Finally Perfect

By Lisa Lubman

Disclaimer : I do not own Star Trek : Voyager or any of its characters , settings or anything otherwise associated , Property of Paramount.

This is my First EVER fanfic so please R&R any helpful hints, constructive criticism would be appreciated , thankyou x

Part 1

The play was about to begin , and she was no where to be seen. 1900 hours and 5 minutes , it was really unlike Seven to be late for anything. In his seat the Doctor began to shift uncomfortably and look to the empty chair next to him which he had thrown his coat on to keep. He was dressed in a smart black tux and bowtie . As the next minute ticked by he thought about how worried he had been about her lately , since voyager returned home to earth and she had been dating commander Chakotay she had become distant from him , irritable and defensive as her friend he could tell something was wrong and because he loved her he couldn't stand the pain he saw in her eyes when they last spoke "everything is fine" she had said to him before walking back inside her quarters the door closing in his face…he hadn't believed her but what more could he do?.

Just as the light dimmed and the curtain came up his holographic ears picked up the sound of high heels running down the centre aisle. A few disapproving tuts and glances from people as Seven silently pushed her way through to get to her seat. The Doctor stood up and took his jacket off the chair he want to give her a greeting kiss on the cheek but she just sat down , he noticed that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red where it looked like she had been crying.. Even though she was dishevelled she looked absolutely beautiful in her black evening gown and her hair put up neatly with diamond clips. Since the operations to remove her cybernetic systems and make her able to experience more emotion safely he had noticed she had become more volatile , but wasn't that inevitable ..still he couldn't help but feel like they were drifting apart day by day and as the play went on he found himself uninterested the words of the actors downed out by his concerns and their actions faded by the outline of her face . Seven didn't look at her friend the whole time she kept her eyes locked forward she knew if she looked into his eyes for even a moment he would be able to see the truth .

The lights came up again and everyone stood up to applaud , the Doctor hollowly staring at the stage just like Seven had been the whole night. When he turned his head to look back at her he found himself standing alone in the centre her small handbag left on the seat next to him. Picking it up he chased after her out into the foyer where some people milled and talked , a young woman grabbed the Doctor's forearm just as he noticed Seven stride out of the double doors. "Ah Doctor. What did you think of the performance wonderful wasn't it?" said the smiling woman looking up at him for a response. "Uh , yes very good" he said , bobbing his head from side to side to try and spot her "Excuse me". He made his way out onto the street , glad he wasn't flesh and blood for once because with all the jogging after her by now he would be gasping , seeing her walking purposely a few feet ahead he called out to her "Seven" and she stopped turning her head a little bit to look back but not entirely to look at him , and there she would wait until he caught up with her.

"Seven…" he said catching up to her side and handing her handbag across to her which she took , She was avoiding his gaze but he was persistent with her searching her until she made eye contact with him "What is going on…you haven't said a word to me all night and now you charge off without even saying goodnight , we are supposed to be friends seven friends are polite to one another they tell each other what's wrong , they talk!" She could hear the annoyance dripping in his tone and it made her wince inwardly , angry herself "I am aware of the connotations of a human friendship Doctor I don't require any more of your lessons!" She began to walk again angrily this time and he sighed reaching out with his hand he put it on her shoulder "I'm sorry but I'm concerned about you , ever since we returned home you've been irritable, distant ..we don't talk I barely even see you now days why are you shutting me out?" She felt comforted by his hand but angry too , she didn't want to talk to anyone , things here hadn't been like she imagined them and her pride didn't want to let her friend know that she was struggling to adapt to life on earth , life with Chakotay "I've been busy.." she said "I am sorry we haven't talked much…I will arrange another activity" He shook his head moving around her with his hand still on her shoulder , slowly and reluctantly dropping it back down to his side "That's not what its about and you know it , I can see that you've been crying is it about Commander Chakotay is he treating you badly?" He swore silently that if he had hurt Seven he would knock him all the way back to the Delta Quadrant , well, he wouldn't but he'd certainly give him a good shouting at . "Doctor , please I don't wish to talk about it " she tried to weave around him "Ah so then there is something to talk about?" she pursed her lips at him a bit and he sagged "Oh alright…but at least let me walk you home?" , "That is acceptable.." she said and they began to walk the few blocks back to her apartment.

Part 2

A few days later he was sat in his own apartment working on a report for Starfleet Medical about some of his latest research findings. Professionally he couldn't be happier , they had accepted and praised his discoveries and he had taken a place in the history books for some of his procedures. He looked over at his desk and the photographs on it , a picture of Tom Paris , B'elanna and Miral in her arms a charming photograph they had sent him for a Christmas present , they were doing well and he was pleased for him. A photograph of all the Senior staff at the coming home party , and then closest to him a photograph of him and Seven of nine taken the same night she had her arm around him and was looking a little uncomfortable but the light in her eyes and her slight smile showed him that she was happy , he put his fingers out and touched her face on the photograph it felt like he was trying to reach her through the glass in real life too.

