-1Author's Note: My first shot at a Voyager fanfic. If anyone reads this please don't be too brutal and yes I am a C7 fan. So what? That's a great pairing if you ask me.

Disclaimer: Is this really needed? If I owned ST: V or any ST would I be writing a fanfic?

Seven's POV:

Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. The designation seemed foreign but familiar all at once to me. Was that me? Was I still that lonely drone separated from the perfection that was the Borg Collective? Did I still wish to be that drone?

I sighed, I honestly didn't know. I was no longer Borg but neither was I any longer that scared child who was assimilated by the Borg more than twenty years ago.

I looked at my image reflected back to me from the surface of the console in cargo bay 2. The image confused me further, it was a combination of my two pasts, human and Borg, I was neither one nor the other. This made me unique, I knew this but still I longed to be singular, unremarkable, and indistinguishable from the others of my race around me.

As I continued to ponder the nature of my identity my comm. Badge beeped and the Doctor's voice filled the room.

"Doctor to Seven," he said getting my attention, "Do you have any intention of reporting to sickbay for your checkup?" he asked.

I sighed, I was not looking forward to this checkup. I have not particularly enjoyed my checkups before but lately the Doctor has been lecturing me. Only a few weeks ago I had discovered the presence of a failsafe device within my cortical node and since then the Doctor has been trying to convince me to allow him to operate on me to disable it.

I sighed once more, I knew I really had no choice but to report to sickbay for further "nagging". I clicked my badge, "On my way Doctor," I replied and headed out of the cargo bay.

As I walked the halls to the turbo lift I couldn't stop my mind from wondering. I was lost in thought, thinking about the personal experiments I had recently ran in the holodeck when I barely managed to escape collision with someone coming around a corner.

I blushed slightly as I focused on the person I had almost collided with, the person I had experimented with having a relationship with, the person I had been thinking about only moments ago…Commander Chakotay.

"My apologies Commander," I said and quickly made to continue my path to the turbo lift.

I expected him to be his usual kind and indulging self, smile and tell me it was quite alright and be on his way but I definitely didn't expect him to correct his bearing to match mine and accompany me to the turbo lift.

"It's fine Seven," he said as he joined me in the turbo lift, "I was just coming to see you anyway." He told me.

"Deck 5!" I ordered the computer and turned to him raising my metallic brow questioningly.

He stood a little too close to me in the turbo lift and I could not help but wonder why.

"Heading to sickbay?" he inquired.

"Yes," I answered simply, I paused and then continued "How may I assist you Commander?" I asked barely able to hide the hint of nervousness in my voice. I really hoped he was not about to invite me to another social event as he had made a habit of doing lately.

I watched him closely and observed slight changes in him. He shifted his stance slightly moving his balance from one leg to the next and then back again, his breathing became a bit shallower and quicker, and unconsciously he wiped his palms against his uniform trousers.

I was curious as to what would cause these reactions but thought better than to inquire about it.

Commander Chakotay reached out and manually halted the turbo lift. Now I was even more intrigued by the Commander's curious behavior.

He remained standing close to me, looking at me as if unsure of his next move. The silence was beginning to become unbearably uncomfortable so I felt compelled to speak.

"Is something wrong Commander?" I asked uncertainly, unsure of what his response would be.

He gulped, he actually gulped, I heard the sound and saw his prominentia laryngea move up and down as saliva passed down his oesophagus. Now I was really beginning to worry. What could he have to say that was making him so uneasy? I wondered.

"I…I was," he stammered over his words and I waited almost at the edge of my patience, I was about ready to escape from this awkward situation.

"Yes Commander," I tried to sound encouraging but even I could tell I wasn't very convincing.

He smiled then and suddenly his confidence seemed to have returned.

"Call me Chakotay when we are off duty," he told me.

I nodded in acknowledgement.

His smile widened, "I was wondering if…if," he faltered yet again, "…if you'd care to join me for a viewing of one of Tom's movies later on the holodeck?" he asked.

I inwardly groaned, yes he was inviting me to yet another social gathering. I have been to see one of these movies before and I did find it amusing, however I have been actively avoiding social situations for some time now and have no wish to abort that particular mission.

"I must decline," I told him, "I have duties to attend to."

He looked hurt. Why?

"Please convey my apologies to Lieutenant Paris," I added.

He seemed confused by my response and as I reached out to restart the turbo lift he stopped me by taking my hand into his. My human hand tingled from the contact and I felt my face become slightly heated, however I did my best to remain stoic as he gently massaged a small patch of my skin with his thumb.

"I think you misunderstood me," he said still holding my hand.

I made direct eye contact with him, "Explain…please?" I asked and unconsciously held my breath waiting for him to continue.

"I was inviting you to a private viewing," he said, "It would be only the two of us."

I resisted the urge to gulp, to say I was stunned would be putting it lightly.

