Seven was taking a long time to answer. Chakotay waited impatiently, holding out the diamond ring like an offering. He really hoped she would answer soon. Besides making him incredibly anxious, he'd moved to a kneeling position and his knees were beginning to protest.
"Chakotay?" she asked slowly. Her eyes flickered between him and the ring.
"Yes?"
"When I was in astrometrics, I detected temporal fluctuations in the anomaly."
He smiled just a little more. Of course, she did.
"Is your proposal the result of something I should know about?"
"Will you answer my question if I answer yours?"
She nodded, her wary gaze on the ring as though it was a snake waiting to bite.
"Good. The short explanation is that yes, I was only going to ask you to move in with me, but after dealing with an unusual situation, I realized that's not what I want."
"You want to marry me instead?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
He laughed and reached out to take her human hand, holding the ring to her ring finger without actually merging the two. "Yes, you make me happier than I've ever been. We change each other, make each other better and I want that to continue. What about you? Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
"What was that?" His instant relief allowed him to tease.
Seven chuckled. "Yes, Chakotay."
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that properly." He leaned in close, nuzzling her cheek and neck the way he knew it tickled. She ducked her head and tried to move away while Chakotay pursued her, pushing the ring onto her finger as they laughed.
"Chakotay!" She fell back into the grass to get away from his tickling attention.
"It's too late!" He followed, holding her in place with a hand to her waist as he alternately kissed and nipped his way back to her lips. "You can't escape me now!"
Still chuckling, Seven reached up to frame his happy face. "I'd say that resistance is futile, but…"
He smiled, kissing her sweetly. "I know."
Neither one of them had anything they wanted to resist in that moment.
[Astrometrics]
Icheb would have had to be blind to miss the ring, or the irrepressible smile on Seven's face.
"Good morning, Icheb."
"Good morning. Do you remember denying the Commander was interested in you?" He only just managed to keep a straight face.
"You may gloat all you want." She logged in and began assessing the night's scans.
"I plan to. Congratulations." They smiled at each other before falling into a companionable silence while they worked.
[Ready Room]
"One more time." Janeway pressed her fingers to her eyes to clear the sleep away. She was sure she'd misheard her First Officer.
"I proposed to Seven. We're engaged." He kept it to short sentences this time, hoping to get through Janeway's morning brain. Despite having to repeat himself, Chakotay's smile refused to dim even a little.
"And she said yes?"
"Not initially so I had B'Elanna reprogram her."
Janeway laughed. "Right. Okay, I got it." She smiled at him, genuinely pleased. "Well, then I guess there's only one thing to say. Congratulations, Chakotay."
"Thank you."
"I think I'm just a little surprised because of…"
"I know." He'd rather not discuss his near split with Seven. "It was more… a misunderstanding."
Her brow arched. "The Doctor wouldn't have had anything to do with it, would he?"
Good to know the rumour mill is still alive and well. "Maybe, but it doesn't matter anymore."
"If you say so." Her smile widened. "Does this mean I get to host a real bridal shower?"
Chakotay put his hands up and began to back away. "I'll leave the fight over that between you and Seven."
"Oh, come on! B'Elanna and Tom practically eloped and who knows when we'll get another chance to party?"
"As long as Tom or Neelix is aboard, there'll be a party."
"Touché."
[Astrometrics]
Neelix all but pushed Tal Celes out of the way as he hurried to see Seven.
"Hey!"
"Sorry! Sorry, Celes!" Neelix hurried inside astrometrics, followed by the petite Bajoran, who was heading that way to take a shift cataloguing various anomalies.
Icheb had already left for his classes and independent studies so it was just Seven, easy prey for Neelix's enthusiasm.
Celes, who took a console off to the side, relaxed as she settled in to work. It was amusing to listen to the Talaxian talk at the former drone. Seven was clearly uncomfortable, but also too polite to tell him to get lost. It made for some interesting, single-sided chatter.
"So, a little birdie told me you've got a surprise."
"If you were told, then it's not much of a surprise."
"A surprise for you."
"Not this morning."
"Last night."
"Yes, I was surprised last night."
"And…"
A sigh. "I accepted him."
Celes glanced behind her in time to see Seven smile despite her attempts to appear aloof. Neelix had a hold of the hand where Chakotay's ring sparkled against her paler skin.
"Of course, you did! Now, we need to discuss wedding plans."
"Wedding plans?" Seven's face fell.
