Disclaimer: The characters of Voyager don't belong to me; they belong to the wonderful
world of Star Trek. Finnegan is my own brainchild though.
Authors Notes: Well here it is, the Final Chapter, Enjoy!!
All further stories containing this Finnegan Alternate Universe will contain the term
EMOTH ( Enhancing Matters of the Heart) so all fans can look for that if they wish to see
the rest of Finnegan's exploits. There will be more, but probably not for a while.
Eventually I plan on editing this entire story and posting it in total or in two parts, but
since its like 60 pages long that's going to take some time.
It would mean a lot to me if all of you who have been following this story would write a
final review, be as harsh as possible so the next stories can get better, but some kind
words would be nice as well. It would also be cool if you could tell me what you think of
Finnegan, perhaps a brief characterization. Thanks a lot!!
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!
Finnegan's eyes opened. He saw the lights of sickbay, not the snowy sky of the
planet he had spent the past four days on, or the eerie green lights of a Borg cube, but the
comforting Starfleet design of his newest home. Finnegan, however, was not comforted.
"SEVEN?!" he shouted and he shot up from the bio-bed.
Dizziness and pain shot through his already weak body. Tom Paris was close at
hand and rushed over to him.
"Whoa, take it easy Dempsey, you lost a lot of blood," Tom said with sympathy
in his voice as he placed a hand on Finnegan's shoulder, partially to support him and
partially to hold him back.
Finnegan didn't like the tone of Paris' voice; it was hiding something.
"Where is she?" he asked with painful reserve, staring Paris in the eye.
"Um…" Tom replied, not returning his glare.
Finnegan felt his stomach lurch; he doubled over in pain, " My God Tom, where
the hell is she?" he yelled.
The noise drew the Captain over to where Finnegan was struggling to get up. Tom
was trying to keep him on the bio-bed, but he was no match for Finnegan, injured or not.
"Captain, please, tell me her condition," he asked, the pain filling his eyes as he
stumbled toward her.
The Captain looked up at him and he knew it wasn't good.
"Is she… dead?" he asked.
"No," the Captain said, " but her condition isn't good. She has severe wounds to
several internal organs and a collapsed lung. There is also some kind of infection in the
both of you. The Doctor treated yours because the wounds weren't affecting anything
major. The infection has spread to most of Seven's vital systems."
Finnegan had to lean against the consul to prevent himself from passing out.
"This is all my fault," he mumbled to himself.
"Mr. Finnegan, I fail to see how an animal attack is your…" Janeway started to
object, but Finnegan interrupted her.
"The thicket, where we were attacked. Seven said that she couldn't scan it, that it
was too dangerous to go into the unknown, but I insisted…" Finnegan paused, " didn't
think we would make it to the transport site in time. So we went in, and I was supposed to
protect her, I had the phaser, I was in the lead. But it jumped us, knocked me aside, and
when I got up she was on the ground …" tears began to swell in his eyes, " and I failed, it
was all my fault, now she's in there dying because I'm inept!" the self loathing in his
words was palpable.
"Finnegan, it was a decision that you both made, Seven wouldn't have agreed
with it if it was a logical idea," Janeway placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Look at me," he said, backing away, " Here I am, the very model of
technological and genetic 'perfection'" he said with bitterness, " and I can't even protect
one person." He looked up at Janeway.
"Mr. Finnegan, please, you need to rest, your systems aren't fully recovered yet,
you are still not well," she pleaded.
Finnegan blinked, his eyes filled with a new resolve.
"I'll rest when she's better, for now the Doc needs my help," he said, walking
toward the other side of sickbay.
"Finnegan, the doctor is fully capable of handling this himself, you are in no
condition to be…" Janeway was cut off again.
"Captain, other then the Doc, I have the most medical knowledge of anyone on
this ship. Seven is dying, and if I can right some of the damage that I have done, and save
that woman's life, then I am going to do everything in my power to do so," he looked at
her.
Janeway could see the pain in his face. She knew what it was like to be
responsible for someone else's pain. She knew that this wasn't the first time that
Finnegan had felt responsible for someone and failed in his own eyes. She also knew that
she didn't want to loose Seven.
