The league of extraordinary ladies.
By H.W.
Chapter 2
"May I ask you a question?" Seven asked as she and Zani had entered the turbolift.
"You may ask me everything you want; everything. If I will actually answer any question you ask is an entirely different point though," Zani said with a sexy grin.
"Why are you talking to me, more so, why are you fully interacting with me?"
"Because I chose you as one of my close ones."
Seven lifted her eyebrow. "I know from the history of your planet that I should consider that an honor. I just do not understand why. Yesterday you were ignoring me when I asked you directions, and now I am a 'close one'?"
"I didn't ignore you; I just didn't talk to you. If I had ignored you I wouldn't have followed you. But you are right. Then I didn't consider you a close one yet. There was only something interesting about you and that's why I decided to follow you. It was when you protected the little mouse that I knew that you were worthy of being a close one."
"Why would me trying to help Shanzia influence your opinion of me, you still hardly know me," Seven asked confused.
"You didn't just try to help her; you were willing to give your life for her. Seven, you have no idea just how much that act is going to change your life."
Seven frowned at Zani's words and was just about to ask what she meant when Seven figured that Zani was still talking about her choosing Seven as a close one. "Well, shall we begin your tour by me showing you the quarters you will be staying in?"
"Why don't we first go get the little mouse? That way she can see the ship as well."
"Very well," Seven agreed before giving the turbolift the command to go to the deck where the Wildman quarters were located.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Samantha did a double take when she saw the woman that was accompanying Seven. Of course she had heard through the grapevine that the second new crew member had cat features, but it still was strange. Even for her as a xenobiologist whose whole career was dedicated to alien species. Secretly Samantha was glad that the woman was naked. Oh, not because she looked beautiful, which she did, but because Samantha had never before seen a species that evolved from cats and her shore-leave rotation hadn't come up yet. There simply weren't any sentient feline species in the Federation. And so far they also hadn't come across one in the Delta quadrant either.
"Samantha?" Seven asked after a moment of silence.
"Oh, sorry. It's just that I um... could I study you at some point?"
Zani lifted an eyebrow at that.
"Samantha is a Xenobiologist," Seven explained. "And I believe that is the reason why she was asking you if she could study you."
"Ah," Zani said in understanding. "Tell me, just what would be in it for me if I let you study, all, of my body?" There was absolutely no mistaking the soft, sexy, and overly seductive tone in Zani's voice.
"Um," Was all Samantha could say but she was blushing all the way down to the uniform she was wearing.
"Where is Shanzia?" Seven asked mostly to save Samantha. Even Seven could feel the sexual tension despite it not being directed at her.
"She and Naomi are in Naomi's room. She wasn't here that long when the talk shifted to why she could be here. When Shanzia told Naomi how her parents had died, Naomi wanted to share some of her family history with Shanzia. I left them alone, figuring that a mother shouldn't be present when her daughter is talking about her parents. I think... I think Naomi still has difficulty with me telling her."
"Telling her what?" Zani asked, deciding to stop playing with the woman, for now.
"Have you been told about Voyager, where we come from?" Samantha asked.
"Yes. Tuvok gave me a small history lesson when he found out that the First Minister was asking your Captain to take me with you."
"Recently we have been getting messages from the Alpha Quadrant."
"I know. Tuvok told me that you had been getting a transmission once every month for the last three months and that he is hopeful that this will continue at that pace."
"Right, well, after getting the first message from us, the Federation informed all of our families that we are still alive. The reply that we got wasn't what we were expecting."
"That was two months ago," Seven spoke up. "A lot of the Voyager crew was depressed for a few weeks after that. It seemed that the families had been told six years ago that the Voyager crew was dead. Families and loved ones moved on. A lot of the crew found out that the person they thought was waiting for them was no longer waiting for them."
"I was one of those people," Samantha continued. "My husband... former husband that is... had me declared officially dead and he remarried five and a half years ago."
Zani frowned at that.
"Yes, that the part that hurt me," Samantha agreed. "I don't blame him for moving on, especially not after having been told that his wife is dead. But he was told six years ago that I was dead, and six months later he remarries?"
"He must have known her before," Zani concluded. "It is possible to find someone, fall in love, and marry within six months, but..."
"But he sure didn't spent any time grieving his dead wife," Samantha concluded. "But that is what hurt me personally. The reason why I hate the bastard is because his reply to finding out that he had a child was to reply that had three children with his new wife and that he wanted to concentrate on them. Because of that he couldn't play father to a child tens of light-years away. PLAY!"
"Sam," Seven cautioned.
Sam sight. "Sorry. Anyway, I had to tell Naomi. I wanted to prevent her ever accidentally hearing me or someone else talking about it. I also didn't want to live a lie and pretend that had daddy is waiting for her at home. What would happen if we ever do get home? Of course, I left out the 'play' part. I told her that her father had a new family now and wanted to concentrate on them."
"I think you were right to tell her," Zani said. "Now she knows that her father is not interested in her; she will get over that. But if you hadn't told her and she had found out later, then she would still have known that her father has no interest in her but she would also feel that she can't trust her mother."
"My thought exactly," Sam said with a sad smile.
"Tell me, do you like the little mouse?" Zani asked.
"Little mouse?"
"Shanzia," Seven explained.
"She likes 'little mouse' better," Zani said, explaining the continued use of the nickname.
"Well, she seems like a great kid, and she and Naomi really hit it off. I..." Sam stopped when the proverbial light went on, "Oh, oh no. As much as I like her, I have my hands full with Naomi."
"I have no intention of shipping her care off to you," Zani assured. "I promised that she would enjoy my protection. That is a promise we felines don't make lightly. I am fully prepared to take care of the little mouse. But your Captain asked me if I would be willing to do some job on this ship. Because of that I thought we could help each other out. If I need to work or want to do something without the little mouse I can bring her to you. And when you need to work, or want some privacy, you can bring Naomi to me. Of course, that only goes as long as they get along as well as they do now."
"Well, um, it certainly sounds like a good idea. It would also relieve poor Neelix from me dumping Naomi on him all the time. I mean, he always acts like he loves it, and I'm sure that he does a lot of times, but I know that interrupted his plans too many times already. It's just that... um... well..."
"Don't worry, I'm a spoiled Feline; I prefer prepared meat over raw meat," Zani said with a grin that very deliberately showed off her long eyeteeth.
"Sorry. I of all people should know better, having studied so many species," Sam said, blushing once more. This time for an entirely different reason.
"You merely show the protectiveness of a good mother, which only makes me all the more at ease with trusting you with the little mouse's wellbeing."
"Alright. I really appreciate your offer. As soon as you have a duty roster, let me know and we will set something up."
"Great. How would the first day after Voyager leaves this planet sound to you?"
"To set something up?" Sam asked confused.
"No, for you to check me out of course. That way you can actually enjoy your shore-leave without having to find a way to examine another feline. Especially since I sincerely doubt that any of the other felines will allow you to check every nook and cranny of their body."
"Normally felines do not even talk to people," Seven added. "Unless they want to."
"Right," Zani agree. "But I promise you that I'll let you poke, scan, and check me out for as long as you need. If you want you can even check me out in a sexual way, I wouldn't mind."
