"Really Tom?" B'Elanna questioned sceptically as she mulled over her husband's assertions about the party's other two guests of honour, glancing first at Seven of Nine sitting alone by the bar then at back of Chakotay's head as he patiently stood mediating the crowd's debate over music choice. "Come on Tom, you have to be imagining things." She shook her head disbelievingly, her eyes narrowing as they met his certain gaze, "One away mission stranded together does not a romance make." She pointed out firmly.

Tom, much to her irritation, chuckled, her eyebrows aching. "Is that so Lieutenant? I would've thought you'd remember that time you were stranded in open space with a certain pilot…"

B'Elanna rapped him lightly on the arm as a laugh she couldn't quite restrain confirmed his argument. "Alright, maybe it does happen occasionally, but you have to admit that we'd had something between us for a while before that…"

"There was?" Tom cut in innocently, blinking his eyes in bemusement for effect, "That wasn't exactly the impression I got…" When B'Elanna snorted in mock offence, he gently pulled his wife into his side, his hand automatically coming to rest protectively on her round belly, and kissed her intensely. Still though, as he pulled back breathlessly, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his newest pet theory. "Seriously though B'Elanna, watch them for a little while and see if you can really still say that one of those occasions isn't happening in front of our eyes."

B'Elanna looked up into his blue eyes that she loved so much and sighed as she saw earnest conviction there. He really wasn't joking. Realising that made her honestly think on Chakotay's behaviour these past few weeks, preoccupied didn't even cover it. Unbidden, the memory of how interested he'd become when she'd brought up Seven apologising to her flashed through her mind. She's found his questioning slightly odd at the time but hadn't thought much more of it, until Tom had to go and plant this idea in her head… "Alright." She declared suddenly, smirking when she saw Tom's surprise, "I'll go and see it for myself right now." Determined now, she immediately freed herself from his hold and headed straight for the bar.

"B'Elanna, I didn't mean you should…" Tom began uncertainly.

She flashed a quick grin at him, now feeling mischievous herself. "Be careful what you wish for Mr Paris."

Seven gave a start as she became aware of B'Elanna speaking to her, hastily pulling her gaze and attention back to her immediate surroundings rather to the back of the room where both had unconsciously drifted. "I apologise Lieutenant Torres." She said stiffly, again forgetting that in this setting using ranks was apparently considered inappropriate, "Were you attempting to speak to me?"

B'Elanna quickly shrugged off the apology, feeling a little guilty. "Don't worry about it, it's pretty loud in here. I was just asking you what you thought of the party."

Seven gripped the edge of the bar for a moment, unsure if the flurry of disconcerting emotions she'd felt thus far tonight could truthfully be described as enjoyable. "It has proved an interesting, even unique, experience." She finally answered, "Mr Paris has organised this party well."

B'Elanna nodded in agreement as her gaze swept over the numerous happy faces around them. "He certainly has, although Neelix certainly helped with the execution." Growing tired standing on her rapidly swelling feet, she reached to grab a barstool, "Not so bad for a humble pilot really." She added jokingly.

Seven's brows furrowed in amusement as she understood that B'Elanna was not offended, "He told you about that?"

"Yeah, you've never said anything more true either." B'Elanna replied good-naturedly as she scrambled onto the barstool, a taxing endeavour with the impediment of her pregnancy.

Seven offered her a hand, "Allow me to assist you." She suggested awkwardly, "These chairs are of a strange, ineffective design. I almost fell off myself."

"Thanks." B'Elanna said warmly as she took the unexpected help gladly, Seven didn't reveal a considerate side very often and made her questions multiply. "I did see Chakotay helping you earlier, that was a close call."

There was no mistaking it, Seven blushed brightly for a split second as she mentioned Chakotay and even after it had faded B'Elanna still noticed that the ex-drone's pale skin was a shade pinker than usual as she replied, "Yes, the Commander was there at the right time." She murmured softly.

B'Elanna heard the note of wistfulness in the other woman's voice even as her face became even more pensive. She doubted Seven was even consciously aware of how every few seconds her eyes would return to Chakotay, who still standing at the back of the room by the new dance floor. "He always is." She remarked, "You'll find he's very good that way Seven." She said kindly as she saw the normally indomitable ex-Borg shrink into herself, her eyes turned inward. God, Tom was right about one side of it at least, somewhere along this long journey Seven of Nine had become human in the most fundamental way.

That thought had barely passed through her mind when Chakotay himself made his way towards them, his pace was so certain that everyone could see he was making a direct beeline for the bar, it was as if his short time away had been spend on a desert island rather than a few metres away such was the way he seemed to drink in the sight of Seven like a parched man does water. Seven though, seemed oblivious to his reaction to her and, after opening her mouth as if to speak to him, quickly shifted her focus to Icheb, approaching them with Chakotay, instead, her demeanour steadying again. "I did not know you were here Icheb."

