A/n: I really apologise for getting this up a day late. I fell over yesterday and hurt my hands a bit, so I took a break from typing the latter half of this chapter. I'm fine now though, don't worry!
"One of the connective implants in your arm was slightly out of alignment, but I've corrected it now." The Doctor informed Seven as he gave her one last quick scan with the tricorder, "You'll need to be more careful when you're crawling through Jeffries tubes, it was the shock you got from that malfunctioning gel pack that caused it…" He paused mid explanation as he realised she wasn't listening to him as intently as she should have been. Her body had curled in on itself, her shoulders hunched and her legs already hanging off the bed, as if she were preparing to run away. "Seven?" he probed, snapping the tricorder off with a dry click.
The sound seemed to alert Seven, her gaze finally focusing as she straightened herself up on the biobed defensively. "Thank you Doctor." In an intrinsically human gesture, and thus probably one she wasn't consciously aware of, she brushed her hand tiredly against her forehead. "It won't happen again."
The Doctor responded with a doubtful frown, "It will if you don't stop running yourself into the ground." He said in exasperation, "You've been doing an insane number of shifts for weeks, ever since…" The words died in his throat as he saw her face close up and anger flared instantaneously within him. It wasn't like Seven to avoid facing something and she'd developed the trait just as she was in danger! "I've got half a mind to go to the Captain and Commander Chakotay both and tell them to cut your workload for medical reasons…" He threatened half-heartedly.
Seven finally spun to face him, eyes flashing in warning as shame darkened her cheeks. "You will do no such thing." She said icily before sighing as he turned away from her. Both of them knew he'd never say anything, but the shadow of the secret sat as stubbornly between them as a barbed wire fence, ready to prick either of them at any moment. "There is nothing wrong with me Doctor; I've always liked to work." She reminded him, her demeanour softening.
The Doctor bit his lip pensively, "I know you do, but you also always take things to the extreme." Both of them winced as they recalled their previous discussion, but the Doctor felt that, this time at least, he had to persevere and make his point. "Look, just because you're unwilling to go ahead with more…social interaction at the moment…" He began carefully, "…doesn't mean you can't relax at all! You used to engage in hobbies didn't you? Playing the piano, cooking…"
Seven took a deep breath as she stared him down defiantly. "I am just reassessing my options for relaxation at the moment Doctor."
For once, the Doctor didn't let her excuses distract him in the slightest. "Maybe going to the reception party for the Ledosian delegation tonight would help you reassess." He countered, "The whole crew will be there at some point, there is no reason why you shouldn't at least make an appearance." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he watched her head dip unhappily, "You'll be fine at a big gathering like this, don't worry." He murmured kindly before releasing a heavy sigh, "Still, I wish you'd reconsider my proposal to remove…"
Seven shuddered under his grip as she shrugged it off, her whole frame freezing like the arctic ice her blue eyes suddenly resembled. "I believe I've already informed you of my final decision regarding that Doctor." She said sharply before a sigh left her which seemed to give her body permission to sag in defeat. "As for tonight's diplomatic function, the Captain has made it clear that my attendance is mandatory." She admitted, not bothering to disguise her resentment. "The Ledosians are apparently interested in my warp theory expertise."
"Well, aren't they supposed to be some of the scientific leaders on that subject in this quadrant?" The Doctor queried, trying to recall the briefing the Captain had given the senior officers on their newest First Contact.
"Apparently so." Seven replied, her dismissive tone showing how little credence she put on the information. Despite their admirable technology, it matched and even exceeded that of the Federation in some ways, the Ledosians had not made a good impression on her when she'd been present for the trade treaty negotiations the day before. They struck her as a ponderous and conceited species on the whole, but they were peaceable and as the Captain had told her, Voyager needed all the friends they could get.
