Disclaimer: Star Trek: Voyager belongs to Paramount Pictures.
Chapter 10: Ambiguous thoughts
San Francisco, September 15th 2379.
Seven walked through the doors of the bedroom and out onto the indoor balcony. The balcony's barrier was glass and gave the impression that there was no barrier there at all. She looked straight ahead and through the tall panes of glass which exposed the lights of the city imprinted against the blackness of the night, uninterested by the view she looked down below at the living area. He was sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed in meditation. Not wanting to break him away from his state she made her way quietly down the stairs.
The stair case swerved elegantly down from the top of the balcony and into the middle of the living area. In such a large city with space so scarce she wandered how he had managed to obtain such an apartment, but when she asked him such questions he would just smile and tell her not to worry about it. Not wanting him to think that she was worrying she often tried to avoid such questions, but they still lingered in her mind.
She opened the fridge and removed a bottle of milk, pouring some of the contents into a glass before returning the bottle back to the fridge. "I'm sorry, did I wake you." She hadn't heard him get up from the sofa or make his way over to the kitchen area, but somehow he had managed it. His arms circled round her waste and kissed her neck gently. She put down the glass back down onto the work surface and turned to face him.
"You were not there when I woke," she stated.
He knew that she didn't like to wake up alone, she didn't even like to sleep when it could be avoided, but she often agreed to stay with him if he asked her to. "I couldn't sleep," he lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her passionately on the lips, breaking away he smiled and released his grip around her a little. "I had a lot on my mind," he explained before letting go of her completely and walking back over towards the living area.
Picking up her glass she followed him and sat down on the sofa next to him, allowing him to put his arm across her shoulders she melted into his chest. Both being young and beautifully comfortable with their own bodies they felt very little need to cover up from each other, and so that night they were wearing very little. Seven took a sip from her glass, "what were you thinking about?"
He kissed the top of her forehead, and gently caressed her upper arm, "life, the universe. everything," he didn't like to be too specific when it could be avoided.
Seven however preferred to know every detail, and so was a little annoyed at this answer. "Tad!" she scolded.
He laughed gently into her hair, "I was thinking what I could have done differently."
"When?" she put her glass on the coffee table in front and sat up straight looking him in the face.
"Lots of times," he smiled, "I was trying to find a pattern so that I don't make any of the same mistakes again."
He trailed of, so she finished his sentence, "like Adelaide?"
"Yes," he agreed. He had told Seven relatively little about his past life, she got the idea that he didn't like to talk about it, and so never pressed him for answers. All she knew about Adelaide was the she was his wife, but had died some time ago, other than that, she knew hardly anything. "But other things as well."
He was in a very sombre mood she noticed, more than usual, he seemed very distant, and it scared her a little that she didn't understand him. Picking up on this he smiled, "we don't know very much about each other do we?" he hung an arm down the back of the sofa.
She shook her head, "no, but that is the idea of dating; to get to know each other."
Tad nodded with a grin, although Seven came across as a very simple woman, he knew that there was a lot more to her than she allowed people to see. He thought that he was starting to break trough that barrier, she very rarely hid her emotions from him and often confided in him about things that were worrying her. He just wished that he could do the same; tell her about his past, bring her into his family, tell her everything that was bothering him, but he knew that he couldn't.
It saddened him to think that she was putting a lot more trust into the relationship than she was getting out of it, but although he knew that she could be trusted, he also knew that trusting her with such precious information could be dangerous for her. But still, sometimes he thought it was worth the risk so that they would not have that barrier between them both.
"While I was thinking," Tad broke the comfortable silence, "I thought maybe we should put a regeneration unit in my apartment, so that you could stay over more often."
Seven couldn't help but smile a little, it was comforting to know that he thought about these things, to know that he casually considered her own needs, as well as their needs. Thinking for a moment she looked back up at him, "I think that such a change would be acceptable."
Tad's smile widened and was about to say something more when he heard the com bleep. He looked across at Seven apologetically and crossed the room to get to the com console. Looking down at the display he sighed, and turned back to Seven, "sorry Annika, it's a private call I have to take it in my office."
She nodded, assuming that it was probably hospital business, "I'm going to try and go back to sleep, will you be up later?"
He paused, "I'm not sure," he said, "we'll see."
With that he was gone and Seven was left sitting all alone, getting up from the sofa she crossed the room and headed back up the stair case.
Back in his office Tad pressed the button to open a channel, it was doctor Davidson, "hi Chris," Tad acknowledged his colleague.
"Tad," Chris nodded, "I've been told to inform you that admiral Janeway has just gone into labour," he paused, "hey, are the two of you related?"
Tad ignored his question, "okay, is her partner- Chakotay with her?"
"Um, I'm not sure, she came in with a guy but he definitely wasn't called Chakotay."
So no, Tad thought, "has he been informed?"
"I don't know, I was only told to contact you," Chris frowned, still unsure of Tad's relevance to the admiral.
"Don't worry about it, I'll contact him, if Kathryn asks tell her that I'll be there as soon as I can," he pinched the bridge of his nose and terminated the com. This was going to be a very long night, he decided.
