Chapter One
Bare footed, Chakotay stood in the small kitchen in his quarters chopping a pepper into small pieces. On the stove, the pot of chili boiled. Swearing under his breath, he quickly abandoned the pepper and snatched up the spoon to stir the concoction. The boiling immediately subsided. He hoped the food wasn't burned. Usually, he simply replicated a meal for nights like this, but he was feeling daring and wanted to try his hand at cooking. His mother had taught him how to cook when he was a young boy, but it had been so many years. He hoped he didn't mess it all up by not paying attention. Of course, he was running behind. He met every evening with Kathryn to debrief the day, and they had gotten sidetracked, as they usually did, with generic small talk. This had lead to him to late getting back to his quarters and starting dinner. He couldn't tell Kathryn that he had to cut their meeting short, or else it would have lead to her asking questions he wasn't prepared to answer, not yet at least. Eventually, he would have to talk to him about his evening, and the many other evenings he'd spent in secret, but he wasn't ready for that conversation yet. Satisfied with how the meal looked, Chakotay went back to the pepper, only to be interrupted again by the door ringing. This time, he wasn't upset. His date had arrived right on time, which was her usual habit.
Rather than call out for his guest to enter like he normally did when someone showed up at his quarters, Chakotay temporarily abandoned the kitchen and crossed the room. Answering the door felt strange to him, but it was far more personal. He pressed the button, and the door hissed open, revealing Seven.
"Hello," she greeted formally with a curt nod. Anyone passing by in the corridor would have thought that she was there on official Voyager business, which was her intention. Their relationship was still a well kept secret, something both of them wanted to continue until they had the nerve to come clean to the Captain. Although it was only a matter of time until people found out. Given the fact that there's barely over a hundred and fifty people on this ship, everyone always knows everyone else's business. This leads to gossip spreading like wildfire from one end of the ship to the other in a matter of hours, regardless of if it's true or not. Somehow, Chakotay and Seven have managed to keep their rendezvouses under wraps, but they both knew they're on borrowed time. The sooner they come clean, the better for everyone involved.
"Hello," he echoed as he stood to the side to let her in. The door closed firmly behind her. As soon as they were alone, Chakotay took her by the waist and pulled her close. "Hello," he repeated as he rested his forehead against hers. The repetition of greetings caused Seven to smile. She didn't understand the need to repeat their greeting, but she liked the close proximity to Chakotay.
"Hello." Their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss. She drew in a deep breath and snaked her arms around his neck. His hands drifted down, brushing over the gentle swell of her hips beneath her bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination. Their lips parted. "The dinner you have prepared smells delicious and well-prepared." Chakotay chuckled as he pulled away.
"Well, well-prepared is exactly what I was going for," he informed her as he crossed the room to check on the status of the meal. The chili simmered on the stove.
"What can I do to assist you?" Seven offered as she fell into place next to Chakotay. Her time in the kitchen with Neelix had made her adept in the kitchen, although she was just now adjusting to eating food on a more consistent basis. Usually, she ate because she knew she should. Tonight, however, she couldn't wait to eat. Everything smelled delicious and tempting.
"Nothing," Chakotay insisted. "You're my guest, so you're job is to relax."
"I don't think I feel comfortable with that. There must be something I can do to assist you." He sighed. "You can pour the wine." He nodded in the direction of a bottle of wine sitting on the countertop next to two wine glasses. Seven didn't need to be told twice. With surprising expertise and comfort, she opened the drawer where she knew Chakotay kept his bottle opener, along with the other random cooking necessities. She dug around until she found the bottle opener. It wasn't until she started opening the bottle of wine did she realize what she'd done. Coming to Chakotay's quarters was such a regular part of her routine now that she no longer had to hunt for things in the kitchen, she automatically knew where everything was. The realization was startling to her. She hadn't even realized how often she was here until just now. Everything was second nature to her. She felt comfortable coming here. When she looked at Chakotay, she realized that he felt comfortable with her here as well. When she first started coming here, Chakotay always wore his Starfleet uniform. Despite the fact that they were on a date, there was always a sense of formality between the two of them. Now, things were different. Chakotay stood in the kitchen in his barefeet, a pair of khaki pants and a deep green button down shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, revealing a deep v of bronzed skin. He looked absolutely at ease and comfortable. He didn't even have his communicator on. It sat discarded on the coffee table. Right now, Chakotay wasn't Commander of Voyager but instead a man preparing dinner for his date. It made Seven feel self-conscious and too formal. She still wore her usual bodysuit with her hair pinned up, and her communicator was still on. Perhaps she should have changed into something less formal, although her wardrobe was limited to a small collection of bodysuits. The Doctor told her that she could start transitioning to regular clothes as soon as she felt comfortable, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. The bodysuits provided her with a certain sense of comfort, although they were somewhat revealing. Perhaps next time she would try to replicate something more casual and appropriate for an eleventh date.