At hearing that, Sam's eyes got as wide as possible.
"I believe that Zanitear means that she does not mind if you investigate her sexual organs, nor how the felines reproduce. If my memory serves me well they normally have an average of five children at once; something they call a litter."
"And you believe right," Zani agreed. "Don't worry Samantha, I'm just playing with you a little; I like to play with the people I like."
"And you like me? You have decided that already only after a few minutes of knowing me?"
"Yes. First lesson on us felines, we always 'size up' people within the first minutes, and normally the impressions that we get are never wrong. I for one have never yet been wrong."
"So does that mean we won't be having sex?" Sam asked with a smile.
"Neh, I know you are only interested in men."
"And how do you know that?"
"Truthfully, I don't know. That's something you might want to look into, if this is something physical. But we felines always know in what sex a person is interested or even if that person is interested in both sexes. Probably so that we don't chase after people we can't be with anyway."
"So what kind of sex are you interested in?"
"The great kind," Zani said with a sexy smile before relenting. "I'm actually an all girl woman, and I'm hoping that really soon Seven will check out my sex in a whole different way that you will."
Now it was the turn for Seven's eyes to get a lot bigger.
Samantha couldn't help but laugh at seeing a look on Seven's face that she had never seen before. "Congratulations, Seven. It's time you found someone to share your life with."
"I believe that I will have a certain say in the matter," Seven said defiantly.
"Um, not really," Zani assured with total confidence. "You like me, and once I start to seduce you, you won't be able to defend yourself against my charms."
"We will see," Seven said, crossing her arms across her chest.
Further conversation on the matter was stopped by the door to Naomi's room opening. As soon as Shanzia saw Zani she walked up to the woman and took a moment to hug her.
"Hi Seven," Naomi said before focusing her attention on Zani. "You're naked!"
"And you have a great ability to point out the obvious," Zani replied with a smile. "We felines actually prefer being naked, but your Captain was really insistent in suggesting that I wear clothing in the future."
"That's a shame; you're beautiful."
"Thank you. You are beautiful as well." Zani ruffled Shanzia hair lightly. "So, little mouse, how are you? Seems like you made a friend."
"I'm great, Zani. I really like Naomi, can I see her again?"
"You can, and you will," Zani assured. "In fact, her mother and I just made a little arrangement. As long as you and Naomi get along, Samantha and I will be shipping you back and forth depending on which of us is working. Unless you object of course."
"I don't mind," Shanzia was quick to say.
"Can we do sleepovers?" Naomi asked exited.
Seeing her daughter's excitement, and how Zani was treating Shanzia, Sam let go of her last reservations. "We don't know yet what kind of shifts Zanitear will be working, but there will probably be times where it's simpler if you both just stayed for the night in the quarters where you were for the day."
"Cool!"
"Little mouse, Seven is going to show me the ship, do you want to join us on the tour?"
"Oh, I could show her the ship," Naomi said excited.
Zani didn't answer, but looked at Sam. Sam shrugged her shoulders a little, indicating that it was fine with her.
"Alright then. The little mouse and I have been given V.I.P. quarters two to live in... whatever that is. Do you know where they are?"
"Sure."
"In that case, I will see you later little mouse. Seven, guess it's just you and me. So, are you ready to show me all?"
"I am ready to show you the ship, yes."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Seven placed a soft kiss on that impossibly cute T shaped nose and moaned when a leg, still slick with her own wetness, started to move against her center once more.
"So now that you checked it out so wonderfully, how is my sex?" Zani asked.
"Your sex is great, wonderful, and better than I ever expected sex to be."
Zani brought one of her hands to her own center and then brought her wet fingers to Seven's mouth. Seven didn't hesitate and eagerly cleaned off the wonderful taste that was Zani. "Told you that you had no defense against my charms."
"I managed," Seven objected.
"For five days. Which is, by the way, the longest anyone ever was able to resist me once I sat my mind to having sex with them."
"So now that you had sex with me, are you going to move on?"
"No. Don't worry, Seven. I really like the ladies, but I'm not a love 'em and leave 'em kind of girl. We had sex now, but soon we will call it making love. But just so that you know, I love to play and flirt with women and I'll do that with other women. Just remember, flirting is nothing more than words. It does not equal actions. You might have heard that people consider it an honor to have sex with a feline, and we often treat it as such. We reward Liathen for being extra nice to us by sleeping with them, we tease them with the possibility. We as a species do. And it's because it's part of what we are that you will see that flirting I talked about. Being sexy and playing with people is... us. But I promise you that you will never have to worry about some person I turned on with nothing more than a sweet whisper, because as a species we might sleep with people for rewards and bribes, but I as a person have never done that. I have only had sex with Felines like me, and I only had sex with people from other species, like you, if they are a Close One. I promise you, my wonderful Seven, that I will be in your life for the rest of your life."
Seven was so glad with hearing the promise that she totally failed to notice the promise only meant that Zani would be in her life. She didn't realize just how open that promise was; Captain Janeway was in her life as well, as was Tuvok, as was Ensign Ayala, as were the Delaney sisters. And a second thing Seven didn't think to ask was, just how many Chosen Ones a Feline could have. Since Zani stated that she only slept with Chosen Ones like Seven. That didn't in fact mean that there couldn’t be more chosen.
Zani extended one of her claws and used to carefully move some of Seven's hairs aside.
Seven captured the hand and looked at it from both sides. "You have wonderful hands."
Zani winked. "Thank you, your hands are pretty damn great as well."
"That is not what I mean," Seven said with a smile.
"It's the claws," Zani explained. "They need to go somewhere when I retract them, so my fingers have to be twice as thick as yours."
"I know. But because they are also longer than my fingers the proportions still look right. You have very elegant hands."
"Come on, admit is, Seven. You love the fact that I have fingers that are twice as thick and long as yours for a very exact reason."
"Size is not everything, but yes, your index finger fitted very nicely. But if I had to chose, I would chose your tongue, which is not that different from mine; just very good. But what I meant with my original statement is that I find it very interesting how you use your claws to pick up things or touch things that would cause you problems if you had to do it with your fingertips."
Zani extended the claw of her index finger and showed it to Seven. "Seven, see that point? It would be plain stupid not to use them and instead try to pick up something small with big fingers."
Seven put one of her Human fingers against the tip of the claw and pushed slightly.
"Careful," Zani said as she quickly retracted the claw.
Seven looked with fascination at the little drop of blood that had formed on her finger. "How do you keep them so sharp? Surely they must blunt down quickly when you use them for the fine work that your normal fingertips can not."
"They exist out of layers. New layers continue to grow inside them, which is why it is extremely painful if I ever manage to actually break one of the claws. Luckily that happened only once before in my life; our claws are very strong. I shed the outer layer about once every two or three days, and a new, sharp, claw is waiting on the inside."
"Does that not hurt as well?" Seven asked in fascination.
"Should I start calling Samantha?" Zani asked amused, referring to the examination session she had scheduled with Sam in one week time.
"No. She is merely fascinated by your species. I am fascinated by you; humor me. Please?"
