[pwaxen@yahoo.com]

This is a standalone story. There are one or two references to previous stories, but all you really need to know is that Janeway and Seven are involved in a romantic relationship

Disclaimer: The characters of Star Trek: Voyager are the property of Paramount Pictures. This story is written in the spirit of Voyager fandom. No infringement is intended.

Warning: This story depicted two women in love. If this offends you or you are too young or it's just plain illegal on your part of the planet, do not proceed. This story contains explicit sexual activity.

Please do not archive, link to or reproduce this story without author's consent.

Element of Innocence

by Vaxen (pwaxen@yahoo.com)

Janeway slid her hand from between Seven's shoulder blades to a comfortable spot at the small of her back.

"We're getting much better at this," she murmured in Seven's ear.

"A vast improvement," she replied as she rested her cheek against Janeway's temple.

"I'm amazed how far we've come in only three weeks. You're a natural."

"I had a good teacher."

"I'm afraid my skills were a little rusty, but I guess all I really needed was the right partner. Are you ready to try it again?"

"It is your lead."

Janeway made her move. "Ow!" she exclaimed, doubling over to grasp her throbbing toe. "Why is it every time we try this, one or both of us ends up getting hurt?"

"We are improving. The first time we attempted it, we became entangled and both fell on the floor."

Two short hops brought Janeway to a chair where she sat and removed her shoe to assess the damage.

"Let me kiss it and make it better," said a masculine voice. Q put his fingers to his lips and blew a kiss in her direction. The pain in her foot stopped and took some of the edge off her irritation.

"Do you suppose we could ever teach you to knock?' Janeway asked as she replaced her shoe.

"I knocked on the hull for five minutes, but no one answered. I guessed you were occupied, so I let myself in. By the way, I thought only Klingons included the infliction of pain in their sex rituals. What were you doing?

"Is this an attempt at humor?" Seven asked Janeway.

"He's trying," she explained.

"Very trying," Seven remarked.

Janeway did a double take on Seven, then turned her attention to Q. "We were dancing. In three days Voyager will have its first formal gathering."

"The Captain's Ball," Seven interjected.

"Catchy title," said Q.

"Not that we don't love having you drop in Q, but why are you here?"

"Kathy, you must learn to be patient. In all the vastness of the universe…"

"Q!" she snapped, recognizing the introduction to a long monologue.

Q bit down on his words, "Alright, I have a favor to ask of you. I learned a great deal during my short tenure as a human and I would like my child to experience being human. I feel that it can only be done properly in the company of humans."

"You want us to baby sit for you?"

Q feigned shock. "Q'bert is not a baby and I don’t think either one of you would be comfortable if you sat on him."

"Very trying," Seven muttered. Q opened his mouth, then thought better of it and settled for a glare before continuing.

"Think of it more as summer camp. A month with you will make a new Q of him."

"Having a little trouble adjusting to parenthood?" Janeway sagely inquired.

"Is a Bolian blue?" Q sobbed.

"A month. Why would I willingly take on your offspring for a month?"

"Think of the advantages of having a Q in your debt." Janeway could think of only one advantage. Q's expression turned serious as he said, "You don't want that, Kathryn."

"For five years this ship has had one mission, to return to the Alpha Quadrant. Why shouldn't I want that?"

"Everything happens in it's own time and place. For every action, there is a consequence. I don't thing you want to face the consequence of that action. Home isn’t what you need right now. Maybe something else…"

"It's a tempting offer, but I'm not turning Voyager into a nursery. Three days."

"Two weeks."

"Three days."

"One week."

"Three days. I'll invite you both to my ball. You can pick him up then." Janeway displayed her most winning smile.

"Done." For a moment it appeared as though Q had shrunk. The boy that replaced him was no taller than Janeway.

"Q'bert?"

"Yes, Kathy."

"Well, for starters, I think you should call me Captain Janeway."

