Winterfest
By Elizabeth Carter
"NaomiWildman, explain the nature of this activity." Seven of Nine formerly of Unimatrix Zero One demanded.
"Well I was thinking as part of the Stellar Cartography work you assigned me I want to use Astrometrics to chart a course for Father Christmas, so he can easily find Voyager."
B'Elanna who had stopped by the Astrometrics lab to pick up her girlfriend for dinner, tried desperately not to giggle about the puzzled expression on the tall blonde. She was leaning against the banister separating the dais and the computer terminals, simply watching the conversation.
"This does not explain why you have an overly large red felt sock with my designation inscribed upon with metallic fragments."
"Seeeevvvvvvveeennnn!" Naomi huffed. "It's called glitter. It's so Father Christmas can fill it with goodies. And he has to know which stocking belongs to whom. See I made one for B'Elanna too."
"They do not have mates and one is unable to wear them." Seven said. "I should like to give mine to Bella as her feet become cold at night when I am regenerating."
"Seven!" B'Elanna yelped out causing the young Katerian to giggle.
"It is true B'Elanna, your feet become cold. Perhaps if you were to cover your feet in these overly large socks you will not suffer so."
"No, no you don't wear them." Naomi said with exaggerated patience, before the Klingon could say anything. "You hang them up, then on Christmas Eve he comes and fills them with toys if you're good and if you're naughty you get coal."
"Coal is an antiquated source of combustible fuel…" Seven pointed out.
"Ssssseeeeevvvvveeeeeeeennnn!" Naomi said. "Come on do you remember when you were my age you had a stocking?'
"NaomiWildman when I was your age I was in a maturation chamber aboard the Queen's diamond."
This solicited silence in the others. Both Naomi and B'Elanna shared a remorseful expression.
"I am sorry. I didn't realize…" Naomi hung her head.
"Hey Spike, your heart is in the right place. This is Seven's first real Christmas; we'll go all out. We'll both be happy to hang our stockings, in our quarters." B'Elanna ruffled the long strawberry hair.
"Indeed." Seven, "Proceed with charting your course as well."
The sadness that marked the young girl's face earlier lifted and brightened as she with Seven's aid she charted the next sector of space for Father Christmas. It would take an hour to do so but neither adult minded the small indulgence, after all who could resist a smile from the cherub face of the wee girl?
Taking the read outs that had been down loaded into a data PADD, Naomi was overly excited that she would be allowed to share them with the last of her three heroic figures, Captain Kathryn Janeway. Not only did the girl want to deliver the PADD to the Captain but also she wanted to give her idol the last of the stockings she had made.
With Samantha Wildmans' instructional aid, Naomi had been able to create several of the stockings to hand out to her favorite crewmembers, B'Elanna, Seven, Neelix, of course the Captain and her mother all of whom considered her family. Each stocking was handcrafted from a bolt of red material that Neelix had traded for some time ago. Actually Neelix had gotten the red cloth for Kes but there was never a time where had felt he could give it to the young woman who had stolen his heart. The flurry Talaxian didn't think Kes would have minded the material now going to the youngest crewmember of Voyager.
B'Elanna was finally able to convince her girlfriend to take time off to eat, reminding Seven she had promised to take dinner with her. It was something the Klingon had learned from Naomi, when Seven became stubborn and wanted to finish her work in the Astrometrics lab or Engineering all you had to do was to remind her she had promised and she would comply.
It worked like a charm.
Just as the tall blonde was about to cross the threshold of her shared quarters with B'Elanna the Klingon stopped her lover and soundly kissed her. Seven gave no arguments and pressed her full lips upon the rosy satin of her lover's. Seven's tongue begged entrance into B'Elanna's mouth, but the smaller woman pulled away and chastely kissed her on the cheek instead.
"Mistletoe." She pointed up showing the blonde the small white berries and green foliage.
"It is known that if consumed phoradendron can be deadly." Seven said nonchalantly.
"A kiss can be even deadlier, if you mean it." B'Elanna retorted, grabbing a hold of the taller woman's arms, she firmly pressed her lips against her lover's neck, nipping Seven, until the blonde moaned in pleasure. Only then did B'Elanna pull away, leavening a shaky weak-kneed ex-Borg, leaning against the wall in order to maintain her balance. B'Elanna merely chuckled. She felt a rush of pride strike her hearts knowing she could affect her lover that way.
Once Seven regained control over her other functions she moved to the doorway and removed the mistletoe.
"Hey!" B'Elanna piped up "why did you do that?"
"If it is protocol to kiss an individual while under this plant I will not have you kissing another as you have kissed me." Seven was more than adamant.