Celes stifled a laugh. Oh, she knew Seven would have to suffer through some of these talks, but it was still funny to see the former drone squirm for once. Clearly, she'd only thought of the marriage itself, not the wedding or the party the crew would expect. Tom and B'Elanna had gotten off easy out of sheer luck. They'd merged their wedding and reception with the celebrations following the race they participated in. Seven wouldn't have that luxury.
"Crewman Celes," Seven said, "you may be excused if you prefer to work elsewhere."
"No," she continued working, for once content with being where she was, "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Seven rolled her eyes. Perfect.
"Now, were you thinking uniform or civilian? I know it's been habit to stick to Starfleet regulations, but I think a themed wedding would be a lot of fun and really set you two apart."
"Apart from what?"
"Everyone else!"
I could assimilate him. That would put an end to this. The thought made her smile. He would be the most talkative drone in history. "I have not thought about specifics."
"Well, it's never too early to start planning." Neelix took a PADD and held it out to Seven. "I've already started looking at bridal shower traditions and I pulled up some ideas for themes and colours. Of course, this will depend on whether or not the Commander has any personal traditions he wants to see. Do you think he has a preference for Starfleet versus civilian?"
"I don't." She suspected he'd prefer civilian clothes, but didn't want to make the decision without him. Seven had no personal preferences for any of it, but knew humans placed a great deal of importance on weddings. She felt foolish to not have thought about it before.
"Ah well, we have lots of time to ask. What about dates?"
The doors slid open and Captain Janeway entered. She broke into a wide smile upon seeing who was already there. "Seven. Neelix." She glanced to the side. "Celes."
"Captain."
"Ah! Captain!" Neelix pulled up some images on his PADD. "What do you think?"
Smirking a little at Seven, who rolled her eyes, Janeway took the PADD. Her eyebrows rose at the amount of information he'd already researched and some of the more creative suggestions listed. "I'm not sure a booze cruise is a good idea."
"There are lots of options," Neelix said, undeterred.
"What about a destination wedding?" Celes said. The idea came to her and she mentioned it not to be perverse but because she really liked Chakotay and because she'd enjoyed her cousin's wedding, which had been on one of the more floral colonies.
"Oh, that's a great idea!" Neelix's eyes lit up. "We can do a beach wedding."
"How about a nice countryside scene?" suggested Janeway.
"Utopia Planitia's gardens would be perfect," said Celes.
"No, no, I've read about this place called Ha-wee—"
"That's Hawaii, Neelix," said Celes.
Janeway shook her head. "Illinois has lovely countryside and historic locations to have a wedding."
"San Francisco!" said Neelix.
Seven wondered how long it would take for them to notice if she simply left.
Finally noticing her shuffle, Neelix focussed on Seven again. "Come on, Seven, there must be a place that's special to you, or we can wait until we come across an M-class planet."
Seven shook her head. She couldn't think of any place for herself, but she had an idea that might make Chakotay happy.
[Holodeck]
Chakotay ducked a swing from his opponent. A quick jab in return forced the hologram to back away.
The doors behind him opened, but he didn't notice, too concerned with not getting clobbered by his opponent.
He finished the round, only just managing to beat the program.
A few bruises, a great deal of sweat, and a pulled muscle in his shoulder were his reward. He felt great.
Exiting the ring, he finally noticed his visitor.
"Seven!" He jumped down and went to press a kiss to her cheek, amused when she wrinkled her nose and visibly stopped herself from recoiling further. Despite her disgust, she held still to allow him the affectionate gesture. He chuckled. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"I am seeking asylum." She frowned pointedly at the bruises rising on his arms and cheek. He'd lowered the safety levels and it showed. "Though I think I came to the wrong place."
"Don't start. You play high-impact sports too."
"I possess reinforced bones and nanoprobes to assist in healing. You do not."
"I know, but it's something I enjoy."
"I don't like seeing you injured."
"The safety protocols are on… mostly. It's just a few bruises and I'm a big boy. I can handle it." Besides, Janeway and the Doctor had lectured him for years to no avail. He'd cut back on the sport if it really bothered Seven, but he suspected her ire was more due to irritation from another source.
Seven huffed, but gave a short nod. She looked around the room, but had little interest in going around the smelly, sweaty gym just then.
"So, asylum from what?" He sat to take off his boxing gear. Seven automatically took hold and helped pull off the padded gloves. "Thanks."
