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Reader's Note: This is a re-posting.

Star Trek Voyager

&

Trigun

More Reminiscing

Chapter 4: Love Hurts

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The enormous doors to the holodeck opened with their hydraulic hiss. In came a swarm of medical personal, two doctors and a squadron of nurses. They gathered around Vash the Stampede and Commander Chakotay.

The Doctor examined Chakotay, while Dr. Crusher examined Vash. They ran their scans over their bodies. The medical tricorders were bringing in the reports of what had happened to Chakotay and Vash.

Nothing.

The doctor narrowed one eye and made a confused sneer, "What the hell?" He asked

Dr. Crusher heard the Doctor's words as she looked at the medical tricorder readings. She gave a similar look. She looked over at the doctor while holding her medical tricorder in her hand. The Doctor looked over at her and both had that same look of confusion at their tricorder readings.

"Perfect Health." The Doctor stated

"Same here." Dr. Crusher agreed, "What the hell were these two doing?"

The doctor looked along the floor of the holographic recreation of Voyager's Cargo bay 2. He looked along the floor like a detective searching the scene of a murder. Along the floor like a small pin that someone had dropped, the doctor found it. HE found the piece of evidence that would explain why the patients were like this.

It was a bullet, a bullet that was fired fresh out of the cylinder and through the barrel. Yet it wasn't smoking from the friction of the barrel. It lay on the floor like a chip off of a marble statue. The Doctor picked it up and looked at it with Dr. Crusher and the medical teams still confused to what happened.

The bullet looked just like any other one for Vash's guns, but there was something different about this one. The tip, it was black instead of the usual silver look, which was only lead, of Vash's other bullets. The doctor felt the tip against his fingers and it was warm and soft. He squeezed it and the bullet was rubber.

"Rubber bullets." The doctor stated

Dr. Crusher closed up her medical tricorder, "What the hell were these two doing?" She asked.

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Under the bright fluorescent lights of the sickbay, Voyager's Doctor and Dr. Crusher were watching over the unconscious Vash and Chakotay. Both Doctors knew that they were in good health but neither one was woken up, at least just yet. All that can be done is simply monitor them.

The sickbay doors opened and in walked Seven of Nine, the first sickbay visitor for Chakotay and Vash. Her eyes were wide and concerned for both men lying side by side in the biobeds. Around them, the Doctor and Dr. Crusher still examined the two gunslingers.

"Are they damaged?" Seven asked

The Doctor walked over to Seven, "They're fine, they're just unconscious."

Seven's eyes looked towards the biobeds and then back towards the doctor, "Can I speak to you in private?"

The doctor nodded and lead Seven into a more closed off part of sick bay, Dr. Crusher's "office". The doctor was ever so curious as to why Seven wanted to speak to him privately. He did know that Seven would speak to him privately when a personal matter was involved.

"What's wrong, Seven?" He asked concerned

Seven didn't answer, she fidgeted as if she was desperately trying to find the answers.

"I am…" She paused, "having difficulty with this event."

"I know Seven, but how so?"
"I am confronted with a choice, Vash a man from my past or Chakotay a man I have grown to love."

The Doctor shrugged, "I can't give you an answer Seven. Only you can make that choice. All I can say is you already know the answer, you just have to find it. Do what your heart says, don't rely on your Borg mind."

Seven reluctantly nodded and left sickbay.

The doctor watched her leave and he whispered, "Good luck, Seven."

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Ten-Forward;

Seven sat at the bar while the crewmembers of the Enterprise and Voyager mixed and mingled with each other. Even though the Voyager crew didn't stare at Seven, the Enterprise crew members did. Some caught a staring glance at Seven wondering. They wondered whether it was even safe to be around this "former" Borg drone.

Seven on the other hand didn't pay attention to anything around her. She had too much on her mind to wonder about what kind of idol gossip was going on around her. She simply sat staring at the slightly reflective surface of the bar counter top.

Down the bar at the other end was the old and wise Guinan. She kept looking at Seven wondering what was on her mind. She had been around the Borg drone Hugh, but never one that was a former collective member. How would she approach her? Guinan's own simply answer could only be to approach Seven of Nine like any other customer of her bar. She walked over to Seven and said, "You look like you need someone to talk to."