With the bottle of wine clutched firmly in one hand and the bottle opener in the other, Seven stared off into space as her mind wandered. Chakotay glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he dumped the peppers into the pot of chili and did a quick double take when he saw her. He'd never seen her get lost in her thoughts like that before. Usually she was on point and doing exactly what was expected of her.
"Seven, everything alright?" he asked as he walked over to her. Without even realizing what he was doing, he trailed his fingertips along her spine. It was a small gesture, but when combined with his voice, it was all she needed to come back to reality.
"Yes, I'm fine," she assured. She shook her head and blinked several times before pouring two gracious glasses of wine. Satisfied with her answer, Chakotay returned to the stove to stir the chili. After nearly burning it several minutes earlier, he was paranoid about making the same mistake again. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" he inquired.
"I feel that I am too formally dressed for this date," Seven replied as she eyed his clothes. Right away, he knew what she was talking about. "My research did not indicate at what point the shift between formal dates and informal dates begins." In a few quick strides, he approached her.
"Well, that's easy enough to fix," he assured. His voice was low and husky with anticipation. He kept his eyes locked with hers, he reached behind her. With surprising expertise, he took a hold of the simple metal pin that fastened her hair back. As soon as he unpinned her hair, it tumbled to her shoulders in golden waves. "Much better." Unable to resist, he brushed his lips along the top of her head. "And let's get rid of this." Chakotay removed the communicator from her chest, his fingertips temporarily brushing along her breast in the process. It was a fleeting touch, but it was enough to send jolts through Seven's body, all the way to her core. Never before had she ever been touched like that, and she didn't know how to react. She involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. The reaction wasn't lost on Chakotay. He was aware of how intimate his touch had been as well. That hadn't been his intention, but now that he saw how she reacted, he realized that he wanted to get a reaction like that out of her again.
"I, I thought Starfleet regulation dictated that officers must always wear their communicators during waking hours," Seven stammered as she regained her composure.
"Well, your commanding officer is telling you that it's alright," he assured as he carelessly tossed the communicator onto the counter. Seven wasn't entirely sure how she felt about bending the rules, but Chakotay seemed confident in himself as he picked up both glasses of wine and held one out. She took it, and he promptly tapped his against hers. "To us," he toasted. A warm blush crept across her cheeks as she took a sip of wine.
Seven was fairly certain that if she took another bite of food, she would burst. She couldn't believe she ate two bowls of chili and a large slice of cake. They were also on their second bottle of wine. Normally when she ate, it was smaller meals as her body continued to adjust to needing food after so many years. Tonight, the food had been so delicious that she hadn't even realized how much she was eating until she stopped eating and let everything settle. Her skintight bodysuit bulged at her stomach, another sign that she'd eaten far more food than she should have.
"I had no idea you were such a skilled chef," she commented. Chakotay got to his feet and began to clear the dirty dishes scattered across the small table.
"Well, I was highly motivated." He leaned over and stole a quick kiss. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." With the dirty plates and bowls balanced precariously, he retreated to the sink.
"How can I assist you?" Seven asked as she followed him into the small kitchenette.
"You can help by sitting and relaxing. You're my guest, and guests don't do dishes."
"Commander, I must protest-" Chakotay spun around and held a hand up in protest.
"Seven, first of all, there's no need for such formalities. Right now, I'm not your Commander."
"I apologize, the word just slipped out." He waved the comment off dismissively.
"Second of all, my guests never do dishes when they come over for dinner."
"Guests?" Seven pressed with a raised eyebrow. "You frequently have guests over for dinner like this?" Almost immediately, Chakotay began to mentally berate himself. He should have chosen his words far more carefully. Now it sounded like he had a revolving door of dates in his quarters, which couldn't be further from the truth.
