The small, fragile body pressed against her own and Seven could hear the blood pounding in her own veins. She knew she should breathe but could not remember how. The former drone could not attach words to what she was feeling. And then the Captain's cold lips touched her own and rational thought vanished in the urgency of their kiss.

The jangling of the red alert klaxon jolted them back to reality and the Captain stepped back, saying calmly, "Report to astrometrics Seven of Nine." The former Borg slowly regained control of her body and mind.

"Aye Captain." Seven acknowledged the order and then mumbled uncertainly "I will see you later?" .

"Yes, later Annika. And Seven call me Kathryn."

As Seven of Nine stepped out of the Captain's quarters she heard a broadcast announcement from Chakotay. 'Seven of Nine, Commander Tuvok and the Doctor report to the transporter room for away team duty with full environmental suits.'

She arrived in the transporter room at the same time as Tuvok. The Doctor was already there fussing over his medical supplies and looking grim. After changing into the environmental suits they took their places on the transporter pad.

"What is our destination and purpose Commander?" Seven's voice shook a little. She had yet to recover her customary composure.

Tuvok noticed and lifted an eyebrow but said without inflection. "The shuttle Rutherford is now within transporter distance. We are to board the shuttle, rescue any survivors and salvage the shuttle. You and I have been selected to assist the Doctor because of our higher tolerance of heat and radiation."

"The shuttle was damaged on the away mission?" She queried and then looking at the Doctor "There were casualties." Seven was perplexed. Why hadn't the Captain mentioned it to her?

"The shuttle appears to have been attacked and severely damaged. We found it drifting twenty minutes ago not responding to hails. Sensors show high levels of radiation inside the craft and very high temperatures, probably from onboard fires. We believe there may be several casualties. We cannot transport them out because of interference from the radiation."

"But why would the Captain not tell me this?"

Now it was Tuvok's turn to be mystified. "The Captain is one of the three crewmen aboard the shuttle, she could not have spoken to you as the shuttle has lost all communication and transporter capabilities."

"Commander it is not possible. I spoke with the Captain less than ten minutes ago."

What she said was lost in the transporter whine as it whisked them away from the safety of Voyager to the crippled dying vessel. They materialised at the front of the shuttle, farthest from the fire, but the heat was intense even in the environmental suits. Seven took a step forward and tripped over a body, kneeling down she could see it was a badly burned Tom Paris. The Doctor quickly examined the fallen pilot and shook his head. Tuvok attached a transporter signal booster to the body and called for immediate transport. A few feet away lay the charred body of Ensign Jimmy White. There was no sign of the Captain.

Tuvok touched his comm badge and reported "Commander Chakotay we have found the bodies of Ensign Paris and Ensign White, they have been returned to Voyager. I have not yet located the Captain. We will report again in ten minutes."

"Seven of Nine check the shuttle logs while the Doctor and I attempt to control the fire in the aft bay."

Seven of Nine felt confusion and fear, she could not process the conflicting information "The Captain, she cannot be here Tuvok. I spoke with her, on Voyager." But her voice was stifled by lacerating panic and Tuvok did not hear her words. Trying to calm herself she peered out into space through the forward transparency and gasped.

Tethered and floating peacefully five metres from the shuttle was a Federation space suit. Then the shuttle shuddered causing the suit to roll ninety degrees and Seven saw Kathryn Janeway's blue eyes and white face gazing sightlessly at her from within the space helmet. Seven backed away from the window pointing and screaming but no sound would come. As her knees gave way and darkness swept over her she could hear a gentle laconic voice, "Later Annika." And knew it was a lie.

The End


( categories: Janeway/Seven )
Submitted by ewb1201 on Wed, 27/10/2010 - 00:04.

Very good.
Normally I am not a fan of the sad ones, but this one had a special something about it that made the sad okay.