Seven looked up at Guinan and for the first time Guinan was speaking directly to a woman who only a few short years ago had Borg implants all over her body.

Seven tried to find the words and found them, "I do." She said softly

"This is about Vash and Chakotay, isn't it?"

Seven became curious, "How did you know about that?"

Guinan answered with a smile, "Vash told me."
"Who are you and what do you know about Vash?"

Guinan leaned against the bar, "I'm Guinan, I tend bar and I listen. With Vash, he and I go back a long time. We first met on Earth a little after the maiden voyager of the Enterprise-B. At first I thought that he was the biggest goofball I had ever met. Then I got to know him and I found that he had a wonderful sense of humor. I also found what great devotion he had to preserving life. Even under the gravest of circumstances, he won't kill anyone. He told me about his past friends he had and the women he loved."

Seven realized something about this, "The Enterprise-B?" She asked, "That was nearly a hundred years ago. Are you saying that Vash is that old?"

Guinan smiled, "Vash's age is a sensitive subject with him. HE said that after the first 200 years, he lost count so it's hard to say how old he is. Yet he doesn't look a day over 25 doesn't he?"

"Yes." Seven agreed.

"In that time." Guinan continued, "He only love two women. Including you, it would be three."

"It is a long time to spend alone."

"It is." Guinan paused and offered Seven her own advice, "I know your difficulty. Let me share a secret with you about love. No one can tell you who you love, just you can do that. The choice will be up to you."
"Who are you?" Seven asked again

"Like I said," Guinan repeated, "I am Guinan. I tend bar and I listen." She walked away to tend to orders, to drinks and whatever else anyone in Ten-Forward ordered.

Seven was left to think about the advice that was given to her by the Doctor and this bartender named Guinan. ON the one hand there was Chakotay. A man who had freed her from the collective, brought her onto the duty roster for Voyager, and Seven has grown to love Chakotay, yet her heart was confused.

IN the other hand she has Vash the Stampede. A man from her past that didn't seem to matter anymore to her in the time that Vash came back and the time they met up again here around Earth. Vash did save her from the Borg only once before capturing her again. Now, the memories and the man are back. In the past and now she loved him and Vash loves her, but so does Chakotay. Only Vash is in his own war with the Borg and his life is too dangerous to share. Seven's place is on Voyager. Still, who shall be hers, Vash or Chakotay?

She looked towards the ever-changing wall of Ten-Forward. She had mer her decision, letting the poor man know is going to be the hard part.

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Personal Log: Vash the Stampede

I spent the last 16 years searching the galaxy for Anika Hansen. TO a human 16 years is a long time to wait, but it's an even longer time to search. In that time I had found her again but now I've gotten myself into an endless war against the race known as the Borg. After the massive destruction I've caused I brought myself to Earth to face Starfleet and instead of punishment, they gave me a job to protect all life against the Borg.

Not only that but I have crossed paths with Voyager again. I found that Anika/Seven has chosen another man over me. Even though this other man had a duel with me. In that duel we both lost, yet one of us had to win the heart of Seven and I lost her again. This time it wasn't to the Borg, it was simply to another man, Commander Chakotay.

I can't change a woman's mind; all I can do is simply keep moving.

I've met great people on the ships Enterprise-E and Voyager. All good people whom I've come to know, but my travels must take me elsewhere.

I've even taken back Hugh to his colony and there he will bring those who have left the collective to be individuals. They will know what it is like to be free again, to be a person once again with no control or regulations over their minds. Anything will be possible with them.

I am sad that I've lost Seven all over again, but if there's one thing that this long life has taught me is that I have to keep moving. I have a new purpose now; I am Vash the Stampede, a hunter of peace and a protector against the Borg. With my black and silver guns, I will keep moving, because the ticket to the future is always blank.

The End.

Author's Notes: The final decision is made, Vash the Stampede has left Seven of Nine in favor of her happiness with Chakotay. He knew that he would simply be in the way, and besides his job now is to be at the outer rims of Federation Space making sure that the Borg stays at bay. All his life Vash didn't want to harm a soul and now he has to kill Borg in order for the peaceful races of the galaxy to survive.

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