Work Text:
And I've seen my friends
Fall away before their time
And I've been afraid
That I may follow in their light
So I drink and love and whisper
All the things I know are right
Someday, I will leave this world
But maybe not tonight
i.
Seven knows she’s not someone who readily experiences awe , not someone who gets swept up in the feeling and the being of a moment.
And it’s not that she doesn’t want to.
It’s just that on the Borg side of things- she’s wired to look for the efficiencies in any decision, to ignore emotion and chance.
And on the human side of things- well, she’s just seen a lot of shit.
But she’ll admit that right now, after issuing her first command and dropping into warp for the first time with her crew, on her ship, she’s feeling it.
Around her, everyone else is feeling it too. Sidney tilts her head back and lets out a whoop while Esmar and Mura high five and Jack pumps his fist in the air.
Next to her, Raffi is beaming and when Seven sees her, she can’t help the growing smile on her face either.
She holds onto it for a moment- the pleasant buzz at the back of her brain, the warmth in her chest- and then drums her fingers against the armrest and gets back to work.
“Okay, everyone,” she commands with a remaining hint of a smirk. “It’s not like we haven’t been at warp before.”
“Aye, Captain.”
She turns to Raffi. “Number One, status reports?”
Raffi nods towards Mura. “Tactical.”
“Shields at 100%,” he responds.
“Communications.”
“All systems online and ready to roll,” says Esmar.
“Helm.”
“Nothing but smooth sailing, ma’am,” grins Sidney.
Raffi taps her combadge. Bridge to Engineering. How’s it looking down there?
Looks like a dream, Alandra replies.
She looks back towards Seven. “We’re good to go, Captain.”
“Alright then. Onward.”
Later- after several shift changes- Seven is starting to detach the pips from her collar when her door to her quarters chimes.
“Enter,” she says.
Raffi, having already changed out of her uniform and into a baggy shirt and comfortable leggings, walks in. “Been a long day,” she states. “Hanging in there?”
Seven laughs as she twists out of her jacket. “I am fucking tired .”
“Mm, yeah.” Raffi flops on the sofa at the side of the room. “Even for you, this is quite the adrenaline crash.”
As she finishes changing and takes a seat next to Raffi, Seven feels the smile creeping across her face again. “Good, though. I am good. ”
Raffi snakes an arm across the top of the couch and pulls Seven into her shoulder. “You were brilliant.”
Seven peers up at her. “You know I didn’t actually do anything today, right?”
“Oh, I disagree,” Raffi counters, and the vibrations from her voice rumble down Seven’s spine. “You hit the perfect balance of authoritative and warm, you sat in that chair with swagger,” she drops a kiss on the crown of Seven’s head. “It frankly was some of the best boldly going that I’ve seen.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Seven mumbles into her shirt.
“Maybe.”
Seven adjusts herself then to get comfortable, shifting down to burrow herself into Raffi’s side. She lets her eyes slide close as she listens to Raffi’s breathing.
“You could stay here tonight,” she says through a yawn.
Even though she can’t see Raffi, she can sense her raising an eyebrow.
“I thought we agreed that wasn’t the best idea- at least not right away.”
It’s not- but Seven doesn’t care right now- not really, anyways.
“Captain’s orders,” she mumbles.
She thinks she hears okay, at least for a bit , as she drifts off.
ii.
The way Seven sauntered into the room and perched herself on the very edge of the desk really should have been Raffi’s first clue that something was up.
The way Seven picked up the small paperweight in the corner, tossed it back and forth between her hands should have triggered something in Raffi’s brilliant intelligence mind, that was something more to this than just an early morning visit.
But she’s deep in reports, attempting to catch up on the backlog and trying to figure out why the data from engineering isn’t matching the readouts from the bridge, and therefore when Seven starts with a long, drawn out, So… nothing registers as out of the ordinary.
“I was grabbing some coffee in the mess,” Seven continues, “and I overheard Lt. Mura negotiating a time swap with one of the Gamma shift folks.”
Raffi, swiping through another spreadsheet, looks up for an instant. “We agreed to try being flexible with assignments, but if you don’t think that’s working, it won’t be the end of the world if you change it back.”
“He said he didn’t want to miss out on a training session.” Seven puts down the sphere and it rolls across the desk until it hits the edge of Raffi’s PADD with a thunk .
Something tingles at the back of Raffi’s mind and she focuses her attention forward.
Seven leans in closer. “.. training with the Commander. On the holodeck.”
Raffi now knows exactly what is happening.
She’s already pretty sure Seven isn’t actually angry (she’s had years of experience reading Seven, and also- brilliant intelligence mind), but she decides to play it cool- just in case.
