Random Thoughts - Fanfic: The Unexpected Soul

Rated PG-ish, there's no swearing and just enough snugglebunnies to keep you interested.

Disclaimer: Paramount, or is it Viacom... Anyway, they own all the Star Trek characters and the horse they rode in on.

Prologue: When we last left our heroes, Captain Janeway had taken in a mysterious stranger named Ann Winters. That Cosmic Cutey, Ensign Kim had developed a certain affection for the new kid in town. This caused Seven of Nine to wig out in the mess hall and start a fight with said Ensign. Later that evening, Ensign Kim suffered from insomnia and Ann helped him cure it (If you're thinking dirty thoughts at this point, you need to reread part 1). The action resumes the next morning...

Seven of Nine was not happy to see him. That much was obvious to Tom from the moment she entered sick bay. Her chin came up, her posture became even more impossibly erect than normal, and she lurched to an uncharacteristically graceless halt just inside the sick bay doors. Why do I always have this affect on women, Tom thought with an inward smirk. He wasn't really the cause of her discomfort, of course. It was merely that he had been a witness to last night's unpleasant scene between Seven and Harry in the mess hall. Seven undoubtedly thought he would want to talk to her about it. And the thing was, maybe she was right.

Tom hadn't really discussed Harry and Seven's spat with B'Elanna. While B'Elanna had become more forgiving where Seven was concerned, he was certain she hadn't made the jump to being actively concerned for the ex-borg's welfare. Personally, Tom felt a certain protectiveness towards Seven as kind of a fellow outcast. That was why he had offered her his help in adapting to life on Voyager when she first came on board the ship. In retrospect, Tom was afraid that he hadn't been of much assistance to her. Maybe he hadn't wanted to antagonize B'Elanna by spending time with Seven. Watching her last night, so obviously confused and hurt had reminded him of his promise. In addition to feeling guilty about dereliction of his duty to Seven, Tom also wanted to do something to help Harry out of this current predicament. Harry was his best friend after all. He just wasn't totally sure how much help he could be. Stifling a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and called out heartily, "Good morning, Seven!"

Seven eyed him cautiously, her displeasure evident in the compressed line of her mouth. She took two measured steps forward and halted again, arms held precisely by her side. She said, "Lieutenant Paris. I am here to see the Doctor for my weekly medical maintenance."

"Yes, I know," Tom said, with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "The doctor wants me to become familiar with your Borg systems as a part of my medical training. He thought conducting one of your weekly evaluations would be the best place to start. Personally, I think he just wanted a little extra holodeck time to rehearse 'Don Giovanni', but it's probably a good idea."

"The doctor should have consulted me first." Seven said, her voice low with irritation. After a brief moment of consideration though, she walked over to stand beside him. "However, my schedule will not allow me to return later today. You may proceed."

"Let me grab the tricorder," Tom said, turning quickly to take the device from the adjacent console. Before he began, something the doctor had mentioned sprang to mind. "She doesn't like it when I scan in close proximity to her face, sometimes it makes her flinch." the doctor had said. "For an ex-Borg, she's remarkably skittish. You would think that personal space is irrelevant." It's not so strange, thought Tom. He suffered from phobia or two himself. Making an effort to move more slowly, Tom palmed the tricorder and said, "I'd like to start by scanning your cranial implants, Seven."

Her only response was a curt nod, and an unconscious glance at the tricorder in his fingers. She fixed her eyes stoically on the far bulkhead but, Tom could see an indication of nervousness in the way her jaw muscles bunched suddenly when he brought the tricorder to focus on her. In his best soothing doctor voice, he tried to distract her by asking, "Have your implants been giving you any discomfort, Seven?"

"I am functioning normally." Her brusque, Seven-speak answer made Tom smile to himself as he monitored the scan. Something seemed off about the readings though, he began to scan even more slowly and carefully in an effort to determine what it was. After a minute of this, Seven said hoarsely, "This is taking a abnormal amount of time. Is your tricorder malfunctioning?"

"I don't think so, Seven. I just calibrated it before you came." Tom said, trying to keep his tone light. He stepped away from her to consult the PADD with her medical charts on it. As he suspected, there was a slight change from her last examination. "I'm reading an unusual level of degradation in your neural pathways, Seven. Have you run a diagnostic on your regeneration chamber lately?"

"The regeneration chamber is functioning normally." Seven said firmly, but she regarded him with uncertain eyes. Tom had the distinct impression she wasn't telling him something.

"Is there some other reason for the degradation?" Tom said slowly and gently, as if trying to draw a secret from a child.

Seven stiffened, drawing her Borg-ness around her like a cloak. She said, "I did not require the use of my regeneration chamber during the past 128 hours."

Tom hoisted one leg up onto a bio-bed and leaned on his knee. This could require a little finesse, he thought. With what he hoped was a casual hand gesture, he said, "Any particular reason... ?"

"During the first 116 hours I was completing the upgrades required to bring the new sensors on line." she said forcefully, looking him straight in the eye as if trying to stare him down.

Apparently she hadn't counted on the Paris stubborn streak. He persisted, "And the last 12 hours?"

"I had matters to contemplate." Seven said crisply, chin high, clasping her hands firmly behind her back as if this were some sort of military interrogation.

Clearly, his attempts at finesse were falling short of the target. He was going to have drag the story out of her. Here goes nothing , Tom thought. "Would these matters you needed to contemplate have anything to do with what happened in the mess hall last night?"

"What happened in the mess hall?" Seven said, her voice rising with studied blankness. She cocked her head to one side and regarded him as if he were being particularly obtuse.

Tom almost laughed out loud. He couldn't believe Seven was playing dumb with him. He smirked and said firmly, "Your fight with Harry. Did you skip regenerating to contemplate your fight with Harry?"

"You're trying to tell me it didn't bother you? You forget I was there." Tom folded his arms across his chest and leaned back slightly. He tried to sound mildly disappointed, "I thought Borg didn't tell lies... "

"I am not lying!" Seven said with some heat. At Tom's snort of disbelief, she flushed and stared at the bulkhead again. After a brief hesitation, she raised her eyes to his and said gruffly, "I may have contemplated it briefly."

"Listen, Seven," Tom said more gently. He stood and placed a companionable hand on her shoulder. "It's a small ship. We've got too long a trip ahead of us for you and Harry to be mad at each other the whole time. Talk to him about it."

"I do not understand!" Seven shrugged off his hand and stared defiantly up at him. "He should not have reacted so negatively to a simple statement of fact. It is ill advised for him to pursue a personal relationship with Ann Winters."

"Well, I don't know about that. The Captain let her stay on Voyager, she can't be all bad." Tom said. Seven opened her mouth to dispute this but, he held one hand up to dismiss that line of thought. "That isn't the point anyway. No one likes to be criticized, especially not in front of his friends, and especially not about his love life!"

Seven looked stunned. Tom continued less vehemently, "You hurt his feelings, Seven. So he hurt yours too. That's all. People do that sometimes, even to their friends."

"How should I proceed?" she said softly, almost to herself. Seven looked so confused suddenly, Tom felt vaguely guilty for forcing her to talk about it.

"I recommend the old fashioned approach- apologize." said Tom lightly, giving her shoulder another brief squeeze. "Take it from an expert at offending people. I'll give you odds that when you do Harry will apologize and insist that he overreacted."

"I don't know. It was an unusually strong reaction for him but, he's been on edge lately." Tom picked up the tricorder to continue scanning. "I wouldn't worry too much, Seven. Harry considers you a friend."

"Why has he been... on edge?" Seven asked, moving her mouth carefully around the unfamiliar term. Concentrating fiercely on her own thoughts, she seemed almost unaware of the tricorder now.

"Maybe he needs a little R and R." At her blank look, he elaborated, "Rest and relaxation. Maybe Harry needs a little time away from it all to enjoy life. I think you could use a little of that yourself."

"Time away from it all to enjoy life?" she repeated absently. "What purpose would that serve?"

It had been a long time since he had started a day with so much hope. Harry had awoke feeling energetic and well rested, surprising given his late night excursion with Ann. He couldn't quite remember what had happened after they had returned to his room, it was a blur of images: Ann's smile, a soothing hand, a summer day... but they wouldn't coalesce into a single coherent thought. All Harry knew was that he felt a sudden end of longing, like coming home after a lengthy journey.

In the corridor, on his way to the mess hall, his sensation of homecoming continued. Each friendly face he saw brought him a brief surge of joy. It took him an extra five minutes to get there because he had to stop and chat with Samantha Wildman and her daughter Naomi. Two days ago, he had brusquely avoided just such a conversation with the two of them as if talking to them on a personal level was somehow dangerous. Now he took an ineffable delight in being with them and sharing in their familial bond for a moment. At breakfast, he was able to greet Neelix and his Delta-Surprise Scramble with undisguised affection.

To his great amazement, he liked the meal. Generally, he tended to be wary of deep blue food items with that particular cottage cheese-like consistency. He would have to ask Neelix to make it again, Harry thought as he strolled into the Astrometrics Lab. He experienced yet another feeling of astonishment when he saw Ann was already standing in front of the main console. She had one hand flat on the control panel, a faint silver glow blurring the outline of her fingers against the dark surface. Up on the main view screen whirled with a blizzard of stars.

"Good Morning, Harry!" Ann said, tossing him a brief smile over one shoulder. "Where's Seven?"

"She's at her weekly check up. I'm sure she'll be here momentarily." Harry answered, striding quickly over to her to examine the interface between her hand and the control panel. "How are you doing that?"

"Magic," she said, a slight hint of sarcasm coloring her voice. At Harry's startled look, she relented. "I'm sorry. I'm being cranky, aren't I?

"Well, maybe cranky for you. Not for somebody like, say... B'Elanna." Harry was relieved to see her smile at that. Encouraged, he pressed on. "Ann, I'd like to thank you- "

"This is it, Harry!" Ann interrupted. She directed him to look at the now still view screen. "This is the Brae home world, and this is where you picked me up yesterday. Given what I know of the area, I would say this is the approximate limit of Brae space.

On the screen Harry could see a opaque red blob roughly the shape of a kidney bean. It was probably five hundred light years across from one end of the bean to the other, maybe a hundred light years in diameter A small pin point of yellow indicated their location, blue pin points showed the Brae home world and the location of yesterday's encounter. He ran a quick eye over the coordinates displayed on the control panel. "Looks like we're right near the edge of Brae Space."