"Do you really think I would do so?"
"I do not wish you to kiss another in any fashion,"
"Jealous?" B'Elanna chuckled.
"Borg do not get jealous." Retorted Seven.
"Huh-uh." B'Elanna nipped her lover's full bottom lip. "I like that faery-tale tell me another."
Suddenly Seven swiftly swept the Klingon off her feet and carried her to the sofa, where she placed the smaller woman on her lap. "I would rather you tell me what is the relevance of this holiday."
"Well it has different meanings to different people, BangwI," B'Elanna nibbled the pink ear as her hand started to tease the blonde tresses out of the austere bun. "On Terra, Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Christ, then there is Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah and Winter Solstice. Federation Vessels kinda lump them all together in a holiday called Winterfest, so that no one belief is overstated by another.
"There are activities that are universal like a special dinner and gift exchanging and story-telling, family, eating special treats that you only get to around this time of year, decorations, good cheer and all. A lot of other worlds celebrate some kind of festivities around the winter solstice on their planets."
"The Klingons do not."
"No, but you forget I am half human. Even my mother thought it important I celebrate this holiday time with my human relatives. My mother and tradition, you can't get away from it." B'Elanna smiled. "I loved to spend Christmas with my Grandma."
"Then let me wish you Flese Navidad, B'Elanna." Seven said in a voice that was soft, reserved only for B'Elanna's ears.
B'Elanna ran her fingers through the blond tresses. "Merry Christmas, Annika."
"Tell me who is Father Christmas?" Seven repaid the nibbles her lover had been tormenting her with, with her own nips along the caramel neck.
"Father Christmas…. Santa Clause well he is kinda like the Q, but good. He gives toys he and his troupe of elves make at the North Pole on Terra to the good children, there is a story about him called 'The Night Before Christmas.' My Grandma would always read it to me when I was little.
"I believed in him for a little while a kid. One time I asked my Gran if he existed and she said as long as I believed in Santa or Father Christmas there would always be a gift from him." B'Elanna chuckled "Even long after my cousins decided they no longer believed in the myth, I pretended to, just so I could get that extra gift. They were a bit ticked off that I was got that extra present. My grandma of course was the one to give the present, but she knew, I knew the story was a myth but she was happy to pretend along with me. I think for the most part she was trying to make up for my dad walking out on my mother and I."
"And Naomi is expecting this individual to arrive and present her with a gift?"
"Yep, so for her sake I guess most of us are pretending along with her."
"Is it not morally erroneous to deceive a child?"
"We…well…..she'll grow out if it like the rest of us did and she will have fond memories." B'Elanna said. "And besides it's kinda fun to pretend. It means a lot to her."
"I see." Seven said as she removed her lover from her lap. "Excuse me." Without further a word Seven left B'Elanna's quarters.
"Hon, where are you going?" B'Elanna chased after her lover as the tall blonde made her way swiftly down the corridors.
"To correct an error."
"Whoa wait …Seven…."
"Do you not trust me, BangwI?" Seven turned and regardless of the stares from the Delaney twins, Tel Celes and her mate T'lara, Seven placed kiss upon the Klingon's crest.
B'Elanna didn't follow the tall blonde but only watched as Seven entered the turbo-lift. Whatever Seven was up to, B'Elanna knew she could trust her lover without question.
Christmas Eve 2400 hours: Wildman Quarters
Naomi Wildman heard a slight commotion in the common room of her quarters. Thinking it was her mother playing the part of Father Christmas, the child crept out of her bedroom and into the common room. Her hazel eyes widened when she saw that her mother's bedroom door was closed and a rather portly male figure was placing a very large gift near the Christmas tree.
Naomi gasped as she saw the red fur suit and white beard. The girl had been undecided if the tales of Father Christmas were real or not.
Father Christmas turned when he heard the expelling of air, and smiled as his merry eyes rested upon Naomi. He raised his index finger to his lips and made a shhhh gesture. Then he placed the finger at the side of his nose and winked out of existence.
Naomi could only stare.
The door to her mother's room opened and a yawning blond came out. "Honey, you should be in bed, Fath….."
"I just saw him, Mommy. Father Christmas was really really here! He looked exactly like he does in the story book!" Naomi clapped. "Look!" She pointed to the massive box nestled in a corner.
Samantha Wildman stared. She had hoped Naomi a sleep so she could seek out and place a new Flouter story that would have been from 'Father Christmas,' under the tree but she saw the massive box she too was agog.