"Please Captain," Finnegan was struggling to hold back the tears.
"Proceed," she said.
Seven's eyes fluttered open and she stepped forward.
Regeneration Cycle complete the computer chirped.
Seven had been regenerating for five days, at the Doctor's orders, and was
relieved to finally be able to do something. She began to walk out of Cargo Bay 2 when
something caught her eye.
It was on the panel to near her regeneration alcove. She walked toward the object
and examined it with her eyes.
It was a small clear globe filled with water, with at wooden base. Inside was a
small model of a waterfall. Seven lifted in and it filled with small flakes of white. She
held it up and shook it gently. The globe filled with the white "snow".
On the consul was a small PADD. Seven picked it up and read it, "So you can
always walk in a winter wonderland. - Finnegan"
Seven placed the PADD back down on the consul and exited the Cargo Bay.
Finnegan sat in the mess hall, alone except for the two ensigns in the corner and
Neelix getting ready to close up.
"Mr. Finnegan, can I get you something?" Neelix asked, a friendly smile on his
face.
"What?" Finnegan snapped out of the thought he was in.
"Would you like something to eat, or drink?" Neelix asked again, the smile now
turning into a frown of concern.
"Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought. Uh yeah, I guess I could use a warm glass of
milk, if that's not to much trouble," he said.
"None at all," Neelix said. He walked over to the replicator and got the requested
beverage, walked to the table, placed the glass in front of Finnegan, and took a seat
across from him.
"Can't sleep, huh?" he said.
"Nope, haven't been able to get a good night sleep since I came back," Finnegan
said, " Guess the warm milk gave me away," he took a sip.
" Well that and the fact that you look, well… you look a little tired," Neelix said
kindheartedly.
Finnegan smiled, " Yeah, I know,"
"Mr. Finnegan, I just want to say, I'm so happy that you came aboard this ship,"
Neelix said.
Finnegan looked up, surprised at the Talxian's comment.
Neelix continued, " The crew seems to enjoy your company, trust me, I know, I'm
the morale officer, I observe these things. Tom and Harry enjoy having a new person to
play ruthless practical jokes with. B'Elanna has finally found someone that understands
the Klingon culture. The Doctor has another medic. The Captain seems to have found a
kindred spirit in you. And others…" he paused, seeming to search Finnegan face to see if
he should go further, apparently he saw that he should, " Well Seven mainly, I have seen
the greatest deal of changes in her."
Finnegan took a deep breath.
"It's the little things," Neelix continued, " On most of the crew I wouldn't notice
them, but Seven rarely changes her little quirks. For instance, I noticed that when you
walk in here, she often follows you with her eyes. I mean she tries to pretend that she is
studying her work, but nothing escapes the watchful eye of the morale officer." Neelix
began to chuckle at himself.
Finnegan couldn't help but smile, "Tell me Neelix, are all Talaxians as wonderful
as you, cause I might just have to hope on my ship and visit that planet."
Neelix smiled again, " Well, I don't know if they all are, but we are quite a
friendly race, in fact…" Neelix paused and looked behind Finnegan, " Mr. Finnegan,
perhaps I'll talk to you about Talax later, I believe that someone wants to talk to you," he
stood up and walked back to the counter.
Finnegan stood up, took a deep breath, and turned around.
"Mr. Finnegan," Seven said.
"Hello Seven," he said, "Would you like to sit down?" he said, gesturing toward
the chair next to him.
"Yes," she walked toward the chair and he pulled it out for her. She sat.
Finnegan sat down, "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I have fully recovered from my injuries, in fact, that is one of the things I came
to talk to you about," she replied. She looked at Finnegan's face. He looked awful; he
was haggard, tired. The usual spunk in his face was almost gone.
"Are you all right Mr. Finnegan, you do not look well," she asked.
Finnegan chuckled, " Wow, I must look horrible. I'm fine, just a little tired," he
said.
There was a long silence.
"I was informed that B'Elanna and you discovered a shield frequency that negates
the radiation interference. That a shuttle recovered the Delta Flyer and several sampled of
the X-Dylthium," she said.