"Alright," Zani said. "I will make you a deal. I will give you fifteen minutes of questions."
"And then?"
"And then... you fuck me."
"I find your conditions acceptable," Seven said with a broad smile. It was interesting, before having sex with Zani, Seven didn't like the word 'fuck'; it sounded impersonal to her. Now she loved it. Especially how Zani could say such a little word with such passion.
"Fifteen minutes and counting. No, it doesn't hurt. After all, it's how Mother Nature created us. It hurts me as much as your hairs hurt you when they fall out. Most of the time I don't even notice it."
She winked. "Don't worry, the outer shells only fall off when I have my claws extended, so I won't be losing shells when I have my fingers deep where you love for me to have them."
Then she became a little more serious. "Oh, this you might find interesting. There is actually a disease we can get that prevents the outer layers of our claws from falling out. That one is painful, very much so."
"You walk upright like we do, but in private you prefer to lounge or even simply rest by lying on the floor. Which do you prefer?"
"All of them. Walking or running lightly I like to do upright. Running as fast as I can I prefer to do on all fours."
Zani balled her fist, showing how that way her claws were firmly protected inside her fist while her knuckles and first digits of her fingers formed a flat and secure surface that could be used for running. "Climbing is obviously done with all four, as is moving along irregular surfaces like trees and such. On those occasions I use my claws for a secure hold. As you have seen, I can sit just like the rest of the crew does, but if I'm inside my quarters I prefer to lay. That is why the little mouse and I have chosen the furniture in such a way that it can be used to sit and lie on. That way both of us can use it comfortably."
"You sure chose the biggest bed I have yet seen on Voyager," Seven said amused while looking around her.
"And just how many beds did you see?" Zani asked just as amused. "The little mouse and I agreed that our bedrooms were our private territory, the rest we share. She decorated her room like she wants, and I decorated mine the way I wanted. I chose the big bed because I sure hoped that I would soon be sharing it."
She closed her arms around Seven to indicate with whom she had hoped to share it. "But more than that. As I just said, I like to lie down to rest. I also like to lie down if I have to read those damn PADDs you people keep giving to 'catch up' on how things work on this ship. The large bed is suited for all kind of action, that's why I choose it."
"Talking about work, do you,"
"Seven?"
"Yes?"
"Your fifteen minutes are up."
Seven lifted an eyebrow. "That was actually only six minutes."
Zani smiled. "I know. But I just realized, we will be doing a lot of talking and chatting in the coming time. I like to talk to my Close Ones. So I ask you, is there really any good reason to do it now while we are both clearly in the mood to do other things? So how about we pretend fifteen minutes passed and we'll do some more talking tomorrow as we also chat about how we fit into each other's daily life. So, time's up, now keep your part of the deal and fuck me."
"Well, a deal is a deal so..." Seven willingly relented. She brought her lips to Zani's and they shared a long kiss in which their tongues played a seductive dance of passion.
"Seven?"
"Yes?"
"Is there something that I can call you besides Seven?" Zani asked, despite her own indication that they should do something else then talk.
"You object to Seven?"
"Well, if you prefer it, I'll use it, but I would like to use something a little more intimate when you make me shout out your name. Seven just doesn't sound right."
"My Human designation was Annika Hansen."
"Would you mind me calling you Annika?"
"I am not sure, say it again."
"Annika."
Seven closed her eyes. "Again."
"Annika," Zani said in a soft whisper filled with tender emotion.
"Yes."
"Annika," this time the name was filled with clear passion, "fuck me, make me scream your name."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, Seven rested her head on Zani's shoulder with a satisfied smile and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life she gave herself over to the wonderful 'after sex' relaxation that she wanted to experience many more times in her life.
Zani smiled as well when she heard the beautiful blonde start to snore ever so softly. "Don't worry, Annika, soon you will be loved in a way even beyond your wildest imagination. You will love and be loved for the rest of your life. I just wish it would be with me. But I promise you, I'll always be the best of friend to you; always. Besides, just because someone holds you at night doesn't mean we can't play from time to time. I just have to make her see reason. Make her realize that love is not the same as 'in' love. And that friends that love each other can have fun amongst each other without it being a risk to the 'in' part of love that the two of you will share."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Two months later.
"You want Zanitear to be placed in security permanently?" Janeway asked, not quite believing that Tuvok himself had suggested it.
"You seem surprised."
"Well, it's just that until now whenever a head of a department came to see me it was to ask to please take her out of the department. Seven, and now you, are the only exceptions."
"Did Seven also ask if Zanitear could be placed in her department?"
"She did. But I would only do that as a last resort. I mean, I'm glad that they get along. Hell, Seven is all but officially living in her quarters, but let's be honest; Astrometrics 'is' Seven. We sometimes have others help her out by doing time consuming things because Seven can be better used elsewhere, but the last thing Astrometrics needs is another fulltime person. I also have a feeling that Zanitear would be bored to death there and actually distract Seven from her job."
"You do not seem to have a problem with Seven basically living with Zanitear and Shanzia." Tuvok noted.
Janeway shrugged. "I don't. What people do in their private life is their thing, and I trust Seven, and now also Zanitear, enough to not do anything improper in front of the child. I mean, I would also not go saying that it would be incorrect if Samantha found someone and that person moved in with her and Naomi. But back to the matter at hand. If you want to have her in security, I'm more than happy to assign her to you. Do you think that she would have a problem with continuing to work in security?"
"She doesn't; I asked her before coming to you."
"Of course you did," Janeway said trying not to smirk. "Alright then. I'll make it official. That only leaves me to find a place where she can work the rest of the time."
"Captain," Tuvok said slowly, "I do know that some Captains in Starfleet see Security as a 'drop-off' place to put people they can't really place anywhere else, and the first place to take people away from if another department is understaffed."
Janeway had noticed that Tuvok had chosen his words in such a way that they left it in the middle if he thought that Janeway was one of those Captains.
"But security is an important issue," he continued, "Because so many of the crew died when the Caretaker brought us to the Delta Quadrant, Security had to suffer from the beginning. All of the people that work in security actually mainly work somewhere else, and only do security for a couple of hours every week. My security 'team' exists in reality out of nothing more than people on standby; people I can call if needed. Whenever security is called, people first have to leave the place where they are working at the time."
"I know that Tuvok. I know that I don't give the impression, but I do know that the security department is an important part of the ship. But I have choices to make. Do I put people in security where they do nothing more than sit, or some drills when there is nothing for them to do. Or do I put those people for instance in Engineering where there is always something to do, and then have them be trained by you on the side so that you can call on them if needed. Choices, Tuvok, choices."
"And now you have a choice as well, Tuvok pointed out. "Zanitear is not an existing crew member that can also be put in security if things are slow. She is a new crew member. She does not have skills that are highly in demand in other departments. If you place her in security full time you are not taking someone away from another job. Captain, I have run security on my own for seven years now; do you not think it is time to put security first in line for a new and fulltime crew member?"
"You have compelling points, Tuvok. Under normal circumstances I would still have to say no. But seeing how all the other department heads are asking me to please not put her in their department you get your wish. Just don't come complaining to me about her."
