A/n: Here's the epilogue to my favourite story, finally, I couldn't quite bring myself to write it for a while. Thank you to NikkiB1973 for beta reading this for me and also to cojack for giving me an brilliant new C/7 story to read while I was writing this, 'Recharting the Course'. Check it out! :)
"Hurry up, they're coming!" Harry hissed impatiently down the long central corridor of Deck Six, quickly taking up his own prime position, as was his prerogative as one of the groomsmen, at the doors of Holodeck 2. The crowd he had been marshalling, which by now consisted of the entire crew, began to jostle to create a line of honour from the turbolift to the Holodeck doors, hurriedly straightening any piece of their formal uniforms that had been left worse for wear by the joyous, and surprisingly rowdy, reception. Many of them may have had their time limited at the actual party by the necessity of rotating the skeleton crew on duty so that everyone could have their chance to congratulate the happy couple, but they'd all soaked up the happy atmosphere of the day, and not one of them would've missed being part of the honeymoon send off.
They all tensed in anticipation as the turbolift doors opened, only for a disappointed sigh to ripple down the line as the wedding party, having managed to cram the lift without leaving room for the bride and groom, all filed out, laughing in response to their crewmates' welcome, and quickly sent the turbolift back up to collect the two VIPs. The Captain, looking regal, and more tellingly genuinely happy, in her leading role as officiate led the initial exodus from the turbolift, smiling proudly down the corridor at her assembled crew before turning back to await the bride and groom. Tuvok stood tall at her shoulder, his face as carefully neutral as ever, but his stance was relaxed enough for those who understood him best to know that he was pleased to be there. Tom and B'Elanna, perfectly matched in their roles as chief bridesmaid and best man as well as husband and wife, stood together between Icheb, almost unrecognisable while wearing a wide grin, and a choked up Doctor. Tom had Miral, six months old and restless in her frilly blue dress, in one arm and his other wrapped around B'Elanna's bare shoulders, her midnight blue strapless empire line gown highlighting her figure and dark colouring wonderfully. Naomi hovered by the turbolift doors as she heard the telltale click of it finally coming to a halt, in her excitement almost catching the heel of her costume heels on the hem of her ballerina skirted dress, which was a shade paler than B'Elanna's with sparkly spaghetti straps.
Seven almost took a step back as the turbolift doors slid open to reveal all those expectant faces, but with her hand firmly in Chakotay's warm, steadying one, she quickly regained her sense of perspective, the smile that followed that instant of uncertainty was naturally easy and bright. Still, when Chakotay leaned into her, her body and gaze inclined towards him just as naturally, almost like a gravitational pull. "Just pretend it's a red carpet." He whispered as he swept a few wavy strands of her loose hair behind her ear and kissed her face, his chuckle in response to the teasing chorus of 'oohs' the kiss brought on vibrating pleasantly through her skin.
Unthinkingly she glanced down at the corridor's carpet as they stepped out of the turbolift, it was the same dark grey as the rest of the ship's corridors, but she knew better now than to be truly bemused, instead arching her eyebrows at him playfully, "Another of Tom Paris' movie references?"
Chakotay grinned at her, unaware of the knowing and fond glances being exchanged between their crewmates as they wryly realised that they may as well not have been there, Chakotay's eyes wouldn't have strayed from his wife even if they set fireworks off in the corridor. "Close enough. I think another would be to remind you that you're the star today."
Seven smirked at him, eyes glittering, as she leaned back to pull his arm right around her waist, shifting her grip on her bouquet so that she could hold his hand in the curve of her hip. "From the limited sample of 'movies' I have experienced so far, there are always at least two stars in every one of them, so you must accept attention also."
The Captain, walking just in front of them like a bandleader, overheard this and twisted round to comment, "Seven's right Chakotay, I think the two of you will only get married once, soak all this in."
Chakotay smiled back at her, pleased to hear the certainty and confidence in her voice. "Don't worry Captain, I'm going to remember today for sure."
Janeway answered with a soft chuckle, rolling her eyes slightly. "Consider it an order Commander. This crew…" Her smile broadened as her gaze skimmed over her crew's contented faces, "…put a great deal of effort into making today…" She shot Seven a significant look, who then nodded in grateful acknowledgement, "…perfect. Not that the two of you don't deserve it."
"Hear, hear!" Tom called out, relishing the immediate roar of approval almost as much, and more openly, than his reserved friends as he laughed, "That's why you're the Captain, that one comment got a better crowd reaction than my entire speech!"
"That might be overstating things a little Tom…" The Captain countered in amusement.