"There's something about them, Harry." Ann said, dark eyes fixed on the screen. As Harry studied her profile intently, she seemed to glow suddenly silver. Then, with a shudder, it faded. She turned abruptly to regard Harry seriously. "I feel that I know the Brae, I feel drawn to them. But I don't know why."

"You've never been in their space before?" Harry asked, his voice gentle with concern and curiosity.

"No... at least, not that I remember. But, I know this feeling of deja vu is related to why they want me so badly." Ann said quietly, eyes back on the screen. Her forehead wrinkled with concentration and she slapped her hand against the edge of the console frustratedly. "This is so maddening! I feel like some part of my brain has suddenly started keeping secrets from me!"

"I'm afraid we don't have anything in our data base about them." Harry admitted, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. He hated to see her so agitated. "Maybe Seven of Nine has some Borg intelligence on them."

"No, the Borg have never assimilated- " she stopped in mid sentence. Ann turned to Harry, surprise draining her face of color. "How did I know that?"

"Are you okay, Ann?" Harry placed a firm hand on her elbow, she looked suddenly disoriented.

Behind him the doors to the Astrometrics lab swished quietly open. Turning his head, Harry could see the unmistakable silhouette of Seven against the brighter lights in the corridor but he couldn't see her face. Harry felt Ann shrug his hand off and walk away from him. She said, "I'm fine Harry. I'm going to replicate a glass of water."

Harry could only watch Ann leave as Seven of Nine swept into the room with her smooth, efficient stride. Coming to a halt well within his personal space, she searched his face with her amazing blue eyes and said, "Ensign Kim. I have come to apologize."

It hadn't been as bad as Seven of Nine had anticipated. Ensign Kim had reacted much as Lieutenant Paris had predicted to her apology. He seemed eager to dismiss their confrontation and professed to "share the blame". The morning spent working with Ensign Kim and Ann Winters had been tolerably efficient and acceptable aside from Seven being required to address her as "Ann". By mid-day they had succeed in documenting Ann's knowledge of a large area of space despite her coworkers' tendency to deviate the conversation from the duties at hand.

However, in spite of Ensign Kim's attempts to reassure her as to the status of their friendship, she felt nagging doubts. For some reason, the phrase, "especially not about his love life" kept running through her mind. She found the idea of Ann Winters as a component of Ensign Kim's "love life", as Lieutenant Paris put it, disquieting. It was not a sensation she was comfortable with and she suspected it was the source of the dull ache in her abdomen she had experienced since leaving the sick bay. Seeing them together, Ensign Kim's hand on Ann's arm, when she entered Astrometrics had only exacerbated the problem. Seven planned to forego lunch in order to contemplate this reaction. But, somehow, when he proposed joint consumption of the mid-day meal, she could not find words to decline that did not sound hostile. In light of their recent reconciliation, she did not wish to respond in that manner. Instead, she found herself acquiescing with a silent node.

Now, she sat next to Ensign Kim in the mess hall, half listening to their comfortable dialogue. Often, Seven found human conversations cumbersome and difficult to navigate without committing an infraction against some obscure rule of human etiquette. When she tried to participate in social functions, as required by the Doctor, Seven often received the distinct impression that the others were laughing at her. Usually this produced a feeling of disdain for irrelevant human customs but, today, listening to Ann and Ensign Kim talk easily together, she felt a stab of longing. She stared absently at her plate of steamed vegetables, wondering if she ever would, as Lieutenant Paris had suggested, start to enjoy life.

Seven raised her head abruptly to find Ann Winters watching her intently. Harry too regarded her with immense interest. Their sudden focus on her and the odd parallel of the question to Seven's own thoughts left her momentarily speechless. Finally, with an unconsciously defiant tilt of her head, she said, "Fun is irrelevant. However, I engage in several recreational activities in order to interact with the crew."

"I could have told you that much, Ann." Harry said with a derisive laugh. "The Borg don't party."

Seven stiffened at his mocking tone but, Ann gave Harry a raised eyebrow stare Seven could not interpret. Harry looked down quickly, a blush staining his cheekbones. Ann said, "You know how hard it is to find joy, Harry."

"Explain," demanded Seven. Harry swallowed hard and looked away from her. Seven tried to ignore him, concentrating on Ann's response.

"Explain joy?" said Ann. Her smile was tired, just barely lingering in the corners of her mouth. "That's kind of tricky. May I ask you a question, Seven?"

Seven hesitated, clenching her teeth in an instinctive wish to decline. She felt, somehow, that this would lead to yet another lecture on the evils of being Borg and, inevitably, to how Seven should try harder not to be herself. Ann leaned forward, her eyes locked with Seven's. She felt a slight sensation of being trapped, something in Ann's gaze compelled her to nod her agreement and say, "Proceed." Her voice sounded hollow and distant in her own ears.

Ann leaned back and looked down at her own hands, clasped tightly together in her lap, and Seven felt herself released. Returning her attention to Seven, Ann tipped her head slightly to one side and said, not unkindly, "What is your purpose in life, Seven?"

"I am uncertain of your meaning." Seven admitted guardedly. She could sense a surprising tension gripping Ensign Kim in the seat next to her as he listened to the two women.

"When you were part of the collective, your purpose was to obtain perfection, right?" Ann said, quietly, moving her clasped hands to the edge of the table. At Seven's slight nod, she continued, "Now that you're not part of the collective, what is your purpose?"

"I may not be part of the collective, but I am still Borg." Seven said slowly, a frown of concentration creasing her brow. "I still desire to obtain perfection."

"And when you accomplish something that furthers that goal, how do you feel?" Ann said.

"I feel...satisfaction?" said Seven, her voice was low and soft with uncertainly.

"Sure," said Ann, encouragingly. "Maybe you feel a sense of warmth, or a sense of well-being, maybe even exhilaration?"

"Yes," said Seven, with more conviction. Her voice found strength. "I feel those things sometimes."

"Then you know what joy is, Seven. You know why it's worth finding." Ann brought her elbows to the table top and rested her chin in her hands. "You don't need anyone to explain anything to you."

Harry exhaled noisily beside her, as if he had been holding his breath. Seven turned to find him grinning conspiratorially at her, eyes bright. He seemed relieved somehow. Without looking away from Seven, he said, "Existential definitions aside, Ann, I think what Seven really wanted to know is why she should take any joy in losing a game of Velocity to the Captain."

Seven could not help but stare, perplexed, as Ann Winters started laughing and hid her face in her hands. Momentarily, she waved one hand weakly and raised a face red with laughter to say, "Well, of course, how silly of me to misunderstand."

Seven turned back to Ensign Kim fiercely, about to protest his teasing her. But, her objection died on her lips in the face of his warm smile. He wasn't laughing at her, Seven realized suddenly. She felt a rush of warmth at this discovery. I think Ann would designate this feeling as joy, she thought. Unable to contain her pleasure with this sensation, Seven found herself smiling back at him.

Harry's day was getting more surprising by the minute. First there was Ann, she was definitely acting strangely. As if I could really know her well enough to say that after only one day, he thought. Even so, Harry knew he hadn't imagined the rapport between them yesterday. That connection was much more tentative today. During their conversation about the Brae, there was an almost palpable space between them. It seemed unlikely that encountering a hostile race would be that unusual or upsetting for someone who had been a traveler for as long as Ann. But, something about the Brae had disturbed her deeply, he was sure of that. She seemed to return to her normal serene state after Seven arrived at Astrometrics. Even so, Harry could not help but notice that she didn't bring the Brae up again during their mornings work. Ann was pleasant and efficient but, from time to time, he caught her staring at him with an unfathomable expression in her dark eyes. It was all very unusual.

Seven of Nine was unexpected too. Her apology had caught him off guard. It was delivered in her usual, forthright manner but, there was something in her expression he hadn't seen before. Harry thought he saw anxiety there, as if it were actually important to her that he forgive her. It affected him so strongly that, before he knew it, he was reassuring her, telling her that he had overreacted, trying to drive that look out of her eyes. She seemed gratified by his response, but was noticeably quiet for the rest of the morning.

Then, at lunch, her dejection had changed as abruptly as everything else today. He couldn't explain the relief he felt that, somewhere in Seven, there was a desire to understand or perhaps even experience happiness. What Harry had previously mistaken for disdain for human emotion was partially just unfamiliarity with what she was feeling and maybe an unwillingness to look foolish. There really was no denying Seven's pride in her Borg sensibility, admitting that human emotion had merit might be embarrassing. Even if embarrassment is irrelevant, Harry thought with a little chuckle.

Embarrassment aside, Seven had seemed so happy when she realized he was teasing Ann, not her. He could still feel the warmth of her smile lingering in his belly. Post-smile euphoria, Harry thought to himself. Seven's smiles, rare as they were, affected him like champagne. He was quite content to watch Ann and Seven walk before him on their way back to Astrometrics. They were chatting quite animatedly, for Seven anyway.

"You have never stated your method for escaping the Borg, Ann." Seven said, her blue eyes frankly curious. "A new technique might be of some benefit to Voyager in case we encounter the collective again."

"Well, I doubt my experience will be of use to you," Ann replied, nodding at a passing crew member, then returning her attention to Seven. "I was the ghost in the machine."

"Ghost in the machine?" Seven repeated. Harry watched her crane her long neck down to regard Ann in confusion. It was such a human gesture, he had to smile.

Ann laughed, "Sorry, obscure earth expression. I inhabited the body circuitry of one of the drones."

"Impossible!" Seven grated in sudden displeasure, coming to an abrupt stop in the corridor.

"Seven," Harry objected mildly, wincing at her tone. Seven's inexperience with human customs gave her a childlike air sometimes. It was an illusion that was easily dispelled by scars the Borg had left on her conversation skills.

"It's okay, Harry." Ann said, turning to placate him with a half smile. "She may be yours now but, she used to belong to the collective. They were her family, it's only natural she would worry about them."

Ann continued walking, forcing Harry and Seven to follow to hear her explanation. "When I encountered the Borg, they were, as Seven suspected, too powerful for me to just fly away from. Of course, they tried to assimilate me but, I was able to destabilize the power source of the nanoprobes. It was a stalemate, I couldn't get away but they couldn't do anything with me."

"Knowing the collective, they would have kept trying to assimilate you indefinitely." Harry said.