"I doubt that this will happen. Zanitear and I work together surprisingly well; I am especially pleased with the fact how she does anything I ask of her without complaining or questioning my reasoning for it."
"She does?" Janeway asked surprised. "How the hell did you manage to make her follow orders? The other departments always complained that she didn't follow the orders."
"Simple. Zanitear told me in the beginning that she reacts to questions a lot better than commands; I kept that in mind. I have not yet given her a command; I only asked her questions."
Janeway frowned. "Don't you think that could become a problem though?"
"I don't see why. It is just as easy to say 'will you do this twenty kilometer march' than it is to say 'you will do this twenty kilometer march'."
"Well, I don't really agree with you about the order thing. But, it's your department, and now it's also your department member."
"Thank you, Captain."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Seven, get your ass to Engineering, NOW. We have a major problem here."
"Lieutenant, may I remind you that it is four minutes after midnight. Some people are actually in,"
"Seven, I'm not kidding. Computer, beam Seven of Nine to Engineering in two minutes. You got two minutes, Seven. Torres out."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Half an hour later the 'major problem' had been taken care of and Voyager was safe once more.
"Sorry for dragging you out here like that, Seven. I just... um..."
"Panicked."
"I did not panic," B'Elanna disagreed forcefully. "I just... look, it was one of the Borg systems causing the problems and I know that you would be better able to deal with it than me. There, I admitted it, are you happy now?"
"I am pleased," Seven said as she turned away from B'Elanna to pick up the Borg device that had been discarded some time ago. "But I feel like I must apologize as well, I did not think that the,"
"Seven, you are bleeding!" B'Elanna suddenly interrupted. Now was the first time she got a clear look at Seven's back and she could clearly see brownish stains starting to form. She knew that the wounds had to bleed actually pretty badly or else the blood wouldn't have seeped through the biosuit material. "Let me take you to sickbay."
"That will not be needed, Lieutenant."
"Come on, something that bleeds like that needs treatment. I'll,"
"I will not go to the Doctor, please do not make this difficult Lieutenant."
"Seven, I'll..." B'Elanna sighed. "Alright, tell you what. I have a dermal regenerator in my office. I'll have a look at your back and if it can be helped with the dermal regenerator I'll do it. But if it needs treatment from the Doctor then we go to sickbay."
"Lieutenant I,"
"Seven, don't be so too damn stubborn for your own good. If we talk any longer your back would be already healed by now. My office, now. Or else..."
"Or else?"
"Or else I'll play the good little Starfleet officer and tell on you. So get."
"Very well," Seven relented as she preceded B'Elanna to the office. "Lieutenant. Why do you have a dermal regenerator in your office?"
Now B'Elanna grinned. "Because I got sick and tired of going to sickbay with bloody knuckles and hearing the doctor ask who I punched out now."
"So who did you punch that you ended up with bloody knuckles?"
"Only inanimate objects, I promise," B'Elanna assured with a grin.
She gave the computer the command to lock the door and pointed to one of the two chars in front of her desk. "Sit sideways on the chair, with your back to the other chair."
B'Elanna opened us one of the drawers in her desk and took out the dermal regenerator. She moved around the desk and sat down on the other chair, facing Seven's back. "Alright, let's see that back."
A moment later, Seven had stripped down her biosuit to her waist and B'Elanna got a good look at Seven's wounds. She quickly realized that those weren't just any kind of wounds. On either side on Seven's back there were four parallel lines that went almost from her spine all the way to her sides.
"What the... Seven, maybe it's time you talked with the Captain."
"Why would I need to talk with the Captain?" Seven asked confused.
"Look, just like everyone else on the ship, I know that you are pretty much living with Zanitear and only go to the cargo bay to regenerate. But that's no reason for you for you to stay in an abusive relationship. You are roommates, but that doesn't mean that she can do anything she wants to you."
"What gives you the idea that Zani is abusive to me?" Seven asked bewildered, twisting to look at B'Elanna.
B'Elanna pointed at Seven's back. "What do you call this if not abuse?"
"I consider it a compliment."
"A compliment?" B'Elanna asked, not believing her ears.
"Yes. It means that I was so good that Zani lost control over her claws."
"What do you mean, so good that..." Suddenly the scratches got a whole new meaning for B'Elanna. B'Elanna herself had inflicted similar scratches to someone's body herself. Only difference was that B'Elanna had normal fingernails and not sharp claws. She realized that she had inflicted those scratches while lying underneath that other person and enjoying a rather intense orgasm. "Oh. You and Zani were... um... you know."
"Zani is very selective with whom she allows to call her Zani. Please call her Zanitear, Lieutenant. And yes, we were making love when you called me. You have impeccable timing at times; Zani went from shouting 'yes,' to shouting 'no,' in three seconds flat."
"And the two minutes I gave you were just enough to jump into that biosuit," B'Elanna said, cringing slightly at her own timing. She also wondered why the thought of Seven making love to Zanitear actually unsettled her. "Sorry about that. I really thought that you were only roommates of sorts."
"It is quite alright, Lieutenant. I myself am surprised with the lack or gossip about me and Zani."
Realizing that the situation was different than she first thought, B'Elanna started to heal the scratches that were still seeping a little blood. "I think it's simply too obvious. I mean, catching people standing really close in some corner or spending a lot of time together on the holodeck, that will get the gossip flowing. But you pretty much moved to the V.I.P. quarters within two weeks of her becoming part of the crew. We pretty much all though that it was just a case of you finally getting along with someone and the Captain jumping on the idea and assigning the V.I.P. quarters your quarters as well."
"Sounds plausible. There is just one problem; officially I still do not have any quarters at all. Everyone willing to take one minute to ask the computer would have known that."
"Come on, Seven. Since when did anyone on Voyager ever take the time to check something out before talking about it?" B'Elanna asked with a chuckle before tapping softly against Seven's back. "Does this happen often? I mean, um, you know."
"We have a dermal regenerator in our bedroom, we are prepared. But it has only happened five times until now. Zani's claws are something we normally keep in mind, and have learned to work with. Normally Zani has full control over her claws, but sometimes her orgasm is so intense that she accidentally extents her claws."
"Like a great orgasm can make me curl my toes," B'Elanna said in under standing before realizing what she had just said. "Oh, damn, you did not hear that."
"Considering what I am telling you about me and Zani, I think we can agree to 'forget' this conversation as soon as I am out of the door."
"Alright," B'Elanna grinned. "So, how did you manage to work around the problem?"
"Zani and I learned to give and take in turns. Normally that is sufficient, and the few times that Zani scratches me, at least it was my back and shoulders."
"Why is it so important to give and take in turns?"
"Lieutenant..."
"Seven, considering what we are talking about, I think you can call me B'Elanna."
"Very well. B'Elanna. I am surprised that you would ask that question. If we were to give and take at the same time, just where do you think Zani's hands, and claws, would be when I make her orgasm?"
"Oh! Right. Ouch, that would really hurt."
"Indeed. While I can ignore bodily pain mostly and therefore can ignore the majority of Zani's scratches, even I cringe at the thought of being hurt... there."