"No. Of course, the Captain has been here for dinner many times, and sometimes the Senior Staff, but never anything like when you come here." Seven slid one arm around his waist and rested her other hand on his shoulder.
"Good, because that would be highly improper and grounds for me to become very jealous and upset." He rested his forehead against hers.
"I wouldn't want for you to become upset." In a flash, Seven pulled away.
"Good, so then you wash the dishes, and I'll dry them." She quickly grabbed a dish towel and eagerly awaited the first clean dish so she could do her job. The action left Chakotay feeling confused. One second, he thought he was flirting with her, the next he realized he had lost the argument he thought was over. It all happened so quickly. It dawned on him that he had been tricked. Instead of feeling insulted that his guest was cleaning up, he felt impressed that she managed to pull a stunt like that on him in the first place. Usually he thought that he was better at reading people and figuring out when they were tricking him.
"Fine," he relented. His tone spoke volumes; he wasn't happy with Seven getting her way. When he looked at the smug look of satisfaction on her face, however, he realized he couldn't stay mad. It was sweet of her to offer to help in the first place. Chakotay rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing more bronzed skin stretched tightly over flexing muscles. For a moment, the sight distracted Seven as she stared at him. He sensed her staring at him, but he decided to ignore it. Instead, he turned on the water and got to work.
With the two of them working together, it only took Chakotay and Seven a fraction of the time to wash, dry and put the dishes away. With a flick of his wrist, he drained the sink. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Seven, who intently dried off the last dish before putting it away. Unable to resist himself, he flicked some water in her face. Startled, she jumped, and her head whipped around.
"What was that for?" she inquired. While most women would be angry and frustrated by such an action, she simply looked confused.
"You looked far too serious, and as your commanding officer, I'm ordering you to loosen up a little bit." There was a playful sparkle in his eyes as he explained his reasoning.
"I'm too serious, and splashing water on me is going to make me have more fun?" Seven just wanted to make sure she understood his logic correctly, although it didn't make much sense to her. "I hardly see how getting each other wet leads to us having fun. It seems annoying and like it will make a mess that we'll have to clean up." Chakotay had no idea what he expected when he initially splashed Seven with water, but he didn't expect her to start over analyzing what he hoped would become a flirty and spontaneous moment. He ran his fingertips down the length of her arm, stopping just before the palm of her hand before drifting back up again.
"It's supposed to be fun," he explained. "Don't worry about the mess, it's just water. Having fun is a part of the human experience."
"Well, in that case, I guess it's my job to retaliate and join in this 'fun'." With surprising speed, Seven turned on the faucet and splashed water in Chakotay's face. Laughing, he stumbled backwards and put his hands up to protect his face. An unspoken declaration of war had been called between the two of them. Chakotay turned on the faucet as high as it would go, filled his cupped hands with water and threw the water in her face. Not to be outdone, Seven snatched her empty wine glass and filled it with water. As soon as Chakotay attempted to flee, she grabbed the collar of his shirt. When he tried to pull away, the bottom two buttons popped off and scattered across the floor. Both of them ignored it as she dumped the water on his head. The surprisingly cold water ran down his back, plastering his shirt to his body.
Chakotay was about to fight back when the doorbell rang. He wasn't expecting anyone else tonight, which was why it was the perfect evening to spend with Seven. Gasping for breath, he snatched the towel Seven had discarded and tried in vain to mop up the water that trickled down his neck and back with one hand while he grabbed his wine glass with the other. It didn't dawn on him that his shirt was now completely unbuttoned, he was soaked and had a glass of wine in his hand. He was more concerned with whoever was at the door, although he could simply ignore them, if it had been an emergency, they would have come up on the comm system or go directly to Kathryn, if they dared interrupt her evening.
The last thing Harry expected when Commander Chakotay's door opened was to see the Commander standing there practically shirtless, dripping wet and with a glass of wine in his hand. The casual nature of the greeting caught him off guard. While he'd interacted with the Commander on a more personal level in the past, never anything like this before. Even in his quarters, he figured that Chakotay still held on to some semblance of formality. Or at least that's what Harry liked to believe about the Commander. In the background, Harry caught sight of Seven, also dripping wet, but what surprised him the most was the fact that her hair was down, and she was also pouring herself a glass of wine. While Harry honestly had no idea what Seven did in her down time, he didn't expect to see her in Chakotay's quarters drinking a glass of wine and doing God only knows what else. They both seemed completely at ease with each other in this casual setting. All of this was a side of Chakotay that Harry had never seen before.