"Then of course they'd want to talk to you wouldn't they?" The Doctor said, a hopeful smile spreading across his lips. "That means you'll probably need to play a bigger role than usual at the party…" He began pacing the floor in front of her thoughtfully, "You should get a nice formal cocktail dress, everyone else will be in their dress uniforms after all. It would be simple enough to replicate one using the same material as your biosuits to be comfortable on your implants…
Seven gave a tiny grimace out of his line of vision. She knew the Doctor's intentions were good, but the patronising feeling she was experiencing lingered. Now that he had seen her dream of humanity, quarters, fashion, lovers, he seemed to think that by offering her a poor substitute for these things he was helping her. It was like waving a toy in front of an injured child to distract them from the pain… "I'll consider it Doctor." She said shortly, interrupting his speculation, "May I leave now?"
The Doctor's face blanched in disappointment, but she'd already jumped down from the biobed in anticipation of him letting her go. "Oh, alright then." He conceded wanly.
Seven felt at a loss as she left Sickbay, despite her relief at escaping from the Doctor's interrogation, she really had little else to do. Icheb had been requesting a solo shift in Astrometrics for days and today she'd reluctantly agreed to let him work alone for a couple of hours. Engineering wasn't an option either, now that the repairs were completed B'Elanna was running a systems diagnostic and Seven knew better than to force her presence on her during such a procedure, pregnancy had made the half-Klingon woman's fuse even shorter than usual. Her own body promptly answered her dilemma by making her stomach growl hungrily and with a sigh she turned towards the Mess Hall, it would no doubt be mercifully quiet right now, the lunch rush was long since over and the afternoon work shift in full swing. If she were lucky, she might even have the place to herself and prepare something in the galley rather than resorting to her usual limited range of nutritional supplements.
Her hopes were ruthlessly dashed as she walked into the Mess Hall to find Neelix busily rampaging around the galley, managing to juggle several strange concoctions at once, but it was the sight of Chakotay, his tall frame sitting awkwardly on one of the galley stools while a bright purple, steaming soup sat in front of him, that made her freeze to the spot.
She was just considering if it were feasible to leave without the two men noticing her when both did. "Seven!" Neelix welcomed cheerily, his usual friendly, beaming smile spreading across his face as he bustled over to her. To her surprise, she found that Chakotay, although obviously initially startled by her arrival, smiled at her with just as much genuine warmth as Neelix. She was absurdly glad when Neelix stepped between them, giving her an excuse to look away from the Commander. "I'm glad you're here, I'm rehearsing the meal for tonight and the Commander is helping me taste test!" Seven relaxed a little, that explained the smile, Chakotay was just relieved that someone was interrupting Neelix's experiments on his taste buds; it had little to do with her. "I'd be honoured if you'd help too Seven. I'm sure the Borg assimilated something of the Ledosians likes and dislikes, right?" Neelix asked her hopefully.
"I don't think cuisine is really what the Borg is interested in Neelix…" Chakotay intervened carefully.
Seven shot him a grateful look as she tried hurriedly to agree, "The Commander is right Mr Neelix, I'm not sure if I'm suited to…" She saw Neelix's face fall, his amber eyes dimming, and the excuse stuck guiltily in her throat, "But if you really want me to assist you…" She started lamely, cringing a bit at getting herself into this. She just found it difficult to deny such a request, she liked Neelix. Despite often finding his gregarious personality overwhelming, he'd been unfailing good to her since her first day on Voyager and she knew that she had to find ways to repay the favour occasionally.
Neelix's face lit up again instantly. "Of course I do Seven!" He grasped up at her shoulder with a surprisingly firm grip and led her towards where Chakotay sat. "I'm sure the Commander would like someone to talk to while I'm so busy cooking!" He added with a chuckle, and with his typical disregard for personal space, made sure Seven sat right beside Chakotay.
"That would be nice but…" Chakotay stopped as he felt Seven's leg accidently brush against his own as she moved obligingly onto the stool, it wasn't the touch that disturbed him but the way she drew back as if he'd electrocute her. "You've always been able to talk as you cooked before Neelix." He finished hurriedly, trying to cover up the pause and feeling strangely breathless.