"Exactly," Ann acknowledged, raising a finger for emphasis. "After a few hours of deactivating nanoprobes, I was starting to get tired. So, I took a chance. You see, I've been able to use electrical impulses to control mechanical devices before. And, in the energy state I have passed through electrical systems of such devices. A significant portion of a Borg drone is composed of various types of circuits. I entered the energy state and then hid that energy in the drone's mechanical systems."

"The drones' personal shields should have prevented any infestation by outside sources," Seven said in open disbelief.

"I was through before they had a chance to adapt." Ann replied earnestly. "Once I was inside the drone, I could control it. And the collective couldn't sense me because I was integrated into the drone's systems. I was able to get away a short time later during a scouting excursion by stranding the drone away from the cube. I had to disable the drone, of course, or the Borg never would have left it and I wouldn't have escaped."

Arriving at Astrometrics, Ann stepped through the doors leaving Seven standing behind her with a horrified look on her face. Seemingly unaware of Seven's distress, Ann continued, "The strange part was, while I was with the drone, I could hear the thoughts of the collective. Such a siren song, do you miss it, Seven?"

"You severed the drone from the collective... " Seven said distractedly, completely disquieted by Ann's story. She was still standing in the corridor. Harry placed a gentle hand behind her elbow to encourage her to enter. She looked at him as if surprised he was there, but took a step across the threshold of Astrometrics. As she did, something unusual happened - Seven tripped.

"Seven!" Harry shouted at her peculiar clumsiness. Fortunately, his hand under one elbow and her own Borg-enhanced reflexes saved her from falling down. As Harry wrapped one arm around her waist to steady her, he found himself babbling, "What happened? Are you okay? I'll take you to sickbay."

"I've never seen you stumble, Seven. Never. You should see the Doctor!" Harry said, insistent in his concern for her.

"That is unnecessary." Seven said severely, straightening to move out of his grip.

Harry felt his hands clenching in frustration at her obstinance. In a worried tone, he began, "Seven- "

"I have not regenerated in quite some time, it may be affecting my motor skills. I will proceed to my alcove and regenerate now. Lieutenant Paris recommended as much this morning during my weekly medical maintenance." she interrupted. If Harry didn't know better, he would have sworn Seven had rolled her eyes at him. "You have no need for further concern, Ensign. I will return later to review your work."

With that, Seven disappeared through the doorway, head held high. Harry watched her go, apprehension etched on his face. Her solution didn't please him but, he had the feeling he would have to be satisfied with it. When he heard a slight cough behind him, he whirled around, feeling slightly guilty. In his agitation over Seven, he had forgotten Ann was there. Sensing his distraction, Ann smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry Harry, she'll be fine."

"Oh, I know. She's tough." Harry said a little too quickly. He ran an unsteady hand through his hair and tried on a gallant smile. "I was just feeling guilty for ignoring you."

"Don't be silly. She needs you more than I do." Ann said lightly, but Harry thought he saw a hint of seriousness in her countenance. "I'm sure it's hard for her to accept human frailties, especially her own."

"That's Seven in a nutshell, all right." Harry said with a laugh that was little more than a nervous exhalation. "Speaking of frailties, I didn't get a chance to thank you for your help last night."

"You were out like a light all right. Proof of my incredible skills, I guess." Ann said, crossing her arms and leaning against the console. "Maybe I should open up a clinic for insomniacs."

She seemed strangely flippant. Harry crossed over to her and activated the Astrometrics console in what he hoped was a casual manner. Fingers tapping quickly over the controls, he pondered the new distance between them. She had been cordial and pleasant to him all morning, even flirting with him to a certain extent. But, that closeness he had felt from her yesterday kept fading. Given his good mood today and his distraction with Seven, he had been willing to put that feeling aside. But, now he felt like it was time to find out why she had shut herself off from him. Looking up obliquely from his work, he asked carefully, "So, you tame nightmares for every one you meet in the delta quadrant?"

"Not exactly," Ann said, staring up at the large display grid. A flash of pain seemed to seize her, making her close her eyes briefly.

"Then why the lukewarm shoulder, Ann? Yesterday, I felt like I had known you all my life. Today you're just a friendly stranger." Harry said, embolden by her unexpected display of emotion. When she looked as if she wouldn't protest this statement, he continued softly, "Did you find something in my head you didn't like?"

"God, no." Ann whispered, turning to stare at him, dark eyes full of regret. "You remind me of... well, someone I loved very dearly. All your warmth, all your strength, you're a good man, Harry."

"Then what?" Harry said, leaning down against the console to bring himself level with her eyes. She flushed, but didn't look away.

"I can't afford to feel this way now. I've come too far, I've got too far to go, I don't know." Ann voice was low with frustration and longing. "All I really know is, I came out to the delta quadrant for a reason. And, even if finding you and Voyager is the best thing that's happened to me in several hundred years, I can't take advantage of it. Or you. Please understand."

"I guess I understand," Harry said slowly. As close as he had felt to Ann yesterday, he couldn't explain the feeling of relief coming over him, as if he no longer had to face some difficult decision. Yesterday, he had been drowning and she had thrown him a lifeline. Now that they both stood on the shore, so to speak, he knew he didn't need her in the same way. Maybe she knew it too. Wishing to erase the stricken look on Ann's face, he joked, "But, if you tell me you "just want to be friends", I'll have to hurt you."

"Your heart's not your to give away anyway, Harry." Ann smiled in relief, her serious tone taking on a slightly mocking edge.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ann?." Harry scowled back at her, trying to stifle a lop-sided grin.

"You forget, I've seen the girl in your dreams!" Ann said teasingly. Before he could summon a retort, the unexpected sound of the red alert claxon made her eyes go wide. "What's happening!"

Harry had one hand around Ann's arm and was pulling her out of Astrometrics before the Captain could even order all hands to battle stations. He shouted urgently as they careened down the corridor, "We've got to get to the bridge!"

Captain Janeway had developed something of a sixth sense over her years of service in Starfleet. It was never more present than during times of imminent danger. The sixth sense was there during those frantic moments before battle, it was there as the ship poised itself for a first sweep into an uncharted nebula. It was like a static charge, lifting the hair on the back of her neck and sending a sharp tingle down her spine. It gave her the sensation that she could feel everything happening on her ship; every readout, every pulse of the warp engines, every footstep on every deck. So, Janeway didn't find it surprising that she felt, more than heard, Ann enter the bridge. Ann's presence flared against her sixth sense like a bolt of lightning. She turned and motioned to her as Harry rushed to assume his station. Janeway gave him no time to get comfortable, "Harry, report."

"We've been stopped by some kind of tractor beam Captain." Harry said, his voice strong with concern. "Actually, according to the sensors, it's more like a net than a beam."

"Tom, can you get us out of it?" Janeway snapped as Ann slid breathlessly into the chair beside her. The ship seemed to jump under her seat, but Janeway could tell they weren't getting anywhere.

"The net seemed to tighten around us when we tried to maneuver out of it." Harry said, concentrating on his readouts. "Like a spider web or something."

"I don't think so, Captain." Harry shook his head in frustration. "The net would just deflect our phasers right back at us."

"Sensors indicate that we are surrounded by four ships in a roughly pyramidal formation. They are the source of the net." Tuvok reported. "They are all Brae ships."

"No," Ann murmured, so quietly Janeway could barely hear her. "I'm not ready yet... "

"What is it Ann?" Janeway said, fiercely. She had no doubt Ann was the key to getting out of this situation. She leaned across the arm of her chair to look Ann in the eye. "What aren't you ready for?"

"I knew they would come for me. I just needed more time to figure out why." Ann's voice was deathly quiet, Janeway had to strain to hear her over the clamor on the bridge. Behind her, she could feel Chakotay leaning in to hear what she was saying. Ann's eyes were wild, she whispered desperately, "Oh Captain, I shouldn't have stayed with Voyager. I'm so sorry, I just wanted to be with humans again."

"On screen," she commanded. To tense to sit, Janeway moved restlessly to her feet, standing with her hands on her hips. It was a struggle to keep herself from pacing. Chakotay stood too, as solid as a brick wall at her shoulder. The screen flickered briefly to reveal Jola seated serenely in a central command chair. The bridge of her ship, the Wave Scout, flickered with angry red lights. She inclined her head briefly in greeting.

"Captain Janeway, we have returned to secure the subject." Jola intoned clearly, behind her Janeway could see only the same Brae male as before. Both were essentially motionless, his hands were flat against his console. A small part of Janeway's brain noted how peculiar it was that such a small crew was manning the Brae ship during a battle situation. Jola continued, "Release the subject to us and you can be on your way. Persist in obstructing us and we will seize your ship and crew."

"You know I won't force Ann to join you, First Commander." Janeway said, gesturing impatiently with one hand before returning it to her hip. "Not unless you have some compelling evidence that you have the right to imprison her against her will."

"Don't worry about me, Captain!" Ann said, her voice was uneven. Janeway could almost smell her panic. She sensed an energy surge from Ann as she started to glow. "I was just leaving."

"If you attempt to elude us again, we will detain Voyager and her crew for study." Jola said calmly. Her light tone seemed incongruous with the ominous words.

"Leave Voyager alone, Jola!" Ann rasped, gripping the arms of her chair and shoving herself forward to the edge. She was poised as if ready to hurl her body at the view screen. "What do you want?"

"You know what we want, Tamelorn." Jola said, impatience starting to creep into her voice.

Ann stiffened, eyes frozen on the view screen. She almost whispered, "What did you call me?"

"Tamelorn." Jola continued. Ann was as still as death, Janeway could feel nothing from her now. "You were the chief research engineer for our study of humans several hundred years ago. You acquired this subject during the hosting phase of the study. When you disappeared, it was assumed the subject had been terminated and that you were lost."

"Are you saying that Ann is Brae?" Chakotay blurted out. Janeway disregarded the sudden urge to rub her forehead. A quick glance at Ann showed her looking even more stunned than Janeway felt. Chakotay continued, "If she is Brae, why doesn't she know it?"

"That is what we need to ascertain." Jola said, nodding her head solemnly. Janeway was unable to read any hint of emotion in her luminous grey eyes. "If we are to conclude our study, we must determine what the risk will be to our research engineers."

"So, you're saying you want us to give Ann, or Tamelorn, back to you so you can return to earth to finish studying humans?" Janeway asked, disbelief plain in her voice. "Why would I possibly agree to that?"