“An important part of First Officer duties is the development of the crew. Well rounded lower ranks create the high performing officers of tomorrow.” She uses her best Starfleet voice.
“Mmhmm.” Seven arches her eyebrow. “.. and the holodeck instead of the training rooms is because?”
Raffi shrugs, moves her hand so her fingertips are barely ghosting Seven’s arm. “Variety is the spice of life, they say.”
Seven glances down at the connection, but doesn’t falter from her questioning. “And exactly what variety of things are you teaching them?”
“Oh, you know,” she answers nonchalantly. “Tactical moves. Strategy. Never know what you’re going to find out here in the vastness of space.”
Seven inches closer yet again, and when her fingers curl around Raffi’s bicep, she knows the gig up. Blue eyes bore into hers.
“Raffi- have you created a sort of fight club on my ship? With swords?”
Raffi bats her eyes, bites her lip. “Daggers, if you’re being technical about it.”
“ Raffi!”
She twists out of Seven’s grasp and puts her hands up. “Relax. Sidney asked me if I could teach her the basics, word got around, and now.. we practice. Hand to hand combat isn’t a bad skill to have- we do tend to have a predisposition to running into weird shit.” She pokes Seven’s shoulder for emphasis with the last two words. “All the safety protocols are on.”
Another eyebrow raise. “So that bandage I saw on Esmar’s hand yesterday?”
“Okay, most of the safety protocols are on.”
Seven hops off the desk and sighs. “Oh my god.”
Raffi gets up and meets Seven in the middle of the room. “This really isn’t any different than phaser recerts.”
“I know-”
“And didn’t you do things like this on Voyager ?”
“I did, but-”
Raffi figures it out then, and crosses her arms, reveling in her deductive reasoning skills. “You’re jealous ,” she laughs.
Seven immediately puts her hands on her hips and huffs, and Raffi immediately knows she’s right. “Categorically untrue.”
“All work and no play makes Seven a dull girl?”
She’s met with silence.
“Missing your reckless, freewheeling Ranger days?”
No answer.
“I mean, I get it,” Raffi drawls, tucking a finger under Seven’s chin. “Who wouldn’t want to look as cool as I do?”
“Sometimes I regret appointing you my Number One.”
Raffi shifts and hovers at Seven’s ear. “Mm, honey, what you did last night leads me to believe otherwise.
Seven’s breath hitches and Raffi knows she’s won.
She steps back and trails her hand down the front of Seven’s uniform before she spins and leaves.
“You know where to find us if you ever want to join,” she calls over her shoulder as the door closes.
Three days later everyone is prepping their gear when the door to the holodeck slides open.
Alandra notices it first.
“Captain,” she stammers.
“Oh, fuck,” Sidney whispers.
Seven walks in and picks up one of the daggers on the table, slowly rotates it between her fingers.
“Are we in trouble?” Mura asks, looking towards Raffi.
Seven takes off her jacket, folds it, and places it on the back of the chair in front of her.
“Alright,” she says. “First one to take me down gets four extra hours tacked onto their next shore leave.”
Raffi only grins.
iii .
“I’m surprised you’re going along with this.” Raffi positions herself next to Seven at the top of the bridge and leans her arms over the railing.
Seven surveys the situation in front of her. “Not much of a choice. Orders are orders,” she replies, tapping a staccato rhythm with her fingers, metal on metal.
Raffi raises an eyebrow. “I believe your phrase last week was, PR stunt thinly veiled as mandatory fun .”
The order had come down from Command itself- as part of the continuing efforts to repair Starfleet’s reputation in the eyes of the public post-Frontier Day, the Enterprise (now serving as the fleet’s flagship vessel) was to return to Spacedock for 48 hours, allowing family and friends of the crew to visit and experience a taste of life onboard- a “Day in the Life of Starfleet,” as it were.
Seven waves a hand. “I still think it’s a short sighted use of time and resources. But,” she relents as she allows a smile to cross her face, “It is nice to see everyone enjoying themselves.”
Laughter and cheerful conversation echo across the bridge- Esmar showing their partner the ins and outs of the comm station, Mura’s son squealing as he spins in one of the command chairs, Sidney and Alandra excitedly showing their mother the upgrades given to the ship before it’s rechristening.
Raffi hums in agreement. “I stopped by Medical- there were no less than four kids “operating” on Doctor Ohk.”
Seven groans. “I’m going to pay for that one later.”
A voice calls out from behind them. “Admirals on the Bridge.”
They both turn to greet Picard and Crusher as they enter.
“JL!” Raffi pulls the older man into a tight hug.
When they part, he looks over at Seven, and then back at Raffi. “Are you keeping your Captain in line, Number One?”