"Annika," he crawled across the bed and crouched beside her, she turned over and looked sleepily up at him with a questioning look, "I have to go down to the hospital," he said softly.
"When?"
"Now."
She paused, and woke herself up a little more, suddenly aware that she had dozed off in the first place. "Okay," she said a little more awake, "will you be back?"
"Not before you wake," he explained, "so just let yourself out in the morning. I have to leave now, will you be okay?"
She didn't really want to be left alone, she hated solitude, but she didn't want to make him feel guilty for leaving her so nodded, "I'll see you later," she said.
Wanting to stay with her, but knowing he had to leave he paused briefly before leaning over to kiss her on the forehead, "I love you," he said sitting back up and then sliding off the bed, "I'll see you later then." Quickly he left the room, closing the door after himself. She heard him rummage around downstairs for a time before she heard the front door open and then close as he left.
~*~
Hospital, San Francisco, some hours later.
As he walked down the familiar hospital corridors he heard footsteps come quickly behind his own and fall into pace beside him. He turned to see he friend Luke. "Hey dude," Luke nodded.
Tad raised an eyebrow in an unconscious imitation of Tuvok, "who uses the word dude anymore?"
Luke cocked his head make in mock offence, "me, of course," he stated with a smile. "Why are we walking so fast?" he asked as they turned another corner and headed towards the lift.
"Mum's just gone into labour," he said.
"Ah, that's why Dad said that you'd be here, I thought it was strange that it wasn't even your shift-"
"Luke, I love you like a brother, but is there a reason that you're here?" they got to the lift and Tad pressed a button to one side of it.
"Yeah," Luke said as the doors opened and they both stepped inside. "Felicity, she went on a test flight yesterday, and was due back about nine last night- or was it ten?- anyway, she's still not back and it's like three in the morning now, and that Pierce guy, and his friend, can't remember the name- well they're both engineers, but-"
"Get to the point!"
The doors opened and they both stepped out, "well, as I was going to say, they're a little worried that Flic hasn't reported back yet, and I just thought you should be informed."
"Thanks," Tad put a hand on Luke's shoulder as they slowed down their pace, "right, anything else?"
"No," Luke shook his head, and put his hands into his trouser pockets.
"Then I'll see you later," Tad smiled as he was about to walk off into a room off the corridor.
"Where are you-?" then Luke remembered, "oh yeah, Kathy, okay I'll see you later.
Tad disappeared into the room that he had been headed for, only to miss Luke head down the corridor in one direction, only to realise it was the wrong direction and double back.
~*~
End of Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Ambiguous thoughts
San Francisco, September 15th 2379.
Seven walked through the doors of the bedroom and out onto the indoor balcony. The balcony's barrier was glass and gave the impression that there was no barrier there at all. She looked straight ahead and through the tall panes of glass which exposed the lights of the city imprinted against the blackness of the night, uninterested by the view she looked down below at the living area. He was sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed in meditation. Not wanting to break him away from his state she made her way quietly down the stairs.
The stair case swerved elegantly down from the top of the balcony and into the middle of the living area. In such a large city with space so scarce she wandered how he had managed to obtain such an apartment, but when she asked him such questions he would just smile and tell her not to worry about it. Not wanting him to think that she was worrying she often tried to avoid such questions, but they still lingered in her mind.
She opened the fridge and removed a bottle of milk, pouring some of the contents into a glass before returning the bottle back to the fridge. "I'm sorry, did I wake you." She hadn't heard him get up from the sofa or make his way over to the kitchen area, but somehow he had managed it. His arms circled round her waste and kissed her neck gently. She put down the glass back down onto the work surface and turned to face him.
"You were not there when I woke," she stated.
He knew that she didn't like to wake up alone, she didn't even like to sleep when it could be avoided, but she often agreed to stay with him if he asked her to. "I couldn't sleep," he lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her passionately on the lips, breaking away he smiled and released his grip around her a little. "I had a lot on my mind," he explained before letting go of her completely and walking back over towards the living area.
Picking up her glass she followed him and sat down on the sofa next to him, allowing him to put his arm across her shoulders she melted into his chest. Both being young and beautifully comfortable with their own bodies they felt very little need to cover up from each other, and so that night they were wearing very little. Seven took a sip from her glass, "what were you thinking about?"
He kissed the top of her forehead, and gently caressed her upper arm, "life, the universe. everything," he didn't like to be too specific when it could be avoided.
Seven however preferred to know every detail, and so was a little annoyed at this answer. "Tad!" she scolded.
He laughed gently into her hair, "I was thinking what I could have done differently."
"When?" she put her glass on the coffee table in front and sat up straight looking him in the face.
"Lots of times," he smiled, "I was trying to find a pattern so that I don't make any of the same mistakes again."
He trailed of, so she finished his sentence, "like Adelaide?"
"Yes," he agreed. He had told Seven relatively little about his past life, she got the idea that he didn't like to talk about it, and so never pressed him for answers. All she knew about Adelaide was the she was his wife, but had died some time ago, other than that, she knew hardly anything. "But other things as well."