"Please.. please can I open it?" Four-year-old Naomi pleaded
"Um…"Samantha muttered, for the life of her she was trying to figure out who would have done such a thing. Of course Neelix came to mind right away, it would be just like him to do something like this. But he would have checked with her first. "Ah….yeah…sure…." She too was curious as to what was in the brightly wrapped box.
They would discover a highly polished lacquered red giraffe constructed much like a rocking horse. (Latter it was discovered that Neelix had indeed nothing at all to do with the sudden appearance of Father Christmas.)
Christmas Eve 1215: Torres quarters
B'Elanna snuggled her body closer to her tall lover, their breaths labored as they were both floating back to earth from sharing such intense lovemaking.
Seven nuzzled her beloved, drawing in the heady musk that was the Klingon's own scent. Feeling perfect peace as she always did after making love she was reluctant to answer the chip of her combadge.
"I thought you activated privacy mode, save for emergencies." B'Elanna grumbled as her hands lazily trailed along the trim waist of her blonde lover.
"I had." Seven intoned.
There was another chirp. Seven sat up, not bothering with garbing herself as she answered the comm.
"Sickbay to Seven of Nine."
"He better have a damn good reason for this." B'Elanna growled. She sat up behind the taller woman, her lips nipping her neck, her arms encircling her waist, her hands snaking up to cup the naked breasts.
Seven shifted trying to gain a small measurement of control. "Seven here."
"Its done, and I made sure I made a small noise so Naomi would notice. And I disappeared just like described in the book, now I would appreciate it if you realigned my matrix back to normal parameters."
"Thank you doctor." Seven giggled as B'Elanna's tongue flickered out to taste the starburst implant below her right ear.
"Seven?" The Doctor's voice rose in question.
"I will realign your matrix 'Father Christmas' tomorrow, B'Elanna is inciting foreplay protocols and I want very much to comply."
"Seven!" B'Elanna yelped her caramel features darkening in embarrassment.
"Ah.. um…" The doctor stumbled. "Yes well then Merry Christmas, Seven, B'Elanna." The photonic man tried diplomatically to ignore the moaning he heard on the other end of the combadge.
"At least someone is having a merry time of things." The doctor grumbled. Then the grimace turned into a smile as he recalled the bright face of the young child when she saw him playing the part of a folklore hero. The smile turned brighter when he recalled Seven of Nine's face when she requested the favor.
Christmas Eve: Sickbay: 1500 hours
"Doctor, I require your assistance." Seven stated as soon as she entered the sickbay.
"Seven, is anything wrong?" The bald doctor immediately took out a medical tricorder.
"You said if I gave you nine hours of my holodeck time you would one day repay the favor. I am formally asking for that favor now." Her back was ramrod straight, with her hands firmly clasped behind her back.
"Anything, Seven, what can I do for you?"
"Read this book, despite is elementary style it is informative to the part I want you to play." She handed him an antique style children's storybook entitled 'T'was the night before Christmas.'
"A holoprogram?" The doctor was beaming as he was being allowed to be apart of Seven's holodeck time.
"Not specifically no. You will play Father Christmas. I am going to realign your matrix to appear as this individual. You will then take a gift I have stored in Cargo Bay Two, to the Wildman Quarters. Here you will set the gift aside by the decorated dead evergreen tree. Make a disturbance so that Naomi Wildman is alerted to your presence. According to the protocols in the story you will then vacate their quarters once she has seen you."
"Seven, I am a Doctor not Santa Claus." The photonic man pouted.
"Please, this is important to me."
That was all it took to convince the hologram. "Very well."
Seven gave a full-blown toothy smile, something so far only B'Elanna and on the extreme rare occasion Naomi had seen. "Thank you, Doctor. And Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Seven."
Christmas Morning: Torres quarters
"Seven, you are a softy," B'Elanna said as she wrapped her arms around her lover. She had learned what her beloved had arranged the night before for Naomi. This might have been Seven's first Christmas since the severance from the Borg, but it would be one of the most remembered in the young Kataarian's mind.
"Borg are not soft," Seven commented with a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Mine is," B'Elanna said. "And I love you for it." She kissed willing lips.
"Yes," Seven muttered into B'Elanna's mouth, "I am yours." Another kiss. "Is it permissible to stay in bed on Christmas morning?"
"Well normally there are gifts to open," B'Elanna said. "And I have a few for you."
"As I for you, BangwI. For now I wish to spend Christmas holding the one soul I love above all others."
B'Elanna snuggled closer to the tall blonde; her dark eyes brimming with unshed joyful tears. "I'd like nothing better, BangwI. Merry Christmas."
"And to you, my Klingon," Seven's lips were warm upon her lover's ridged forehead.
The End