"Don't... don't you think Zani, sorry, Zanitear would have a problem with you telling me this?"
"Not at all. Zani does not have the shame of sex that Humans have. However, I would prefer it if you did not tell anyone what I told you. After all, I am Human."
"I promise."
"Very well."
"So, if you think she doesn't mind you telling me, do you mind me asking how she is? I mean, I guess that she is great, she has these big fingers after all."
Seven frowned. "I wonder what the fascination with size is for most people? Zani made a similar remark once, that I loved the fact that she has large fingers. Truthfully, yes, one of her fingers is a nice fit, but the size of her finger also has drawbacks. Sometimes there are occasions where I want to be filled just a little more. If her fingers were the same size as mine, Zani could simply add a third finger. Now she can not add more fingers. We tried, and two of her fingers are too uncomfortable for me."
"But she still has the length though."
Seven actually shrugged at that remark.
"Don't do that," B'Elanna warned as she momentarily stopped her treatment of the scratches.
"I apologize." Seven made sure her back was still before continuing. "Again, Zani does indeed fill me nicely, but I receive more pleasure from being entered than from the length of the stroke, so to speak. As I told Zani once, if I had to choose between her fingers and her tongue, I would choose her tongue. In fact, there are times where I prefer to not be entered at all. Zani is extremely talented with her tongue, and able to give me several orgasms before she tires of constantly moving her tongue. About half of the times we make love, I prefer to feel her giving me oral satisfaction as to being penetrated by the deep strokes a lot of people seem to find so important."
"Three more," B'Elanna said, indicating how many scratches still needed treatment.
"B'Elanna, may I ask you a question?"
"Considering what I just asked you, I don't really think I could deny you answer."
"Why are you asking me about Zani and me? I doubt that you would ask me similar questions if I had entered into a relationship with another woman on the ship."
B'Elanna chuckled. "It's plain to see that you never did any girl talk. Seven, of course I would have asked you all of this, as soon as I had discovered that you were going to tell me. Do you really think that women don't talk about sex as much as the men do? Sure we do. The difference is in the fact that the men normally boast about this and that, while we women simply tell it as it is; the good and the bad. But I also have to admit that the concept fascinates me."
"Sex between women?" Seven asked confused.
"No. Um, now it's my turn to ask you to not tell anyone this..."
Seven's short nod was enough for B'Elanna.
"The concept of sex between women sure isn't new to me, if you catch my drift. Been there, done that... would love to do it again. No, what I mean is the concept of having sex with a different species. I mean, let's face it, Zanitear is basically a cat."
"And a Cardassian is basically a lizard. Would you have said the same if I had entered into a relationship with a Cardassian?"
"No, it's... well..."
"I am actually surprised that you of all people would say that, B'Elanna. After all, a Human is basically nothing more than an ape while a Klingon is basically nothing more than a bear. You can be glad that your parents did not think as you do; otherwise you would never have been born. After all, you are basically a mix between an ape and a bear."
"Oh, Kahless, Seven. I worded that badly. Forget I said that and let me try again."
"Very well, I will give you one chance to climb out of the hole you just dug yourself." Since Seven was still sitting with her back to B'Elanna, the Klingon couldn't see the small smile that Seven was sporting.
"Thanks. What I was trying to say is that it's interesting because she is of a species that is unknown, and I don't know any species I can really compare her with. For instance, if you had told me that you were involved with a Human, Trill, Bajoran, or something like that I would have a general idea of the how and what. Those species are so known in the Federation that we pretty much think that sexually they are all the same. Which is of course not true, but still."
"But Zani is so different from any species you know that all about her fascinates you, including her sex life. Tell me, B'Elanna, do you find Zani alluring?"
"I would be lying if I said that I didn't find her interesting," B'Elanna was forced to admit.
"And you want to know what her and my sex life is like... do you want to have sex with her?"
"Kahless, Seven, you don't give any free passes, do you?" B'Elanna asked as she put the dermal regenerator on the desk, having finished healing Seven's back. "Look, I'll admit, had she shown any interest in me, and had she and you not be involved, and had she promised me that there would be no strings, then I would have stayed the night if she had asked me to stay. But now... that appeal about her is gone. I want that to be clear to you, Seven. I'm not going to try to come between you. In fact, if she would offer now that I know that you and she are involved I would decline."
"But that does not mean that you will stop wondering. Wondering what her breasts feel like, how her nipples feel and taste in your mouth, what 'going down' on her will taste like, if the fact that she has fur around her genitalia will not be a drawback... which it is not, I assure you. Or weather, "
"Alright, stop it Seven," B'Elanna interrupted. "Now you are just being mean."
Seven looked over her shoulder and treated B'Elanna to a smile. It was the first time that B'Elanna could ever remember seeing a smile on those lips and she realized that Seven had a beautiful smile. "Yes, I am mean. I thought it was only fair. You fantasize about my girlfriend, and I remind you of the actual facts that I can do and you can only think of."
"And I think that it's time we moved to another conversations area," B'Elanna said, not wanting to admit that Seven's words had indeed made her want to spend a night with Zanitear even more. But what B'Elanna had told Seven was true. Even if Zanitear would now come to her and offer, B'Elanna would decline. She would never do that to Seven. She wouldn't even have done that to Seven if she had still hated her. B'Elanna was just not that kind of woman.
"Very well. If you prefer to talk about something else... there is something you mentioned before that made me wonder about something else."
"What?" B'Elanna asked. She knew that she really should tell Seven to get dressed, or at least turn around again. But she figured that having a little secret wasn't that bad. So what if Seven didn't know that B'Elanna's eyes were fully Klingon, and that her field of focused vision was a lot wider than that of a Human. Was it really so bad that Seven didn't know that B'Elanna could, and did, take in the vision of one of Seven's naked breasts while she was still looking Seven in the eyes?
"Two months ago you hated me with a vengeance. If I did not have a direct order from the Captain to be in Engineering you would always tell me to get out. Two days before I met Zani we had an altercation in which you called me a 'cold, heartless, bitch'. Then, after I got involved with Zani, you started to act different towards me. You went from yelling at me to get out, to calling me for help today. I always assumed that the fact that I was in a relationship with Zani had shown you that I am not a 'cold, heartless bitch', but you just told me that you did not know Zani and I were romantically involved. Why did you change your behavior towards me?"
B'Elanna sighed. She was thinking of denying Seven's words, but she and Seven were making some kind of new start at the very moment, and she really didn't want to mess that up. So she decided to fess up.
"You are forgetting something that happened at the same time. You got involved with Zanitear at the same time Shanzia came to Voyager. It was that day in that bar, when you protected Shanzia, that's when things changed for me. I won't kid you, Seven, and I also won't apologize, before that time you were a cold and heartless person to me. You can say what you want, you acted that way towards me, and I replied in kind."
"And me protecting the little mouse changed that... how?"
"Cold, heartless people don't risk their life to protect children; they sit back and try to make sure they themselves don't get hurt. It was then that I learned that there must be a deeper level to you, so I decided to give you a break."
"And because you started to treat me differently, I started to treat you differently," Seven said in understanding.