“Absolutely not,” she answers with a wink.
Picard laughs and gives an affectionate squeeze to her upper arm. “ Excellent. ” He then turns his attention to his left. “And Seven, we have been about, and you have assembled a magnificent crew.”
Seven nods and tries to ignore the heat creeping into her cheeks. “Thank you, sir. Their brilliance has little to do with me.”
“Oh please,” Beverly chimes in. “We all know that’s not the case. Also,” she drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “try not to Sir him. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep that ego in check?”
Raffi turns her head to snicker.
“Noted.”
The group continues to make small talk, with Beverly in the middle of a story about toddler-Jack aboard the Eleos , when Raffi’s combadge chirps.
Commander Raffi, a tinny voice rings out. Your guest has just beamed aboard.
Raffi’s eyes widen with surprise as she responds, letting them know she’d be on her way momentarily. She gives each Admiral one more hug and then excuses herself, Seven following mere steps behind.
“I didn’t think he was making it,” says Seven.
“I didn’t think so either,” Raffi responds.
They round the corner to the transporter room and find Gabe, who offers a smile and a wave when he sees them.
“Hi, Mom.” He wraps Raffi in a hug and then moves to shake Seven’s hand. “Seven, always good to see you.”
“Likewise.”
Raffi grabs Gabe’s wrist. “I thought you had a work thing you couldn’t move?”
“The project was already late, one more day wasn’t going to hurt.” He gestures around him. “How was I supposed to give up a chance to see an actual Starship?”
Raffi beams. “Well. Let me show you around, then.” She turns to Seven. “Care to join us?”
Seven smiles. “I would love to, but I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to stay on the bridge. Welcoming committee, and whatnot.” She gives Raffi a nod and a wink. “Give him the unauthorized tour.”
She waits until they leave, then heads back down the corridor to rejoin the festivities.
iv.
One of the first routines to fall into place is weekly crew meals.
They vary in execution (The Delta shift ops crew enjoy midnight waffles and ice cream in the mess, while the Beta shift engineers prefer coffee brought to them in the bay), frequency (once, after a particularly gelatinous experience on an uncharted moon, the Away Team opted to skip lunch in lieu of an extended shower cycle), and attendance (Seven attends as many as she can, Raffi always clears her schedule)- but they quickly become an Enterprise mainstay.
(When Raffi- out of curiosity- had asked Seven why this particular ritual was so important, Seven had leveled her with those deep blue eyes and simply stated, These people have given so much to serve- to be here, on this ship, instead of infinite other places. The least I can do is foster an environment where they know they belong. Raffi, in response, had thrown caution to the wind and kissed her long and hard against the wall of the Ready Room.)
Tonight is the Bridge Crew, and they gather around the long table, passing plates of paella and baskets of bread amongst one another.
“You know,” Sidney swallows around a mouthful of rice, “I read that Captain Pike used to actually cook meals for his crew. No replicators used at all.”
Raffi chuckles. “Oh, you do not want her cooking. Trust me on this one.”
Seven gives a glance and an eyebrow raise to her right, but says nothing.
“Not your greatest strength, Captain?” Mura asks from the other end.
“Let’s just say that the next time Admiral Picard comes on board,” Raffi answers, refilling her glass, “you should ask him to recount the great Cheese Debacle of La Barre, France.”
Lieutenant Sathia, their new Science Officer, adds her opinion. “Cheese? How do you mess up cheese?”
Raffi addresses the group. “What’s the single greatest threat to a starship?”
“ Fire,” everyone answers in unison.
Raffi gestures as Seven lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Alright, alright,” she proclaims. “I think the Commander has made her point here.” She shoots a glare towards Raffi, but with just enough warmth to let her know she’s not really all that annoyed.
Jack, seated at Seven’s left, leans over. “You know, as Special Counsellor to the Captain, I’m required to tell you this sounds awfully like insubordination. If you’d like, I can-”
Seven cuts him off. “Sucking up won’t get you too far on this ship, Ensign. Besides,” she looks over at Raffi who’s settled into a knowing smirk, “it’s not insubordination if the information is correct.”
“I’m sorry I started anything,” Sidney says with a laugh.
“Okay,” Raffi starts, changing the subject. “You know the drill. Who’s got something interesting they discovered this week?”
Esmar motions towards themselves. “So that dialect we heard the other day, mixed in with that recording. I couldn’t figure out why it was so unique sounding- there were pieces of it that I could isolate, but overall? Couldn’t place it. Sathia noticed a pattern she recognized and took a look- turns out it was botanical in origin.”
Seven makes an impressed face. “Plants.”
