A/n: I'm sorry for the lack of updates this past week, I've had a lot of studying to do and have been feeling a bit under the weather so I decided to just focus on writing a good, long chapter for this story rather than multiple shorter chapters for others. Thank you to my beta for this chapter, NikkiB1973, for reassuring me that the chapter was ready for posting. :)

Chakotay practically pushed the doors of the turbolift open with his bare hands in his hurry to keep moving, sprinting impatiently down the corridor towards the beckoning doors of Cargo Bay 2. His stomach had dropped when he'd left the Captain and learned from the Computer that Seven had retreated back down here, although he tried not to read too much into it. He'd only spoken to the Captain for a matter of minutes, and he'd been hoping that Seven had merely waited for him on the Bridge, in his quarters, or had even returned to the party, but no, she'd withdrawn into her old Borg sanctuary. Considering what a dignified stance she'd just made before the Captain and himself, he knew he should trust her, but his fear of her doubts was resurfacing nonetheless. He was beginning to regret his self-control in the face of Kathryn throwing her own doubts in his face like that, but convincing her completely was rapidly becoming 'irrelevant' to him.

Gooseflesh rippled under the thin white shirt he'd put on for the party as he finally reached and entered the Cargo Bay; the cavernous hangar's environmental controls were set at several degrees below normal room temperature in order to preserve any perishables stored inside. Again, Chakotay wondered why Seven had tolerated living down here for so long, and, more pointedly, why he had never questioned the arrangement. His eyes made a habitual, tactical scan of the room, and saw at once that the row of regeneration alcoves was entirely empty. He soon spotted Seven though, she was hard to miss in that bright red dress, but not at the room's console as he'd half expected; she was instead back against the wall, standing between her alcove and the nest of containers from the Raven, holding herself back from both.

Seven, though she made no attempt to move, not even lifting her head, had registered Chakotay's arrival immediately. Relief hit a conflicting wave of shame and fear in her heart. It had been cowardly for her to return here, but as soon as she'd left the Ready Room much of her quiet, detached confidence in the situation had drained away. If the Cargo Bay had ever been anything to her, it had been a place where she could distance herself from overwhelming humanity, since the remnants of her Borg identity still lingered here. She'd tried to dismiss the urge to gauge how long Chakotay was with the Captain and speculate about the outcome of their conversation from that alone, but now that he had found her she realised it really hadn't been long. Whether that boded well or ill however, she couldn't begin to guess. Chakotay's anxiety for her was evident in his face as he approached, and she felt a lump of tenderness for him and pre-emptive grief rise in her throat, causing her to flinch back. His face clouded over and became unreadable for an instant, he'd seen her defensive slip, but in the next instant he was in front of her, his deep brown eyes gazing down at her intently. "Are you alright?" He tried to smile when she gave a slight nod, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips, "You move fast, I didn't think you'd have time to get down here, since I wasn't with the Captain for long…" His attempt at teasing banter fell flat and he peered down at her more intently, her tense withdrawn posture, backing into the side of her alcove with her arms coiled protectively around herself, leaving him uneasy. "If you're tired and need to regenerate, we can talk tomorrow…" He suggested gently, suppressing the reluctance and impatience he himself felt that would defeat any level of exhaustion.

Seven's head snapped up, "No!" she answered sharply, her voice hoarse, before quickly controlling herself, "I do not urgently require regeneration." She assured him stiffly.

"Okay." Chakotay agreed softly, running his hands soothingly over her tense shoulders, having to fight the instinct to draw back from her icy skin, the cool metal of her implants was less jarring than her flesh and blood. "You're freezing…" He muttered, now rubbing up and down her arms more rigorously as he looked around for something to warm her up. "I must've left your shawl in the Mess Hall when we went to find the Captain…" He told her apologetically.

Seven blushed a little, some heat returning to her face. "Do not worry, I'm sure I'll be able to locate it tomorrow…"

"That won't do you much good now." Chakotay replied, making a satisfied sigh when he saw her Ventu blanket spread over a nearby container. Grabbing it quickly, he gently wrapped it snug around her shoulders, a makeshift cloak. "There, that's better."