Now B'Elanna grinned. "Yeah, you almost floored me the first time you used a please."
"Had I known how effective the word was in dealing with you, I would have used it before."
"Alright, as much as I like this conversation, I should get my sleep; I have duty again in six hours. Get dressed and get home, if you're lucky, Zanitear is still waiting for you."
"I know she is; she promised me that it was 'my turn' when I would get back, and Zani always keeps her promises."
"Great, just what I needed to know when I go crawl into my cold, empty bed; that someone else is getting lucky while I'm trying to get some sleep," B'Elanna said with a fake groan as she looked at Seven's back being covered once more with a bio-suit. "You really need to take a bath or a shower, Seven," She pointed out. "There is a lot of dried blood on your back. Also don't forget that you have blood stains on that biosuit."
"Do not worry, B'Elanna. I know that people assume that my biosuit are very resilient, but the fact is that the fabric is comparable with the fabric that Federation uniforms are made of. The only two differences are that the fabric regulates body-heat and that the fabric is quite elastic. Making sure that the fabric is tight against my body so that it can regulate my body-heat, and does not impair my movements."
"You point being?"
"My point being... that I have to change clothing every day, just like you do." Having her biosuit back in order, Seven stood and turned to face Seven. "B'Elanna, can I ask you one more question?"
"Sure."
"Do you think I have nice breasts?"
"WHAT?"
"I figured that after looking at my left breast for five minutes, you would be able to tell me if you like how my breast looks."
B'Elanna covered her face with her hands and groaned.
"Yes, I noticed. I believe Zani will be very amused when I tell her how you were 'ogling' me."
"No! Seven, she'll kill me!"
"Doubtful. But we will find out soon. Goodnight, Lieutenant."
"Goodnight," B'Elanna said with a sigh. "Oh, and Seven, if I manage to survive... I wouldn't mind if you keep calling me B'Elanna."
"Thank you, B'Elanna; I will. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. Computer, open the door to my office."
B'Elanna waited until Seven was gone before talking to herself. "Kahless I'm so dead. I just know it."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
The next day B'Elanna was on her way to her quarters after a long day of work when she rounded the last corner and saw Zani sitting in front of her door. When B'Elanna saw Zani lean forward onto her knuckles, she knew that she was in deep trouble. She brought her hand to her communicator, but before she was able to touch it, Zani had already reached her and tackled her to the floor. A second later, B'Elanna's communicator was taken off and thrown to B'Elanna's door, far out of B'Elanna's reach.
"Do you like ogling other women's girlfriends?"
"Get the hell off of me!" B'Elanna was struggling to get loose, but quickly stopped when she felt needle like points poking against the skin of her neck.
"You are too late; she's mine now. Try to get between her and me..." Zani didn't finish her sentence, but B'Elanna felt the pressure of the points at her neck getting a little bigger; saying more than Zani could ever say with words.
"I would never come between a couple; my honor would never allow me to do that."
"As long as we are clear on that," Zani said, removing her hand from B'Elanna's neck, but not moving off her. "It could have been different, you know? Seven likes you, a lot. If you had only been nice to her from the beginning. If you had, it would have been you that takes her to bed, it would have been you she would love, it would have been your name she moans. Do you have any idea how good she is? How... sweet? She would have given you the best love you can ever imagine; the physical and the emotional kind. You could have had it all, and you pissed it all away by being angry at her for things that weren't her fault."
"I know," B'Elanna agreed sadly before pointing out, "Look, I'm really not trying to start something with Seven, alright? It's just that I noticed that I have a second chance with Seven. A second chance at being friends, that's all. I don't know how Seven explained what happened yesterday, but I promise you, there was nothing going on but some girl talk."
"Just that Seven doesn't know what girl talk is," Zani said in complete understanding. "As for how Seven told me... in her way of course. She recounted the full conversation, word for word. But I know only too well that how you say words means just as much as the words themselves. The exact same words can be a compliment, or an insult, all depending of the tone of voice. They can be an observation, or a come-on. So I believe your description of what the conversation was. Of course, that still leaves the fact that you were ogling my girlfriend, what's your excuse for that?"
"None," B'Elanna said before deciding that maybe a little bit of bravery was needed. "She was sitting topless in front of me, what the hell do you expect me to do? Don't tell me that you wouldn't have looked."
Now Zani grinned. "Sure I would have. I love seeing her naked. In fact, when we retired to our bedroom for the evening she is normally always naked because she loves the way I look at her. As you might remember from my Homeworld, we felines prefer to be naked, so that's all the reason Seven needs to walk around naked as well. I love looking at her profile from every side. I love seeing that great back of hers, how she has this sweet V shaped hourglass look going with that slim waist, and how you can just see the sides of her wonderful breasts. And then if you look at her from the front,"
"Could you please stop tormenting me with what I can't have?"
Zani grinned at her. "You know something? I actually kinda like you. So I'll make you a deal. You'll be Seven's friend and I'll be your friend. Trust me; I'm a great friend to have. From now on, you can call me Zani if you want, and I would like it if you do."
Even though Seven had told her that Zani was very selective with who she allowed to call her Zani instead of Zanitear, B'Elanna had no way of knowing exactly how select the group of people was that she had been invited into. "Thanks."
"Oh, don't thank me just yet. I told you I would make you a deal; there's another part."
"What?"
Zani put her hand on B'Elanna's chest, at the exact place where B'Elanna's eight chambered heart was beating overtime. "If you ever scar Seven's beautiful soul, I'll rip your fucking heart right out of your body." B'Elanna felt the sting of five points biting into her skin and she just knew that Zani's claws had drawn blood.
"And don't think I'm talking figuratively. If at one point you decide that you no longer want Seven's friendship, for whatever stupid reason, then end it with style. I'm not going to threaten you not to hurt her soul. Friends occasional hurt each other; real friends work through that. But scar her soul and I'll kill you."
"You are insane!"
"No. Just very protective of my close ones; you should be glad with that, since you are now a close one too. Would you like to join Seven, the little mouse, and me for dinner tomorrow?"
"Wh... what?" B'Elanna asked, confused by the complete change of subject from being killed to being invited to dinner.
"Dinner. I love to cook, and I'm great at it... if I do say so myself. Six o'clock. Be there on time. No excuse save a red alert will do."
With those last words Zani suddenly moved of B'Elanna and disappeared down the corridor so fast that she was around the corner even before B'Elanna could turn around and look at her.
"Psycho!" B'Elanna shouted down the now empty corridor.
The only reply was the sound of laughter wafting back at her.
B'Elanna turned back onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She wondered just what the hell she had gotten herself into now. She looked down at the uniform covering her chest and sure enough, there were five small blood stains where she could still feel the sting on Zani's claws. B'Elanna grinned and finally got off the floor. Well, one thing was for sure; life was about to get a lot more interesting.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"B'Elanna? Can I help you?"
"Sure you can, by letting me in," B'Elanna grinned.
"I invited her for dinner," Came Zani's voice from inside the quarters. "I didn't tell you because I thought it would be a nice surprise for you."
At hearing the first part of Zani's statement, Seven had moved aside to let B'Elanna enter. "When did you invite her?"