Sathia nods. “Yes ma’am. It’s long been known that trees have a method of ‘communicating’ with one another using micro-organic compounds. Turns out this species has figured out how to digitize those vibrations into something that can be picked up by their planetary translators. We’re going to see if we can tweak our shipboard infrastructure to recognize it.”
“For fun,” Esmar adds.
“Well. Okay.” Raffi grabs another roll. “That does in fact qualify as interesting.”
“Unbe- leaf -able, I’d say,” quips Jack. He waggles his eyebrows at Sidney and Alandra, who shake their heads and mouth absolutely not in unison.
They continue around the table, sharing discoveries from the mundane to the extraordinary, and after they are satiated and full- both physically and emotionally- they file out of the room to finish up their duties for the night.
Seven lingers in the doorway as the last person shuffles out. Raffi, midway through gathering plates to toss into the recycler, notices and crosses the room towards her.
“You okay?”, she asks, hooking her chin over Seven’s shoulder and wrapping her arms around Seven’s waist.
“This job is incredibly hard,” she answers. “ Incredibly hard . But sometimes- sometimes I think I’m doing alright.”
“Mm, I’d say you’re doing better than alright.” Raffi reaches and takes Seven’s hands, pulls them on top of hers, then nuzzles into her neck. “But it’s good to hear you say it.”
v.
“Talk about a blast from the past.” Raffi shimmys through the hatch at the top of La Sirena , bottle carefully tucked under one arm.
Seven, already perched on the hull, leans back on her hands and twists towards Raffi. “Took you long enough,” she says warmly.
“Wanted to find some of the real stuff,” she responds, gently waving the bottle. She takes a seat next to Seven, and shrugs out of her jacket. “Seriously though- you and me, on top of this rust bucket, staring at some unknown horizon while drinking our cares away?”
Seven laughs softly while she twists her hair into a loose ponytail.
“I mean, sure,” Raffi gestures up at the faint outline of the Enterprise , barely visible through the atmosphere, “we didn’t always have 500 prying eyes watching our every move, but..”
“I told them I don’t want to hear from them for two hours, unless someone’s dead. And maybe not even then.”
Raffi grins at that. “So, any particular reason for this nostalgia trip?”
Seven effortlessly pops the cap off the bottle and takes a drink. “Felt like it was time to get her out of the bay for a while.” She runs her other hand over the aged metal of the ship, feels the stories contained within dents and scorch marks. “Been through a lot.”
“She sure has.” Raffi balls her jacket up and slides it under her head as she stretches out, light from the waning sun sliding through her curls, setting them ablaze. “I’m hesitant to call anything in our lives peaceful , but this is pretty damn close. You ever think this is where you’d end up?”
Seven shakes her head. “I haven’t exactly had an existence that lends itself to gazing into the future.” She peers over the edge of the ship, watches the grass beneath them rustle in the breeze. “So, no. I can’t say that I did.” She glances back at Raffi. “How about you?”
“Content? No,” she says with a laugh. “Successful Starfleet career? Maybe. With you? Absolutely.”
“Really?”
Raffi rolls on her side and props herself on one elbow. “Really.” Her lips curl into a loping smile, the one that still settles low in Seven’s belly, all these years later. “My feelings haven’t changed since the day I met you, babe. I told you, we’re the Main Event.”
“Well that,” Seven lays back and mirrors Raffi’s position, “Is incredible foresight on your part. And incredible luck on mine.”
Raffi laces their free hands together. “Still okay with this messy definition of who we are?”
She thinks for a moment, and finds the answer comes to her easily. “I don’t think it’s really that messy at all. It’s you, it’s me, we’re together, we’re making a difference and writing our own story- sounds pretty ideal, actually.”
“And the sex is still great.”
Seven barks out a laugh. “Oh, the sex is more than still great.”
Her laughter spreads to Raffi, and soon they’re both giggling, the kind that ends with sides hurting and lungs wheezing. As they wind down, Raffi hauls Seven up and on top of her.
Seven’s arms brace Raffi’s shoulders and she pulls back to get a clear view of her. She catches her breath and turns serious. “You know, even in the low moments- I never stopped loving you. Not once.”
Raffi’s eyes are clear and bright as she nods, slides a hand to brush against Seven’s cheek. “I know.”
Their lips meet after that, kisses soft and familiar, their bodies fitting together in the ways they know so well, have known for so long.
Raffi stops momentarily, separates just a fraction of an inch. She flicks her eyes up towards the sky. “You don’t think they’re actually watching us, do you?”
Seven rolls her eyes dramatically. “Oh please. Like I didn’t cloak the hell out of us when we landed.”
Raffi’s smile is blinding as she surges back up. “That’s my Captain.”
They stay out there- together- until well after the sun sets.