"Don't encourage his ego Captain." B'Elanna told her quickly, "Seven and Chakotay haven't seen his work on their honeymoon programme yet; they may want to demote him from his best man position retrospectively…"
"Hey now…" Tom spluttered, "Chakotay asked me for help on that…"
"Did he?" Seven questioned, her eyebrows rising once again into an elegant arch as she looked between Tom and her new husband, whose eyes had widened, caught out. "I hope you convinced him to avoid incorporating Captain Proton into this particular programme Lieutenant." Laughter echoed down the hall, once again exhibiting to the crew how much Seven had changed, or perhaps just relaxed. Most people with any interaction with her had realised long before that the ex-drone had her own unique, and especially dry, sense of humour, but it was only in recent months that she'd injected enough warmth into her manner to allow others to truly appreciate and respond to it.
"Nope, no Captain Proton in sight, or robots either." Tom assured her, shoulders shaking with laughter as he glanced at Chakotay teasingly, "Not as far as I know anyway."
"You're not going to know anymore, Seven and I are going to go in alone." Chakotay said firmly, "But no, there'd better not be a Captain Proton character in sight or someone's getting extra duty shifts." He continued with a jokingly pointed stare at the younger crewmembers tittering behind their hands.
"I might back you up on that Commander, but maybe you should see what your new wife thinks of your, and Lieutenant Paris', handiwork before you start to doubt it." The Captain advised grandly, playing up to the crowd as she dialled her own access code into the holodeck and the wide doors slid smoothly open. "I'll lock the doors behind you myself, only a major Red Alert will interrupt this honeymoon."
"Hopefully it'll go a little smoother than ours, but be just as amazing." B'Elanna told the couple warmly, through her fond, nostalgic gaze was locked with Tom's over Miral's head.
"Don't tempt fate Lieutenant." The Doctor intervened wryly, arms crossed over his chest.
Seven knew it was almost as rare for B'Elanna to be public with such feelings and memories as it would've been for herself, so she could appreciate the gesture honestly, "Thank you." She said softly, finally striding into the holodeck as she sensed Chakotay's wordless impatience, his hand gently pressing encouragingly into the small of her back as he quickly followed to remain close at her side.
"I think it would be logical to bring the evening to a close now." Tuvok intoned with gravitas as he continued to observe both the crowd and the couple. Weddings were an understandably emotive and pivotal event onboard, but he doubted he'd ever relate to the human compulsion to pry and intrude on private affairs, and a honeymoon certainly counted as private in his mind.
"I agree Mr Tuvok, the bride and groom's role in the evening is over, but I'm willing to allow the party celebrating them to continue for a couple more hours." The Captain declared smoothly.
Chakotay and Seven's knowing chuckles were drowned out by the rousing cheers this announcement brought on, and Chakotay only had to say a quick, "Enjoy" to their wedding party, earning a wink from Tom, before he swiftly ordered the holodeck doors shut without hesitation.
Seven felt a breath of air leave her chest in a dizzying rush as those doors closed, exhilaration mixing with a dose of relief that brought on a twinge of guilt. Then she heard Chakotay's equally big sigh echo over hers, her mixed feelings instantly justified when she saw the same combination of relief and guilt in Chakotay's gaze, along with the lighter notes of humour and anticipation. "We are part of a good crew." She said quietly as she lifted her face to his and held his eyes.
"The best." Chakotay agreed sincerely, closing the small gap between them as he tenderly cupped her chin, "They do all they can for us because they know we would do the same." A wry quirk of his lips mirrored his change in tone, "But just because they're like family doesn't mean I want them to intrude on our honeymoon."
Seven reached up to loosely curl her arms around his neck, "I think they understood that sentiment…eventually." She concluded with a small twinkle in her eye before she leaned and gave him a teasing nip of a kiss that left him pressing in for more. As she turned her head to give his searching lips access to her throat however, her eyes took in the whole, cell like cube of a room with its grey, barren panels and an involuntary shiver ran over her.
She only stiffened in his arms for a split second, but it was enough to alert Chakotay, as in tune with her as ever, to follow the arc of her gaze. His hands fell away from her waist, his body making up for the loss of closeness by pressing himself flush to her as both hands moved to cradle her face, stroking her skin absently as he peered into her eyes intently, "We don't have to do it like this." He whispered as their foreheads met, "We can go back to our quarters right now if that's what you want." He placed a lingering kiss above her optical implant, close to where her cortical array was hidden away, which he knew had once contained the failsafe that had almost stolen her away from him. "All I see is you, not holograms."
