Title : Three Mistakes part 2 "Day Three"
Author: Ryan
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all rights to Star Trek Voyager& her crew.
DAY THREE
"Commander" she said again in her emotionless borg tone. " I am sorry if this causes you any pain but I must end this relationship. I want you to know that I'll always treasure our time together. I hope we can still be friends"
And with those words Seven turned and walked out of the mess hall.
She was annoyed. Chakotay's tardiness in meeting her, had throw her almost ten minutes behind schedule. She still had to meet with Belanna, Tom and Harry to iron out the details of their rescue plan.
Arriving at the Paris's door, she announced her name and was immediately admitted.
"You're late" Kim declared as she entered.
"I'm aware of that ensi...Lieut." she replied (Seven almost smiled as she recalled standing on the bridge as Janeway had presented a surprised and grateful Harry with his pips "You didn't think I was going to let you return home an ensign, did you Harry" the Captain had teased ). She almost smiled at the memory, but she didn't, she couldn't afford to.
Too much depended upon her, she had to be borg now. Show no emotion. Feel no emotion. Concentrate on the objective. That was the only thing that mattered. The objective. The doctor. Once she had rescued him then this unbearable pain would go away and then she could smile again, then she'd want to smile again.
She remembered standing in shock in the hallway as four security officers dragged the protesting doctor away. She remembered thinking, "B'elanna shouldn't be screaming like that she'll traumatize Miral." She remembered seeing Tom gently placing Miral in her bassinet then grabbing the baby's monitor as he started to run after his enraged wife. She remembered how time had seemed to freeze as the realization finally sunk in that they were taking the Doctor , "her Doctor" away.
Everything after that was a blur of fragmented images and sounds. Of running down hallways, of screaming , of a bloodlust deeper than any Klingons So deep in fact that when the Captain ordered her to halt she had ignored her.
Than the Doctor in that voice, that voice that was for her alone, had pleaded with her,
"Seven." "Stop, it's alright, I'm unharmed. Listen to the Captain. It'll be alright. I promise."
She stopped. He'd asked her to. She looked into his eyes. Those gentle brown eyes that revealed so much about the man. She could see the fear and love in his eyes. The fear not for himself but for her. The love for her that had always been there. The love that she had spurned because it had embarrassed her, it was inconvenient and did not fit in with the plans she made for her "perfect" future. She had hurt him, she knew that. She wanted to fall down on her knees and beg his forgiveness , she wanted to tell him that she loved him had always loved him but that she'd been too proud, too stubborn to admit it. She wanted another chance. She wanted to tell him that and so much more but she couldn't. All she could do was stare at him and hope her eyes would tell him what she couldn't.
She watched as Starfleet Security escorted the Doctor from her view.
Three days she had told the Captain.
Today was the third day. Time to take back what was hers.
"Seven."
"Earth to Seven."
"Yo, Seven are you okay" a worried Tom asked?
Snapping back to the reality she replied, "I apologize Lieut.. A momentary distraction. It will not happen again."
"It better not" B'elanna stated as she walked into the living room from the adjacent bedroom. "You can't afford to be distracted tonight Seven. It all depends on you, if you're not ready, say the word and we'll scrub the mission. We can always go tomorrow."
"No," Seven replied forcefully,"It has to be tonight."
"I can't take another day of this" she added to herself in a whisper.
B'elanna gazed at Seven in mute sympathy. Seven was hurting. You could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. "It must be the mother in me" she thought in surprise because I have this strange desire to hug her and tell her it's that it's all going to be alright." Me, B'elanna Torres-Paris, who not to long ago, would have gladly shoved this same woman out the nearest airlock.
Trying to lighten the mood B'elanna said with a grin -Computer activate Miral baby monitors-
-Monitors on- replied the computer.
Instantly the blank wall behind them was filled with six live holo images. One showed the sleeping Miral, the rest provided spectacular live images of the outside of the security complex, which housed the Doctor, and the surrounding Academy grounds.
"With these carefully placed baby monitors," an obviously very pleased with himself Tom grinned, "we can follow your every movement outside. Of course we haven't been able to place any in the security building itself, but we do have the academy grounds well covered. Best of all my genius wife has modified the audio to broadcast on your borg transceiver frequency. Once you and the Doc. leave the security building we'll be able to warn you of changes in the guards routines. "
"Ah Starfleet, so obsessed with high tech, they ignore the simple and obvious." B'elanna said with a smirk. "I can't tell you how often the Maquis used that blindness against them."
"Also Seven," Harry added, "Tom and I took a midnight stroll to check the access codes. They still work, we got in no problems and no alarms. So they should work for you and the Doc."
