"I Think I'll Keep You"
Remus J. Lupin:
He sighed as the holodeck doors opened. He never thought he'd see this place again. Chez Sandrine was the place he first discovered love, and he spent his time here when he had thought he lost his love. The Doctor decided this was an appropriate place to be right now. "How *could* she? It was so... illogical!... of her to commit suicide. Why... WHY? Didn't she know there were other people out there who loved her? No matter what he tried to do, his mind would eventually wander off. He'd find himself thinking about Seven again.
"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One..." he said. "How selfish of you... you ended your misery, but now look what you've done! The Family is now miserable because of you. They miss you, Seven..."
"I see you 'ave returned. Want to stay on as my bartender, do you?" a french-accented woman's voice interrupted. It took him a second to realize that he had been talking to himself.
Seven of Nine is not here. Stop behaving irrationally and get on with your life, the devil in him spoke up. "Sandrine!" The Doctor exclaimed with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Zis is my bar, silly."
Sandrine leaned over to plant a kiss on him, but he gently pushed her away. "No thank you, I've already got a... love... problem on my hands, and I don't need another," he said coldly.
"Still as stubborn as a mule..." She shook her head and stormed away with a 'hmph!'. The Doctor massaged his temples. Perhaps this is the life I was meant to have. A holographic doctor with a bad bed-side manner and a holographic French bar owner who is always craving to make love. Hmph. What a *perfect* couple, he thought sarcastically, smirking.
For a moment there, he actually thought of pursuing the possibility of romance between him and Sandrine. It was not impossible, after all. He sat down, brooding, his hand stroking an invisible beard.
Seven made her way back into his thoughts again. Suddenly, all possibility of a good relationship between him and Sandrine was erased. How could he ever forgive himself? If he'd had confessed his love for Seven long ago, before she hooked up with Chakotay, this never would have happened. They could have an excellent relationship together, but NOO... he had to, he just *had* to succumb to his shyness. And then all his chances to be with Seven dropped from one hundred to zero. Who would want a hologram compared to a human who had all the pros of humanity? Chakotay was kind, loving, all the qualities a woman could ever want in a man. "What am I? But a hologram. What do I have that the Commander doesn't?"
He sighed. Ever since Voyager had returned to Earth, his life had taken a bad turn. Before they even knew they had a chance of getting home, some part of him doubted if he really wanted to get back to Earth. He'd always wonder what he'd be treated like. But at least he wasn't kept as a lab rat in some holographic testing centre. At least he still got to keep his mobile emitter. But those were the only things he felt good about. Compared to other holograms, his life was quite good. But he was still treated like a hologram: property.
He snapped out of his reverie and noticed that Sandrine was walking toward his general direction. "A little stressed, are we? I'll make you feel better," she said. He thought Sandrine was about to kiss him again, and was just thinking about deleting her when a sudden relaxation crept over him as Sandrine massaged his shoulders. "Ahh... that feels *much* better... I think I'll keep you after all," the Doctor commented.
Remus J. Lupin:
He sighed as the holodeck doors opened. He never thought he'd see this place again. Chez Sandrine was the place he first discovered love, and he spent his time here when he had thought he lost his love. The Doctor decided this was an appropriate place to be right now. "How *could* she? It was so... illogical!... of her to commit suicide. Why... WHY? Didn't she know there were other people out there who loved her? No matter what he tried to do, his mind would eventually wander off. He'd find himself thinking about Seven again.
"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One..." he said. "How selfish of you... you ended your misery, but now look what you've done! The Family is now miserable because of you. They miss you, Seven..."
"I see you 'ave returned. Want to stay on as my bartender, do you?" a french-accented woman's voice interrupted. It took him a second to realize that he had been talking to himself.
Seven of Nine is not here. Stop behaving irrationally and get on with your life, the devil in him spoke up. "Sandrine!" The Doctor exclaimed with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Zis is my bar, silly."
Sandrine leaned over to plant a kiss on him, but he gently pushed her away. "No thank you, I've already got a... love... problem on my hands, and I don't need another," he said coldly.
"Still as stubborn as a mule..." She shook her head and stormed away with a 'hmph!'. The Doctor massaged his temples. Perhaps this is the life I was meant to have. A holographic doctor with a bad bed-side manner and a holographic French bar owner who is always craving to make love. Hmph. What a *perfect* couple, he thought sarcastically, smirking.
For a moment there, he actually thought of pursuing the possibility of romance between him and Sandrine. It was not impossible, after all. He sat down, brooding, his hand stroking an invisible beard.
Seven made her way back into his thoughts again. Suddenly, all possibility of a good relationship between him and Sandrine was erased. How could he ever forgive himself? If he'd had confessed his love for Seven long ago, before she hooked up with Chakotay, this never would have happened. They could have an excellent relationship together, but NOO... he had to, he just *had* to succumb to his shyness. And then all his chances to be with Seven dropped from one hundred to zero. Who would want a hologram compared to a human who had all the pros of humanity? Chakotay was kind, loving, all the qualities a woman could ever want in a man. "What am I? But a hologram. What do I have that the Commander doesn't?"
He sighed. Ever since Voyager had returned to Earth, his life had taken a bad turn. Before they even knew they had a chance of getting home, some part of him doubted if he really wanted to get back to Earth. He'd always wonder what he'd be treated like. But at least he wasn't kept as a lab rat in some holographic testing centre. At least he still got to keep his mobile emitter. But those were the only things he felt good about. Compared to other holograms, his life was quite good. But he was still treated like a hologram: property.
He snapped out of his reverie and noticed that Sandrine was walking toward his general direction. "A little stressed, are we? I'll make you feel better," she said. He thought Sandrine was about to kiss him again, and was just thinking about deleting her when a sudden relaxation crept over him as Sandrine massaged his shoulders. "Ahh... that feels *much* better... I think I'll keep you after all," the Doctor commented.