"Uhh...am I interrupting something?" Harry stammered as he struggled to regain his composure after the startling revelation behind the door.
"No," Chakotay assured, a little too quickly and a little too emphatically to be fully believed. He moved in an attempt to block Harry's view of inside the quarters, but he had already seen everything. "What do you need?"
"You wanted my report as soon as it was done," Harry replied as he handed over the file.
"Thank you, Ensign." Try as he might to sound formal, although his current situation was anything but formal. With a curt nod, Chakotay closed the door, leaving Harry free to draw his own conclusions about what was going on.
Alone once again, Seven did her best to mop up the mess with a towel she retrieved from the bathroom. Chakotay tossed the file from Harry on the table and knelt down next to her to help her clean up the mess he technically started.
"That was most immature and unprofessional," she observed. "We should not have been so careless." While Seven seemed embarrassed, Chakotay seemed to not care.
"We were having fun, that's hardly a terrible offense," he pointed out.
"But you are the Commander of this vessel, and you answered your door in a less than professional manner. We should have been more discreet." Chakotay hooked his fingers under Seven's chin, forcing her to look at him.
"What we do during our down time is hardly anyone's business," he informed her. "Don't feel embarrassed." He brought her lips to his in a soft kiss. Despite Chakotay's assurances that there wasn't anything to feel embarrassed about, the emotion still consumed Seven. It was a strange sensation. Emotions in general were something she was still adjusting to. Try as she might to suppress her embarrassment, she simply couldn't. It was just like when she realized she had romantic feelings towards Chakotay. For the longest time she tried to push them away, but they always came back. Now, she was dealing with the same sensation with her embarrassment. Seven had no idea how she would be able to look Harry in the eye next time she saw him. He wasn't dumb, he would be able to figure out what was going on here. Usually she and Chakotay were far more careful about their dates. They had grown reckless in their comfort with each other. It was only a matter of time until the entire crew would be gossiping about them, which was the last thing she wanted. Everyone had finally stopped staring at her for being a former Borg, and now it was going to start up all over again.
"Harry!" Tom's voice caused Harry to turn around. He hadn't expected to see him out and about in the corridors at this hour. Usually by now he and B'Elanna were trying to get Miral down for the night, although it was possible that Tom was trying to put off the inevitable screaming and crying that came with putting Miral to bed. It was never an easy feat.. Tom jogged up to Harry and swung his arm over his friend's shoulders. Tom's greeting barely registered, he was still trying to figure out what he'd just seen in Chakotay's quarters. "What's wrong?"
"I just dropped off a report to Commander Chakotay…"
He trailed off, prompting Tom to press him for more information, "And…" It was hardly a big deal to drop off a report to Chakotay. Tom had done it at least a dozen times himself. Everyone did. They were instructed to go to Chakotay before the Captain with most issues, which allowed Kathryn to deal with the most pressing issues quickly and efficiently. It was the unspoken rule on the ship.
"Seven of Nine was there, and they were both soaking wet, and Chakotay wasn't wearing a shirt." The admission definitely caught Tom off guard. He was so surprised by it that he stopped walking in the middle of the corridor. Of all the things he expected Harry to say he saw in Commander Chakotay's quarters, that was the last thing he thought he'd say.
"Chakotay and Seven of Nine, huh?" Tom stared off into space for a few seconds as he thought it over before starting to walk again. "I definitely didn't see that one coming. I always thought he had a thing for the Captain."
"Me too." Tom shook his head in disbelief. While he and B'Elanna had managed to keep their relationship under wraps for quite some time, not that they'd been particularly discrete, it apparently seemed that Chakotay and Seven no longer had that luxury. It was only a matter of time until everyone else found out about their secret relationship. Nobody was able to keep a secret around here, no matter how hard they tried.
With the water finally mopped up, Chakotay lounged back on the couch with his arm draped along the back. Seven immediately settled onto the couch next to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders and draw her close. He rested his forehead against hers.
"You know what would make this night perfect?" he murmured.