"It's all up to you now Seven," Tom stated. "Are you ready?"
"I am ready Mr. Paris. I will succeed. As I've said before failure is not an option." With that she turned to leave.
At the door the she paused and turned. In a small voice she addressed her friends, "I'd like to thank you for your help. I know the risks you are taking with your future careers."
"Seven " Tom replied for them all, "We love him too."
She stared at them. "Thank you" she whispered and left.
Shaking his head in amazement, Tom uttered to his companions , "You know, I always knew the Doctor was in love with her but I never realized she felt that way about him."
"Yeah it's thrown me for a loop too," Harry agreed. Then" So could someone please explain this whole Chakotay thing to me."
Captain Janeway sat at her desk, a fresh cup of coffee cradled in her hands. She was waiting for Seven. Her three day were up. Janeway understood Seven and her senior staff well enough to know that they would have daring plan to rescue the Doctor. It's what they did. The Voyager crew looked after their own. They'd done so for their seven long years of isolation in the delta quadrant and they'd do so on Earth if they had to. They'd deliberately kept her out of the loop and she'd let them. She knew why, she was they're fallback plan. If something went wrong, she was supposed to pull some Janeway miracle out of her hat to save the day. She hoped she could, though at the moment the only thing she could think of was a full frontal armored assault on Starfleet Security with Voyagers shuttles. While it might be fun she didn't think it would be practical. Suddenly her door chimed rousing her from her thoughts. Seventy-two hours and ten minutes exactly since Seven's "three days".
"Enter Seven"Janeway called, glancing up and watched as Seven marched into her office and stood at attention in front of her desk. Those who didn't know Seven would have thought her calm, collected and dispassionate, a perfect ice queen. But Janeway could see the fire raging behind those ice blue eyes.
"You're back in your unitard," Janeway observed calmly, noting that Seven had discarded the casual attire, worn since her arrival on Earth, in favour of her familiar plum coloured Voyager unitard.
"Lesson Eight! Dress for Success!"Seven replied cryptically.
"Speaking of success, what are your odds," Janeway asked not fully grasping Sevens puzzling reply.
"63.42%"was the emotionless reply.
Janeway winced , not good odds.
Seven, noting her Captains reaction explained, "there are too many variables, too many unknowns."
Janeway just nodded and said "I see. I'm not going to try to talk you out of this, I know it wouldn't do any good. But Seven don't let your emotions run away with you. Don't do anything that you or the Doctor will regret later."
"It is not my intention to cause irreparable harm to anyone. I merely intend to rescue the Doctor and remove him to a place of safety."
"How safe is this place Seven?"
"The safest place I know of Captain."
"Good. Don't tell me where. It's better that I not know" Janeway paused looked down at her coffee then back up at Seven. "I need time Seven," she said, "and I need you to buy me that time. The Federation Council meets in a little over twenty-eight days from now. Tuvok has contacted some of the Vulcan Councilors. They have promised to present the Doctor's request for sentient being status to the council. Starfleet Security wants to stop that from happening. Why I don't know. That's what I need to find out. I've been trying to push for an investigation. But I can't push to hard Seven, not while they have the Doctor's program. Holographic programs are deleted every day Seven and to security that's all the Doctor is, just another hologram. Get him out Seven and get me my time."
Seven nodded "I understand Captain."
"Good luck Seven, and be careful."Janeway said.
"Thank you, ..... Kathryn," Janeway smiled at Seven's hesitant use of her first name.
"I do have one thing I wish to report before I leave," she stated in a deliberately deadpan manner. Taking a deep breathe she continued, "I regret to inform you that I had to terminate my relationship with Commander Chakotay. (Considering you're behaviour over the last few days that's hardly a surprise Janeway thought) I did not think it proper to continue in that relationship when my feelings are engaged elsewhere."
"I see" Janeway uttered in a equally neutral tone.
"While he didn't seem distressed at my decision," Seven continued, "I'm sure he could use a friend to talk to."
The two woman exchanged glances. They both knew what was really being said. Seven raised her ocular implant and stared at the Captain until Janeway nodded acknowledgment of Seven's statement.
Her message delivered, Seven turned and left the Captain's cabin. Trivial matters attended to,she proceeded towards Starfleet Security headquarters, and the Doctor.
Janeway raised her cup to her lips. All thoughts of Seven and the Doctor momentarily erased from her mind by Seven's closing comment. Should she go to Chakotay?, she asked herself.
Her older self had given another chance.
Dare she take it?
Dare she not?
Decision made.
-Computer locate Commander Chakotay-
-Commander Chakotay is presently in the mess hall-