"Last evening. B'Elanna and I had a little conversation; cleared the air so to speak."
"Ah," Seven turned back to B'Elanna and smiled. "And you survived I see. Congratulations."
"Thanks. I, um, didn't really know if I should bring something, so I brought a bottle of light blood wine. It's really light on the stomach, I promise."
Zani and Seven looked at each other for a moment before Seven spoke up. "Thank you. We appreciate the offer, but neither Zani, nor I can handle alcohol well, therefore we both prefer not to drink it."
"Do you mind if other people drink alcohol?"
"Not at all, we merely prefer not to drink it ourselves."
B'Elanna offered the bottle to Seven. "Well, then all is not lost. Here, you can keep it and offer it to me in the future. I love this stuff, and because it's so light it doesn't affect me at all."
As Seven took the bottle and while she decided where to put it, B'Elanna moved over to where Zani was working in the small kitchen unit that all the V.I.P. quarters had.
"Hey Shanzia," B'Elanna said as she sat down beside the child. By now B'Elanna knew the child well enough to know that she was of the really quiet kind, so she took Shanzia's nonverbal greeting back in stride.
Having the greetings taken care of, B'Elanna took a moment to take in the looks of the people around her. Shanzia was dressed in normal casual clothing, while Zani was walking around in a bathrobe, which, B'Elanna noticed amused, was the kind where the back existed out of two panels that were only connected into one just below hip level. She could see why Zani would prefer that since every so often the tail would peek through the split between the two fabric sides.
B'Elanna was pretty sure that the woman was nude under the bathrobe, but since it was a model that was held closed with two buttons and therefore could not accidentally show more than the designer intended, it was still considered decent clothing, if not fitted for all occasions on the ship. But people would also not look twice if they saw you walking to the holodeck like that.
But it was Seven's clothing choice that clearly demanded B'Elanna's attention. The blonde was wearing a set of gray sweatpants and a white stretch t-shirt. Since the t-shirt was stretched over her skin, it was very obvious to B'Elanna that the blonde wasn't wearing a bra, which made her guess that panties were also not included. B'Elanna guessed that this also explained somewhat why Seven had chosen a stretch t-shirt instead of a loose fitting one. It was clearly a mix between wearing a comfortable t-shirt, and at the same time have it be a garment that restricted her breast from moving too much so that she didn't need to wear a bra. The effect of the stretchy fabric being pulled over Seven's ample chest was not lost on B'Elanna, who thought it looked sexy as hell.
Zani leaned a bit closer and said softy, "You're ogling."
B'Elanna's eyes snapped from Seven to Zani. "I apologize," She said loud enough for both to hear. "It's just... not a look I was expecting. Let me guess, for the both of you, it's a compromise; something you can throw on easily when leaving the bedroom?"
"It is," Seven agreed. "It is not something I would wear when leaving the quarters."
B'Elanna shrugged. "You should if you are comfortable. It's not like people don't look at your boobs all the time now anyway. Those bio-suits show off every curve of your body; might as well wear something you like better, if you like it better that is. It's not like there is, um, something showing. Other then the fact that I can, um, guess from, um, shifted proportions that you aren’t wearing a bra."
She took a quick glance in Shanzia's direction, but noticed that the girl hadn't reacted to the words, and then remembered that on her Homeworld the girl was used to at least seeing the felines walk around nude. So clearly the subject of how breasts were covered by fabric were very unimportant to her. Then she looked back at Seven and continued, "Um, well, your nipples poking at the fabric more than they do with the bio-suit kinda gives that away too I guess." She shrugged again. "Still, I wouldn't get a second look if I was walking around like that since I often enough do. Only that I prefer a tank-top."
"But my girl would get looks," Zani pointed out. "But then, she always gets looks."
"That she does," B'Elanna agreed. "If you ask me it's the bio-suits. She might as well walk around in body paint the way it sticks to the body."
"You have an interesting point of view," Seven noted. "I will contemplate your opinion."
"Do you like alcohol, B'Elanna?" Zani asked as she continued with preparing dinner. She nodded in the direction of the bottle Seven had put down, indicating that way that she did remember that B'Elanna had said she would drink it, and that therefore the question was more an opener for a different line in their conversation.
"I would be lying if I said no. That's one Klingon part that I'm really glad of; the stomach. I can withstand a lot of alcohol, and the next day I even wake up without a headache."
"Do you drink a lot?"
"Oh, not at all. Don't get the wrong impression here; I don't get drunk every night. In fact, I hardly ever drink alcohol in my quarters. It's just that if I'm at a party or something, and if I decide to drink, I don't have to worry about my limit as most others on this ship do."
"The benefit of different species," Seven said as she joined the others at the kitchen unit. "Zani and I really can not stand too much alcohol, but Zani here can drink things that are toxic to the rest of us. The acid in her stomach is so strong that it can even dissolve duranium, if given enough time of course."
"But unfortunately it doesn't react with alcohol, which means that alcohol pretty much passes right through my stomach and into my blood."
B'Elanna grinned. "Good to know. Next time you want to have a discussion, I'll buy you a couple of drinks first." She saw Zani spear a piece of a vegetable with one of her claws and bring it to her mouth. "Invoking the age old prerogative of the chef, Zani; being allowed to nibble the food while preparing it?"
"B'Elanna," Seven said when she heard how B'Elanna had addressed Zani. "I asked you,"
"It's alright, Annika; I invited her to call me Zani. As I said, we cleared the air and know exactly where we stand. I also actually like her... So, I made her one of my close ones."
B'Elanna noticed that Zani had let out the stipulations about not hurting Seven, and realized that that little part of the deal would for ever stay where it was supposed to stay; strictly between Zani and B'Elanna.
Seven walked around the kitchen unit and pulled Zani close to share a long kiss with her. B'Elanna was surprised by the intensity she could see and decided to look away; she had the feeling that she was intruding in some way. She looked to her side only to see Shanzia looking back at her with a smile.
"You better get used to that; they do that a lot."
B'Elanna couldn't help but smile back, even when in the back of her mind it registered that it was the first time that Shanzia had talked to her without first being prompted by B'Elanna with a question.
"Thank you," Seven said to Zani, and B'Elanna figured that if Seven was talking, she and Zani had probably stopped kissing and she looked back at the couple.
"Shanzia just told me that you two kiss a lot," B'Elanna said with a grin.
"She is correct. We kiss a lot in front of her," Seven had put just the right amount of emphasis on the word 'kiss' that B'Elanna understood that Seven was telling her that kissing was all that Shanzia saw them do.
"Lieutenant?"
"Yes Shanzia?"
"Could you call me mouse, or little mouse? I don't like my official name."
"Sure, but only if you call me B'Elanna."
"Thanks; I will," Shanzia assured with a broad smile.
B'Elanna smiled back. She was amazed by the transformation she had just seen in the child. She had gone from quiet and timid to acting in a way B'Elanna expected from Naomi. If Shanzia acted in the same way with Naomi, B'Elanna could understand why those two spend so much time together.
"So are you going to move in here now too?" Shanzia suddenly asked.
"What?!"