"Based on my past research and current observations, I would conclude that this evening can already be classified as a success." Chakotay resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Leave it to her to be so analytical when he was trying to be romantic.
"Well, I have a way to make it even better." As gently as possible, he maneuvered them so she was sprawled out on the couch and pinned beneath him. Her hands rested on the back of his neck, rubbing in small circles while he did his best to brace himself against the furniture so he wouldn't crush her. He stole a quick kiss. He couldn't resist it. She looked absolutely stunning right now. Her hair formed a halo around her, and the dim lights almost caused her to glow against the dark fabric of the furniture. "Stay for the night," he suggested. Her hands slid down to rest on his chest, ready to push him away if necessary. His chest felt warm against her hands. The sensation was oddly comforting to her. Chakotay was acutely aware of the change of position and was ready to move if she wanted him to. Never before had they laid like this together on the couch, and he wasn't sure how she would react to it. Slowly, she began to relax. Having him on top of her like this was oddly relaxing and made her feel safe.
"Given the current situation, I don't think that that's appropriate." A look of confusion flashed across his face.
"'The current situation'?" Now Chakotay was confused. Seven just told him that tonight had been a success, but apparently now there was some sort of situation that prevented her from staying overnight with him, even though he could see in her eyes that she wanted to.
"Ensign Kim has seen us. If we are to dissuade any rumors surrounding us, I should leave promptly and discretely."
"Unless Harry goes around telling everyone, I don't see what the problem is."
"What if he goes to look for me and can't find me? Surely then he'd draw his own conclusions, which would only cause the rumors to spread." Groaning, Chakotay pushed himself to a seated position. The romantic moment was ruined. Seven sat up as well. Deep down inside, she knew that she had been the one to cause the moment to end, but she also knew that they had to think logically right now; they couldn't let their other emotions cloud their judgement.
"Look, Seven, if you don't feel comfortable staying for the night, just say it, don't make excuses like this." Unable to resist himself, he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. Her platinum locks stood out starkly against his darker skin. "I just thought that it would be a relaxing way to end our tenth date." Obvious apprehension flashed across Seven's face. It was fleeting, but Chakotay was perceptive enough to pick up on it. "Forget it. Maybe another time. I can see that you don't want to."
"It's not that I wouldn't care to join you," she blurted out. "I was just unprepared for the suggestion. I have not had time to adequately prepare and conduct research." Chakotay laughed. It was a deep laugh that shook his shoulders as he tried to suppress it. The reaction caused her to tilt her head to the side in confusion. "I fail to see what is so humorous."
"There's no research to conduct, Seven. It's just a couple spending the night together. But if you want to do it another time, that's fine with me. We can just call it a night." Seven took a hold of Chakotay's hand and laced their fingers together. The action felt natural to both of them.
"I don't want you to think that I am unappreciative of your offer, but there are certain...implications that come with such a proposal that I feel I am inadequately prepared for." He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly.
"There are no implications here. I promise you. I would never force you to do anything you don't want to do."
"I do find the offer appealing." A glimmer of hope started to build up inside of Chakotay. Perhaps she would give in after all. "And I have been meaning to conduct my own research, not rely on others. There is only so far research can take a person before he has to start to think for himself." The dual meaning of thinking for oneself wasn't lost on him. "Besides, I have been wanting to discuss expanding the parameters of our relationship." Subtlety wasn't one of Seven's strongest suits. She trailed her fingers down Chakotay's chest. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I'd like that."
Chakotay leaned in for another kiss. This time, Seven moved to straddle his lap, which gave him the perfect opportunity to run his fingertips along her side, gently tracing her prominent curves. Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet. Seven weighed more than expected given her slight build, but that was to be expected given the remaining Borg implants that littered her body. At first, Chakotay stumbled under the weight, but he quickly regained his footing. It caught Seven off guard, and she braced herself, just in case he dropped her. She trusted him explicitly though, and he stood his ground. She locked her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. In a less than graceful manner, they both tumbled onto the bed.
"I hope you are aware that I do not require as much sleep as a regular human."
"Well it's a good thing that becoming Commander has made me an insomniac." She stroked his cheek.
"If neither of us require any sleep, then why did you propose that I stay for the night?"
"Because when we do fall asleep, I can't imagine anywhere I'd rather be than your arms." The comment flattered Seven, although she did feel a certain sense of uneasiness that came with spending the night in Chakotay's quarters.
