Lessons
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Prologue
Chakotay smiled as he passed the young Borg children; they had recently been freed from the collective and were under the care and attention of Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone herself. She was at the head of the group, her long strides causing the younger ones to jog after her in order to keep up. Only Icheb, the oldest managed to match her frantic pace. Seven nodded at Chakotay in acknowledgement as she strode past. He nodded back at her before pausing and calling out to her.
Seven halted immediately, the young children nearly bumping into each other as they failed to stop as quickly. "Commander?" She arched the eyebrow that carried her optical implant; it flashed silver under the overhead lighting.
Chakotay smiled at the children benevolently before walking over to join Seven. He leaned close, although he guessed the children could hear anyway. "Perhaps you should slow down your pace." He suggested. "The younger ones, especially Mezoti, are having trouble keeping up."
Seven frowned slightly, her deep blue eyes glancing behind her as she examined the young girl. "I did not realise, Commander. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I will adjust my stride accordingly."
"So, you are off to start their lessons today I understand." Chakotay asked politely. "The Captain informed me that she had handed over their education to you."
"Yes." Seven paused for a moment before continuing. " Although I wonder if I have sufficient knowledge to help them, especially in certain areas. I did advise the Captain that maybe Neelix would be a more suitable guardian for them."
It wasn't often that you heard Seven admit her doubts and fears. Over the last few months she had begun to open up more to others, whether that was down to the Doctor's so called social lessons, or the fact that she had progressed to the stage that she found it more comfortable to express her worries and fears was difficult to say. Perfection was no longer an ideal for her, she had learned over the last few years to see beyond the Collective's notion of it. They had been on a few away missions together very recently and Chakotay had found her company intriguing and enlightening. He had found her to have a wry sense of humour. The banter she shared, especially with B'Elanna, amused him. He had the same type of dry humor himself. He often found that some people did not even realise when Seven was joking. They always took her far too seriously. He put these random thoughts aside as he could see she was beginning to wonder why he wasn't answering her.
"I agree with the Captain on this point, Seven." He smirked at her and he could see understanding in her eyes as her lips curved upwards. She had been witness on many occasions to the clashes he had with Kathryn over certain things. "You are the only one aboard here who has a unique understanding of their needs. They trust you implicitly. Look at them." He gestured at the children, who were all listening intently with serious expressions.
Seven glanced at them again and took a deep breath. "You are right, Commander. I suppose I am experiencing that human emotion that you call anxiety. I want to do right by them."
"And you will." Chakotay said earnestly as he looked directly into her eyes. "I am certain of it."
Seven nodded again, the worry in her eyes lessening at his support of her. "Thank you, Commander. I appreciate your faith in me."
"You're welcome." Chakotay smiled back at her. He watched as slight redness coated Seven's cheeks before she turned away from his intense gaze.
"I better proceed." Seven said awkwardly. She had never felt awkward in her life, but for some reason, with Chakotay standing so close and the fact that she didn't want to disappoint him or the Captain, it made her feel unusually unsure of herself.
As if he could sense her mood Chakotay glanced down at the children and addressed each of them by name. "Icheb, Mezoti, Azan and Rebi I don't believe we have been formally introduced. I am Commander Chakotay. I would like to officially welcome you aboard Voyager and I was wondering if I could join you on your tour around the ship?"
Immediately all the children turned to look at Seven for permission to speak. She was still trying to process herself why the Commander would want to accompany them on a tour. She knew he had just finished a long shift. "You may answer his question." She hurriedly told the children.
"We would like that Commander." Icheb responded immediately, taking the lead as always.
The other children responded in a familiar fashion. Chakotay smiled at them all again reassuringly before rejoining Seven. He could clearly see the bemusement at his offer showing in her eyes. He wondered whether she thought he was keeping watch over her in case she made some sort of error. "I hope you don't mind that I invited myself along. I just thought I would enjoy seeing Voyager through fresh eyes." He said gently.
Seven's stiff manner relaxed a little. "Of course, Commander. We were on our way to the Astrometric's lab."
Chakotay smiled at her as he gestured for her to lead the way. "Ladies first."
A hint of amusement made Seven's eyes seem bluer than ever as she smiled wryly at him. She nodded and took the lead, going at a much slower pace then before; Chakotay and the children following behind.
A/N-thank you for reading this little story. It was just a scene I pictured in my mind after watching the episode 'Collective' which aired in season 6 of Voyager! I might expand it if any readers would like to read more. Nikki :)