"Wedding plans."
"What?" Chakotay laughed. "We've been engaged a day!"
"You underestimate this crew's fascination with gossip and meddling."
"Let me guess… Neelix?" Chakotay began unwrapping his hands.
"And the Captain." She sighed. "Astrometrics had fifteen visitors today, all there for the express purpose of discussing wedding options and bridal showers."
He glanced up, smirking and yet not unsympathetic. "I'm sure you didn't appreciate that."
She caught his look. "Didn't anyone attend your office today?"
"Nope." He grinned. "I'm the groom. I'm not allowed to have an opinion so cornering me would be pointless."
This information was less helpful to her and even a little disturbing. "But…"
"What is it?"
"I wish to know what you want for a wedding ceremony. If my family had traditions, I don't remember them." She didn't need to add that it all was meaningless to her. Humanity had evolved beyond petty squabbles over religion, but the Borg went further and wiped out any sense of culture.
"And you want to know what mine are?" He was touched and a little surprised. Though she no longer declared all aspects of humanity irrelevant, he'd still anticipated having to talk her into some of the regular wedding frivolity.
"I conducted some research, but it proved unhelpful." She frowned at him, as though the lack of answers was his fault. "There are numerous traditions, but over the generations there was so much cultural appropriation by all groups that it is difficult to predict which social mores are followed by which individuals."
"Hmm." He had few answers to that. She was right, of course.
Even Chakotay's father had a difficult time sifting out which rites and traditions were appropriate for them based on historical accuracy and which had simply been adopted due to ignorance or adoption through pop culture fascination. The dreamcatcher, for instance, had been traced back to Ojibwa ancestors, but his family had little to no Ojibwa blood according to official family tree records. And yet his mother and father enjoyed both making and decorating with the iconic webbed hoops. Intermarriage with other cultures further muddied the waters and led to a sort of evolution so that no one practiced exactly what their ancestors would have. Even if they demonstrated the rituals as originally intended, everyone was such a genetic mix that they couldn't know which traditions to follow.
"My father always had an interest in the South American side of our history" Chakotay finally answered, "and Dorvan V was mostly dense forest, more in keeping with that side of things."
"Though not exactly like Earth's rainforests."
"No, it wasn't. It was milder than the tropics, but still very lush."
"Is that what fascinated you as well?" Given some of the artifacts replicated in their quarters, she didn't think so.
"No, I leaned more towards the North American history."
"I see." She thought a moment. "Did you experience many wedding ceremonies when you were a child?"
He tried to think about what weddings were like on Dorvan V, but he couldn't remember many. He'd been young, uninterested, and later more distracted with trying to get into Starfleet. The few weddings he'd seen or heard about were all so different that he was inclined to believe his people had nothing set in stone either. It was ironic since his people left Earth to protect their cultural traditions. He said as much to Seven.
"Then if I suggested having the wedding in the Arizona desert, would that be acceptable?"
Chakotay stood, smiling, and reached for her. She wrinkled her nose again, but let him pull her in close. He kissed her. "That would be lovely."
"I hoped you would approve."
"Um-hmm." He nuzzled her neck, pressing a warm kiss there.
"Do you know what else would be wonderful?" she asked, her voice growing husky.
"Hmm?" He pressed another kiss to her lips.
"If you took a shower."
[Engineering]
"The Starfleet manual allows for a variance of point three."
Seven smiled at her ward. "That's only a guideline. You can do better."
B'Elanna, actually in a good mood, until she felt her space was being invaded, turned grumpy so quickly upon seeing the former drones that even her head spun. "I don't remember giving you permission to work here."
Icheb, more passive and unused to the Klingon's abrasiveness than Seven, apologized immediately. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."
"I'm helping him study warp mechanics." Seven, though surprised by the sudden and unwarranted attack, remained collected.
"You should have notified me. It's a busy day, and I…" her head was spinning, but it wasn't out of irritation. The world around her tilted. Only Seven's quick hands prevented B'Elanna from toppling right over.
"Lieutenant?" Seven was glad to have enhanced strength as she propped B'Elanna up. Gently, she lowered the chief engineer to the floor. Over her shoulder, she was aware of Icheb pulling out a scanner and running it over Lieutenant Torres, who insisted she was fine.
"I'm detecting another life sign."
His concerned tone made Seven instantly alert and look around. "Where?"
"Inside Lieutenant Torres. It could be a parasite."