Icheb looked at his guardian shamefacedly, "I did intend to continue my studies tonight, but Neelix informed me this party was for you and that you'd like me to be here."

"Neelix was correct." Seven assured him immediately with an openly affectionate smile, "As for your studies, they can be continued at another time, this opportunity is unique." She sighed to herself as she realised she was repeating her own conclusion about her time with the Ventu at the expense of the warp mechanics conference and found herself looking past Icheb to meet Chakotay's intent gaze, who'd obviously remembered too as he smiled at her encouragingly. The hot blush of self-consciousness, which seemed to be growing fiercer every time she looked at him, burned again and her jaw clenched as she asked stiltedly, "How did the situation with the music resolve itself?"

Chakotay laughed, though the exasperation he'd felt strangled by a few minutes before was still obvious. "A compromise was reached, finally. I was starting to worry I'd spend the whole night being the peacemaker! It was Icheb who came up the solution actually."

Seven's eyes shot to her protégé in a questioning glance, who promptly explained, "I merely suggested that everyone take turns in selecting songs for the dancing, that seemed the most efficient way of ending the argument."

Seven's brow creased slightly, "Certainly it was. I wonder why it did not occur to anyone before, it seems glaringly obvious." She pronounced.

Chakotay chuckled, "Sometimes what's obvious is impossible to see in the heat of the moment."

B'Elanna couldn't resist shooting a pointed look between Chakotay and Seven, which only the former picked up on, as she agreed, "Yes, that's definitely true."

"Sounds like you're having a philosophical discussion here or something." Tom commented with a laugh as he joined his wife, smiling at her as the music began in earnest. "You feel like leaving it for a little while to give your old man a dance?"

B'Elanna slipped off the stool and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "Don't start that, if you're an old man what does that make me?" she teased as he led her away.

Icheb frowned after them uncertainly, "I was under the impression that Lieutenant Paris was still considered relatively young for a human."

"I believe "old man" can be a humorous term for husband." Seven explained with a quick glance at Chakotay for confirmation, who nodded.

Chakotay himself was beginning to feel antsy as he watched many crewmates pair off, either romantically or platonically, for dancing. He knew himself well enough to know why this was, it had been the only reason he'd let himself be distracted from her to deal with the music debate, but he wasn't sure if dancing with Seven would be a mistake. Could he really afford to muddy the waters even more between them when they still needed to talk? He mentally snorted at the thought, he'd made everything complicated of his own free will the instant he'd agreed to step into that holodeck and then reach out to her, let alone asking her here and finally acknowledging to himself that his attraction to her was rapidly becoming all consuming, pushing all other, more noble, concerns about her to one side. "Do you want to dance Seven?" he asked, much more abruptly than he'd intended, somehow managing to say it all in one shaky breath.

Seven's slim frame jumped as if his question had electrocuted her, again almost falling off the stool as she developed what could only be described as a deer in the headlights expression, one he never thought he'd see on her face. "I must decline." She answered jerkily, her voice deteriorating into a stammer, "I do not…I cannot dance…"

The embarrassment on her face was so obvious, this time her blush was lingering to the point where she was truly red faced, that Chakotay found that curiosity over extreme reaction hit him before disappointment. "I find that hard to believe Seven, everyone can dance for fun." He backed off as her discomfort increased, her flushed face ducking away from him. "It doesn't matter." He told her with a reassuring smile, "It's not an order Seven." He added as she continued to look unhappy, although the disappointment he felt wash over him left his earlier mental debate null and void.

While listening to Chakotay, Seven also had Icheb's confused whispers in her ear. "I do not see why you should not be able to dance Seven, you're more agile than most humans. Besides, it may be considered rude to dismiss the Commander's offer so completely…"

Seven cringed painfully. Her enhanced body was the problem, she couldn't risk injuring Chakotay as she had her last unfortunate dance partner! As Icheb said though, she knew that to refuse would be offensive… She took a few seconds to study the already dancing couples and saw that none of them were in the strict ballroom frame the Doctor had taught her and which had previously been her downfall. There seemed to be less scope for disaster. "You need not order me Chakotay." She said quietly, taking a deep breath as she took his offered hand then slipped off the stool, "I will try to dance with you, if you wish."

Chakotay could feel her slender fingers quivering slightly as she tentatively grasped his hand and automatically squeezed them as he smiled at her reassuringly, "I do wish it." He told her, suddenly feeling much calmer as he led Seven away from the bar and onto a quiet corner of the dance floor away from the prying eyes which obviously made her so uncomfortable. "I haven't done this properly since high school prom but I promise I won't stand on your feet." He assured her lightly.

"It is not your expertise I am worried about…" Seven muttered to herself distractedly, cringing once more as she realised what she'd just unintentionally revealed.