"You…you wish to be alone with me?" I asked, it was my turn to stumble over my words.

He nodded a small smile present on his lips.

"You wish to spend time with me?"

He nodded once more.

"Alone?" was it me or was I becoming redundant.

Again he nodded.

"A date?" I asked unable to hide a tiny quiver in my voice.

"Yes," he answered, "but only if you would like that."

I wanted to say no… I should say no, after all I had promised myself not to get too close to anyone, not to risk not only my life but also my efficiency, however I felt my head acting on its own accord going up and down in agreement.

"Great!" he said seeming pleased by my response, "How about 1800 hours on holodeck two."

Again my head acted on its own accord nodding in agreement. He smiled, this time obviously pleased. His smile made his dark eyes sparkle and there were visible indentations in his cheeks, dimples I believe they are called.

Comman…no Chakotay resumed the turbo lift and soon the doors were opening to the sickbay. Chakotay looked at me expectantly and I realised that we had arrived at my destination. Quickly I pulled myself together mentally, pushing my shock to the back of my thoughts.

I stepped out of the lift, "I will see you later Chakotay," I said feeling the need to confirm our date.

"1800 hours," he said as the turbo lift doors closed cutting us off from each other.

I took a moment to calm and bring my emotions in check as I did not wish for the doctor to question me about my emotional state, then I went to my examination.

As I sat on the bio bed and listened to the doctor go on and on about the benefits of having the procedure done on me I could not help but look forward to my date.

Chakotay's POV:

I'm looking at the reports in front of me but I'm not really seeing them. Not for the first time I find my thoughts wondering to Seven of Nine.

I will admit that when Kathryn first told me that she intended for Seven to stay onboard Voyager I was not pleased, after all I have not had the best experiences with the Borg, but now after four years I couldn't begin to imagine not having her around.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples and immediately an image of Seven awkwardly trying to interact with the crew flashed through my mind. Was it odd that I found her obvious displeasure for socializing cute?

Speaking of socializing, I have noticed that Seven have been avoiding social situations lately. I wonder why? Maybe it's me after all I have been a little careless lately with my affections for her. Wait what? When did I start having affections for her? Whenever that was, I do have them and I have wanted to spend time with her. Come to think of it maybe that is the problem, maybe I have been coming on too strongly. In my eagerness to spend time with her I have been inviting her to social events with the crew a lot lately, maybe I was intimidating her after all she doesn't deal well with interpersonal relationships.

I try to refocus on the reports in front of me, still I am failing. I can't seem to stop thinking about Seven. I think I'd like to try my luck with getting her to socialize once more. The crew will be having a small birthday celebration in the mess hall later on for Crewman…uum…I can't seem to recall who at the moment.

If she agrees I'll have yet another opportunity to be near her, to witness the subtle changes in her persona when she found something amusing or intriguing, or to inhale her essence, her sweet undertone fragrance of wild strawberries and spring rain.

On a second thought maybe I shouldn't invite her to a crew activity. Who am I kidding? I want to be alone with her. I hate it when the crew is surrounding us. I can do as I wish without causing a ship wide spread of gossip. Not like when I go to see her in Astrometrics and no one else is around. Then I can stand a little too close, allow myself to smile a little too much or even just watch her work from the doorway. I'm hopeless, I know and I also know that I should at least try to ask her on a date. The worst that could happen is she says no…and tells the doctor…and he in turn tells the entire ship.

I can feel the colour drain out of my face, maybe I'll just finish these reports and make an appearance at the party later on.

Ok so where was I with these reports? I was trying to read them through, yes. Which one was I reading? B'Elanna's engineering report, could this be any more boring?

Maybe I'll take a break, stretch my legs a bit. I got up and exited my office, no destination in mind really. I get to the turbo lift and I'm tempted to go to the cargo bay but thought better of it. Instead I headed to the aeroponics bay, taking a moment to stop and smell the roses always seemed to clear my head and get me back on task.

I enter the aeroponics bay and is surprised to see the Captain there, "Kathryn!" I exclaimed always please to see her, "I haven't seen you down here before."

She smiled at me that smile I have come to resent, the one that doesn't quite reach her eyes and she looks at me as if she is indulging a small child, the one I pretend to be oblivious to.

"Chakotay," she greeted, "even I feel the need to stop and smell the roses every now and again." She told me.

I smiled back at her and nodded, "I like to come down here to clear my head," I told her.

She smiled and patted me on the shoulder increasing the impression that she was indulging me.

"I was in the mood for a few blooms for my ready room," she told me.

I nod the smile still plastered on my face. Only Kathryn would feel the need to remove flowers from aeroponics for her own pleasure.

"Will you be joining us in the festivities tonight in the mess hall?" I asked her.

She shrugged, "I don't know Chakotay," she said, "I still have a lot of work to do."