He was in a very sombre mood she noticed, more than usual, he seemed very distant, and it scared her a little that she didn't understand him. Picking up on this he smiled, "we don't know very much about each other do we?" he hung an arm down the back of the sofa.
She shook her head, "no, but that is the idea of dating; to get to know each other."
Tad nodded with a grin, although Seven came across as a very simple woman, he knew that there was a lot more to her than she allowed people to see. He thought that he was starting to break trough that barrier, she very rarely hid her emotions from him and often confided in him about things that were worrying her. He just wished that he could do the same; tell her about his past, bring her into his family, tell her everything that was bothering him, but he knew that he couldn't.
It saddened him to think that she was putting a lot more trust into the relationship than she was getting out of it, but although he knew that she could be trusted, he also knew that trusting her with such precious information could be dangerous for her. But still, sometimes he thought it was worth the risk so that they would not have that barrier between them both.
"While I was thinking," Tad broke the comfortable silence, "I thought maybe we should put a regeneration unit in my apartment, so that you could stay over more often."
Seven couldn't help but smile a little, it was comforting to know that he thought about these things, to know that he casually considered her own needs, as well as their needs. Thinking for a moment she looked back up at him, "I think that such a change would be acceptable."
Tad's smile widened and was about to say something more when he heard the com bleep. He looked across at Seven apologetically and crossed the room to get to the com console. Looking down at the display he sighed, and turned back to Seven, "sorry Annika, it's a private call I have to take it in my office."
She nodded, assuming that it was probably hospital business, "I'm going to try and go back to sleep, will you be up later?"
He paused, "I'm not sure," he said, "we'll see."
With that he was gone and Seven was left sitting all alone, getting up from the sofa she crossed the room and headed back up the stair case.
Back in his office Tad pressed the button to open a channel, it was doctor Davidson, "hi Chris," Tad acknowledged his colleague.
"Tad," Chris nodded, "I've been told to inform you that admiral Janeway has just gone into labour," he paused, "hey, are the two of you related?"
Tad ignored his question, "okay, is her partner- Chakotay with her?"
"Um, I'm not sure, she came in with a guy but he definitely wasn't called Chakotay."
So no, Tad thought, "has he been informed?"
"I don't know, I was only told to contact you," Chris frowned, still unsure of Tad's relevance to the admiral.
"Don't worry about it, I'll contact him, if Kathryn asks tell her that I'll be there as soon as I can," he pinched the bridge of his nose and terminated the com. This was going to be a very long night, he decided.
"Annika," he crawled across the bed and crouched beside her, she turned over and looked sleepily up at him with a questioning look, "I have to go down to the hospital," he said softly.
"When?"
"Now."
She paused, and woke herself up a little more, suddenly aware that she had dozed off in the first place. "Okay," she said a little more awake, "will you be back?"
"Not before you wake," he explained, "so just let yourself out in the morning. I have to leave now, will you be okay?"
She didn't really want to be left alone, she hated solitude, but she didn't want to make him feel guilty for leaving her so nodded, "I'll see you later," she said.
Wanting to stay with her, but knowing he had to leave he paused briefly before leaning over to kiss her on the forehead, "I love you," he said sitting back up and then sliding off the bed, "I'll see you later then." Quickly he left the room, closing the door after himself. She heard him rummage around downstairs for a time before she heard the front door open and then close as he left.
~*~
Hospital, San Francisco, some hours later.
As he walked down the familiar hospital corridors he heard footsteps come quickly behind his own and fall into pace beside him. He turned to see he friend Luke. "Hey dude," Luke nodded.
Tad raised an eyebrow in an unconscious imitation of Tuvok, "who uses the word dude anymore?"
Luke cocked his head make in mock offence, "me, of course," he stated with a smile. "Why are we walking so fast?" he asked as they turned another corner and headed towards the lift.
"Mum's just gone into labour," he said.
"Ah, that's why Dad said that you'd be here, I thought it was strange that it wasn't even your shift-"
"Luke, I love you like a brother, but is there a reason that you're here?" they got to the lift and Tad pressed a button to one side of it.
"Yeah," Luke said as the doors opened and they both stepped inside. "Felicity, she went on a test flight yesterday, and was due back about nine last night- or was it ten?- anyway, she's still not back and it's like three in the morning now, and that Pierce guy, and his friend, can't remember the name- well they're both engineers, but-"
"Get to the point!"
The doors opened and they both stepped out, "well, as I was going to say, they're a little worried that Flic hasn't reported back yet, and I just thought you should be informed."
"Thanks," Tad put a hand on Luke's shoulder as they slowed down their pace, "right, anything else?"
"No," Luke shook his head, and put his hands into his trouser pockets.
"Then I'll see you later," Tad smiled as he was about to walk off into a room off the corridor.
"Where are you-?" then Luke remembered, "oh yeah, Kathy, okay I'll see you later.
Tad disappeared into the room that he had been headed for, only to miss Luke head down the corridor in one direction, only to realise it was the wrong direction and double back.
~*~
End of Chapter 10