He nodded, then noticed Seven. A wide grin spread across his face as he asked, "And what do I call you?"

"You may call me Seven," she replied, her brow furrowing at the way that he continued to leer at her. "Is there a problem?"

"Adolescence," Janeway remarked as she steered him in the direction of the door. "We need to find you some quarters and then figure out what to do with you for three days."

Both requirements were fairly simple to fill. Neelix said that he wouldn't mind the company and recommended Naomi as a possible playmate. Janeway wondered why she hadn't thought of it herself.

Movement roused Janeway from a beautiful dream. She was greeted by the equally beautiful vision of Seven's naked body stepping into the leg of her suit.

"Where are you going, Seven?"

"Kathryn, I did not intend to wake you."

"It's over an hour before we have to get up."

"I must regenerate."

"Are you ill?"

"No, I have had sufficient nutrients, but I've discovered that bacteria accumulate on my skin when I do not regenerate regularly and it results in a rather disagreeable odor."

"You stink? I hadn't noticed."

"When I was trapped on the vessel with Lieutenant Torres, before the regenerating conduit was installed, I used the sonic showers as the only means available. However, the resonant frequencies of the shower are not compatible with my implants. The experience was unpleasant."

"Perhaps I can offer you a third alternative. How are you with rust?"

"Oxidized metal?"

"Are your implants air tight?"

"Yes."

"I think you're going to like this." Janeway pulled Seven's suit off and led her into the bathroom. "Computer, shower on." A small drain in the corner of the room was instantly surrounded by a force field. Inside the field, the sound of water could be heard pounding against it, causing the field to visually distort. "You stand in the stream of water and allow it to carry the bacteria away."

"An intriguing idea."

"Would you care to try it?"

"Will you accompany me?"

"I'd love to," Janeway replied, barely able to contain her glee. "Computer, shower off." The force field collapsed, leaving behind a damp circle on the floor, which they stepped into. "Computer, shower pressure at eighty percent of normal. Shower on." Janeway decided to diminish the intense spray she normally used as a wake up supplement to her morning coffee. Seven still looked startled when the water began to pour over her flesh, but it was quickly replaced by a more satisfied expression.

"This is quite…" For once, Seven was at a loss for words.

"Isn't it? One of the privileges of rank, although I don't know why. The water is reclaimed. I guess sonic showers are easier to install and maintain." She moved her head into the stream, soaking her hair. Seven imitated the gesture.

Janeway reached up to retrieve a wad of loosely woven cloth and manipulated the mechanism it hung from until a dollop of thick, white liquid appeared on the cloth. She instructed Seven to turn around and began to methodically move the cloth and its contents over her back. The liquid bubbled, providing lubrication against the cloth and Janeway's hand, which she used to spread it in an ever widening path until one hand was on each side of Seven tracing the hour glass of her perfect figure from hip to shoulder. She moved closer until her front nestled against Seven's back. Janeway reached around and provided a similar ministration to the front of Seven, pausing to make slow slick circles around each nipple with her fingertips.

"This substance is most unusual. What is it?" Seven asked between moans.

"It's soap. It augments the water in the cleaning process."

"It is both soothing and stimulating. May I soap you?"

Janeway handed the cloth to her. She rubbed it across Janeway's chest, from shoulder to shoulder, and watched the lather run over her breasts, down her abdomen and into the curly auburn hair just below her navel. She caught it in the cloth and pushed it back up Janeway's torso, delighting in the way her breasts shaped and reshaped under the gentle persuasion of her touch. They moved into each other's arms. Seven attempted to wash Janeway's back, but the effects of the soap on the skin contact between them overwhelmed her. She abandoned the cloth, using both hands to push the lather around.

"I want to make love to you," Seven groaned as she took Janeway's bottom in both of her soapy hands.

"So do I, but I think we should move to the bedroom. I'm not much for water sports and I prefer the horizontal mode. We'll need to rinse the soap off."