"Because if you do not we will be forced to complete our study with your crew, Captain." The Brae woman motioned the crewman behind her on the Wave Scout. Again, he did not move but, Voyager shuddered as if gripped by an invisible hand. Almost without willing it, Janeway felt herself focus abruptly on the motionless Brae crewman. Where his hands touched the console, there was a silver glow. Just like Ann's glow. Janeway found herself staring at Ann in unexpected confusion. Tears were rolling unheeded down her face.

"The net has increased strength by 23% Captain!" Harry said urgently. "It's stressing the hull."

"Now just a minute- " Janeway began, turning to Jola again, only to stop abruptly when she felt Ann rise and brush past her. Her touch was like an electric shock. A silver nimbus had formed around her and her body seemed to undulate randomly through all the colors of the spectrum. Ann staggered toward the screen almost blindly.

"The Brae did this to me." Ann moaned, but her voice was strangely amplified. Janeway had a peculiar feeling that everyone on the ship could hear her. "I remember it now. I remember Tamelorn. He gave me these strange powers. He manipulated my life. He tried to kill... "

"It was within the parameters of the study," Jola agreed seriously. "We wished to explore the concept of grief."

With that, she disappeared in a flash of incandescent light. Janeway had the distinct impression of a silver mist wrapping itself around the helm and then sinking into the surface like water into sand.

"Captain!" Jola said sharply. Her face was less placid now and Janeway could detect tension in the set of her shoulders. "This is unacceptable. Surrender the subject now."

The ship shook again. Harry called out ominously, "The net strength has increased another 11%. Structural integrity is compromised."

"Harry, reroute emergency power to the structural integrity field!" Chakotay barked. The Captain could feel tension radiating from him as palpable as a heat wave

"You gave Ann these powers, Jola!" Janeway shouted at the screen. She knew she was raising her voice but she couldn't help herself. "She has the same abilities as any Brae. You should know we have no control over her!"

"No Brae would utilize their abilities in that manner. It is unseemly." Jola sneered. She seemed to consider something briefly before continuing. "I think you do not understand, Captain. We did not give the subject Brae abilities. Tamelorn has merged with the subject. She is using his power, not her own."

Janeway tilted her head back in a sudden burst of intuition. Her eyes narrowed. "And you want to know why she can control him. That's why you haven't seized this crew yet. You're afraid we could do the same thing to you."

"It is a risk we are willing to take if we do not reacquire the subject immediately." Jola hissed, leaning forward in her chair for emphasis. "We will complete the study. One way or another."

"Guess again, honey." Seven's voice rang out as she strode onto the bridge. Janeway and the entire bridge crew whirled around in surprise. She stopped by the central console, a feral smile on her lips. Seven plunged one fist into the console, a silver glow enveloping it to the wrist. "You and I are going to have words."

Behind her Janeway heard Tom mutter, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more."

Ensign Harry Kim's mouth was open. But then, so were the mouths of half the bridge crew. Seven of Nine was certain this had something to do with her. Indeed, were she observing her own behavior from their perspective, her mouth might be open as well. Her ridiculously melodramatic entrance to the bridge accompanied by unusually demonstrative facial expressions and irrelevant taunting of Brae High Commander Jola was highly out of character for her. She could not explain why she was behaving in this manner.

A few moments ago she had terminated her regeneration cycle prematurely. At least she thought she had. In retrospect, she did not recall making the decision to do so. Yet, the evidence remained that she had left the regeneration chamber and proceeded hastily to the bridge, commandeering a turbolift from a group of engineers. Now she found herself rerouting all controls to the console she had forced her fist into. That was another matter for contemplation. How had she managed to do that? As far as she was aware, her hand was still intact as was the console. Yet, the two were definitely occupying the same space and she could feel the flow of power and information through the flesh of her hand. Seven could sense the whole ship now, like it was just an extension of her body or she an extension of the ship's systems.

"Ann! What are you doing?" Ensign Kim shouted. Seven knew that he was addressing her, she knew it should bother her that he addressed her as Ann. There was a clue to her curious behavior there. Yet, somehow, it seemed less important than the task at hand. Ensign Kim bolted towards her. Without consciously willing it so, Seven activated her Borg personal shielding. The force of it knocked him to the ground.

"Ann has rerouted all controls to her console, Captain." Tuvok reported. "She's reversing the polarization of our shields and setting them up to overload."

"I want those controls back, Harry!" Janeway ordered. Seven could feel the Captain's eyes boring into her face but she could not find the will to return her stare. "Tuvok, get security up here."

"She's locking me out with Borg encryption codes, Captain." Harry had staggered back to his console. Seven could feel him working frantically to counter her commands. She found it amazingly easy to elude his attempts to stop her, as if he were moving in slow motion.

"Captain, I am warning you..." The Brae High Commander had stood up now and was gesturing angrily. Seven became aware of the fact that this behavior was highly irregular for the Brae. The Captain waved impatiently for Ensign Kim to terminate communications and the view screen flashed to show the Brae ship off their port bow. Seven felt herself smile at Jola's agitation then wondered why she found the Brae's actions amusing. Her conduct definitely merited contemplation. Before she could pursue that line of thought, she found herself smoothly deflected to a new set of tasks.

"The shields are overloading." Tuvok said, the only betrayal of emotion was the slightly greater volume of his voice. The view screen showed a brilliant flash of electric blue. He surveyed his console briefly, "The overload seems to have freed us momentarily from the net."

Seven of Nine knew this already, of course. Before the flash had even faded she had set a collision course for the nearest Brae ship and initiated full impulse power. She wasn't sure why she had known or even wanted to do this. However, as Seven fired photon torpedoes to the stern towards the remaining three Brae vessels, she knew that her confusion was irrelevant at this time. Her current work was too important for hesitation. Even if she didn't know what the purpose of that work was.

"We have fired three photon torpedoes," Tuvok informed the bridge. "Direct hits, their shields are down to 85%."

"Captain!" Tom said grimly. "We're on a collision course for the fourth Brae ship."

"Can you adjust our course, Mr. Paris?" Janeway said. Seven thought she sounded remarkably calm. She was aware that it must gall the Captain terribly to not have control of Voyager. Seven wondered briefly why she had taken command of the ship but, before she could compose an answer she found her thoughts absorbed by the rapidly approaching Brae ship.

The Captain returned her attention to Seven, her voice was as low and dangerous as she had ever heard it, "Ann, please release Seven and return control of our ship to us."

"Relax, Captain" Seven's voice sounded a little distant in her ears. "I've never lost a game of chicken."

Seven was appalled to hear herself using such an expression of false bravado. She definitely was acting illogically. In a distant part of her brain, she had manage to keep her train of thought long enough to consider the most likely outcome of her actions thus far as well as the responses of the crew to her presence. She had come to the conclusion that she was under the influence of Ann Winters. Ann must have entered her implants through the circuits in her regeneration chamber, much as she had invaded the drone on the borg cube. That same distant part of her brain had also reached the conclusion that it was unacceptable. She would have to do something to rectify the situation later, after she had fulfilled her function here.

"We'll impact the Brae ship in five seconds, four... " Harry began counting down.

"Don't worry." Seven couldn't hear her own voice very well now. She was beginning to loose sensation in all of her limbs except the fist engaged in the console. A small burst of concern over this flashed across her mind, only to be soothed away to nothing.

"Two, one..." he finished. Just before the Brae ship touched their shields, it flickered into an energy state not unlike Ann's traveling sphere. It was trying to avoid the collision by letting them pass through it. Seven became aware that was what she was waiting for. With a thought, she sent a plasma charge surging through the shields and the sphere of energy that was the Brae ship exploded violently, lighting up the view screen with a terrible blue firestorm.

"Yes!" Seven could feel a rawness in her throat from the force of her shout, but it was little more than a whisper in her ears. There was a increasing sound of static ringing through her head. She took refuge in her connection to the ship, it was firm and unsullied. Seven sent Voyager into a tight spiral, dropping like a stone between the Brae ships that were trying to flank her and setting her sights on the High Commander's ship.

"Ann, this is wrong." It was Ensign Kim again. His voice was a distant rumble. Seven turned to him, a gray haze seemed to have enveloped him and the rest of the crew. If she strained she could just hear him say, "You know Seven wouldn't want to be used this way. It's wrong for you to take Voyager too. Please!"

"I need her, Harry. I can't do it without her." Seven's tiny voice was pleading, she ignored what her body was doing and concentrated on her work. She charged the phaser banks and targeted Jola's ship. The Brae ship swerved sharply to elude her but Seven compensated smoothly. Voyager felt more real to her than her own body now. In the background, over a roar of static, she felt herself scream, "You don't understand! They have to pay for what they've done!"

Firing rapidly, the phasers struck against the Brae shields as staccato bursts of light. The ship shuddered, it's liquid mercury hull dimming briefly. Seven vaguely felt her lips twisting into a smile again, but her face felt mostly numb. She was more immediately aware of the other two Brae ship which had turned neatly about to pursue voyager. Seven released several more photon torpedoes to intercept the pursuing ships and continued her phaser attack on Jola's vessel. She felt the doors to the bridge glide open, a quick scan of the internal sensors revealed the reason. The security crew had arrived.

The bridge had become so dim, she could barely see past her console. It was irrelevant of course, her human senses were not required to complete her task. But, out a vague sense of curiosity, Seven began monitoring the communications on the bridge through her link to the ship. It was much easier than trying to see or hear with her own body.

"The torpedoes have had no effect this time, Captain." Tuvok said, flatly. He motioned for the security team to flank Seven. Through the comm link, she saw them move to surround her body loosely. It was peculiar looking at herself from this perspective. Surrounded by the burly security officers, she looked rather small and insignificant. Tuvok continued, "Ann, you have lost the element of surprise. The Brae have adapted to your attack."

"I know, I know!" Seven saw herself shout. Her fist was still inside the console, but the other hand gripped the edge of the console with the strength of desperation. "I'll think of something!"

"You're losing this battle, Ann." The Captain advised, her voice was calm and persuasive. "Return Voyager to our control while we can still make a run for it."

"No! This may be my only chance!" Despite the defiant words coming from her mouth, Seven knew that Jola's ship had recovered from it's initial wounding. Voyager's phaser fire bounced harmlessly off their shields now. The attack had failed. She was diverted from this line of thought abruptly. She switched tactics and tried to set a collision course for the High Commander's vessel.

"What are you going to do if you succeed, Ann? Will you take Voyager to Brae and attack the planet?" Harry had left his station and stood just beyond the range of her personal shields. Through the comm link, Seven could see his hands curled into fists at his side. "You've already destroyed one of their ships. How much revenge is enough?"