"That is very true." Seven murmured, keeping her head down as she shrank self-consciously against the stool, keeping a wary distance from Chakotay. Remembering Neelix's request to talk as the Talaxian disappeared to the back of the galley, no doubt to bring out another of his delicacies, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "I did not realise your interest in cooking extended to taste testing Commander."
Chakotay exhaled as she spoke, feeling relieved. He'd been giving her a wide berth, for both their sakes, since the incident with the cooking class invite. Her reference to it let him hope she'd forgiven him. "It hasn't." He admitted, leaning forward to speak out of Neelix's earshot and perhaps catch her eye, although she seemed even more skittish of him than before. Obviously the attraction she felt for his hologram had not entirely been erased from her mind as the programme itself had been from the computer. Smiling wryly as he caught an enquiring quirk of her eyebrow, he explained, "The Captain asked me to come down here to check up on Neelix's preparations for the dinner tonight but Neelix seems determined to make me try every dish…" He gave an exasperated chuckle, "I was only supposed to be here for five minutes, max."
Despite herself, Seven was intrigued and turned towards him slightly. "And how long have you actually been here?" she asked.
"Almost an hour." Chakotay replied sheepishly.
Seven cast a glance at Neelix's back as he poured a runny dressing over two servings of an unique looking salad, and smiled in understanding. "Then I'm sure the Captain will be sending you reinforcements anytime now."
"Maybe." Chakotay agreed, encouraged by the reappearance of her usual dry humour. He'd need to break the ice a lot more though, if he was going to tell her what she needed to know, to help both of them. "Are you coming to the dinner tonight?" he asked cautiously, not wanting a repeat of the heated scene last time he'd pried into her social life, her real one that is.
Seven seemed to find it an acceptable question though. "The Ledosians seem to be interested in my expertise." She told him, giving a small sigh. "The Captain…"
"Encouraged you to attend?" Chakotay finished knowingly.
Seven's gaze involuntarily shot to meet his, feeling an unexpected laugh bubble out through her lips as she saw the twinkle in his eyes, reassuring despite the memories and feelings it brought up for her. It was a long standing joke among Voyager's more stubborn crewmembers that any "encouragement" from the Captain was a whisker away from being an order. "You could say that." She answered, her shyness rapidly returning as she felt his intent eyes on her.
Chakotay felt relief start to painstakingly loosen the knot of tension in his gut as he heard her laugh. He had, of course, heard it on the holodeck and thus knew she was holding back, but it still sounded exotic to him and made him more sure he could talk to her frankly without crashing and burning. He took a risk and touched her arm, "Hopefully it won't be a drawn out affair, the Captain doesn't like strangers on her ship for too long…"
Seven coloured as the heat from his hand travelled up her arm, but thankfully Neelix resurfaced before she had to make further conversation. He put the plates of salad down in front of them with a flourish. "This is my provisional salad course. I'm sure you'll never be able to guess the secret ingredient in the dressing."
"No Neelix, I'm sure we won't." Chakotay replied weakly as he took the tiniest morsel of the soaked salad onto his fork he could get away with and popped it hastily into his mouth to swallow it quickly. Unfortunately the taste was so unlike anything he'd ever tasted, and not in a good way, that his throat refused to swallow it until he gulped down a mouthful of water. "It's very…unique Neelix, perhaps a bit too daring for our guests though…" He began diplomatically.
As a testament to the salad's flavour, even Seven, who'd often declared taste irrelevant, gagged a little before getting her forkful down, dapping at her lips before cutting Chakotay off. "Is there Scolympian ginger in this Neelix?" she asked, causing Chakotay to stare at her in amazement.
"Why, yes!" Neelix answered eagerly, "You guessed the secret ingredient Seven!"
"I am sorry to say that you must remove it Neelix, some of the chemical elements in that ginger are poisonous to Ledosian physiology."