"Yeah, turns out there wasn't as much as we thought," he replied, half-heartedly.
"True, but there was enough recovered to cut nearly 5 years of the journey, that is
quite an accomplishment," she said.
"I suppose. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he said.
" I … wanted to thank you for the gift, the globe. And, for saving my life," she
said.
Finnegan was taken aback, " Seven, I hardly saved your life. If it weren't for me,
you wouldn't have been hurt at all. It was my decision that put you in danger, my god
you were almost killed by that creature, if I hadn't been so stubborn, so pig-headed you
would have never been in danger," his words were filled with emotion.
" You must discontinue with this," she said, her voice stern.
Finnegan was confused, " With what?"
Seven's eyes grew wider, "With this irrational line of thinking. You must stop
blaming yourself. What happened on that planet was an accident…"
"An accident that could have been avoided if I had listened to you and took the
detour around the thicket," he said.
"My plan was wrong, if we had taken the detour we would have missed the
window of time to be transported, your decision was the only logical choice," she replied.
"That doesn't matter, I still couldn't protect you," he said.
"You are in error, you did exactly that. You too were injured; the creature was
about to finish me when you came to my rescue. If I am correct you also managed to
carry me to the transporter site, and aid the Doctor in my surgery, all while you were still
injured. You say that you failed to protect me, but the events clearly indicate that you
were my savior," she said. Not taking her eyes from him.
"I believe that you feel this guilt for something else, for your past," she said.
Finnegan looked into her eyes, she could see the pain in his face, he opened his
mouth "I hate feeling this way When I saw you there in the snow, lying there, I felt it all
coming back again, all of the pain, all of the horror, it was horrible," he said.
Seven placed a hand on his elbow, " Mr. Finnegan, I don't know how you feel,
but I can try to understand. Loosing someone close to you, who you feel responsible for
must make you feel weak … helpless… but you did not loose me, you were not weak, or
helpless. I thank you for your strength and determination."
Finnegan placed his hand on hers, " Over that past couple of nights, in fact ever
since the shuttle crashed, I have been having these dreams. Strange dreams. I'm on a
Borg cube, and there is this explosion coming toward me. To one side is Betsy, but she's
not Betsy, she's a Borg drone. Then to the other side of me is… is you. Your both
reaching out to me, trying to get me to go with you. And all the times, every time I reach
out to grab a hand, its your Seven, its always your hand," he said.
Seven took a deep breath, " What do you think this means?" she asked, clearly
touched.
"I think it means that… you are my future, that all of my past has lead up to you
somehow, I'm really not sure," he said.
They sat there in silence for several seconds.
Then Seven spoke up, " I lied to you."
"Excuse me?" Finnegan was confused by her comment.
"On the shuttle, the first morning, you asked me if my only regret in telling you
we needed to terminate our relationship was that I hurt your feelings. This was not true,"
she said.
"Ok, well, what other regrets did you have?" he asked.
Seven paused, took a deep breath, and spoke, " From the moment we met I have
felt different around you. At first I believed it to be dislike for you, but when you asked
me to the party, I realized that it was far from it. When I saw that night in the hallway, I
was afraid. Your analysis of why are ended our relationship was correct. It was my own
fears that caused me to make my decision, and I have regretted it everyday since I made
it."
Finnegan began nodding his head, " Hmm, well I'm glad you changed your
mind," he said with a smile.
"As am I," she said, " Now, I suggest that you get some sleep, we will have a lot
of work to do tomorrow to integrate the X-dylythium into the warp core," she said, rising.
"Yes," Finnegan said, still quite dazed by what Seven had revealed to him, " I
guess I'll see you tomorrow, we have a lot to talk about,"
"One more thing Dempsey," she said.
Finnegan head snapped back at her use of his first name.
"Yeah," he said, just in front of the door.
" What time should I meet you for dinner tomorrow?" she had a full smile on her
face.
"Ha… how is 2000 hours?" he said.
" Perfect," she said.
Finnegan nodded, and walked to his quarters. He stepped in side, patted Hercules
on the head, and got the best night sleep he had had in years.