"Leave me alone, Harry. Can't you see I'm busy?" Her voice had a desperate, joking quality to it now Seven thought absently. She saw herself twist to turn her back to him. The Brae ship she pursued was outmaneuvering Voyager now. It was so small and agile, it easily eluded her attempts to ram it. The other ships were positioning themselves to recast their tractor net.

"Is revenge enough to justify what you're doing to Seven?" Ensign Kim was shouting now.

"Of course not," she whispered. As she saw her body slump forward in defeat, Seven found herself activating the warp engines and setting a course for the nearest edge of Brae space. She felt a hard kernel of sorrow and apology pass to her from Ann. As the ship leapt into warp, Seven saw herself remove her fist from the console.

Without warning, Seven felt her consciousness snap back into her body with surprising violence. The sudden return of sight and sound was a roaring cacophony of sensation that left her head reeling. For a moment, she was certain only of the deathly pallor on Ensign Kim's face as he lunged for her and the alarming speed with which she was approaching the floor. Then, mercifully, all was black.

The only thing more amazing than Seven of Nine and Ann's bizarre collaboration was the Captain's composure in it's aftermath. Chakotay himself felt vaguely as if he had been punched in the gut. But, he followed the Captain's lead and swallowed his anger and shock.

"Status!" Janeway said crisply. She stood there so determined and strong. Her hands were on her hips, of course, as she surveyed the bridge in a possessive manner. It was times like these that reminded Chakotay of why he had decided to serve on Voyager or, more particularly, to serve her. He was determined to see that nothing ever broke her spirit. Part of that was doing his best to protect the crew she loved from harm. Chakotay quickly grabbed a tricorder and leapt up the stair to where Seven lay motionless. Harry crouched over her, one hand at her throat.

"We've got helm control, Captain!" Tom sounded bemused. Chakotay couldn't blame him. "We're on a course for the edge of Brae space at warp 9.5."

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with that, steady as she goes Mr. Paris." Janeway said, turning back to Seven. Chakotay knelt beside Harry and started scanning.

"Seven has a pulse but she's unconscious, Captain." Harry raised his head, eyes bleak. He tapped his comm badge lightly. "Bridge to sick bay. We need a medical team here immediately."

"It's a little hard to tell since this isn't a medical tricorder," Chakotay mused. "But she seems to be stable, maybe she has a slight concussion from when she hit the floor."

"Don't worry, everyone." Janeway said softly. Chakotay raised his head, her words were directed to the bridge crew but he had no doubt that the sympathy in her eyes was for Harry. "Seven is very strong. Harry, you should go to sickbay with her and explain what happened to the Doctor."

Harry's only response was a curt nod. He lingered next to Seven, one forlorn hand on her hair. Chakotay clapped him on the shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. He had a tendency to be a little hard on Harry. There was something about that squeaky clean Starfleet exterior Harry presented to the world that brought out the devil in Chakotay. But, he didn't need a spirit guide to tell him that Harry had a good heart. His loyalty and devotion to the crew verged on obsession. It was obvious to Chakotay that Harry's devotion was hurting him now. He couldn't stand to see Seven hurt. Chakotay stood abruptly to get out of the way as the medical team arrived .

"Captain," Tuvok said in an uncharacteristically sharp voice. Chakotay dragged his attention away from the departing Harry and Seven, he knew that tone of voice from Tuvok did not bode well. Tuvok continued, "I am detecting all three Brae ship on the long range scanner. They are pursuing us."

"When will they overtake us, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked. Mentally, he analyzed the successful elements of Ann's attack. Maybe there was something they could use there.

"They will overtake us in approximately 45 minutes. We will reach the edge of Brae space in 55 minutes." Tom chimed in. "Unless B'Elanna can give us a little more speed. Then we could just about make it over the border before they caught us."

"Get on it, Tom. In the mean time, I want to get a few answers," Janeway said. She motioned for Chakotay to man Harry's station. Unable to contain her curiosity, she sprang up the stairs and peered impatiently over his arm as he called up the internal sensors. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Chakotay?"

"I'm thinking that we should find Ann and have a few words with her," Chakotay said quietly. He looked at her with a slight smile despite the gravity of the situation. "Does that sound familiar?"

"Very," she said, placing a fond hand on his forearm. Chakotay's smile deepened. "What do the sensors show?"

"Nothing so far," he said as he ran a careful eye over the scans. Chakotay tried bringing up a list of all active systems to see if anything seemed out of place. When something caught his attention, he turned to her, grinning conspiratorially. "There is an unauthorized holodeck program running right now. Program Winters Alpha One."

"Bingo." she said, squeezing his arm again, matching his grin. "Looks like we're going to have to move up that date to see Ann's farm. Tuvok, you have the bridge!"

Chakotay ignored the stares her words brought as he followed her into the turbolift. He was content to let them wonder what she meant by that.

It was pretty dark in the holodeck, Chakotay was having trouble readjusting his eyes from the bright corridor. In his semi-blind state, he couldn't see much as he followed the Captain's quick steps through the holodeck doors.

And he ran right in to her. She had stopped abruptly just inside the simulation. He had to grab her shoulders to keep from knocking her over in his haste. "My apologies, Captain." Chakotay said, setting her back on her feet and releasing her gently. "I couldn't see you."

"No harm done. Harry was right about this simulation." Janeway was too distracted to be irritated with his bowling her over. She held out both arms to draw his attention to the program as the doors glided shut behind them, completing the illusion. "It is amazingly detailed."

Considering the scene before him, Chakotay had to agree. It was twilight, the sun had disappeared behind distant, shadowed mountains. A clear pink sky outlined them sharply before it smudged like a water color painting into the charcoal grey rain clouds on the horizon. The same dying light glowed through the orchard surrounding him. The tree branches were held aloft by buoyant clouds of small white blossoms, the gnarled trunks seemed impossibly black and strong against the tiny blooms. Clustered below the trees in the deepening shadows, Chakotay could just make out a few scattered yellow daffodils nodding under the weight of the rain. A wet gravel driveway marched straight as an arrow between the orderly orchard rows. At the top of the drive, silhouetted against the pallid spring sky, was a large, two story, farm house. He could see the metal roof of another building, maybe a barn, glistening like silver over the crest of the hill. He found himself breathing deeply, letting the cool, soft air fill him up. Chakotay closed his eyes briefly, trying to understand why this place evoked such a feeling of peace.

He felt Janeway touch his arm and he opened his eyes to look down at her. "Look at the trees," she whispered.

During the moment his eyes had been closed, most of the blossoms had fallen from the trees. A few pale petals still fluttered like confetti through the air. In the dimming light, Chakotay could just make out the buds bulging from the twisted tips of the dark branches. First they were brown, then tinted with green, then they exploded into a flurry of tiny green leaves in the space of a few dozen heartbeats. Startled, he looked back to the Captain to find her watching him. A watery shaft of light washed across her face, making her blue eyes seem to glow from within. In a hushed voice, he said, "The seasons seemed to be accelerated, Captain. Should we try shutting the program down?"

"No, for all we know, she may not be in her corporeal form at all. Turning off the program might eliminate our chance to interact with her. Even if it doesn't, I think we may have more luck getting answers if we let her have this fantasy." Janeway said, motioning for him to follow her as she started to walk briskly between the trees towards the house. The crunch of the gravel beneath their feet seemed to disappear in the silence that encompassed the orchard. Chakotay turned his head, behind them the sky was an incredibly dark grey. Lighter grey sheets of mist trailed below the gloomy skies, covering the land to the east in a heavy cloak of rain. It's going to rain here too soon, he thought absently.

There was a giant oak tree flanking the house, as he watched it changed from being a black skeleton against the evening sky to a tree flush with the first growth of spring. By the time they walked beneath it's filigreed grey branches, it was fully covered with a season's worth of small, grey-green leaves. The air had become warm and humid and even the sunset had taken on the golden orange glow of summer. They mounted the porch by means of a rickety flight of stairs bordered by monstrous hydrangeas in full bloom. On the porch, a cedar porch swing drifted slightly in the evening breeze. The front door was unlocked.

"I hope she's home" Janeway said absentmindedly as they entered the house. The screen door slammed shut behind them. To their left, a flight of oak stairs led up to the second floor. On the right of the entrance hall was a living room. It was a little hard to see in the dimly lit room, but the slightly mismatched furniture looked worn but comfortable. There weren't a lot of baubles or other decorations but, the mantle of the brick fireplace was covered with framed photographs. The hardwood floors creaked slightly as they crossed the room to examine them.

"These people must be her parents." Janeway said quietly, holding up a picture for Chakotay to examine.

He took it from her hand, the silver frame was smooth and heavy. The picture showed a grinning Ann of about ten. Her parents were standing behind her, holding her hands. Ann's father looked seriously at the camera, as if being photographed was a thing to be endured. Her mother had a gentle smile, a lot like the way Ann smiled. "I wonder how they died... " Chakotay said, then another photo caught his eye. "And I wonder who this is?"

"Indeed." Janeway said, pulling his arm closer so they could examine the new photograph together. The picture showed Ann in a plain, white dress wrapped in the arms of a tall Asian man. They both wore happy, contented smiles. After a moment's contemplation, Janeway whispered, "He looks like Harry, there's something about the look in his eyes, a certain kindness."

"That's my husband, Jack." Ann said. At the sound of her voice behind them, they both jumped and spun around.

They had missed her in the evening gloom, tucked as she was into a overstuffed chair in the corner. Ann reached up and turned on a reading lamp by her seat. Revealed abruptly by the light, she was curled up, arms wrapped tightly around her knees as if she were trying to make herself disappear. Her face was streaked with tears. She continued, "Jack's brother was a distant ancestor of Harry's. I looked it up on your computer. That might account for the similarity in looks and temperament. It might even account for how much I like him."

"Wow, small universe," Chakotay found himself muttering inanely. Chakotay glanced at Janeway out of the corner of his eye, she was clutching the photograph in question to her chest. His own heart was going a mile a minute. The woman was as quiet as a cat, he thought, feeling strangely guilty.

"I wasn't trying to scare you." Ann said, looking away from them quickly. Her chin trembled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything."

"I know, Ann," Janeway said firmly, but Chakotay could hear a gentleness he didn't expect in her voice. He never failed to be surprised at the depth of the Captain's compassion. "But it's too late to change what you've done. Now we need your help to get out of Brae space."