Chakotay frowned as he saw she wasn't joking and put a firm hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him. "Seven, you don't really think you're a bad dancer do you?" His eyes swept over her figure, which he'd learned over the past few weeks was inherently graceful despite her ingrained Borg stiffness. "I don't believe that."

Seven sighed then and cautiously raised her gaze back up to his. "The one and only time I practised dancing, except with the Doctor, I dislocated Lieutenant Chapman's shoulder." She admitted guiltily, shifting away from him as if she expected him to push her away in terror.

"When did you dance with Lieutenant Chapman?" Chakotay queried sharply, counteracting her withdrawal by stepping closer.

Seven released a heavier sigh, but ultimately decided that it would be better to explain, though his suddenly abrasive tone confused her. "He was the one Lieutenant Paris and the Doctor "set me up" with when they tested my social skills."

Chakotay bristled as he recalled what she was referring too. "You mean that time they bet on you?" he clarified harshly, flinching as she nodded. He'd been the one to deal with that punishment but now he regretted his leniency, people had been stuck in the Brig or demoted for less cruel acts, but personally if that had happened now they'd be getting a dose of Maquis justice, a fist to the face. "I should've given both of them much stiffer penalties than I did Seven, I'm sorry."

"They did not break any Starfleet regulations." Seven said simply, "And I do not think, from the level of guilt they exhibited afterwards, that they truly intended to hurt me." Her face darkened for a moment, "In fact, I think they were certain I wouldn't care."

Chakotay swallowed a lump that had risen in his throat, observing her with new eyes once more. "You're too forgiving sometimes Seven."

Seven shook her head, "No, quite the opposite." She bit the edge of her lip, "However, I ask forgiveness of everyone, I do not like to be hypocritical."

Chakotay decided to change the subject, they were treading on difficult ground for him considering he'd done much worse by her in the holodecks than Tom and the Doctor had ever done. "If it makes you feel any better, I remember now that Lieutenant Chapman came to me for altered duty shifts when his shoulder was dislocated, as far as I know he never told anyone how it happened."

Seven exhaled in relief before her lips twitched wryly, "Perhaps I have better taste in partners than I thought."

"Maybe…" Chakotay forced out. Considering that he knew perfectly well Seven barely interacted with Chapman, he was having a hard time smothering the flames of jealousy this conversation had somehow sparked within him. The more he tried to dampen it, the hotter it raged. "But not for dancing obviously, I'll show you."

Seven felt her heart rate increase exponentially as his hands, after guiding her own onto his shoulders, moved down her body, one between her shoulder blades and the other fitting snugly on the small of her back. She was unsettled by how easily her body seemed to accept and mould to his touch, that was only going to encourage futile emotion! Still though, when his feet began to moved she found herself following him with little effort. She was barely aware of the next few minutes, until she realised that at some point her own hands had moved of their own accord to curve around his neck rather than rest stiffly on his broad shoulders. She could only blush as to move now would make him notice her impropriety…

Suddenly the music changed from instrumental to vocal and Chakotay instinctively came to halt as he felt Seven freeze in his arms. "What is it?" he asked in concern.

"This song…" Seven mumbled, her face reddening further when she realised he wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't reacted.

Chakotay listened intently to the words, unable to place the song for a few seconds until something triggered his memory, "I think its "It Can't Be Wrong" by Frank Sinatra, a 20th Century singer…"

"I know the song." Seven interrupted, avoiding his eyes, "I…I sang it during my captivity in the World War II simulation."

Chakotay's eyes widened as he realised what she was talking about. Seven's short-lived stint as a bar singer was part of the folklore on board Voyager, since it was just so seemingly out of character for her, but he himself had never heard her, having been playing the role of fighting soldier at the time. "This…is you singing?" he asked, awestruck that the beautiful, and downright seductive, voice he was hearing from the speakers had once come from the mortified young woman in his arms.

Seven nodded shyly, her lips pursing. "I'd heard rumours that there was a recording of it, but I thought I was being teased."

Chakotay startled her by removing his hand from her back, her body instantly crying out for the warmth, but he surprised her again by cupping her face with it. "You could never be teased about that Seven, you have an amazing voice and I want to dance to it if that's okay with you?"

He sounded so firm that Seven found her embarrassment leaving her as quickly as it had come and a smile coming in its place, even a small chuckle. "I remember singing "Moonlight Becomes You" too, so you may have to dance with me a second time."

Chakotay's arms naturally encircled her again. "Gladly."

A/n: I think I got a bit carried away with this chapter, I hope it was still in character and believable. PLEASE REVIEW! :D I'm going away for the weekend so this might be my last chapter for a few days, but I've got an idea for another one-shot nagging at me so if I have time I'll type that up tomorrow. :)