"Yes." Seven conceded as she curled her fingers around the blanket's delicately embroidered edge, her face softening thoughtfully as she looked down at it, though she found herself badly missing the touch of Chakotay's hands on her skin. "You are too kind." She murmured, lifting her eyes to hold his gaze before he could deny or question the comment, "I suppose the Captain was right, I am not suited to diplomacy, I did not relish any of that conversation." She remarked ruefully.

"No…" Chakotay conceded, "But Seven, what you said, it wor…."

Seven interrupted, her face twisted with anxiety, her eyes glinting with fear. "Please do not be offended that I compared our current situation to that with myself and the Collective…" She began hurriedly, "My attachment to you, the loneliness I described, should not be compared with my institutionalised need for the Hive Mind." Disgust darkened her face for a moment before she dismissed it with a shake of her head, "I just…do not have many reference points to describe my emotions and I thought the Captain may have been able to interpret what I said. It doesn't mean that I'm still going to act like a drone…"

Chakotay grasped her shoulders again, causing her to jump, the rest of her speech thankfully sticking in her throat. "Seven, you've not acted like a drone for years, least of all tonight." He whispered fervently as his hands swept up to cup her face, lock her eyes with his. "You spoke from the heart, and put both Kathryn and I to shame." He leaned in even closer, until his warm breath caressed her face, "I don't think I've heard a more…powerful defence of love in my life, I can hardly believe its anything to do with me." He gulped hard, now reverentially stroking her face with one hand, not hesitating over the implants. "It was you who got through to the Captain Seven."

"Got through?" Seven echoed thickly, blinking once in disbelief, a single tear falling from her lashes and running down her cheek. "You mean she…"

Chakotay couldn't help himself any longer and kissed her, first on the cheek, following the trail that tear had left, and then on the lips. It was short and sweet, though deep enough that they were both slightly breathless when he pulled back to answer verbally. "We have her blessing." He told her resolutely before a wry expression crossed his face, "Although I'm on 'probation', her words not mine. I've been warned that the airlock's waiting if I hurt you."

Seven blanched a bit, as Chakotay had, at that reference to their past but quickly put a reassuring hand on his chest. "I'm sure the same would stand for me if I were to hurt you."

Chakotay smiled at that show of faith before pulling her close again, tempted to push the boundaries again by kissing along her throat but settling for resting his head in the crook of her neck. "But you won't, anymore than I would hurt you again sweetheart…" He murmured.

Seven swallowed, "I know…"

Chakotay heard the wobble in her voice and pulled back to stare into her eyes desperately, "I won't hurt you again Seven, never…"

Seven cut him off briskly, "That is not what I am questioning." She said firmly, gripping his chin to force the message home. "But…the risk I spoke of, are you truly willing to take it?" She winced as she saw hurt, confusion and indignation flood his face, as intermingled as mud. "The Captain was wise to reiterate to you what…being close with a drone…even a former one could mean. Your reputation…" Her voice cracked, "…your chances of having children…."

Understanding illuminated Chakotay's darkened face for an instant before that light sparked the flame of frustration and anger. "You heard what the Captain said?" he asked, wincing at the accusatory note he could hear in his own words.

Seven shook her head, "No, I learned some time ago that eavesdropping is ineffective." She sighed resignedly as she explained, "It is the Captain's job to look ahead, to see forthcoming dangers, although she hasn't always been skilled in it." She smiled sadly, "The Captain has expressed concern to me about such factors in the past, and I'm sure she has considered many more without voicing them to me, preparation for me to accept what I may never be able to have I suppose." She sighed once more as she finally looked back up at him, "It was only logical that she'd repeat those concerns to you as due warning."

