A/n: I've revised enough for today so here's a fluffy little Easter themed one-shot. I hope you all like it. :D It's set shortly after the episode "Natural Law".
The soft swoosh of Astrometrics' doors made its occupants, Icheb and Seven of Nine, turn away from their respective console in unison to face the newcomer, a bright eyed and flushed Naomi Wildman. "Are you alright Naomi?" Icheb asked in concern as he watched her trying to catch her breath.
Naomi gave a breathless giggle, "I'm fine Icheb, I just…ran here…all the way from the Mess Hall."
Seven frowned at the little girl apprehensively as she handed her a glass of water, which was gratefully gulped down. "For what reason?" she probed bluntly.
"Because I've got good news!" Naomi exclaimed excitedly, "Ensign Kim was telling Neelix and me all about Easter, the old Earth tradition, and Neelix liked it so much he decided to hold a special cooking class all about chocolate!"
Seven and Icheb exchanged blank glances at this, for them at least, unenlightening information. "Chocolate?" Icheb murmured to Seven under his breath, "My research on Easter led me to believe that it is a festival based on heavenly resurrection, what has chocolate…"
Seven shrugged unconcernedly, she had stopped trying to follow the complexities of human reasoning when it came to celebrations, instead focusing on Naomi's continued explanation. "He's starting the class now; will you come with me Seven?" The girl turned her pretty young face up to Seven expectantly, "Everyone knows you're better than even Neelix at cooking!" Seven shot Icheb a sharp look when he muffled a laugh at the unembarrassed bluntness of the statement. "Ensign Kim, Lieutenant Paris, Commander Chakotay…" Naomi didn't fail to notice Seven's slight blush at the name, "…even Tuvok will be there." Naomi coaxed her reluctant friend before pulling out what she considered her ultimate trump card, "Neelix promised we could eat whatever we make! Chocolate eggs and bunnies, cake, mousses…"
Seven stepped back against her console defensively, "Naomi, I have duties to conduct here. Besides I have never attempted to make confectionary before and I've attended the cookery classes before, even when the Commander requested my presence…" She cringed upon revealed that information, able to feel the blood rushing unnaturally quickly to her face as Icheb as well as Naomi stared at her incredulously.
"Commander Chakotay asked you to go to a class with him and you said no?" Naomi questioned disbelievingly, "Why?"
"I…" Seven stuttered out as she caught both children's curious eyes then sighed in exasperation at her own ill-advised slip of the tongue. Now she was cornered. "The week that he asked me was very…stressful." She admitted, "I didn't feel prepared for such a gathering…"
Naomi had known Seven long enough to know when to back off. "Oh, okay." She replied simply, "But I'll be with you this time, so you won't be alone, and Chakotay is going to this class too so you'll see him too." She said this last part with a knowing glint in her eye which made Seven flinch.
"Can't your mother go with you…" She began, trying to suppress feelings of guilt as Naomi's face instantly fell.
"She can't, she's on a double shift right now." Naomi answered sadly, "And Neelix says I need an adult with me because we're melting chocolate and he doesn't want me to get burned. He'll be busy with everyone else." She gazed up at Seven pleadingly, "It'll be fun Seven, please come."
Seven swallowed hard, if it had been for her own sake alone she would've declined in a heartbeat, but she'd always found it difficult to disappoint Naomi and this time was no exception, especially since she knew the chocolate class had probably been arranged mostly for the little girl's sole enjoyment. "If you truly want me, then I will attend." She agreed softly, her heart warming to the prospect considerably when Naomi immediately gave her a grateful hug in reply. Turning to Icheb, she asked quietly, "Are you happy to continue working here?"
Icheb gave her an encouraging smile. "Of course."
Naomi clapped her hands in delight before taking Seven's hand in hers to lead her reluctant charge to the Mess Hall. "Great Icheb, we'll bring you back some chocolate!" She declared enthusiastically.
Icheb laughed softly as his reserved mentor followed the exuberant child out. "I look forward to it." He replied eagerly.
"Naomi, Seven!" Neelix's happy voice boomed throughout the crowded Mess Hall as his goddaughter entered with the former Borg close behind. He left the galley to bounce up the new arrivals, beaming from ear to ear. "It looks like you can get cooking Naomi now that Seven's here to help you." He pronounced to Naomi cheerily, "Why don't you go and get aprons and choose a station?"
"Sure!" Naomi agreed eagerly and sprinted off towards the galley as her new classmates smilingly looked on.
"I'm glad you could make it Seven, you've made Naomi's day." Neelix said warmly, "I can't teach the whole class and help her too."
"I'm pleased to be of some assistance to her." Seven replied sincerely, earning herself a blinding smile from the Talaxian before an unexpected crash of pans called him back to the galley.
Seven was just beginning to brace herself for the upcoming social ordeal when a familiar soft chuckle pulled her from her reverie. "I see someone finally convinced you to attend." Chakotay commented good-humouredly with an affectionate smile at Naomi.
