Kathryn and I talked until the early hours of the morning. I think the worst of it is over; it makes me smile to think that my father was right all along. Stories heal.

"Kath...." I murmur into my pillow.

"Mmmm...."

"We have to get up."

"We don't have to," she chuckles. "We could call in sick."

"Both of us? At the same time?" I roll over onto my back. "You think they'd catch on?"

"Never." She stretches, and I am beginning to see the advantages of playing hooky. I reach over and run my hand along her collarbone.

"I have two meetings with Tuvok today, Kath."

"I have to authorise the new astro-physics installations."

"I have six schedule appointments about room change-overs."

"I have to be in a meeting with B'Elanna and Seven." She props herself up on her elbows. "Beat that."

I laugh. I can't. "You win."

She flops back down again and moves over to my side. I begin to chuckle softly. She pokes my side.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing." I laugh a little harder. "I was just remembering . . . "


Seven of Nine Lives
by Sr. MaryKath



"Ensign Kim! Come quick. Something's happened to Seven!"

More and more often as of late the captain had been putting Harry Kim in charge of away missions. Quickly he dropped the berries he'd been gathering and followed Neelix over the rough terrain where they had stopped to gather food supplies.

"Get back and give her room," Harry pushed his way through the six crew members whom he'd hand chosen for this mission and he and Neelix bent over Seven's prone body. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Megan Delaney answered. "We were gathering plant samples when she started convulsing."

"Seven to beam directly to sickbay," Harry ordered with all the confidence he could muster, then he tapped his comm badge again. "Not those seven, damn it."

* * *


"Chakotay." She tries to chastise me, but I hear the laughter in her voice. "She could have been seriously injured.

"She wasn't. And besides, there would be some nanoprobe solution." I laugh and she rolls her eyes.

"Come on Commander, get up." She sits up and uses her entire body to push me out of bed. I really hate it when she does that. "We've got a busy day ahead."



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