Somewhat skeptical since she knew B'Elanna hadn't been off the ship recently, Seven took the tricorder from his hands with a roll of her eyes. A glance told her all she needed. Smirking, she tapped her badge. "Seven of Nine to the Doctor."
"Go ahead."
"I'll be accompanying Lieutenant Torres to Sickbay."
"What's wrong?"
"I believe she's pregnant."
"What?" B'Elanna scowled at her. "No, I'm not."
"All right," said the Doctor. The comm closed.
"I'm not pregnant."
Icheb hovered, concerned. "It could be a parasite."
Seven only just managed to not roll her eyes again. "I doubt it."
"Or an alien infection."
"I'm not infected and I'm not pregnant." B'Elanna glared at them both.
Seven's lips tilted up at the Klingon's stubbornness. "Looks like the crew will have something new to gossip about."
B'Elanna's hands clenched as she contemplated taking a swing at Seven. "I'm not pregnant."
Seven hauled the other woman to her feet. "Then prepare to have an alien parasite removed."
[Corridor]
"Hey." Chakotay was surprised to see Seven leaving engineering. "I didn't know you had a shift here today."
"I don't. Lieutenant Torres was ill earlier. I returned to assist."
"Ill? Is she all right?"
Seven nodded. "She has returned from sickbay."
"Well, what was wrong? Was there an accident?" Or Neelix's cooking again?
"No, just a parasite," she said with a smile. Her lips curved even further as he quirked his head, confused. "Lieutenant Torres was lightheaded because she is pregnant."
"Really?" He lit up at the news. He was as cheered by the thought of another child on Voyager as he was amused by the image springing to mind of Tom and B'Elanna having to chase said offspring around. "Well, then I have someone to talk to."
Seven chuckled as he distractedly pecked her cheek and hurried into engineering. She had the rest of her shift in astrometrics to complete.
Maybe this will distract the crew from wedding plans…
The chief engineer was easy enough to find. "Have you checked the warp core for radiation leaks today?"
B'Elanna shook her head, confused. "No. Why?"
"You have a certain glow about you." He grinned.
"Okay," she rolled her eyes, "who told you?"
"Seven. Was she not supposed to?"
"Well, I—"
Janeway, practically bouncing into engineering, rushed over. "I just heard. Congratulations."
B'Elanna pushed away her irritation and returned the embrace the excited Captain gave her. "Thanks. Who told you?"
"Seven. I met her in the hallway. She said you were dizzy. Are you all right?"
The one time the Borg feed into the gossip mill… She realized too late that she'd not told anyone besides Tom that she wanted to keep their new pregnancy quiet. She cursed her lack of foresight. "I'm fine."
"Nothing ever rattled her," said Chakotay with twinkling eyes. "Not even the Cardassians."
That wasn't entirely true, but she had to admit something, even if it was taken as a joke. "This is scarier."
Janeway smiled at her kindly. "Would you like some time off?"
"To do what?"
"Adjust. This is a big change."
She didn't roll her eyes, but she wanted to. It was one of the things B'Elanna agreed with her mother about: humans were way too soft when it came to childbirth. They acted like the mother became a delicate flower as soon as she was impregnated. "I'll work during the day, sleep at night, and have the baby when it's time."
"Well, if you need to cut back on your duties, I'm sure Seven would be happy to fill in for you."
You'd think I'm about to have my hands cut off... "I think I can handle it."
"Well, just know we're all here for you."
B'Elanna nodded, but inside she felt smothered already. She hoped the extreme reactions to her condition were temporary.
[Sickbay]
"Ah, Seven," the Doctor smiled, "right on time."
"Doctor." She perched on the medical bed.
"You were right about Lieutenant Torres." He frowned as he read the scans of Seven's Borg biology. "You have a few things out of alignment and your nanoprobes are depleted by 10%. Have you been regenerating?"
"Not for a week." Or two.
"Sleeping?"
Seven nodded.
"Well, it might be time for a full regeneration cycle. I understand you're getting more attached to human life, but you can't neglect your Borg components."
She sighed. "Very well. When can you perform the repairs?"
"I'll have to ask you to come back this afternoon. I have a procedure right after this that I can't reschedule."
"Very well."
"So… How are the wedding plans coming along?"
Seven raised a brow.
He put the scanner down and faced her. "I know things have been a bit strained between us, but I'm a reasonable hologram and – and I really do want you to be happy."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Really, I mean it." Relieved and gaining steam with the initial pressure off, he visibly straightened. "You're my friend and I'm here for you."