"You're trying to seduce me," she pointed out.
"No, you're far too intelligent for that." Growing uncomfortable with his elbow braced against the bed, Chakotay rolled onto his side. His feet dangled over the end of the bed carelessly.
"Yet you continue to flatter me."
"I can't help it." He continued to his fingers along her side, which sent shivers down her spine. It was an unusual phenomenon for her. Despite the numerous dates they've been on, she still found herself adjusting to prolonged close proximity to people, especially Chakotay. It went against her Borg nature, still ingrained in her despite her break with them so long ago. Seven's hand rested on his cheek, stroking it softly with her thumb. He turned to kiss the palm of her hand. "I'm glad you decided to stay," he murmured. His lips brushed against the sensitive skin, tickling it in the process.
"As am I." Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she pulled him close for a kiss. "Thank you for the invitation." Chakotay nuzzled her neck affectionately, leaving a small trail of kisses along her collarbone. When he found a particularly sensitive spot, she gasped, which quickly turned into a moan of pleasure.
Seven slid her hands along Chakotay's chest, across his shoulders and down the back of his shirt. Her movements felts instinctual. Mentally, she was unaware of her actions, her body simply seemed to know what to do. Chakotay sat up for a moment, just long enough to take off his shirt and throw it to the side. He immediately went back to kissing her neck. As soon as he tried to pull at the collar of Seven's bodysuit to gain more access to her collarbone, he discovered that the outfit was surprisingly durable and held its own. The fabric stretched a little bit but not enough to give him the access he craved. He reached to unzip her, but she immediately grabbed a hold of his wrist and stopped him.
"Before you proceed, I should warn you." Chakotay froze. Never before had he heard her talk like that, and it caught him off guard. The uneasiness from before back, but it was combined with seriousness. It instantly ruined the mood, but he didn't want to do anything that made her feel uncomfortable. "There are quite a few scars. I don't want you to be caught unawares."
"I'm sure you still look gorgeous, no matter how many scars you have."
"You should wait until you see the scars until you pass judgement." Seven sat up. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached behind her to unzip her bodysuit. The unconscious action wasn't lost on Chakotay. He was tempted to reach out and steady her hand, but he felt that that would make it worse. She got to her feet and turned her back to him as she removed the skintight outfit. The red fabric slowly revealed the smooth, pale skin of her back. It contrasted sharply against the angry red scars that zigzagged along her spine. With one arm hugging her chest for modesty's sake, Seven turned around. She attempted to keep her legs crossed to further hide the most intimate parts of her body. A metal implant gleamed on her hip as a metal spiderweb of sorts spiraled around her slender thigh before disappearing just above her knee.
"You're absolutely stunning," Chakotay assured as he crawled across the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"I hardly believe anyone's opinions matter. All I care about is what you think." He nuzzled along her jaw affectionately. She ran her fingers along his shoulder.
"Well, I think that you're the most beautiful and intriguing woman I've ever seen in my life." With a sudden burst of confidence that stemmed from Chakotay's compliment, Seven gently pushed him back on the bed. Chuckling, his hand rested on her hip as she moved on top of him.
The constant darkness outside made it difficult to determine how late it was getting. It always looked like it was nighttime in space. Despite the continuous darkness, Seven could tell that it was the middle of the night. Chakotay laid sprawled on his back, snoring softly. The physical activity had worn him out. Insomnia wasn't going to be a problem for him tonight. Unable to resist, Seven ran her fingers over his chest, trailing down to his abdomen before stopping just short of the sheet draped across his waist. Try as she might, sleep simply alluded her. It wasn't a huge surprise to her. The Doctor kept encouraging her to sleep more and regenerate less, but she simply couldn't get on a schedule like everyone else. It would take time, or at least that's what the Doctor kept assuring her. Rather than risk waking Chakotay by tossing and turning, she decided to let him be. As carefully as possible, she climbed out of bed. After experiencing the freedom of not wearing her bodysuit, Seven simply couldn't fathom putting it on. The Doctor had mentioned that she should start shifting away from the bodysuit and towards more conventional clothes; she no longer required it for its healing properties, and tonight seemed like a good time to give that a try.