Chakotay tried to process the fact that Seven seemed to block off possible routes for her future as a matter of course, but the sorrow he felt deep inside for her at the moment didn't ease, and maybe it wasn't supposed to, he was the one meant to convince her otherwise. "I…I got due warning alright…" He finally ground out with difficulty, "And you know what I said? I said I was willing to take it all on, that we could face anything together and without anyone's interference and I truly believe that we can." He exhaled heavily as he saw Seven's face begin to crumble with relief and hugged her tight to him since that was all the answer he needed that she believed him. "The risk…" He whispered into her hair, "I think we already took the biggest one possible when we fell in love in the first place."

"Any other issue does seem rather insignificant when I recall the past few weeks." Seven admitted into his chest, almost laughing before her voice shook again, "But all of this has been so unconventional, so unexpected…so frightening at times…"

"But none of that changes anything." Chakotay replied after a long, thoughtful pause, giving her shaking frame one final, reassuring squeeze before stepping back slightly to lift up her face to his. "Come on, I think I need to show you something."

Seven had relaxed enough to become quizzical, "Show me what?"

Chakotay took her hand in his and gave it a gentle tug towards the doors, "It'll prove my point. Come on."

They walked to his quarters in near silence, a bemused Seven meekly allowing Chakotay to lead her there by the hand like a lamb. The harsh, bright lights that automatically switched on as they entered immediately made Seven wince in pain, despite what she'd told Chakotay her body was drained, her optical implant irritatingly sensitive. "Computer, dim lights." Chakotay ordered as he gave Seven a knowing look and guided her to the sofa as the central lights flicked off and only the warmer, softer ambience of nearby lamps remained.

It was Seven's turn to smile ruefully as Chakotay spent an inordinate amount of time settling her on the sofa, holding her hips lightly as if unwilling to leave her side and starting to regret his decision to reveal whatever enlightening mystery he had intended to show her. Thinking back to the last time they'd been alone here, when everything they'd build up had seemed to derail with one revelation about dishonesty, Seven could see where his nerves were rooted, even as the realisation stirred her own. "I'm not going anywhere Chakotay." She reminded him gently, coaxing him to let her go.

Self-consciousness flicked across Chakotay's normally implacable features. "I know, I just…" He muttered as he turned quickly away and walked over to the dresser standing to one side of his bedroom door. Seven bit her lip to check her imagination as she realised she was hyper-aware of where his bedroom was. "I've never shown this log to anyone." He began thoughtfully as he opened the top drawer of the dresser and began to remove items, searching for something. "But you've got a right to see it."

Intrigued, Seven watched as he withdrew first some photo frames from the drawer, his eyes lingering on the image each one contained for a second or two before setting it aside, then what she recognised as the 'Akoonah' for his vision quests and the accompanying medicine bundle. She expected to see a normal PADD after all this, though it was certainly unusual to hide a simple log entry under all of these intensely personal possessions, but what did finally appear gripped in his hand surprised her. Three single sheets of basic lined paper, barely more sophisticated than what she would've seen lying around Leonardo DaVinci's studio in the Captain holodeck programme. "You copy your log entries onto paper?" she questioned incredulously.

Chakotay had to bite back an amused smirk at her tone, he could see from her face that only the serious significance he'd given to these papers were stopping her from telling him how 'crude' and 'inefficient' they were, and she was obviously still struggling with the impulse as her eyebrows rose even further. "I didn't 'copy' this from the Computer, if it ever was on the Computer it was wiped clean." He made a grim face as he cautiously handed her the three slips of paper, "In this case the old-fashioned methods of record keeping were necessary." He saw her hesitate to take them, even with her enhanced and almost indestructible Borg hand, as if she feared the paper would burn her, and she glanced at him several times for permission. "Go on, I'm giving it to you to read." He urged as he sat down beside her.