"Then you may be of use coming up with distractions for the crew."
He laughed. "I take it people are excited about your upcoming nuptials."
"It would appear so. I believed the interest would fade after a few days, but I was incorrect. Astrometrics continues to have a minimum of five unscheduled visitors attending for the sole purpose of discussing wedding traditions."
"Hmm. Well, maybe news of a new baby will take some pressure off."
One can only hope.
[Mess]
Chakotay sniffed his lunch, not trusting it.
"Is something wrong?" Seven watched him, bemused.
"It doesn't look like the usual casserole."
"I believe Neelix has modified his recipe in consideration of Lieutenant Torres' condition."
That didn't change much. Chakotay still eyed the noodles, cheese, and vegetables with suspicion. "Oh?"
"He made the noodles out of leola root and refrained from the usual heavy spices."
"How do you know?" He narrowed his eyes at her, his lunch still entirely on his plate and fork.
"I may have been the one to announce her pregnancy to him and suggest a change in culinary habits."
"I thought Icheb told him?"
Seven's smirk was just a little evil. "He was present."
"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were using the situation to your advantage."
Seven's smile grew. "Prove it."
Chakotay laughed. "You know, you never cease to amaze me."
"Have I done anything immoral?"
"No, I don't suppose you have." He continued to chuckle to himself. It occurred to Chakotay that she might know about human nature – at least as it pertained to gossip – more than she let on.
They ate together contentedly for a few more minutes. Chakotay was pleased to find the food really wasn't that bad. Spices and cheese made the leola root hardly noticeable.
"Have you ever thought about children?" Chakotay asked. He didn't really know he was going to ask it until the words were out of his mouth. "I mean, having your own?"
Seven's shocked glance quickly faded to disconcertion. She looked away, unable to meet his cheerful eyes. I thought he knew.
He continued, oblivious to how her demeanour changed. "I know the Borg children were a handful, but they were fun. Icheb turned out very well. You're a good mother." He looked up then, smiling at her, and froze in concern. "Seven?"
Seven's lunch sat forgotten on the table, her gaze distant.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought you knew." She'd taken it for granted that he knew her medical history. After all, it felt like everyone was privy to that information. Granted, that was partly because her biggest medical issues tended to be serious enough to involve the whole ship.
"Knew what?" She turned away from him, renewing his concern. Chakotay reached the short distance and took her hand. "What's wrong?"
"I can't have children. The Borg deem reproductive capabilities irrelevant. In some drones…"
"You—"
"No." Seven couldn't meet his eyes. She pulled her hand, but he tightened his grip so she couldn't retreat from him. Seven really didn't want to spell it out, but he needed to be completely aware of reality. "Some drones have their reproductive organs wholly or partially removed to make room for other technology."
Horrors. That was his only thought. It was simply horrifying to think of and yet he was almost as shocked he'd not imagined it before. What did the Collective need conventional reproduction for? It was common knowledge they removed body parts to fit their drones with useful technology. Limbs, eyes, bones were often replaced with technology, but to wholly gut them like fish…
What will happen when you want children? He recalled the EMH blurting those words out. If he'd paid more attention, it should have told him as much. Is this what the Doctor meant?
She didn't say anything else, just watched him with enough strain through her body to break the bow of a starship. Chakotay didn't seem to realize he'd taken his hand away. His eyes focussed inward as he leaned back, deep in thought.
"Hi you two!" Neelix chose that moment to join them, holding out a tray of appetisers. "What perfect timing. I've been testing out a few recipes and thought you'd like to taste them."
Chakotay looked up blankly. "For what?"
"For your wedding reception." Neelix patted Chakotay's shoulder and set the tray down in front of them, oblivious to Chakotay's distraction. "Now, I have a wide variety and these are just samples to get a feel for what you like. We don't have to go with these exactly."
"I—uh – I have to go." Chakotay stood, not seeing the startled way Neelix looked at him or Seven's alarm. He had just enough control over his faculties to remember to bend for a kiss to her cheek before leaving. "I'll see you later?"
Seven nodded, but he was already gone.
"Well, that was unusual." Neelix turned to Seven, his brows reaching for his high hairline.
Forcing herself to smile, she attempted to distract herself and the Talaxian by indulging him in his original topic of conversation. "What samples do you have?"