"Kathryn, you know even the captain needs a break once in a while." I told her.

She sighed and smiled her indulging smile at me again, "I know, I know. I'll try to make an appearance." She told me.

I nodded to show my satisfaction, but I cannot help but get annoyed by that smile. Why does she feel the need to make me feel so small at times? Sometimes I cannot believe that I once fancied myself in love with her.

An Ensign came and handed her a vase with some flowers in them, "Thank you Ensign," she said then turned back to me, "Chakotay I'll see you later." She said simply and exited before I had a chance to formulate a response.

I sighed, Kathryn really has a unique skill for leaving me feeling cold and small at times. Suddenly I wasn't in the mood to look at flowering plants any more.

I headed out of aeroponics and before I knew it I was walking down the hall of deck 8 heading towards cargo bay 2.

I was thinking about my encounter with Kathryn and debating with myself whether or not I should ask Seven to accompany me to the birthday party later on so I was startled when I walked around a corner and nearly collided with Seven. She seemed equally distracted but thanks to her Borg enhanced reflexes she managed to prevent our collision.

She blushed slightly when she noticed it was me and I was so taken aback by that particular response that I forgot my voice.

"My apologies Commander," she said quickly and before I could form a response she was moving towards the turbo lift.

Quickly I pulled myself together and followed her, she seemed confused by me following her but said nothing.

I entered the turbo lift with her, "It's fine Seven," I told her, "I was just coming to see you anyway."

She ordered the turbo lift to deck five and I couldn't help but to wonder about her final destination, "Heading to sickbay?" I asked her, standing closer to her than I would with anyone else.

"Yes," she answered and then paused slightly, "How may I assist you Commander?" she asked, I could swear that I heard a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Suddenly I was overcome with a rush of nervousness and I could feel my breathing become shallow and quick and I couldn't prevent myself from fidgeting.

She looked at me curiously and I found myself reaching out to manually halt the turbo lift.

I took a moment to look at her, really look at her, and I started to feel unsure. Was I really doing this? Should I really be doing this? What exactly should I say to her? Silence was beginning to fill the turbo lift and I could tell that it was making her uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong Commander?" she asked me uncertainly.

I gulped, I hear it penetrating the silence of the turbo lift and I watched her eyes follow the movement of my Adam's apple.

"I…I was," I stammered over my words unsure how to phrase my question. I could tell I was making her uneasy and she was getting ready to escape.

"Yes Commander," she said and I suddenly had the urge to laugh. She was obviously trying to encourage me to continue but she wasn't really helping.

I felt a small smile begin to creep out and suddenly I felt a heightened sense of purpose. Ok, maybe she is helping after all.

"Call me Chakotay when we are off duty," I told her.

She nodded and I felt my smile widening. For a moment I wonder if it is possible for my face to get stuck like this.

"I was wondering if…if," I said stumbling further over my words, "…if you'd care to join me for a viewing of one of Tom's movies later on the holodeck?" I asked.

Wow where did that come from? I didn't intend to ask that, did I? Well I did and now I can't help but be anxious for her response.

I could see the almost instant rejection in her posture, "I must decline," she told me, "I have duties to attend to."

She must have noticed my disappointment as she felt the need to add, "Please convey my apologies to Lieutenant Paris,"

What? She obviously misunderstood me. She reached out to restart the turbo lift and I quickly reached out to stop her and ended up taking her hand into mine. I watched as a blush crept to her cheeks from the contact and I slowly massaged the silky skin of her hand. I could tell she was doing her best to remain unaffected by my touch, but she was failing.

"I think you misunderstood me," I told her maintaining our contact.

She looked me directly in the eyes, "Explain…please?" she asked and if I didn't know better I'd say she held her breath as she waited for me to continue.

"I was inviting you to a private viewing," I told her, "It would be only the two of us."

She looked stunned, "You…you wish to be alone with me?" she asked, stumbling over her words.

I nodded keeping my smile as pleasant as possible. No use freaking her out.

"You wish to spend time with me?" she asked me.

Again I nodded.

"Alone?" she asked in a very un-Seven like manner.

Another nod from me.

"A date?" She asked and I definitely heard a quiver in her voice.

"Yes," I answered, "but only if you would like that."

She nodded slowly and I think she surprised herself with that.

"Great!" I told her excitedly, "How about 1800 hours on holodeck two."

I watched as she checked out my dimples and a soft smile crept to the side of her mouth, I don't think she was even aware of its presence. I restarted the turbo lift and soon the doors were opening to deck 5. It took a moment for her to realise we had arrived and I could see her mentally pulling herself together.

She stepped out of the lift, "I will see you later Chakotay," she said in a manner that suggested that she was seeking confirmation.

"1800 hours," I confirmed and the turbo lift doors closed cutting us off from each other.

I cannot wait for 1800hrs to arrive.