"Unfortunate," Seven remarked as they moved deeper into the stream and allowed it to carry the lather away.

"Shower off." The water stopped and the force field cleared to reveal a wide-eyed boy.

"Q'bert!" Janeway screamed and grabbed for a towel. She wrapped it around herself then handed one to Seven, who held it against her in stunned silence. Janeway ushered Q'bert from the room while ordering Neelix to report to her quarters. Neelix's charge was returned to him. Janeway returned to the bedroom to find Seven sitting on the bed with the same stunned expression still on her face.

"Seven, are you alright?"

"I don't understand. One second all I could think of was making love to you and the next I have absolutely no interest in making love to you."

"That would be a cold shower," said Janeway attempting to lighten the mood. Seven looked at her quizzically. "Figure of speech. You've just been introduced to a mood swing."

"It was very disconcerting and it left me with a strong urge to do harm to Q'bert."

"An urge which you will deny."

"Yes, Captain."

"It was a request, not a command. Frankly, I'd like to kill the little monster myself."

"Yes, Kathryn. I will refrain from causing him bodily injury."

"We better get dressed or we'll be late for duty."

Q'bert claimed that his intrusion had been an accident. He and Naomi had been playing in a cargo bay. Q'bert wanted to experimenting with the transporter by beaming short distances and he entered the wrong coordinates. This information failed to help his case and it was decided that he would remain in the immediate company of at least one adult at all times until the night of the ball. Janeway took the first watch.

"I hope you understand the serious nature of what you did," she began. Q'bert was seated in a hard, straight-back chair, which looked as uncomfortable as the boy himself, while the Captain paced around him. "You could have beamed yourself into a wall. For the moment, you are human and human flesh can be very fragile."

"Are you afraid I might die and my father would punish you?"

"I care about everyone on my ship, which includes you. Q once threatened to eliminate all of humanity, yet when he was in trouble, it was humanity he turned to for help. I think he would know we did the best we could."

"Then I can go?"

"No, you may not. We trusted you to stay out of trouble and you've broken that trust. Now you have the opportunity to learn from your mistake."

"I've learned."

"I don't think you have."

"What should I do?"

"I think an apology would be in order."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Q'bert chewed on his lower lip.

"I thought as much, when you know what you're apologizing for, then you will have learned."

"Captain Janeway, what were you and Seven doing?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and massaged the bridge of her nose. "We were taking a shower," she said, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Can I take a shower with Seven?"

Janeway checked to see if she was being baited, but Q'bert looked the picture of innocence.

"No."

"I think I would enjoy it."

"I'm sure you would, but you can't just do things because you want to. You have to consider the consequences to yourself and others that might be involved. Think for a moment. Do you believe Seven would want to take a shower with you?"

Q'bert remembered the look of horror on Seven's face that morning. "No, I guess not," he responded, his shoulders slumping.

"I think maybe you're learning."

"I think maybe you're leaning," B'Elanna comment as she examined Q'bert's work. The tricorders needed calibrating -- a tedious job that required little skill.

"Am I being punished?" Q'bert asked.

"No, I need the help," she replied, not being entirely truthful. She decided that if she must oversee the brat the least she could expect is to get some work out of him.

"You know, if I weren't human right now, I could finish this whole mess off in the blink of an eye."

"Shortcuts can be great, but first you need to go the long way to learn and really understand a thing."

"Captain Janeway says that when I know what I'm apologizing for that I will have learned."

"Apologize? What did you do?"

"I beamed myself into the Captain's quarters."

"And…" B'Elanna sensed there was more to it.

"She and Seven were taking a shower." Q'bert and B'Elanna both turned their heads in the direction of a loud gasp and found Kim wearing an expression somewhere between terror and ecstasy.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Try as he might, he couldn't seem to pull himself together. "Harry, breath or you'll faint."

He sucked in a lung full of air. "I'm, I'm, I'm here for Q'bert," he stammered.