"You don't understand, Captain." Ann said, voice cracking with pain. She seemed to be unable to look them in the eye . "The Brae beat me, I failed. I failed and I let you down in the process. I've killed now- "

"Do you want to tell us about it, Ann?" Chakotay interrupted her softly, trying to project his empathy for her. He couldn't really condone what she had done to Seven and to Voyager. But, Chakotay accepted that she now regretted her choices. That meant that she was not entirely beyond redemption. Perhaps, with a little support, she could still help Voyager. As if she could feel his thoughts, she turned her head. Ann regarded him with uncertainty, seemingly unaware that she was rocking back and forth with grief. Abruptly, she decided.

"Yes, I owe you that much." Ann said. As if the decision had drained her of energy, her voice trailed off, "You've been so kind to me and look how I've repaid you... "

Chakotay slid next to the Captain as she sank down on the edge of the faded velvet sofa. Outside the large window, the sun had gone down. Chakotay could hear the gentle rasp of an unseen shrub blowing against the house and the tap of the first fat raindrops striking the roof of the porch. A few dried autumn leaves blew up against the window.

"When I was sixteen, two years after my mysterious disappearance, my parents died." Ann started slowly. The rain began to pound against the roof, making Chakotay start at the suddenness of its onslaught. "They were trapped in a barn fire, nobody knew how it started. Until now."

"My parents were in the barn, supervising the birth of a foal. Normally, I would have been there too. Like most young girls, I was crazy about horses and the birth of a foal was an event not to be missed." Ann presented her story carefully, as if she were on trial. Chakotay had to lean forward to hear her over a burst of thunder. "But, I refused that time, and I didn't even know why I refused. My parents thought it was some kind of teenage mood I was in but, that wasn't it. I stayed in my room and slept. I slept through the fire, through the screams, through the death of every living thing in that barn."

"You think the Brae started that fire and kept you out of it," Janeway perched like a predator on the edge of a sofa. "That way Tamelorn could experience your grief."

Ann nodded silently, looking up and away as if that could stop the tears rolling down her face. Chakotay could hear the wind howling now, it whistled through the chimney. "It just killed me you know. I had fairly impressive powers at that point and I couldn't do anything to save them. I didn't even get the chance to try."

"That's not all." Ann interrupted. She stared at her hands now as if fascinated by her clenched fists. "They tried to kill me too and they killed Jack in the process."

"How did it happen, Ann?" Chakotay prodded gently when it seemed she would not continue.

"I met Jack my last year at college. He was a little younger than me, but not much." She said, moving obliquely away from his question. The wind was blowing so hard now that the rain was striking the window sheltered by the porch. "He was a Chinese-American, born and raised in New York. His grandparents were always appalled that he never learned to speak Cantonese." Ann's face twisted into a bitter smile, like she was remembering a private joke.

"Anyway," she said, grimacing. "We married right after our graduation and lived on my farm. He was a computer programmer, most of the time he worked free lance jobs from home. I worked peculiar little jobs and tried to stay out of the farm manager's way. Mostly I took care of Jack though, and he took care of me."

Ann paused, obviously reluctant to go on. Finally, she sighed and continued, "One night, about two years after we were married, we were driving home from the airport. Jack had been on a business trip. He was pretty tired so I was driving and he took a nap. At any rate, when you've been driving a car for a long time, sometimes you kind of enter a trance. Especially on familiar roads. You'd get somewhere and almost not be able to remember how you got there. You were driving totally on instinct. Well, that's how it was for me that night, I was in the driving zone."

Chakotay could see the muscles in her jaw bunch up painfully. In the momentary pause, he felt the house shudder from the force of the storm outside. She swallowed hard before continuing, "I was brought out of my trance when our car veered into the path of an oncoming truck. There was probably enough time to avoid the collision but, I was paralyzed somehow. I couldn't move, I thought I was going to die. In the instant of the crash though, some instinct I didn't even know I had took over. Instead of smashing through the windshield, I went into the energy state for the first time. The momentum of the truck carried it and the car clean of my sphere and into the ditch. I hovered there over the scene, I couldn't even understand what had happened at first."

"It must have been terrifying for you, Ann." Janeway said, sympathy obvious on her face.

"There were no survivors, not even the truck driver. He was thrown from his truck because he wasn't wearing his seatbelt." Ann continued. Her voice was even now, like she was reading from a familiar book. "Jack was crushed, he died instantly. I realized I had saved myself but I couldn't save him. It was more than I could stand, I wished I had died with him. So, I left the earth at that moment and I've never gone back."

"I can understand how guilty you must have felt." Chakotay said in his soft voice. There were still traces of that guilt on her face. "But, I thought you said the Brae killed Jack?"

"That's the part I hadn't figured out until now. Until I heard Jola say his name. Then I started to be able to remember Tamelorn." Ann said, looking straight up them now, eyes burning with intensity. "I began to realize that Tamelorn had lost control of me and I had gained control of him. I think he thought that if he could kill me, it would give him a chance to free himself. So, he waited until I was vulnerable and unaware and he made his move. Unfortunately for Tamelorn, my fear only intensified my control over his powers."

"So, during the crash, when you mastered the transformation to the energy state, you mastered Tamelorn," Janeway said. She gave Chakotay a significant look. They were short of time. He knew she was wondering what Ann could tell them to help Voyager get out of Brae space. Leaning forward, she questioned Ann carefully, "So, you haven't had any... communication with Tamelorn in all these years?"

"No. But, I can feel him now." Ann said, clenching and unclenching her fists unconsciously. She searched both their faces anxiously. "It's different though. He's not testing me anymore, he's part of me. I think he's been feeding me these memories of him. And... it's almost as if he's been helping me. I don't understand."

"Look, Ann, I appreciate that you are confused. But, time is running out for Voyager" Chakotay said, trying to impress her with the urgency or their situation.. "Can you or Tamelorn tell us anything to help us get past the Brae?"

"I don't know, I told you," she lamented. She moved restlessly to the edge of her seat, finally loosening the knot into which she had tied her body. "I did the best that I could, I wasn't good enough to beat them by myself."

"What about Tamelorn?" Janeway interjected. Ann looked at her, stunned. "What can Tamelorn do to help us?"

"Captain?" Ann said, hesitantly. Her mouth was open as if she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

"Let Tamelorn go, Ann," the Captain said intently, all of her considerable focus on Ann. Ann seemed hypnotized. "It's time for you to work this out with him instead of blindly seeking revenge. And you owe it to us to see if he can save Voyager."

Chakotay felt almost as surprised as Ann looked. It seemed risky to propose letting "the enemy" loose on board Voyager. On the other hand, given their current situation, their chance of success was slim. It was like the Captain to want to explore the unknown rather than risk a confrontation with a superior force or surrender to the Brae. Actually, it was the kind of thing he'd try. He leaned forward, shoulder to shoulder with the Captain to present a united front to Ann.

"I can't," Ann whispered, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. She stood up, not quite steady on her feet, but ready to bolt.

"Ann," the Captain said, holding out a placating hand. Chakotay found himself holding his breath. "Listen to me. You yourself said it was different now. Maybe all the years he has spent with you have changed him, maybe he can help us and maybe he can help you."

"You don't understand," she moaned, hands to the sides of her head. A flash of lightening haloed her briefly with wild electric light. Her eyes were closed. "I'm afraid... "

"Afraid of being human again?" Janeway said compassionately, a half smile on her face. "I can see how it would be hard to give up Brae abilities. But, they're not what make you a worthy person, Ann. Your humanity defines you. Ultimately, the Brae abilities have brought you only sorrow. Let go of Tamelorn and you can stay here on Voyager with us."

Ann's eyes were open now, but there was a certain wild despair in them that made Chakotay uncomfortable. She was poised on the balls of her feet, halfway between remaining and taking flight. Chakotay asserted gently, "You could have a home here, Ann. Isn't that what you've been looking for all these years?"

"Yes, it is. I don't understand why you would have me after what I've done, but you're right about what I want." Ann whispered, shoulders slumping slightly. Outside the wind rattled the window briefly before dying away. Chakotay couldn't hear the rain anymore either. "So you're probably right about letting Tamelorn go."

"It's okay, Ann." Janeway encouraged her with a tight lipped smile. "It's time."

"You're the Captain," she said, a hint of her winsome smile crossing her features. Then, with no further comment, Ann began to shine. It wasn't the usual hazy cloud of mercury, condensing on her body. It glowed through her skin as if she were lit up from within, spilling out through her eyes and down her face like tears. Gradually, the glow began to separate itself from Ann. The silver glow began to concentrate, becoming a swirling cloud slightly taller than Ann. As Chakotay watched, the cloud began to solidify. He could see limbs now, two long legs and a shadowy hand grasping Ann's. Ann's eyes were closed now and, as Tamelorn became fully formed, she began to sway with weakness.

Chakotay and Janeway both leapt up to catch her. But, before they could reach Ann, Tamelorn steadied her carefully in his arms and eased her back down into her seat. Kneeling by the arm of her chair, he placed a soothing hand on her brow and said, "Easy, you're bound to be a little dizzy."

Tamelorn look much like the other Brae Chakotay had seen, with handsome, exotic features and luminous grey eyes. The exception was the unexpected anxiousness with which he peered into Ann's face. None of the Brae they had met so far had been prone to showing emotion. From their actions so far, he found it especially surprising that Tamelorn showed so much concern for the subject of his study.

"Please, Ann," Tamelorn said softly, stroking her hair back from her face. Her eyes were still closed. "Please look at me. I want to tell you how sorry I am."

"Tamelorn," Janeway interrupted softly. He turned to regard them both but, Chakotay noticed that he tucked Ann's limp hand into his own. When she had his attention, the Captain said, "Will she be alright?"

"Yes, I think so. We've been together for so long now, it's hard to tell how separating will effect her. I feel a little strange myself." he answered. Chakotay found his face easier to read then the other Brae. There was a human cast to the expression on his handsome features. Tamelorn was concerned about Ann but, seemed relatively sure of her recovery. "Captain Janeway, Chakotay, I should apologize to you as well. Ann would never have taken over your crew member and Voyager if I hadn't hurt her so badly. What I did, it was so horrible, you can't blame her for going a little crazy."

"If that's so, Tamelorn, you owe them your help in getting away from your people." Ann's voice surprised them all. Chakotay found her looking up at Tamelorn with her dark, serious eyes. To his surprise, she left her hand in his. "Please, can you help Voyager?"