Neelix looked horrified, snatching the plates away. "Really? The Doctor is supposed to tell me these things! I don't dare to think about what would've happened…" He trailed off as he hurried back to his stove. "I'll need to come up with a replacement!"
As they watched him fret, Chakotay leaned towards Seven to murmur a question in her ear. She had to fight the urge to jerk back nervously as his breath tickled her. "Is that stuff really poisonous to Ledosians Seven?"
"Yes, I would not lie about such a thing Commander." Seven responded seriously.
Chakotay became flustered as he worried he'd offended her. "I know you wouldn't…I just…"
Seven was disconcerted by his embarrassment and looked back at Neelix, who was now chopping at the familiar twisted growth that was Leola root. "I would perhaps lie to save the Ledosians from Leola root." She remarked drily.
Chakotay found himself having to stifle a loud guffaw at that, his reaction obviously startling her as she jumped at the strangled sound. "Well…" He replied, choking back more laughter as his gaze moved from the Leola root to Seven. "I dare you." He challenged suddenly.
Seven's eyebrows arched until they reached her hairline and she stared at him openly, her reserve towards him pushed aside by surprise. "You dare me?" she asked incredulously.
Chakotay nodded rigorously, grinning like a schoolboy. He relished the chance to have a normal conversation with her, reset their relationship back on an even keel, even if it meant his being childish to do it. "Yes, I dare you to tell him just that." He clarified, "For the sake of our stomachs Seven, not just the Ledosians."
Seven studied him for a minute. She'd given up avoiding looking at him, it was times like this she wished she hadn't been so ambitious in the attractive magnetism of her hologram, or at least based it on a man with a less alluring voice, just not looking at him didn't seem to lessen his effect on her. She took a deep breath as she considered, it made her strangely happy to see this teasing side of this character, it made her worries about his disapproval ease, her heart lighten. Giving in as he continued to grin at her encouragingly, she called through to Neelix. "Mr Neelix, I believe you may have the same problem with Leola root, don't use that either!"
Chakotay found the fact that her voice remained steady throughout this trick, even as her lips twitched at him conspiratorially, gut achingly funny and it took all he had to hold his laughter in until Neelix ran off apologetically to Aeroponics for some emergency vegetable gathering. "Only you would be able to do that with a straight face!" He told Seven admiringly when he finally managed to speak through his chortling.
Seven shrugged dismissively, but he could see the smile pulling at her lips. "He didn't see my face, it was my voice that did the work." She pointed out.
"Same thing…" Chakotay started to reply before being interrupted by Seven's comm. badge.
Seven tapped her comm. badge."Seven of Nine here."
"Seven, I need you to report to the Bridge. The Ledosians have a proposition for you." The Captain said through the comm. line.
"Of course Captain." Seven replied hurriedly, stumbling awkwardly as she tried to get off of her stool too quickly.
Chakotay instinctively caught her by the arm, stopping her fall, but very aware of her muscles tensing in panic at his touch. For an instant, he thought he saw her pale and he knew at once that their few minutes of ease and light-heartedness were gone, like waking up from a dream. He wondered if they'd ever get to the stage were they'd be like that all the time, especially if he did tell her about what he'd done… Gulping slightly, he helped her regain her balance before quickly letting go. "Be careful." He reminded her softly.
Seven stared at her feet, again painfully self-aware. "Thank you Commander." She murmured as she turned towards the door, heart thumping traitorously.
"I'll see you at the dinner." Chakotay said quietly, suddenly deadly serious, "We'll talk."
Seven felt her mouth dry up. Talk about what exactly? "As you wish Commander." She mumbled obediently after a long pause and then continued towards the Bridge.
A/n: I might have gone a little bit overboard with the fluff in this chapter, but most of you did say that the ice should be broken a bit. Also, before any of you ask, I've written the Ledosians in on purpose, wait and see… ;) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! :D