Satisfied that she wouldn't have to notify sickbay, she turned her attention back to Q'bert. "The first thing you should know is that you shouldn't go around telling people you caught the Captain and Seven in the shower. Second, if you'd done that to me, I'd have ripped eyes out to make sure it never happened again."

"Why?" he asked, with a quake in his voice.

"Because people need privacy and are vulnerable when they are naked. They must have been embarrassed."

"Did I embarrass Seven?" Q'bert asked, looking sincerely pained at the thought.

"Probably."

"Probably," the Doctor stated, "no, definitely." He ran his fingers across the padd, making a final addition to the musical selections for the ball, which was only hours away. Always eager for an opportunity to learn more about the environment that had been thrust upon him, he'd offered to organize the ball. Janeway was so pleased with his initial plans that she gave him a free hand.

"Have you ever done anything you were sorry for?" Q'bert asked.

"We were talking about waltzes," the Doctor responded disconnectedly.

"I know, but there is something I want to understand. I'm not really human and neither are you, so I thought maybe you could help me."

The comment about not being human stung a bit, despite the truth in it. As he thought about the boy's question, he became even more depressed.

"I once misdiagnosed a patient as having repressed memories, when in fact she not only did not have repressed memories, but I planted the seed in her mind for false memories that caused harm to several people."

"Did you learn from it?"

"I did and I continue to."

"Did you apologize?"

"Yes, is there some point to this line of questioning?" The Doctor's bedside manner was wearing thin.

"I need to apologize."

"Oh, what for?"

"I shouldn't tell."

"Oh, so you apologize. What's the problem?"

"How do I do it?"

"Well, you could start by identifying what you're sorry for, then tell the person you've wronged that you are sorry and ask for forgiveness."

"Forgiveness is important?"

"For both parties involved."

When Janeway stepped into the holodeck, the first things she thought of were Starfleet and her days as a cadet. The large room with its high arched ceiling bore a striking resemblance to the one at the academy that annually housed the Admiral’s Ball. The Doctor had chosen a design that left the walls open to the night gardens. The band played a light, classical tune as the crowd milled. No one was dancing, but no one would until the Captain and her escort opened the occasion with the first dance. Janeway scanned the room in search of her partner. The attire of the evening was formal Starfleet dress whites -- very much like a short-waist tuxedo. Seven had decided not to wear the uniform, but had been very secretive about what she would wear. Seven had assured Janeway of two things -- she would not wear the tight suit she normally wore and it would not be white. Janeway caught a flash of iridescent color amid the sea of white, but it was only Neelix in formal Talaxian garb. Beside him stood Q’bert in a uniform with no rank insignia.

Janeway was concentrating so intently on color that she missed Seven the first time she looked at her. The cloth of Seven’s jacket and trousers blended into the background of the dark garden as she entered the room. Only the stark white of her starched shirt accented by a black bow tie and a single, red rosebud in her wide tuxedo lapel broke the continuity of her black attire. Light blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in stark contrast to the jacket.

Janeway smiled appreciatively as she approached and offered Seven her arm. "You look stunning," she said, thinking how inadequate the word seemed.

"You also look very handsome," Seven responded as she took her arm and allowed Janeway to lead her to the center of the dance floor. The music abruptly stopped. They stood facing each other. Janeway placed her right hand below Seven's left shoulder blade as Seven rested her left hand the Captain's upper arm. Their free hands clasped each other. The overture to a waltz began and the partners moved synchronously across the floor.

"As the host, I'll have to spread myself a little thin tonight. We may not see much of each other, but promise me one thing."

"What is that?" Seven asked.

"Save the last dance for me."

"Always."

The graceful movement of black and white generated a murmur of approval from the surrounding crowd. They made one circuit of the floor, stopping in front of a group of senior officers. Janeway took Chakotay by the hand as Seven did the same with Tuvok. Each danced away with her new partner and they were quickly joined by other couples.