"Ann!" Tamelorn exclaimed, turning back to her. He freed one hand to touch her face again. "Can you forgive me? Being with you has shown me how wrong I was before, how wrong the Brae are to manipulate other being's lives. I will help Voyager. I know I've no right to ask you this but, I'd just like you to forgive me first. "

"Why first... " Ann's voice trailed off and Chakotay thought he saw a brief silver glow pass between them in a kind of communion. She whispered wistfully, "Oh, Tamelorn. I think you're more human than I am now."

"Bridge to Captain Janeway," Tuvok's voice on the comm cut sharply across the momentary silence in the room.

"The Brae have almost caught up with us, Captain." The Vulcan's voice was taciturn despite the precariousness of their situation. "We have a few minutes at best."

"Stand by, Tuvok." Janeway ordered. She looked at Ann and Tamelorn appraisingly. "It's now or never. If you're going to help us, it's time."

"I won't be able to help you until they're very close, Captain. Close enough to initiate their tractor net." Tamelorn told her, his face serious. "I can modulate my energy sphere to disrupt their propulsion system for a short time. It should be long enough to get you well away from the Brae. They won't pursue you over the border, they've signed a non-intrusion treaty with the alliance that controls that part of space."

"Take me with you Tamelorn," Ann said, surprising them all again. But she looked only at Tamelorn, her dark eyes locked with his grey. "You can't leave me alone."

"You won't be alone, Ann." Tamelorn said, sounding worried. He searched her face, "You don't want to go with me after all the hurt I've caused you. You can stay here on Voyager with humans again. They can be your family."

"You're my family now, Tamelorn," she said, laughing despite the tears in her eyes. "You orphaned me and now you're stuck with me. Besides, I'm tired. I've been dragging myself around this galaxy for centuries now, I'm ready to try something new."

"Oh, Ann," he whispered. Chakotay suspected they had forgotten he and Janeway were there. Tamelorn said, teasing her half-heartedly, "You always had the stronger will."

"Captain, the Brae are positioning themselves to resume the tractor net." Tuvok's voice on the comm brought broke them out of their communion.

Janeway tapped her comm badge, "Tamelorn is going to disrupt their propulsion, Tuvok. When that happens, I want us out of here at maximum warp."

"Understood." Chakotay and the Captain had returned their attention to Ann and Tamelorn before the sound of Tuvok's voice had died. Tamelorn had stood and helped Ann to her feet. They faced each other, hands clasped.

"Are you sure?" Tamelorn asked her calmly. His hands were starting to glow. "You know I would love you no matter what you decided?"

"Yes," Ann said simply. Her smile was easy now, lighting up her face more brightly than the silver glow that was beginning to suffuse her body. "And Tamelorn?"

"I forgive you, Tamelorn." Chakotay heard Ann say. He had the brief impression of the energy sphere engulfing them totally, then exploding outward at an amazing speed before it became too dazzlingly bright for him to see and he had to close his eyes. He felt something passing through him, a wave of electric warmth that left his nerves tingling and his hair on end. Gradually, he opened his eyes to find himself still standing with the Captain in Ann's living room. Ann and Tamelorn were gone.

"Commander, the energy sphere has disrupted the Brae propulsion systems as the Captain said it would." Tuvok said evenly. "We are currently at warp 9.7 and should reach the edge of Brae space in five minutes. It does not appear that any of the Brae ship are capable of following us at this time."

"Any sign of Ann and Tamelorn's energy sphere, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked, though he thought he knew the answer already. The Captain walked towards the window, Chakotay could see the beginning of dawn spreading over the eastern horizon through the broad picture window.

"Once the sphere expanded to enclose all of the Brae ship," Tuvok reported, a certain grimness in his voice, "it dissipated entirely. We have not been able to detect it on our scanners."

"Acknowledged. We'll be up there in a minute, Chakotay out." He turned to find the Captain still contemplating the horizon.

"I think I'll go down to sick bay and check on Seven of Nine," Janeway said, her profile turned towards the morning. He knew she was worried about Harry too. "I'll meet you back on the bridge in a few minutes."

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Captain," Chakotay said, willing it to be so. He smiled down at her, dimples showing. "You said it yourself, Seven is strong. And Harry will be okay once he sees Seven is fine."

"Of course," she said, giving him a contemplative smile. Then she drew his attention out the window. Barely lit by the grey light of dawn, the farm was covered in a thick blanket of fresh snow. Snow continued to drift lazily down from the flat, grey sky. Chakotay could feel the chill coming off the single pane window. "Looks like it's going to be a long winter."

Her first thought was of the color blue. Eventually, Seven of Nine became aware that it was the soothing lighting and blue walls of Voyager's sick bay that were creating that impression. Ignoring the rest of her senses for a moment, she allowed her eyes to wander the room until she felt herself drawn by a brighter light. The door to the corridor was open, allowing the illumination there to spill into the sick bay. Pleased with her discoveries thus far, she allowed her head to turn to observe the light more closely.

Presently, she became aware of two figures outlined in the doorway. The taller figure had a low voice, Seven could feel it rumbling in her ear but she couldn't quite make out the words. The smaller figure, a woman, reached one hand up to grasp his arm. Her voice rasped gently, the man looked down, his shoulders hunched over. Seven made another significant realization, she knew the man. It was Ensign Kim and he was talking to Captain Janeway. She felt a strong sense of satisfaction at having identified them both and, in particular, at his presence. Seven raised her head slightly to call to them but, before she could find her voice, Ensign Kim wheeled around abruptly and left the sickbay.

"Wait... " Seven started. She stopped, stunned by the unfamiliar sound of her voice. It was so hoarse and quiet.

"Ah, good morning sunshine!" The Doctor's familiar self-satisfied smile entered her field of vision. Seven heard the distinctive hiss of a hypospray as the Doctor brought his hand to the side of her neck. He said, "I'm giving you a slight stimulant to help you feel more alert. You've been sleeping for over an hour."

"Borg do not sleep." Seven groused, but she could not deny that the Doctor's treatment had cleared up her momentary grogginess. Pushing against the bio-bed, she raised herself to a sitting position.

"It was a interesting case, Captain," the Doctor broke in. He squinted slightly to emphasize the drama of his story and held up the hypospray in his fingers like a pointer. "When Seven arrived here, I thought she was unconscious. I looked for signs of a concussion, head injury, shock, you name it. But I couldn't find any other symptoms to corroborate some kind of trauma. Finally, it hit me, she was asleep."

"Why didn't you just wake her up?" the Captain asked, curiosity plain on her face. Despite her annoyance with the Doctor's interruption, Seven could not deny her own interest.

"Well, it was a very deep sleep," the Doctor said, frowning as if he hadn't really considered the question. "I thought it best to let her wake up naturally."

"Captain, have we eluded the Brae?" Seven said firmly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bio-bed. "And why did Ensign Kim leave? I wish to speak with him."

"Not so fast, Seven," the Doctor said, placing a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I want to run a few scans before you start gallivanting about again."

"We escaped Brae space relatively unscathed, Ann... decided to leave us." The Captain spoke quietly as the Doctor exchanged the hypospray for a tricorder. Her face had that unreadable quality it took on when she was trying to explain something disturbing to Seven. The Captain moved around the other side of the bio-bed to face her. "As for Harry, once he knew you were out of danger, he left. I think he felt you might not want him here when you woke up."

"Why would Ensign Kim assume I would react adversely to his presence?" Seven said, unbelievingly. She tried to ignore the proximity of the Doctor's tricorder to her face.

"I believe his exact words were 'I trusted Ann and she hurt Seven'. He obviously feels responsible for Ann Winters' taking advantage of you." The Doctor's voice was happy, as it always was when he was lecturing her on the human psyche. "Jung would have called it- "

"Maybe you'd better let us talk alone for a moment, Doctor," the Captain interrupted smoothly. Seven could see she was doing her best to be polite.

"Well," the Doctor sniffed, dropping his arms stiffly to his sides, "I guess I can work on my psychiatric subroutines some other time. Your health is fine, Seven. You're free to go."

With a curt nod to the Captain, the Doctor pivoted and left the main room. Crossing her arms over her chest, the Captain watched over her shoulder until he was safely ensconced in his office. Turning back to Seven, she said in a soft voice, "I hate to say this Seven, but the Doctor is right."

"I do not understand why Ensign Kim would blame himself for Ann's attack." Seven said. She stood to stare down at the Captain, she felt unexpectedly frustrated. She did not want to have this misunderstanding creating another barrier between herself and Ensign Kim.

"Of course, you and I know there was nothing he could do to stop her, Seven," the Captain said sympathetically. She took a step to lean against the bio-bed Seven had just vacated. "But, Harry trusted her. He expected her to live up to that trust the same way he lives up to the trust people put in him."

"But, it was not just Ensign Kim who had misplaced trust in Ann. You trusted her, as did Tuvok and a number of the other senior staff." Seven said, truly puzzled now. "Why would he blame himself rather than one of you who made the decision to allow her to stay on Voyager?"

"Well, I can't say exactly," the Captain said, a bemused smile on her face at Seven's none too subtle indictment of her choice to shelter Ann. "But, I'm sure it has something to do with you."

"Why am I a consideration?" Doubt colored Seven's voice. She cocked her head to one side to regard the Captain in confusion.

"Harry cares a lot about you, Seven. You're one of his friends and he's very loyal to his friends. I don't know if I've ever met anyone as loyal as he is." The Captain's voice was hushed and certain. She fixed Seven with a penetrating stare. "When some one he trusted hurts one of his friends, Harry takes it very personally."

"But, Ann did not damage me and Ensign Kim was instrumental in her release of me," Seven said slowly, her stomach felt strangely disquieted again. "He should be aware of that."

"Perhaps you could convince him of that yourself. He didn't seem to want to take my word for it or the Doctor's." The Captain's eyes seemed strangely bright to Seven, as if she were experiencing some kind of mirth. "He was on his way to holodeck two to take care of Ann's simulation. You could probably catch him there."

"I will proceed to holodeck two," Seven said as she strode to the door. She was surprised at her own eagerness to find Ensign Kim. One of the Doctor's barely tolerated lessons in courtesy tugged at her mind. Turning quickly, before she swept out of sickbay, she said, "Thank you, Captain."