As Neelix rattled off a list of foods, Seven wondered if his planning would ultimately be wasted.
[Engineering}
Early the next morning, Chakotay wandered into engineering without really having an intent of doing so. His feet had naturally taken him there, seeking out an old friend, confidant, and somewhat the original source of his discomfort.
He'd gone through his day yesterday without paying any attention to what he was doing. His mind was a fog in which he searched for answers that didn't exist. Seven had chosen to regenerate last night, not even giving him the chance to work through his feelings with the benefit of her presence.
"What's eating you?" B'Elanna noticed Chakotay before he noticed her. This was unusual in itself. The way he started just a little at her question was enough to make her concerned.
"Nothing. I…" He sought his mind for a reason to be there without exposing the private conversation he'd just had. "Baby names."
"What?" Not more! She was gathering quite the list.
"How about Teya? It's the feminine form of Chakotay. What do you think?" He was joking, of course. It cheered him just to see her exasperation.
"I'll add it to the list. Right after Floxia. Neelix suggested that one. It's number thirty-two."
"On second thought," he cringed at the thought of so many suggestions, "you and Tom ought to come up with your own name."
"I knew there was a reason I always liked you." She faced him properly, frowning at his strained look. "But what's eating you?"
"I…" he thought about it and felt a little ashamed, aware that his actions were callous. I'm better than this. "Nothing. I was being stupid, but I'm better now."
"O-kaaaay. Want to tell me what about?"
Chakotay contemplated it, but it was both personal and already resolved in his mind. "No, but how about I buy you a coffee?"
She couldn't actually drink coffee, but she was relieved for the offer just the same. "That's the best offer I've had all week."
[Corridor]
Either by coincidence or design, they met Tom in the hallway.
"Morning." Tom glanced at Chakotay, but it was his wife he was there to see.
Chakotay, cognizant of his own relationship problems, thought he'd help his two friends along. "Join us for breakfast?"
Tom's gaze jumped between the two. "Sure."
"You know what?" Chakotay snapped his fingers, pretending to remember something. "I forgot my PADD in astrometrics. Why don't you two go ahead? I'll meet you in the mess hall."
Chakotay waited until rounding the corner to ask the computer where Seven was. He was a little surprised to hear she was still in the mess, but hurried back just the same.
[Mess]
Seven's brows rose at Chakotay's entrance. There was nothing unusual in him attending the mess to have breakfast, but she wondered where he would choose to sit.
Neelix, sitting next to her and rambling off a variety of information about wedding foodstuffs yet again, looked up with surprised pleasure at his approach.
"Commander! Seven told me you might have gone straight to work, but I suspected this was more important."
Chakotay gave a small smile to Neelix, but kept his attention on Seven as he answered. "Yes, this is much more important."
"All right." Neelix looked between them and cleared his throat. "Well – I – uh – I have some things to get ready for the morning rush. Seven, consider some of the options I've suggested and we'll chat later."
Seven nodded, sparing her friend a glance and small smile.
Chakotay waited until they were alone before sitting down in the seat next to her, taking her hand. "How was your night?"
"I regenerated sufficiently, but it was not pleasant overall."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted as I did."
"I'm sure it was a shock." She had never really thought about it, the knowledge so basic that it never occurred to her that Chakotay wouldn't know of it, but after seeing Chakotay's stricken face, she realized it was a serious matter between them.
"Yes, but it was selfish of me to walk away."
"Did you envision a brood of children in your future?" She tried to sound teasing, but there was no ignoring the tremulousness beneath the veneer.
Chakotay smiled, not so easily mislead, rubbing her hand with his thumb as he sought appropriate words. "No, I didn't. To be honest, I never really thought about children at all."
"Never?"
"No." He'd already contemplated and come to a conclusion as to why her confession had affected him as it did. "It just surprised me, the fact that we wouldn't have our own. Children aren't necessary to make me happy, but I guess with all the hubbub of baby fever, I got caught up and…"
"You were surprised."
He nodded.
She could understand that, even though it had never been a surprise to her. The Doctor had once tried to lecture on copulation, but it had been unnecessary. Borg knowledge included basic biological information, and she was as aware as the EMH of what the Collective had deemed irrelevant in biological beings. No wonder the Borg Queen had used Seven's assimilated parents as ammunition against her: there was literally nothing more the Collective could take from her.
"Seven? Can you forgive me?"
She smiled, the answer easy.