Janeway hadn't been dancing long when Chakotay felt a tap on his shoulder.

"May I cut in?" Q asked.

"By all means," Chakotay remarked as he bowed out and went in search of another partner.

"Ensign?" Janeway noted, examining the insignia on his dress whites.

"Consider it a gesture of respect."

"Then why not cadet?" Janeway smiled and Q returned it.

"I only started dressing as an Admiral because it infuriated Jean-Luc. His dome turns such a lovely shade of pink when he's angry. I trust all went well with Q'bert."

"Judge for yourself," she said tilting her head in the direction of the young man.

"I do appreciate this, Kathryn. Have you given any thought to my payment?"

"I'd like to keep it in reserve, if that's alright with you, but this time I choose the time, place and way it's used. No more unscheduled trips to paradise."

"Ah, but you have to admit, that one did turn out nicely."

"Yes, it did," she agreed dreamily gazing past Q's shoulder at the woman she loved.

Seven had excused herself to examine the refreshments. As she stood sipping a concoction of fruit juices, she was approached by Q'bert.

"May I have this dance?"

"I do not wish to dance."

"But I want to talk to you."

"We do not need to dance for you to talk to me," Seven responded icily.

"I wanted to apologize for intruding on you and the Captain. I shouldn't have been playing with the transporter."

"You are right, but it was an honest mistake," she said, her demeanor softening.

"No, it wasn't," he groaned. "I knew what I was doing when I entered the coordinates and I'm sorry for that, too. If I knew then what I know now, I never would have done it. I just thought if I could be around you, you might want to be around me. Instead, you ended up hating me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I forgive you."

"Thank you." He began to walk away.

"Wait. Did you not wish to dance?" she said, offering him her hand.

The band had progressed from waltzes, through swing and was now engaged in the pounding rhythms of one of the much-maligned descendents of disco. Despite the detractors of disco in its earliest form, the basic rhythms and themes continued to re-emerge over the centuries. The appeal of the music was that it made a body want to move with the sheer joy of life.

All too soon, the Doctor took the bandstand.

"As your master of ceremonies," he announced. He was cut off by boisterous, appreciative applause. He bowed graciously, exulting in the adulation. "As your master of ceremonies, it is my sad duty to announce the call for last dance."

Janeway and Seven, who quickly found each other, where approached by Q and his son.

"Thank you for inviting me, Kathryn. I had a lovely time."

"You're welcome, Q."

"And thank you for taking care of Q'bert."

"For that you are also welcome. There's nothing like having children around."

"I have it," Q said, his face alight with inspiration, "I know how I could repay you. I could give the two of you a child."

"No!" Janeway and Seven shouted in unison.

"Thank you, Q," Janeway added, "but we'd rather get there on our own."

The four of them exchanged farewells and the women moved to the dance floor.

"So, Q'bert, what did you learn?" Q asked.

"I learned to apologize."

"Really, I've never done that."

"Maybe you should learn," said Q'bert, causing his father to frown. "I think I understand why you like them," he added. Q's frown turned to a knowing grin and they vanished as the first strains of the last dance began.

For the final number, the Doctor had chosen a slow dance that consisted of several dozen choruses randomly mixed in such a way that, theoretically, the song could go on forever. Janeway recognized the tune and pointed this out to Seven.

"It was clever of the Doctor to end the ball with a song that never ends."

"Clever, yes, but we could all dance 'til we drop and no one can leave until the captain does."

Seven thought for a moment. "I have noted that the clothes I am wearing do not compensate for body heat as my normal attire does. The result has been an accumulation of bacteria. I believe I could use a shower."

"What a marvelous idea," Janeway remarked, "but first there's one thing I want to do."

Before she knew what was happening, Seven found hers spinning under Janeway's arm and coming to rest with her back again the Captain's chest.

"The step. We did it," Seven exclaimed.

"We were thinking about it too much instead of just doing it."

Together they left the ball, arm in arm.