The chiming of his front door rose him from his seat and he got up and went to the door , He was surprised to see Chakotay standing there in the doorway . "Commander…" The Doctor began , Chakotay was already looking over his shoulder into the room behind him "Is she here?" he asked "Seven…no I haven't seen her since we went to the Play the other night is she alright?" Chakotay seemed to be thinking about barging past the Doctor and looking around the rooms , instead he stood back and shook his head "We had an argument this morning over breakfast and I haven't seen her since. I thought she might have come here to you , or called you?" He shook his head ,thoughts running through his head at warp 10 , where was she what had they argued about , was she alright "I haven't heard from her , what were you arguing about?" Chakotay looked down at his shoes with his hands on his hips "We haven't been getting along very well since we got home , I .." he didn't want to say it but he had already started "I have feelings for somebody else , and Seven is having a hard time coping with this" . The Doctor was simply fuming , how dare he treat Seven like this , how dare he hurt her how long has this been going on , no wonder she hadn't wanted t o talk to him , she had insisted so hard on not needing his help with this in having "all the help she needed" with the matter. Now it was all going wrong. He gritted his teeth "She has been upset for

some time how long as this been going on Chakotay?"

"Since the homecoming party , Kathryn and me got talking about how things would be different now that…" The Doctor cut him off his voice loud "KATHYRN?! AS IN THE CAPTAIN?!" some people down the hall began to poke their heads out of their apartment doors to see what was going on , his face contorted with anger he leaned forward and hissed at Chakotay "Get out of here I haven't seen Seven and even if I had I wouldn't tell you where she was I cant believe you would do this!" he pushed the button next him with his flat palm hard shutting the doors in Chakotay face before the ex commander could even speak up to defend himself. The Doctor put his hand up to his brow and rubbed it. , what was going to become of it all? .

Part 3

He paced back and forth as Tom Paris watched him on the computer screen "Doc will you stop pacing you are making me feel dizzy" The Doctor sighed and threw his hands up in the air "6 hours Mr Paris…6 hours and no ones seen or heard from her ,what if something's happened to her what if she is hurt?!". Back on Voyager it was a reasonably small ship , even when she took her comm badge off and hid from him engineering he would eventually be able to find her but this was a big wide world , she could be anywhere frightened and alone . "I wouldn't panic Doc, she's smart enough not to get herself into too much trouble". Somehow he didn't find that comforting he put his hand up to his chin and rubbed it as Tom Paris sighed at the other end of the computer exasperated. A chime on the front door had them both jumping out of their skin so to speak. Leaving the computer on and Tom aimlessly trying to peer around it The Doctor would rush toward the front door Standing there in a dark blue dress her hair let loose and messed around her face , tears streaking her cheeks red and bag in hand was Seven of Nine she had never looked more beautiful to him. "Sev-" he began but she cut him off reaching out and throwing her arms about his neck and hugging him tightly nuzzling into his shoulder , he had never seen a display like this from her but slowly he would reach his hand up and rub her back "I'm so pleased you are safe" he said laying his lips amongst her golden curls.

After a few more moments of hugging she would pull away from him and seem to straighten herself , regaining that composure that the Doctor had grown to understand as well as love the past few years he had known her. "Commander Chakotay and I have terminated our relationship" she said "Seven I'm sorry.." She shook her head at him " I am not it is obvious we were an incompatable match , I was wondering if I could stay here with you for a couple of days. I think I need a friend?" He smiled at her "Of course , please come in" . He stepped inside and took her bag for her they both walked over to his Couch and sat down. "Doctor I'm sorry about how I've treated you these past few months , I didn't want to tell you about the problems I was having I didn't want you to be disappointed in me " . The Doctor couldn't have felt more love for her if he tried to , a lump formed within his holographic throat as he put her hand out to gently touch her chin lifting her gaze back up to him his voice drifting with sincerity as he spoke "You could never disappoint me ..I am here for you to support guide and care for you as long as you have need of me , you never need to feel ashamed for anything that's happened. None of this is your fault sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to" He thought about how much he had hoped that she might return his feelings , how he longed for what her and commander Chakotay had , the jealousy he had felt in the pit of his stomach when he saw them holding hands at the homecoming party , the kisses. And the new kind of feeling in his stomach the anger now that he knew it was all a lie he couldn't believe Chakotay or anyone would do this to her , she was so wonderful so beautiful so…perfect. He looked at her face and imagined how wonderful it would be to touch it every day , to kiss her lips to have her say his name in the way he wanted it to be said , to have her say I love you… I want you. Taking a deep gulp he lifted his eyes back up to look at her she wasn't crying anymore she was smiling..she was smiling not much but just a little , at him and just for him.

"You have always been so good to me Doctor , and I haven't always appreciated you for it …or thought of you" She began looking into his deep compassionate brown eyes , He was handsome , and he loved her. In many ways she felt like he had loved her better ,stronger and deeper than Chakotay ever had . For all the good times she had had with him she knew that his heart had never truly been hers , His heart was the Captains. But the Doctor's heart had always beaten for her ..and she had ignored it. Why? Because he was her mentor , because he was her friend because she was afraid to make that step that jump over the boundary that had kept them at just that for so long

"Seven you don't have anything to apologise for. I was just so worried you might have been hurt. Or" He was stopped when she reached out with her hand and put her fingertips over his mouth tracing there feeling them, He frowned a little bit "What are you doing?" he asked his voice and smile muffled a little bit by her hand . She smiled at him again leaning in across the couch and before he could protest she would say "Something I should have done a long time ago…" before leaning in and placing that first gentle kiss against his lips. The whole of The Doctor's body tensed and stiffened but after a moment he found himself kissing her, it was gentle at first , soft but after a moment or two it became deeper and their bodies would merge on the sofa and become one at last.

Somewhere on the other side of a computer screen Tom Paris was smiling and chuckling to himself "Way to go doc!" he said out loud watching the pair finally take the steps in the right direction. B'elanna came in behind him and raised her brow as her husband quickly shut down the computer screen "Is everything okay?" she asked. Tom just smiled "Oh yeah everything's finally perfect".

The End.