[Astrometrics]
It was the first time she'd seen Lieutenant Paris in a few days and despite the jokes about new fathers looking fatigued, Seven really thought he looked unwell, more so than he should.
"Hey you two."
"Good morning, Lieutenant," Seven greeted him first.
Icheb, always eager to please, piped up. "Is there something you require?"
"Well, I want to thank you both for helping B'Elanna when she fainted."
Seven nodded, summoning a smirk for Icheb, who frowned at her. "I'm glad it wasn't a parasite."
"It could have been," Icheb defended himself.
Seven just shook her head, smiling.
Tom, though amused, couldn't quite summon more than a short twitch of his lips. "Well, you probably don't know this, but there may be some problems with the pregnancy."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Given how excited the crew already was about such a common thing, she really was sympathetic. Children were nothing unique, but they were rare enough on Voyager.
"The Doctor suggested a treatment for the baby, reworking her genetics, but his findings are very confusing, at least to me." He turned to Icheb, who had already perked up at the mention of genetics. "Do you mind taking a look at this?"
Icheb reached for the PADD immediately. "Of course."
Seven, though still not back to her normal comfort level with the EMH, nonetheless knew he was skilled and said as much.
It didn't take Icheb long to see the problem. "Your confusion is understandable. There's a computational error."
Seven frowned. "It's not like the Doctor to make a mistake."
"Not like this," Icheb confirmed.
"Maybe it's a glitch in his program," said Tom. He suggested it more out of hope. Inside, he already had some suspicions, and they weren't good.
"I will conduct a diagnostic," said Seven. She bent immediately to the task and in less than a minute raised a concerned brow over her findings. "This is more than a glitch."
"What do you mean?"
"There is evidence his program has been tampered with."
Tom swore and hit his badge, desperate now to contact his wife. She didn't answer his hails, but when the computer confirmed she was in sickbay, he rushed out, leaving two confused former drones behind.
"Humans are strange," said Icheb.
Seven quirked a brow and gave a short nod. We are indeed.
[Sickbay]
Well over a week later, Seven was calmly going through her regular maintenance exam, a rather mundane thing. The Doctor wanted to check her optical implant more closely as she'd complained of her night vision being foggy and partial blindness during the day.
"It's nothing serious," he assured her. A quick scan confirmed the source of the trouble. "You know, it's quite a miracle that humans can see at all when you consider all the complexities of the eye."
Seven smiled indulgently, but had no answer.
"Did you know, the human eye takes in images upside down, but the brain turns it over?" he asked as he fiddled with her implant.
Seven refrained from rolling her eyes and even from retorting that she knew this basic information.
The Doctor was about to continue when they were surprised by the shimmering air of a transporter. The Doctor left her mid-sentence to rush to the two men.
One lay still, practically unconscious. The EMH went to him first, hurrying to help him to a bed. Seven's strong hands gripped the man's ankles and they lifted him up.
The second man stood, looking somewhat stunned and assessing his situation for the brief moment Seven and the EMH were distracted.
Seven, who left the more seriously injured man to the Doctor's care, turned to the other, identifying him as a Nygean. She moved closer. Despite the Borg knowing of the basics of Nygean existence, there wasn't a lot of information on them. She assumed his jumpsuit was a ship uniform, not familiar with prisoner uniforms in the sector.
"Where are we?" the man asked.
"Our ship, Voyager." Seven gestured for him to move to a bed. Her eyesight had not been completely fixed yet or she might have noticed that he'd obtained a laser scalpel.
"How very nice." He pretended to move to the bed she'd waved to. When she made to follow, he whipped around and pulled her to him. The movement was so fast and unexpected that Borg reflexes couldn't have saved her even if she weren't in need of minor repairs.
Her hand went up reflexively to prevent him from cutting off her oxygen, but though he was strong, she could already sense his intention was not to immediately kill her.
"Aren't you going to scream?"
Seven felt the laser scalpel press against her, but was more irritated than fearful. His words were a huff of hot breath against her ear, adding to her discomfort. "Why?"
Iko was a little surprised by the answer, her attitude nowhere near as frightened as he'd expected. "I will kill you."
"No, you won't."
"You think I can't?" He glanced at the Doctor, who was still distracted, dealing with the other prisoner.
"No doubt you are mentally and physically capable of murder. The uniform you're wearing, I assume, is a prison uniform."
He laughed. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess." She'd had enough of this. "Doctor."