When Seven of Nine got to the holodeck, it was still running Ann Winter's simulation. The farm house was locked in snow, puffs of smoke from it's chimney disappeared against a featureless, grey sky. It was snowing gently, making Seven shiver slightly as the fat flakes brushed her cheeks. She stopped, fascinated despite the urgency of her errand. Seven had never really experienced weather before. Even before she was Borg, Seven had spent most of her life on board a star ship. She knew that winter weather typically involved reduced temperatures but, she was still surprised that the simulation was a little too cold for her. The body hugging attire which was more than adequate in the climate controlled ship offered insufficient insulation for a snow storm.

Unfortunately, Ensign Kim was nowhere to be seen. She could, of course, halt the program to facilitate her search for him but, she was curiously unwilling to do so. He would undoubtedly find it unfeeling of her to intrude on his introspection so abruptly and Seven wished to impress on him her concern for his welfare. She had been thinking about joy and about what it meant to her. Seven had come to the realization that, despite the human absurdity of it, her own joy was somehow intertwined with that of Ensign Kim. She could not be happy if she knew he was not. Seven decided she would have to search the simulation for him despite the chill weather. Crossing her arms across her chest for warmth, Seven struggled determinedly up the driveway through knee deep snow.

"This footwear is inadequate," Seven muttered, wondering vaguely when she had started talking to herself.

When she reached the top of the hill, Seven paused beneath the huge, gnarled oak tree which flanked the farm house. She stared up curiously at the few brown leaves that clung tenaciously to it's snow covered branches. Seven had a strange feeling of deja vu, she brushed it aside as a remnant of her brief affiliation with Ann. Peering through the windows, there was no sign of Ensign Kim in the house. The dark, empty rooms seemed forlorn. Seven walked around the porch to the back side of the farm house, glad for the respite from the snow the covered porch offered her. That same snow muffled the echo of her heels against the wooden floor planks.

Behind the house, the land fell away gradually, undulating gently as it swooped down into a broad valley. A thick tangle of snow covered shrubs delineated some geological feature snaking along the valley floor, perhaps a creek. On both sides of the valley, the black skeletons of the bare fruit trees made a stark contrast against the fresh snow. Something caught her eye at the near edge of the orchard. A dark figure stood there, so motionless that it was hard to distinguish him from the trees.

"Ensign Kim!" Seven called out, only to have her voice swallowed by the distance between them. Some instinct told her he would not respond to a hail on his com badge. She would have to go to him, she thought with only a slight grimace at the prospect of floundering through more snow.

When she finally reached Ensign Kim, he had sat down against the snow covered hillside. He was wearing some kind of large, puffy jacket over his uniform but his head and hands were still bare. The jacket was a little small for him, it exposed the smooth, golden skin above his wrists and it did not quite close across his broad chest. He sat with his arms resting lightly on his bent knees, his eyes were closed against the snowflakes that fell on his upturned face.

"Ensign Kim," Seven said by way of greeting, slightly out of breath from the effort of getting there, but still a little cold. He did not respond. She faltered, despite her compelling desire to talk to him, Seven was uncertain of what to say. Finally, for lack of a better place to start, she said, "Where did you acquire that jacket?"

"It was in the farm house." Without looking at her or even opening his eyes, he said dully, "Would you like to wear it? Your suit can't be too warm."

"Cold is irrelevant." In her uncertainty, she found herself reverting to the Borg phrase she normally found so comfortable. It seemed inappropriate now though. Seven tried, "Thank you for your concern."

Ensign Kim did not respond to either phrase at first. Eventually, he squeezed his eyes even more tightly shut and sighed, "I suppose you've come to tell me you were right about Ann."

"No, I am here to thank you." Seven said simply, feeling a slight flicker of pleasure from the startled way his eyes flew open.

"For what?" Harry said bitterly after a moment, shaking his head and staring intently into the orchard. A chilling breeze stirred his dark hair against his profile and made Seven shiver. "For letting Ann take over your body and almost destroy the ship? Hey, you're welcome."

"Ensign Kim, you are mistaken." Seven said firmly, but he would not look at her. This was insufficient, she thought, he was not responding correctly to her overtures. She moved awkwardly through the snow to stand before him. Determinedly, she tried another tactic, "Harry?""

"Yes, Seven?" Harry said with a sigh at the sound of his name. He turned his face up to hers. Seven felt a small lurch in her stomach at the unhappiness she saw there. She wanted to... she was uncertain of what she wanted to do but, she wanted to remove that look from his face.

"It's not merely a thank you from me," Seven said, her low voice halting and uncertain. "It is from Ann too, I think. For reminding her of herself and for making her set me free. Her sorrow had blinded her."

"I trusted her and she hurt you Seven," Harry said, despair rising in his voice. Seven felt a slight panic, this wasn't proceeding in the manner she had intended. He stared at the snow between his shoes. "I can't forgive myself for that."

"Ann did not damage me." Seven insisted, dropping to one knee. She grabbed his arm in an effort to get him listen to her. "Only herself."

"I was present during those events, Ensign." Seven said a bit more tartly than she intended. The cold was making her impatient. "My memory of what transpired is unflawed!"

Despite himself, he had to smile weakly at her irritation. He squinted up at her and said, "If I didn't know you better Seven, I'd say you were trying to cheer me up."

"Ann's actions do not condemn you." Seven said, uncertain if she was making progress. "You have done nothing wrong."

"Okay, okay." Harry said, shaking off her hand to run his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I'll try to forgive myself, will that make you happy?"

"I am uncertain," she said and stood again to look down at him gravely. Then, a thought rose up in her, she could feel it shining through her eyes like the sun. Seven knew what he needed to hear. "Will it make you happy?"

Amazement lit up his features as he stared at her, trying to decipher her expression. Finally, he said, "Is it important to you that I am happy?"

"That is correct." Seven nodded slowly, marveling at the curious tightening in her chest. He studied her face for a long moment, she could feel her heart beating thunderously against her rib cage.

"Would you like to know what would make me happy?" Harry said at last, an enigmatic smile played across his features. He reached his hand out to her for assistance in rising from the snow.

"Yes... Harry." she said, saying his name with a certain shyness now. She stretched out her long arm to him and grasped his hand firmly. She placed one foot between his to brace herself as he hauled himself up from the snow. When he was standing again, it left them momentarily hip to hip.

Perhaps it was the cold affecting her or her tenuous accord with Ensign Kim but, she found herself unusually confused when he did not move away from her immediately. A tentative question died abruptly on her lips when he snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. Seven found her hands resting on his shoulders, forearms snug against his body. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by the sensation of being pressed against his broad chest, one strong arm in the small of her back, and the long line of his muscular thighs against hers. Startled, she looked up into his dark eyes, they were surprisingly confident and warm. How curious, she thought, her lips parted with a small, wondering sigh.

"Kissing you would make me happy." Harry said softly. He raised his free hand to brush away a few golden strands the wind had tangled through the implant over her eye and run a thumb gently up her jaw. She shivered involuntarily at his touch, blue eyes wide with curiosity. Harry settled his free arm securely beneath her shoulder blades, his hand splayed flat against her back. He whispered, "Do you think that would be okay, Seven?"

She opened her mouth, at a loss for words. If human relations were always this physically disorienting, she was beginning to understand why they were approached cautiously. A smile crinkled the corners of Harry's eyes, he said, "Nod your head for yes, shake your head for no."

Her eyes closed reflexively as he brought his lips to hers with a small laugh. Harry kissed her gently at first, she trembled involuntarily at his tenderness. As his soft mouth moved against hers, she could feel heat rushing into her body like a tornado. She could not understand. Even though his hands, flat against her spine, trapped her against him, she felt as if she wasn't close enough to him. Seven reached up to tangle her fingers into his thick hair, pulling his head to hers to demand more of his mouth, unconsciously matching the rhythm of his kisses. Harry ran his tongue feverishly along her lower lip, moaning when she opened her mouth for him. The touch of his tongue against hers sent an intense wave of longing coursing through her.

"Seven," he whispered raggedly, pulling his mouth from hers with a abruptness that made her cry out. His dark eyes, heavy lidded with desire, took in the flush on her pale skin and her lips, swollen from his kisses. He seemed surprised at her passion. His voice dropped, Seven could feel it vibrating through her, "I'm sorry, we should... I mean, I should slow down."

"I am not sure I have collected sufficient data concerning the possibilities of this particular scenario, Ensign." Seven said, her low voice husky and uneven. She ran a finger tip over his full mouth in an instinctive effort to distract him from thoughts of leaving. She felt a small thrill of triumph when, despite his words, he showed no sign of ending his embrace. "I would like to continue making you happy."

"You're cold, we should go inside." Harry said, loosening his grip on her slightly. Seven felt suddenly feverish with the desire to remain in his arms. A curious sensation, she wanted to experience it more fully.

"Unacceptable," Seven breathed. She ran her hands up his shoulders, locking her fingers behind his neck to pull him into another kiss. With no real hesitation, Harry returned her kiss deeply, making her head spin. He gripped her waist with both hands and flattened her belly against his. The feeling of being molded to his body made her ache as if she were melting inside. Harry ran his hands from her waist up her sides, settling them finally beneath her shoulders blades so that her arched back pressed her even more firmly to him. There were so many sensations she hadn't anticipated. Seven knew she should contemplate them... later. For once willing herself to live for the moment, she gave herself up to his embrace. Seven could feel her breathing grow ragged as he traced fierce kisses along her neck. Seven felt, more than heard, him breath into her ear, "Seven, I'd better take you inside."

Lifting his head reluctantly, Harry slid a hand up her arm to where her fingers clasped his neck. Dislodging one hand gently, he pressed a kiss into her palm before folding it into his own. The caress made her quiver. He said, breathlessly, "You're shivering and your hands are like ice. I'm taking you inside."

Before he could usher her back towards the farm house, Seven wrapped her arms around his neck. His embrace tightened instinctively around her in response, almost lifting her off her feet.. She considered the unusual feeling of being cradled against his chest and nestling her face against his and decided that it could definitely be categorized as something that was desirable to prolong. She started planting little kisses along his jawbone and Harry groaned, "Seven! We have to go inside, it's too cold out here for you!"

She lifted her head, an uncharacteristically mischievous smile playing on her face, and said, "You are wrong, Ensign."

"How's that, Seven?" Harry said with mock severity but, Seven could see pleasure curving up the corners of his full mouth and his arms held her close.

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The Unexpected Soul

Part II:

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