Seven found Chakotay's shirt on the floor where he had tossed it earlier. It seemed like an acceptable replacement for the time being. As soon as she put on the shirt, she was overwhelmed by the comforting smell she had come to associate with Chakotay: a mixture of sweat combined with aftershave and a certain spiciness that came with the food he constantly ate. Seven buttoned the shirt and silently exited the bedroom, leaving Chakotay fast asleep and none the wiser that he was now alone in bed.
It felt strange and invasive to Seven to be the only one awake in Chakotay's quarters. This also gave her a chance to really look around. Usually when she was here, she was focused on him, not her surroundings. Now that she looked around, she saw all of the small touches Chakotay added to make his quarters seem more like home. Draped across one of the couches was a thick woven blanket that appeared to be from the American Southwest, although Seven knew better; it came from the replicator. On the far wall hung Chakotay's medicine wheel. Intrigued, Seven took a better look. She gently ran her fingers over the tanned animal skin and made a mental note to ask him to explain it to her. The concept of a piece of animal skin and a pile of rocks being able to heal a person both intrigued and confused her. Clearly the best course of action when ill or injured was to see the Doctor. It simply didn't make sense to her. Nevertheless, it was clearly something important to Chakotay, or else it wouldn't be hanging in such a prominent location in his quarters. Apparently he'd had it on his old ship, but very rarely did he talk about his time in the Maquis. While Seven knew what had happened, she still hadn't heard the full story from Chakotay. She figured it would come in due time.
After exploring Chakotay's quarters as much as she felt comfortable without feeling invasive, Seven returned to the bedroom. He was still fast asleep in the same position she'd left him in. As carefully as possible, she slid underneath the blankets and laid down next to him with her head on his chest. His arm instinctively wrapped around her, drawing her close, while her arm slid across his waist. At first, the sensation felt awkward to her, almost forced. After a few minutes, however, Seven found herself starting to relax. Never before had she shared a bed with someone else. The warm body next to her was comforting. Chakotay's chest gently rose and fell. She could hear the steady beating of his heart. The rhythmic beating was oddly relaxing. Despite the fact that she didn't feel tired enough to sleep, Seven felt her eyes growing heavy. It was an odd sensation, falling asleep like this, especially in someone's arms, but it was something she felt she could grow used to.
"All senior officers report to the bridge." The Captain's voice jolted both Chakotay and Seven out of their deep sleeps. It was the longest either of them had continuously slept in ages, and they were both upset to be interrupted. Taking a deep breath, Chakotay stretched his free arm over his head while keeping his other arm tightly around Seven. Whatever was going on on the bridge could wait a few moments while he woke up and enjoyed the company. With one arm still draped across his stomach, she propped herself up on one elbow.
"How did you sleep?" he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.
"Satisfactory." Seven paused for a few moments until it dawned on her that she should reciprocate the question. "Did you sleep...well?" She had heard other crew members ask that question, and although she thought that judging sleep was highly subjective, it seemed like the best question to ask at the moment.
"I slept much better with you here," Chakotay replied as he rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close. She rested her forehead against his. Suddenly, it dawned on him that she wasn't wearing her usual bodysuit. "Are you wearing my shirt?"
"I hope you don't find it intrusive. I didn't think it would be appropriate to walk around your quarters without any clothes on." A playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Not at all. You're always welcome to make yourself at home here." He leaned in to steal a quick kiss, but she turned away.
"The Captain has summoned us to the bridge. We should go." Not wanting to be turned away, Chakotay pecked her lightly on the lips.
"You're right." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. Seven followed his lead and climbed out of bed as well.
Seven shed Chakotay's comfortable shirt and retrieved her bodysuit, which was crumpled on the floor where she'd discarded it. As she pulled it on, she glanced over her shoulder at Chakotay, who dug through his closet for a clean uniform. As he got dressed, Chakotay couldn't help but lament over the early call to the bridge. They still had a few hours before they technically had to be awake and report for duty, and he had rather hoped for a quiet morning together. Rather than get upset about it, however, he knew that there would be plenty of other opportunities for them in the future to spend the morning together, eating breakfast and enjoying each others' company.
Author's Note: It's been about 8 or so years since I've published anything on fanfiction, and I'm so glad to be back! I'm doing my best to update as often as possible, but I have a full time job and am also a grad student. Please be patient! Read and review, this is my first ever Voyager fan fic.