"As you wish." Seven acquiesced quietly, drawing the comfort of her Ventu blanket tighter around herself as she tentatively took hold of the thin, delicate sheets of paper. She prided her herself on not only her reading speed but the rate she absorbed information, yet the nature of this primitive record pulled her into having to re-read it several times before she could begin to grasp it. Almost four years ago, Chakotay had met, and fallen in love with, an alien woman named Kellin, twice. The pages rustled loudly as they fell onto her lap. She suddenly felt cold, much colder than she had in the Cargo Bay. "There is really no record of these events on any of the ship's sensors?" she asked faintly.

"Not a thing, whatever programme the Ramuran 'Tracer' put into our systems worked perfectly." Chakotay replied, "I checked everything when I found that letter lying on top of the dresser one morning, I don't remember writing a word of it Seven, and it's definitely my handwriting."

Seven reluctantly glanced at him and saw at once that he was telling her the truth. Part of her wanted to deny the truth this letter told, but the letter's very existence, when everything else had been forgotten, went a long way to proving its validity. After all, as a hoax it was entirely pointless. True to form, she tried to grasp at the facts of the story rather than feelings it portrayed. "It seems as if, as you say, that the Ramurans have perfected their isolation." She remarked stiltedly, "Based on the fortuitous natural production of this pheromone, or having reached the heights of xenophobia and resorted to genetic re-sequencing. If the second scenario is the case, then it is really quite…ingenious. It certainly prevented their assimilation by the Collective." She sighed as she looked to Chakotay with painful understanding in her eyes, "Although I suppose it did not prove so fortuitous for you and Kellin."

Chakotay allowed himself a moment of regret, thinking back to those confusing days after he'd first discovered the letter from himself. "No, it wasn't." He answered sadly.

Seven gave a start at his tone and gulped hard, trying to collect her scattered thoughts. "Well…" She began shakily, "Although it seems that the Ramurans were thorough, I doubt they fully accounted for Borg technology. If I were to make some adaptations to my alcove, it may be possible to retrieve some of my memories of her and then you will have something to remember at least…"

"Seven!" Chakotay broke in urgently, grasping her shaking hands clenched over the letter and bringing them briefly to his lips, "I didn't show you this to make you insecure or jealous over Kellin, much less so that you could help me remember!" He exclaimed fervently before his tone softened, "Although you truly are a selfless angel to offer, but I don't care about Kellin herself. I wouldn't know her if I met her now, and I don't need to remember because I don't love her, I love you."

Seven exhaled as she heard the pleading, ringing honesty in his voice, and saw it easily on his face, but still glanced down at the letter again. It was obvious that, even while he'd been in the process of writing it, he'd also been forgetting. At first the handwriting was clear and steady, the depiction of his 'first' encounter with Kellin and her revelation about them vivid in its clarity. The description of the next few days however, became bare and increasingly cloudy as the letter progressed. His insight into Kellin's personality was heartwrenchingly clear in particular instances, given the tragic outcome, but his physical description of her was already vague even at the beginning of the letter. He compared her height as close to B'Elanna's or the Captain's, her fair complexion, hair and eyes to Seven's own. Even then he'd had to root her in images of others. By the end of the letter his writing was cramped and hastily scrawled, the idea of what he was writing slipping away, and it detailed his own feelings rather than anything about Kellin the wayward Ramuran Tracer. Seeing all this, Seven could look at Chakotay calmly, and even with curiosity. "Then why did you show me this Chakotay?"

"That letter is about me Seven, not Kellin." Chakotay stated, firm in his belief. "When I first read that letter, I couldn't believe it, not for the reasons you're thinking, but because I couldn't believe I'd fallen in love once, let alone let it happen twice." He shook his head, "Even how I say that shows how little trust I had, I guess I'd been hurt too often, and it made me angry for awhile. But I realised that I should take hope from this letter, it proves that, if I allow myself, I can trust enough to love, take the risk."

Seven's gaze became empathic and thoughtful as she gingerly squeezed Chakotay's hand. "I suppose the same realisation occurred to me, partly, because of Unimatrix Zero." She shook her head, "I remember so little about it now, and it made me feel so…inadequate and dissatisfied for a long time, but I could remember loving Axum…" She paused to look deeper into Chakotay's eyes, "It is not the same way I feel for you, I cannot even remember why I loved him exactly, I just remember that I did, that I could." She sighed as she carefully smoothed out the paper on her lap, her gaze still on Chakotay, "It is very strange how things work out."