Seven flushed in instant mortification. "It wasn't that your past offer was unappealing Commander, I just…" She was abruptly prevented from trying to explain her previous rude conduct any further by his reassuring squeeze of her arm.
"I was just teasing you Seven." He explained gently, his dark eyes warm. "I know Naomi can be convincing. She has everyone on this ship wrapped around her finger."
Seven found herself involuntarily returning his smile as she felt herself begin to relax. "That is certainly an apt metaphor." She agreed with a nod.
Tom, who had been watching this conversation between his friends curiously, decided to break in. "Oh, I don't know, I've heard Chakotay can be pretty convincing when he wants to be. Don't you think so Seven?"
"Tom…" Chakotay started exasperatedly, seeing with a falling heart that Seven was shifting awkwardly away from him.
"Oh, I'm sure." Seven replied quietly, deliberately avoiding Chakotay's eyes as she did so. "Excuse me." She murmured politely to both men as Naomi reached them carrying two aprons.
"You can keep talking." Naomi assured her lightly, "Our workspace is between Tom's and Chakotay's." Seven didn't reply, although she caught Tom shooting Chakotay a teasing grin, instead concentrating on trying both her own and Naomi's aprons securely.
"This is the selection of delectable chocolate based goodies I've decided to teach you all this delightful Easter evening!" Neelix declared excitedly as he pulled away the red cloth which covered the cake stand at his left elbow with typical flair. He pointed to the each level of the stand in turn, "Firstly, a chocolate bird's nest…" The class members' eyes all fell on a elaborate chocolate nest shaped structure with brightly coloured eggs and sugar candy chicks piled in it, "Then, chocolate sponge cake with fudge icing." Several people's faces fell when they saw the elaborate piping decoration on the example cake, how did he expect them to do that? Neelix was blissfully unaware of these concerns as he continued, "Of course we'll make the traditional chocolate eggs and bunnies using moulds but for the finale we'll be making chocolate mousse, coffee flavoured in honour of our favourite Captain!"
Harry Kim nervously put up his hand, "Neelix, are you sure we'll be able to do all that in two hours?" he asked doubtfully.
"Of course we will Ensign!" Neelix laughed confidently, "That is if no one else eats the ingredients first…" He shot Naomi a jokingly pointed look, making the girl giggle and rub the offending smudge of chocolate from her nose.
"Well, I won't have that particular problem." The Doctor remarked airily as he made his presence known in the room.
"We know that Doctor, you can't eat." Tom reminded him incredulously, "What in God's name is a hologram doing in a cooking class?"
The Doctor was affronted, "I have every right to participate in a crew activity and cooking is as much a skill as anything else, one you've never shown much of an interest in before Mr Paris."
Tom grinned wryly, "It comes with the territory when you've got a wife with Klingon sized pregnancy cravings." He answered, causing laughter to chorus around the room that quickly diffused any tension with the Doctor.
Neelix had to bang a spoon against a saucepan to regain the group's attention. "Let's get started then, shall we? For the chocolate bird's nest you'll need to melt 500g of milk cooking chocolate and get a large bowl of a traditional human food, rice krispies…"
After several attempts to shape chocolate covered rice krispies mix into something resembling Neelix's proposed bird's nest, the group moved on to filling egg and rabbit moulds with chocolate for refrigeration and baking cakes with varied success but a lot of hilarity. However, the real challenge came with what Neelix had christened "The Captain's Coffee Mousse". Separating the egg whites and whipping them alone took less than five minutes for Neelix and Seven, and up to half an hour for everyone else, to get right. By the time the most delicate step came, folding the fluffy egg whites into the chocolate and coffee mixture to aerate it into mousse, even Tuvok was getting exasperated. "Beating the Kazon was easier than beating these eggs in." Tom grumbled as he looked despondently down at his decidedly flat mixture before plunging the spatula in again.
Chakotay gave a muted laugh in reply, "I wouldn't go that far Tom…" He started to reply before becoming distracted by a frazzled looking Seven's return. She'd been weaving between everyone helping Neelix to sort out disastrous attempts at a technique only she so far had been able to master. "How's it going Seven?" he asked sympathetically, "Ready to declare a lost cause yet?"
She smirked at him wryly as she pushed a few strands of loose hair, which had at some point been dusted with cocoa power, from her eyes to inspect his and Tom's results. "A withdrawal from this task is overdue." She admitted, "Although yours could probably be salvaged Commander."
Chakotay stepped back from his bowl with a sheepishly relieved grin, "Be my guest."
"Hey, what about mine Seven?" Tom interrupted hopefully.
Seven narrowed her eyes at his by now curdled mixture and promptly emptied it into the nearby sink before giving him back the bowl. "Start again." She instructed shortly.
Tom visibly blanched, "Right from the beginning?"
"Yes." Seven answered uncompromisingly as she turned back to Chakotay, her sense of awkwardness rapidly returning. "Neelix asked me to direct you, not do it for you." She mumbled apologetically, the complete opposite of how she'd just spoken to Tom.