THE END … for now!!!
world of Star Trek. Finnegan is my own brainchild though.
Authors Notes: Well here it is, the Final Chapter, Enjoy!!
All further stories containing this Finnegan Alternate Universe will contain the term
EMOTH ( Enhancing Matters of the Heart) so all fans can look for that if they wish to see
the rest of Finnegan's exploits. There will be more, but probably not for a while.
Eventually I plan on editing this entire story and posting it in total or in two parts, but
since its like 60 pages long that's going to take some time.
It would mean a lot to me if all of you who have been following this story would write a
final review, be as harsh as possible so the next stories can get better, but some kind
words would be nice as well. It would also be cool if you could tell me what you think of
Finnegan, perhaps a brief characterization. Thanks a lot!!
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!
Finnegan's eyes opened. He saw the lights of sickbay, not the snowy sky of the
planet he had spent the past four days on, or the eerie green lights of a Borg cube, but the
comforting Starfleet design of his newest home. Finnegan, however, was not comforted.
"SEVEN?!" he shouted and he shot up from the bio-bed.
Dizziness and pain shot through his already weak body. Tom Paris was close at
hand and rushed over to him.
"Whoa, take it easy Dempsey, you lost a lot of blood," Tom said with sympathy
in his voice as he placed a hand on Finnegan's shoulder, partially to support him and
partially to hold him back.
Finnegan didn't like the tone of Paris' voice; it was hiding something.
"Where is she?" he asked with painful reserve, staring Paris in the eye.
"Um…" Tom replied, not returning his glare.
Finnegan felt his stomach lurch; he doubled over in pain, " My God Tom, where
the hell is she?" he yelled.
The noise drew the Captain over to where Finnegan was struggling to get up. Tom
was trying to keep him on the bio-bed, but he was no match for Finnegan, injured or not.
"Captain, please, tell me her condition," he asked, the pain filling his eyes as he
stumbled toward her.
The Captain looked up at him and he knew it wasn't good.
"Is she… dead?" he asked.
"No," the Captain said, " but her condition isn't good. She has severe wounds to
several internal organs and a collapsed lung. There is also some kind of infection in the
both of you. The Doctor treated yours because the wounds weren't affecting anything
major. The infection has spread to most of Seven's vital systems."
Finnegan had to lean against the consul to prevent himself from passing out.
"This is all my fault," he mumbled to himself.
"Mr. Finnegan, I fail to see how an animal attack is your…" Janeway started to
object, but Finnegan interrupted her.
"The thicket, where we were attacked. Seven said that she couldn't scan it, that it
was too dangerous to go into the unknown, but I insisted…" Finnegan paused, " didn't
think we would make it to the transport site in time. So we went in, and I was supposed to
protect her, I had the phaser, I was in the lead. But it jumped us, knocked me aside, and
when I got up she was on the ground …" tears began to swell in his eyes, " and I failed, it
was all my fault, now she's in there dying because I'm inept!" the self loathing in his
words was palpable.
"Finnegan, it was a decision that you both made, Seven wouldn't have agreed
with it if it was a logical idea," Janeway placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Look at me," he said, backing away, " Here I am, the very model of
technological and genetic 'perfection'" he said with bitterness, " and I can't even protect
one person." He looked up at Janeway.
"Mr. Finnegan, please, you need to rest, your systems aren't fully recovered yet,
you are still not well," she pleaded.
Finnegan blinked, his eyes filled with a new resolve.
"I'll rest when she's better, for now the Doc needs my help," he said, walking
toward the other side of sickbay.
"Finnegan, the doctor is fully capable of handling this himself, you are in no
condition to be…" Janeway was cut off again.
"Captain, other then the Doc, I have the most medical knowledge of anyone on
this ship. Seven is dying, and if I can right some of the damage that I have done, and save
that woman's life, then I am going to do everything in my power to do so," he looked at
her.
Janeway could see the pain in his face. She knew what it was like to be
responsible for someone else's pain. She knew that this wasn't the first time that
Finnegan had felt responsible for someone and failed in his own eyes. She also knew that
she didn't want to loose Seven.