"Not now, Seven. Can't you see I'm… Oh." He tapped his badge. "Doctor to Lieutenant Tuvok. There's a situation here."
"Just stay away from me," said Iko, a trace of anxiousness creeping in. This was not going as he'd hoped.
"Look, I'm a doctor. I'm here to help."
"Do what I say and get back." He pressed the scalpel a little further to Seven's throat.
"All right." The Doctor backed away a little and the Nygean likewise took the scalpel back a bit, but still not enough.
"We're not going to hurt you." The Doctor tried to shuffle closer.
"Stay away or I'll kill her!"
"I'm sure we can resolve this without resorting to violence. What is it you want?"
Iko thought a moment. "A ship, some food."
"I might be able to arrange that, but you'll have to release her first."
"I'm not a fool."
That is debatable, thought Seven. She and Iko's attention shifted as the doors opened. Tuvok and Yediq, the warden of the prisoner transport, entered.
At the sight of the warden and an armed man, Iko grew more forceful. "You know I'll kill her if I need to. Tell them."
Yediq had eyes only for his prisoner. There was no room for negotiation, not with the type of monsters he dealt with. "You're not getting off this ship."
"If you release her," said Tuvok, his voice impassive, "I promise you won't be harmed."
Iko would not give up his leverage. As he said, he was not a fool. "Not until I get a ship."
Yediq broke in again, but spoke more for Tuvok's benefit than Iko's. He was afraid these Starfleet people wouldn't understand, might even give in to the degenerate's demands. "No, you'll get no ship. We don't negotiate with criminals."
Exasperated and worried for Seven, who sat through the interaction calmly, the Doctor turned to the stranger. "Who are you?"
"Warden Yediq of the Nygean Detention Force. This man is my prisoner."
"If that were true," the Doctor sniped, "he wouldn't be holding my friend hostage."
This is ridiculous. With Iko somewhat distracted by the bickering EMH and warden, Seven took advantage of the moment and drove her elbow as hard as she could into the Nygean's stomach. Her position didn't allow much force, but it was enough to make the man bend over in surprise and pain. She then simply walked away.
Iko was faster at recovering than they all assumed, but he didn't make a grab for the tall blond again, instead taking hold of the Doctor. As he'd never encountered an EMH, it didn't occur to him that his hostage might actually be a hologram.
"Get back!"
The Doctor sighed, even less impressed by the situation than Seven was. "I'm a hologram. I can't be harmed."
As though to prove the Doctor's point, Tuvok fired his phaser. Iko fell, stunned.
[Astrometrics]
Seven was working alone when the doors slid open behind her. She stifled as sigh and braced herself for another visit from Neelix or another crewmember regarding wedding plans or her recent stint as a hostage.
Chakotay smiled, seeing the relief cross her face and her stance relax. "Expecting someone else?"
"No, but unexpected visitors are still too common."
He came forward to wrap an arm around her. "Am I disturbing you?"
Seven shook her head and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. "Not at all."
"Then you won't mind me asking how you're doing?"
She sighed. "You heard."
"Of course, I did." He smiled, able to see she clearly wasn't hurt. No doubt she was more upset that her schedule was interrupted. He'd come down to see her more to reassure himself that all was well. "I would have been here sooner, but—"
"You had to assist with our guests." She frowned a little, but not over his delay in seeing her. "You don't need to worry about me."
"And yet I do." He kissed her again, just because he could. "But I can see you're unhurt. So, I'll move on to my second reason for being here. What would you like for dinner?"
She smiled.
"What?"
"I am starting to believe humans think about food more often than any other topic."
His arm tightened, pulling her in closer against him, his smile teasing and a little mischievous. "Not true. I think about something else far more."
Seven leaned in, his lips centimeters from hers, when a familiar voice over the comm. interrupted.
"Doctor to Seven of Nine."
Chakotay sighed irritably and even Seven scowled before dutifully tapping her badge. "Yes, Doctor?"
"Please return to sickbay immediately. I have a patient here who could benefit from some nanoprobes."
"I'll be right there." The link clicked off and Seven turned to face Chakotay. "Fajitas."
"Pardon?"
"That's what I want for dinner." Her lips lifted at the return of his smile. She couldn't resist another kiss.
"Then fajitas is what you'll get. Now," he put on a mock stern expression, "go help the Doctor save a life."
Seven rolled her eyes, which made him laugh.