Chakotay rewarded her with a warm smile, trying to put her at her ease as he obligingly took back the spatula. "Just tell me what to do then." He told her cheerily.
"Fold the egg whites into the mixture to combine them, but keep as much air in as possible." Seven advised, "No…" She muttered almost to herself as he tried, to his credit he stopped immediately. "You're stirring it, I mean fold it…" She paused, staring at his hand, "May I?" Chakotay nodded quickly and she leaned over next to him, very tentatively holding his wrist. Somehow the heat from his skin seemed to travel up her arm to her face as she practically had to stand between his arms to direct his wrist properly. If she leaned back and he closed his arms, he'd be hugging her from behind, his head on her shoulder… She shook her head rigorously for a moment to clear such indecent thoughts, of course unaware that a similar thought had just flashed through his mind. "There. That is…satisfactory." She muttered hastily, having barely managed to do it herself when so distracted.
"It's all in the wrist, right?" Chakotay asked softly, in close enough proximity to her face for his breath to tickle her pleasantly.
"Ri…Right." She answered quickly, feeling her ears as well as her face redden shamelessly as she stepped out of their near embrace and made sure she hurried away to assist someone else before he could say another word.
Somehow, when the evening had finally drawn to a close, Seven found herself alone in the Mess Hall standing at the pile of chocolate confectionary she'd made. Even after giving some to Naomi, Icheb and everyone in the class who'd been utterly unsuccessful in their endeavours such as Tom Paris, she still had more left over than she knew what to do with! She'd certainly been the most prolific in the class by far…
"Wow, Neelix should give you a medal." An amused voice rumbled from behind her.
Seven whirled around to be faced with Chakotay, who was staring at her collection in awe, even as an adult. If he'd been six years old he would've been salivating by now… "Commander! I thought you were on duty…"
Chakotay shrugged sheepishly, "The Captain thought I needed more off duty after the ordeal that was that class." He saw her face fall a little and rushed to reassure her, "It was the most fun I've had in a while, but it was exhausting." He explained with a chuckle.
"Yes, it was more enjoyable than I'd anticipated." She agreed honestly before gesturing back to the pile of chocolate, "If you wish to take any of this, please feel free…"
Chakotay's eyebrows rose questioningly, "Hasn't Naomi claimed it all?"
Seven smilingly shook her head, "She wanted to, but I decided after the third bag that her mother wouldn't thank me for allowing it."
Chakotay nodded in understanding, "Good call." He looked back at the food, "You know, I didn't see you eat anything in the class, you do know that you're allowed to eat at least some of this yourself, right?"
"But it has no nutritional value whatsoever!" Seven exclaimed, her head bowing, "I cannot justify consuming any of this…"
Chakotay peered at her intently to see if she was serious, sighing when he realised she was and gently lifted her head up to his. "Who says you need to justify anything?" he murmured gently.
"Well, I…" Seven felt her breath stop in her throat as she looked into his eyes, then shamefully wrenched them away to stare at her collection in bemusement. "Where do you think I should start exactly?" she asked uncertainly.
Chakotay gave a ringing laugh, "I don't know exactly…" When his eyes fell on a bowl of melted chocolate from earlier an inspired idea struck him. "I know what you'd like…" He muttered to himself, heading for the replicator. "Strawberries." He ordered, quickly snatching the resulting bowl of fruit up as well as the chocolate and bringing it over to her with a conspiratorial grin. "Dip them in." he suggested when she shot him a confused look.
"Okay…" Seven cautiously dipped a strawberry in the chocolate and popped it in her mouth whole, instantly feeling her taste buds jump joyously to life. "Delicious…" She admitted to him with a shy smile as he grinned at her triumphantly, dimples and all. "Are these related to Easter too?" she asked as she dipped another strawberry and bit into it.
Chakotay's eyes widened in embarrassed realisation, his cheeks flushing as he cleared his throat. "Err…no actually, they're an aphrodisiac…" He mentally smacked himself over the head.
"Aphodis…" Seven started to echo in shock, very nearly choking on the strawberry she'd been halfway through swallowing and having to cough repeatedly before she could squeak out, "Oh…interesting."
"It is isn't it?" He muttered to himself, surprised when Seven failed to muffle a nervous laugh and soon they found themselves buckled over with laughter. "Listen…" He finally managed to force himself to say as their laughter abated to leave an awkward silence, "How about we go get something more substantial to eat, dinner rather than dessert?"
"Together?" Seven whispered almost disbelievingly.
Chakotay smiled encouragingly at her. "Yes, if you'd like that."
"I would." Seven answered firmly after a nervous pause, still staring at him.
Chakotay's face lit up. "Great!" he exclaimed in relief before impulsively giving her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the lesson too." He whispered in her ear as he pulled back.
"I'll happily do it again…" Seven replied in a rather dazed tone, flushing when she realised what she'd said.
"Me too." He whispered happily as he offered her his arm to lead them out. As they left, Seven glanced back at the strawberries. Whatever was aphrodisiac about them seemed to be highly effective…
A/n: I hope you like this as much as I liked writing it! PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think! :D