"Well, you are one of Zani's close ones."
B'Elanna's eyes shot up to look at Zani who was looking back at her with a big grin. "Well, normally we felines always live with the people we selected as our close ones. B'Elanna, my sweet, you have no idea what you got yourself into when you accepted my offer of calling me Zani."
"No way. Look, with all respect to you three, there is no way that I could live here. First of all you only have two bedrooms and second of all, I would never get any sleep knowing that you two are only a door away making l..." B'Elanna could only barely stop herself from saying the last word.
"Making love, you mean," Zani finished for her. "Don't worry; the little mouse knows what it is, and also knows that Seven and I do that."
"And they do that a lot too," Shanzia chimed in.
"B'Elanna, you have to understand the situation," Seven said, wanting to make sure that B'Elanna didn't get the wrong impression. "The Little Mouse here grows up different than Klingons or Humans do. She will be in the 'teenager' stage in only a couple of years. We did not want her to be one of those children who believe that their parents never make love. We want her to know us for who we are. We also want her to feel comfortable in the knowledge that she can come to us with all her problems. When the time comes, we want her to know that if she comes to us with a sexual question, we will not be telling her that sex is wrong and that the answer to her question is that she should not have sex."
"My mother kinda told me that," B'Elanna agreed. "Even despite her being a Klingon, she didn't feel comfortable answering my questions."
"And the result of her answering in such a way was?" Zani asked.
"The result was that I went out and tried to find the answers myself in places where you really shouldn't find that out for the first time, and also with people that really shouldn't be the people to show you."
"At what age did you loose your virginity?" Shanzia asked casually as if talking about the course Voyager was taking on its way home.
"Kahless, am I the only one that finds it weird to talk about this with a four year old child present?"
"Eight Federation years old physically, ten year old mentally," Seven corrected. "And if you don't want to answer, than you do not have to. We do not want you to be uncomfortable. It is just that this is our home, and we happen to be very honest with our child."
"Your child?"
"Yes. My, our, child."
"Well, if she is the child of miss 'information is everything...' B'Elanna looked back at Shanzia before continuing. "I was fifteen, it was behind a dumpster filled with stinking garbage, and with a boy that I never saw again after that. And it lasted a whole of five uncomfortable minutes. You are very lucky, little mouse, to have found people that care more about you that my mother cared about me."
"I know," Shanzia agreed. "So, are you going to move in here?"
"No, she isn't," Zani said. "But she is going to spend a lot of time here."
"I am?" B'Elanna asked, crossing her arms. She wasn't sure she liked how Zani was making decisions for her.
"Yes you are. I cook every day, and you are welcome to all meals. But more than that, because the little Mouse has her own room, as do Annika and I, the rest of the rooms are general territory. Since you are now a close one, you are welcome to use those rooms as well without being invited. Go on, tell me that you would prefer to sit in your own quarters alone and read some PADD when you could spend that time with us. Talking, having fun. Or simply so that Annika can help you with some project you are working on. Or to play a game with the little Mouse here. Or simply to do nothing than read a little while hearing life being lived around you."
"Can't you just ask someone if they want to do something?" B'Elanna asked, all of them knowing that her not answering Zani's question actually was her answer to the question.
"Zani does ask questions if she does not know something," Seven assured. "It is simply that Zani also has a great observational ability. If she says something instead of asking it, it is simply because she is absolutely certain that it is indeed the case. She simply wants to skip the question and answer part."
"Don't worry, I don't really like to say 'I told you so,'" Zani assured with a grin.
"Let me guess, because you are right so often that saying 'I told you so' every time gets tedious?"
"Right." Zani looked at Seven before continuing. "Annika, please you tell her, or else she will think that I'm the one making all the decisions in this home."
"She does not," Seven assured. "We all three have an equal say in matters, and the little Mouse's voice counts just as much as mine or Zani's. Zani is merely the most direct of us in making decisions. Let me assure you, B'Elanna. You are welcome here, at any minute of the day. Please treat this as your second home. We only have one absolute and unbreakable rule. The bedrooms are private domain. Those are not to be entered unless invited in. And even if you are invited in, understand that it is one time occasion. After that the room is once again off limits until once again invited in. Zani and I do not enter the little Mouse's room unless she invites us in, and she does not enter our room. We expect the same behavior from you."
"You don't enter the little Mouse's room unless invited in? Man, I would have loved it if my mother had acted that way when I was a child... of course, it would probably also have meant that the chaos in my room would have piled up to the ceiling."
"The little Mouse is actually very tidy. She likes it if everything has its place and always puts things back where she got them. But we do keep parental supervision... just that she invites us into the room to do so," Seven assured.
It didn't escape B'Elanna that Seven had been talking about 'parental supervision', and 'my child'. Clearly she saw herself as a surrogate parent to the child. "Alright, that's a rule that's easy enough to remember. It also makes accepting your offer easier. Knowing that I won't interrupt anything by dropping by will make that dropping by an easier thing to do."
"Well, now that we settled that," Zani said as she lifted the dish she had created. "This will be ready after three minutes in the finishing unit; time to set the table."
Shanzia got up and walked to one of the kitchen unit cabinets and started to get out plates and silverware.
"Zani cooks, the little mouse sets the table, and I clean up afterwards," Seven explained.
"Ah," B'Elanna said as she got up and joined Shanzia. "Hey, seeing that I don't have a task with dinner..." B'Elanna decided not to react to the mumbled 'yet' of Zani. "...how about I help you?"
"Sure," Shanzia said as the handed the plates to B'Elanna.
"So, Mouse, you have been holding out on me huh? I didn't know you were so social."
"Zani chose you as a close one," Shanzia said as if it explained all.
"You have to understand," Zani spoke up, "that the little Mouse had to cope by herself for a few years. She met people, not all of them had her best interest at mind."
B'Elanna's eyes shot to Shanzia in horror.
"No, luckily not," Zani was quick to assure. "I'm talking about emotionally. The result is that the little Mouse lost her trust in people. But she does know that we felines have the ability to feel if we can trust someone. So, if I trust someone, the little Mouse knows that she can trust that person as well. Eventually she will grow out of needing me to know if she can trust someone, but for now it's simply how things are."
"I see," B'Elanna said as she finished putting the plates down. "I must admit that I'm surprised to find that you cook, and that you actually do it every day."
"Considering that for the rest I prefer to lie around and do nothing," Zani said with a grin.
"Well... yes."
"Don't judge me on what I allowed you to see until now. I'm actually a very active person. It's simply that 'I' want to be the one that decides when 'I' do something. But my activity is actually one of the reasons why I love to work in security with Tuvok. I get to play on the holodeck two hours every day that I'm on duty. Of course, Tuvok prefers to call it exercises."
"As would anyone else on the ship," Seven added. "The last 'play' program was the infiltration into a level three Cardassian prison."
"You're kidding."
"I am not," Seven assured. "Zani did not succeed in finishing the simulation, but Tuvok was very pleased with her result. He told her that it was a 'no win' scenario. Success was not measured in if the mission was completed, but by how far Zani would get into the prison."
"Alright, let's eat before its cold," Zani interrupted.
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