"Please Captain," Finnegan was struggling to hold back the tears.
"Proceed," she said.
Seven's eyes fluttered open and she stepped forward.
Regeneration Cycle complete the computer chirped.
Seven had been regenerating for five days, at the Doctor's orders, and was
relieved to finally be able to do something. She began to walk out of Cargo Bay 2 when
something caught her eye.
It was on the panel to near her regeneration alcove. She walked toward the object
and examined it with her eyes.
It was a small clear globe filled with water, with at wooden base. Inside was a
small model of a waterfall. Seven lifted in and it filled with small flakes of white. She
held it up and shook it gently. The globe filled with the white "snow".
On the consul was a small PADD. Seven picked it up and read it, "So you can
always walk in a winter wonderland. - Finnegan"
Seven placed the PADD back down on the consul and exited the Cargo Bay.
Finnegan sat in the mess hall, alone except for the two ensigns in the corner and
Neelix getting ready to close up.
"Mr. Finnegan, can I get you something?" Neelix asked, a friendly smile on his
face.
"What?" Finnegan snapped out of the thought he was in.
"Would you like something to eat, or drink?" Neelix asked again, the smile now
turning into a frown of concern.
"Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought. Uh yeah, I guess I could use a warm glass of
milk, if that's not to much trouble," he said.
"None at all," Neelix said. He walked over to the replicator and got the requested
beverage, walked to the table, placed the glass in front of Finnegan, and took a seat
across from him.
"Can't sleep, huh?" he said.
"Nope, haven't been able to get a good night sleep since I came back," Finnegan
said, " Guess the warm milk gave me away," he took a sip.
" Well that and the fact that you look, well… you look a little tired," Neelix said
kindheartedly.
Finnegan smiled, " Yeah, I know,"
"Mr. Finnegan, I just want to say, I'm so happy that you came aboard this ship,"
Neelix said.
Finnegan looked up, surprised at the Talxian's comment.
Neelix continued, " The crew seems to enjoy your company, trust me, I know, I'm
the morale officer, I observe these things. Tom and Harry enjoy having a new person to
play ruthless practical jokes with. B'Elanna has finally found someone that understands
the Klingon culture. The Doctor has another medic. The Captain seems to have found a
kindred spirit in you. And others…" he paused, seeming to search Finnegan face to see if
he should go further, apparently he saw that he should, " Well Seven mainly, I have seen
the greatest deal of changes in her."
Finnegan took a deep breath.
"It's the little things," Neelix continued, " On most of the crew I wouldn't notice
them, but Seven rarely changes her little quirks. For instance, I noticed that when you
walk in here, she often follows you with her eyes. I mean she tries to pretend that she is
studying her work, but nothing escapes the watchful eye of the morale officer." Neelix
began to chuckle at himself.
Finnegan couldn't help but smile, "Tell me Neelix, are all Talaxians as wonderful
as you, cause I might just have to hope on my ship and visit that planet."
Neelix smiled again, " Well, I don't know if they all are, but we are quite a
friendly race, in fact…" Neelix paused and looked behind Finnegan, " Mr. Finnegan,
perhaps I'll talk to you about Talax later, I believe that someone wants to talk to you," he
stood up and walked back to the counter.
Finnegan stood up, took a deep breath, and turned around.
"Mr. Finnegan," Seven said.
"Hello Seven," he said, "Would you like to sit down?" he said, gesturing toward
the chair next to him.
"Yes," she walked toward the chair and he pulled it out for her. She sat.
Finnegan sat down, "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I have fully recovered from my injuries, in fact, that is one of the things I came
to talk to you about," she replied. She looked at Finnegan's face. He looked awful; he
was haggard, tired. The usual spunk in his face was almost gone.
"Are you all right Mr. Finnegan, you do not look well," she asked.
Finnegan chuckled, " Wow, I must look horrible. I'm fine, just a little tired," he
said.
There was a long silence.
"I was informed that B'Elanna and you discovered a shield frequency that negates
the radiation interference. That a shuttle recovered the Delta Flyer and several sampled of
the X-Dylthium," she said.
