Set directly after "Someone to watch over me" S5E21
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used, Paramount does.
This is my first attempt in Fanfiction, please be patient with me. I'm not a native English speaker, if you see a mistake please tell me.
Chapter 1
Tom had been waiting for his holodeck time almost ten minutes already, yet the holodeck was still in use. He tried to find out who was stealing his time as Captain Proton and pressed his ear to the door after checking for bypassing crewmen.
He heard a soft and slow played piano version of "you are my sunshine" which he recognized from one of his retro playlists of the 20th century. Checking for the program that was currently running he noticed that it must be the doctor playing in his own version of the Chez Sandrines.
"Computer, locate Seven of Nine.", Tom ordered after a moment, not at all wishing to interrupt yet another lesson.
"Seven of Nine is in the astrometrical laboratory.", the computer chirped. Tom nodded and after pressing the chime, he entered the holodeck.
Looking around in a version of the Chez Sandrines with dimmed light and no holograms despite the Doctor in his medical uniform Tom noticed that this must be an emotional hideout for the doctor. The EMH had just turned around to look at the intruder and his brows furrowed at Tom. "Ensign, please state the nature of the medical emergency."., he managed to say despite his mood and overall situation. He wasn't sure what else to say so he hold onto his ice breaker sentence.
Tom looked a tad bit confused yet he managed to understand parts of what's going on here. Pulling a chair to the piano he sat down and asked: "Now now, I guess someone is feeling a little lovesick right now. Want to tell me what happened?", he tried to look understanding and a bit sorry as well. Although the Doctor and he got their divergences, he still felt sorry for the EMH and as he had given advice before, he was more than ready to give advice once again.
The Doctors face was mirroring surprise as well as a sadder touch of emotion Tom couldn't quite read. The Photonic was discussing the matter inside his program – should he tell Tom what happened, or would the young Ensign laugh at him? Maybe Tom could be of help. After a moment the Doctor looked up at Tom and turned around a little. He reckoned that the young blonde pilot, who was known for being a female heart throb, could maybe help him with his current misery.
Sucking in a deep breath, he started: "Hypothetically, if someone had told you they ain't interested in romantic relationships at the moment, what would you do if you like them nonetheless?", the Doctor asked. Tom lifted a brow and looked at the EMH with his blue eyes which mirrored his sympathy quite well. He considered his answer for a moment, juggling with words to make his answer sound comforting enough: "Well, if your interest is directed at our former Borg drone I'd say keep trying. She might not know exactly yet what she is looking for. Truly, considering her lack of experience I imagine she might be cautious and probably even shy.", the EMH nodded while Tom tried to suppress the picture of Seven of Nine being shy. She wasn't, but it was nonetheless a fitting way of describing it. "She might even be worried it will distract her too much from work. She's quite into efficiency, isn't she?", he rambled on.
The Doctor let that sink in while nodding: "Perfection is her goal, a laudable one, and efficiency is part of that ambition of her.", he smiled softly: "You know, the last days had been memorable for me … as a mentor of course. She was taking so many steps forward, and yet she couldn't get herself to desire a relationship enough to strive for. I guess I've failed as a mentor."
Tom softly shook his head: "You're not giving you enough credits, she did made progress, it's a tough journey you know?", even though the pilot hadn't always been the Doctors greatest supporter he could relate to the feeling he was going through. It was as if he saw himself at the age of seventeen sitting there, wondering if he might have a chance with her.
The Doctor stayed silent, he was lost in thoughts as he looked past Tom to the place where he and Seven had been dancing.
After a while he asked: "So, what shall I do?", Tom placed his hand onto the holograms shoulder and said: "Show her that you value her presence and make her believe you are a suitable mate as she would phrase it. You need to get out of the friendzone. Show her you're efficent and worth her interest."
"But how do I do that? I'm a doctor, not a lady's man.", the EMH replied.
"Well, you're a scientist. I bet Seven can't be impressed with flowers, why not try it with technology? Listen to her, there must be something she stated should work better or should be improved.", Tom mentioned.
The Doc cupped the tricorder Seven had improved for him with his palm. Truely this could be the way to impress Seven and show her his genuine interest. He stood and looked at Tom, offering his hand to the blonde pilot. As Tom took it he shook it lightly and said: "Thanks Ensign, I appreciate your advice. I'd prefer if you could keep this matter a secret."
The EMH waited for the pilot to nod, then he left the holodeck and transferred directly to sickbay.
I would love to have a beta-reader. If you're interested please message me :) Chapter 2 is already in work, stay tuned.