"It is." Chakotay agreed solemnly, "Read what I wrote on the back of the last page, it's the best lesson I took from that letter."

Curious but still nervous, Seven flipped over the letter's last page, found a postscript and began to read, "While I'm sitting here writing this, I keep asking myself how it is that I could fall in love with Kellin twice, but she couldn't when our positions were reversed. We're the same two people. When I told Neelix this, he offered me this: 'Commander, I don't think you can analyse love. It's the greatest mystery of all. No one knows why it happens, or doesn't. Love is a chance combination of elements. Any one thing might be enough to keep it from igniting. A mood, a glance, a remark. And if we could define love, predict it, it would probably lose its power.' I know that he's right, or I hope so, because that means that it can happen again, in all its mystery." Seven smiled as she finished, surprised by the tears in her eyes, "Neelix giving us one last piece of unexpected wisdom." She commented before looking up at Chakotay again, blinking hard through her tears even as her smile remained, "I suppose this is your response to my fears about how…unexpected it is that we feel as we do now?"

"Yes." Chakotay said with certainty, leaning closer towards her, "Neelix won't even remember saying that, but I decided long ago that he's right. We've spent too long questioning this Seven, we owe it to ourselves to go through with this…"

"Love that has 'ignited' between us?" Seven finished softly with her eyebrow only slightly raised, as she rose gracefully from the sofa, leaving the blanket behind as it fell from around her, and walked to the dresser herself with the letter in hand. She felt Chakotay's eyes on her as she opened the drawer. Her gaze fell on the letter for one last moment, and she wondered about Kellin. Part of her was somewhat bemused, even angry on Chakotay's behalf, that anyone could refuse his love freely given, but Kellin's memory had been wiped, she'd had part of herself stolen from her forever and been left to cope with the fallout, if anyone could relate to wanting to escape from that as Kellin had it was Seven. Suddenly, sincerely, completely thankful for her traumatic release from the Borg for perhaps the first time in her life, Seven didn't think twice about folding the letter and putting it back in the drawer with a more reverent care than Chakotay had shown. "I could've ended up like Kellin so easily, floundering and lost. Neither a human nor a drone…"

"But that didn't happen." Chakotay told her gently as he came up behind her, his hands settling on the curves of her hips, but not before he'd closed the drawer with a soft click. "You're here, with me. You'll never be lost again." He whispered.

"Voyager saved me." Seven concluded shakily, turning to face him and let his arms encircle her completely, "You saved me."

Chakotay tucked the few long locks of hair that were falling in front of her face, hiding it from his loving eyes, behind her ear. "We may have freed you, but you saved yourself Seven." He assured her.

She nodded slowly, a full, real, dazzling smile dawning on her face as she gazed up at him. "I love you."

Chakotay responded firstly by pulling her into him and kissing her. It wasn't the tender but cautious kisses of early on, nor the heated, desperate, desire fuelled make out session of earlier that night. It was the long, loving, all-consuming kiss of someone who knew they had forever, but wanted to prolong it all the same. "I love you." He echoed warmly as their lips parted while their embrace held fast, Seven leaning up and continuing the kiss as soon as she'd heard the words, caressing his face as he embedded his fingers in her hair and held her even closer as if willing their bodies to meld together. They stood like that as time stretched out, the embrace only momentarily broken when Seven whispered in his ear as she kissed it, and then led him wordlessly through his bedroom door.

A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D This chapter wasn't only partly inspired by me re-watching 'Unforgettable' but also by two amazing fics that put a C/7 twist on that episode, 'The Third Path' by cojack (which has just been finished) and 'Memory' by Layla-V, I sincerely recommend reading them. This story is almost finished now, the next chapter will probably be an epilogue, which I'm willing to take ideas for. :)