"Yeah, turns out there wasn't as much as we thought," he replied, half-heartedly.
"True, but there was enough recovered to cut nearly 5 years of the journey, that is
quite an accomplishment," she said.
"I suppose. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he said.
" I … wanted to thank you for the gift, the globe. And, for saving my life," she
said.
Finnegan was taken aback, " Seven, I hardly saved your life. If it weren't for me,
you wouldn't have been hurt at all. It was my decision that put you in danger, my god
you were almost killed by that creature, if I hadn't been so stubborn, so pig-headed you
would have never been in danger," his words were filled with emotion.
" You must discontinue with this," she said, her voice stern.
Finnegan was confused, " With what?"
Seven's eyes grew wider, "With this irrational line of thinking. You must stop
blaming yourself. What happened on that planet was an accident…"
"An accident that could have been avoided if I had listened to you and took the
detour around the thicket," he said.
"My plan was wrong, if we had taken the detour we would have missed the
window of time to be transported, your decision was the only logical choice," she replied.
"That doesn't matter, I still couldn't protect you," he said.
"You are in error, you did exactly that. You too were injured; the creature was
about to finish me when you came to my rescue. If I am correct you also managed to
carry me to the transporter site, and aid the Doctor in my surgery, all while you were still
injured. You say that you failed to protect me, but the events clearly indicate that you
were my savior," she said. Not taking her eyes from him.
"I believe that you feel this guilt for something else, for your past," she said.
Finnegan looked into her eyes, she could see the pain in his face, he opened his
mouth "I hate feeling this way When I saw you there in the snow, lying there, I felt it all
coming back again, all of the pain, all of the horror, it was horrible," he said.
Seven placed a hand on his elbow, " Mr. Finnegan, I don't know how you feel,
but I can try to understand. Loosing someone close to you, who you feel responsible for
must make you feel weak … helpless… but you did not loose me, you were not weak, or
helpless. I thank you for your strength and determination."
Finnegan placed his hand on hers, " Over that past couple of nights, in fact ever
since the shuttle crashed, I have been having these dreams. Strange dreams. I'm on a
Borg cube, and there is this explosion coming toward me. To one side is Betsy, but she's
not Betsy, she's a Borg drone. Then to the other side of me is… is you. Your both
reaching out to me, trying to get me to go with you. And all the times, every time I reach
out to grab a hand, its your Seven, its always your hand," he said.
Seven took a deep breath, " What do you think this means?" she asked, clearly
touched.
"I think it means that… you are my future, that all of my past has lead up to you
somehow, I'm really not sure," he said.
They sat there in silence for several seconds.
Then Seven spoke up, " I lied to you."
"Excuse me?" Finnegan was confused by her comment.
"On the shuttle, the first morning, you asked me if my only regret in telling you
we needed to terminate our relationship was that I hurt your feelings. This was not true,"
she said.
"Ok, well, what other regrets did you have?" he asked.
Seven paused, took a deep breath, and spoke, " From the moment we met I have
felt different around you. At first I believed it to be dislike for you, but when you asked
me to the party, I realized that it was far from it. When I saw that night in the hallway, I
was afraid. Your analysis of why are ended our relationship was correct. It was my own
fears that caused me to make my decision, and I have regretted it everyday since I made
it."
Finnegan began nodding his head, " Hmm, well I'm glad you changed your
mind," he said with a smile.
"As am I," she said, " Now, I suggest that you get some sleep, we will have a lot
of work to do tomorrow to integrate the X-dylythium into the warp core," she said, rising.
"Yes," Finnegan said, still quite dazed by what Seven had revealed to him, " I
guess I'll see you tomorrow, we have a lot to talk about,"
"One more thing Dempsey," she said.
Finnegan head snapped back at her use of his first name.
"Yeah," he said, just in front of the door.
" What time should I meet you for dinner tomorrow?" she had a full smile on her
face.
"Ha… how is 2000 hours?" he said.
" Perfect," she said.
Finnegan nodded, and walked to his quarters. He stepped in side, patted Hercules
on the head, and got the best night sleep he had had in years.
THE END … for now!!!