Seven silently slipped her hands over his and brought them both to her lips as she answered. "I know." Looking into his concerned, beloved face right now the memories of her painful, in some ways illusionary but in other ways all too real past here, faded into insignificance; even as she realised that they'd never been on the holodeck alone together before now. She didn't think they'd purposefully avoided it, not consciously anyway, they'd merely set their relationship firmly in the real world, and she couldn't feel anything but glad about that. She wouldn't have traded their time up till now for the most spectacular of holographic settings. Squeezing into his tiny galley kitchen as she tried to bring his cooking skills up to her level, acting as a babysitting duo for Miral, late nights whispering about everything and nothing in the everyday, functional surroundings of his quarters, mornings dozing under the scratchy Starfleet issue duvet after making love. It was that kind of time together that would run over into their married life; not dates on the holodeck. It wasn't that they'd sequestered themselves away, interactions with the crew had continued and expanded, they'd even 'double-dated' with Tom and B'Elanna periodically, mostly because Tom persisted in trying to enlighten everyone on the merits of 'TV'.
"It's not about how my holographic experiments ended…" She finally began to explain, "Nor what events they started between us afterwards, but how I started them." Seeing the confusion written on his face, she elaborated, "I felt so…empty and, in many ways, hopeless." She admitted thickly, "I do not like to recall those feelings, but they do remind me of how much things have changed for me. I'm still Borg, but I'm also completely human too." This time, when she kissed him, it was soft, passionate and grateful all at once, as meaningful as the kiss they'd shared at the altar. "You found that humanity in me and…" She blushed, "…love it as I love you."
"I do." Chakotay whispered fervently, again echoing their marriage vows before kissing her deep and hard, with heat that would've set their guests aflame if he'd allowed himself to go that far in their ceremony. "Are you ready to see the programme then?" he asked, still nervous but now with some excitement working its way into his voice.
Seven smiled indulgently at him, her mischievousness returning as she said, deadpan, "As the Captain advised you Chakotay, you shouldn't doubt yourself until your wife tells you otherwise, and I won't."
Chakotay laughed merrily, "That's good to know!" he exclaimed before glancing around the still inactive holodeck, "Computer, activate programme Chakotay Seven Omega."
Seven looked up at him, "Omega…" She muttered in amusement, "Appropriate."
Chakotay beamed widely at her as he heard the programme materialise behind him, then Seven's gasp of amazement and awe. "I thought so." He agreed, unable to keep the relief out of his voice as he watched her reaction with almost as much delight as he could see in her face.
They were standing in a cave, the curve of its roof as spectacular as a cathedral dome. It was of course cleaner than a real cave, the ground didn't kick up any dust. In the centre however, was a bed that was more likely to belong to a boutique hotel's honeymoon suite than in these rustic surroundings. It was a large and luxurious four poster, with plain but crisp white bed linen and a sweeping muslin canopy. What really caught Seven's attention though was the vista revealed through the cave's mouth, set alight by a sunset than bathed most of the cave in warm pastel light. "Is this…" She blinked in disbelief as she stared outside, leaving her bouquet resting on the end of the bed as she moved swiftly to peer out. "…Ledosia?"
Chakotay didn't answer right away, moving to sit on the bed with Seven's bouquet next to him. The flowers, a lush arrangement of white roses, baby's breath and blue hydrangeas, were slightly battered after Tal Celes had been so shocked over catching the bouquet that she'd immediately dropped it. "I'm glad you like it sweetheart."
"It's beautiful…" Seven choked out, blinking rapidly as tears began to blur the sight before her. The Ventu cave she remembered hadn't been as high set into a cliff as this one was, but the view was familiar enough to touch her heart. The sunset spread out of the canopy of trees, flowers wound around the cave wall and she could hear the rush of a waterfall, her waterfall. It wasn't the same, the layers of life in Ledosia had been overwhelming, and this had only a fraction of that, but it tugged at her memory until the two overlapped.
"You're beautiful." Chakotay replied simply. She was, the entire crew had commented on it today. Her dress was stunning. It followed her simple, sleek taste; there were revealing echoes of that red dress that they'd both attached meaning to in its square neckline and straps. The white satin clung to her figure with the skirt sweeping into a kick flare and a small train which all swished as she walked. She'd left her hair to grow since they'd got engaged, at the crews' amateur stylists' insistence, and it had been coaxed into wistful waves until the middle of her shoulder blades, with flowers weaved through at the back of her head. For Chakotay though, he'd seen her beauty at so many moments, when she was smiling at him, looking up at him trustingly with love and desire in her eyes when they made love, when she'd forgiven him… Her beauty was a constant in his eyes. He rose from the bed to go to her, "I know it's not the same, not without the Ventu, but…"
"I think they would approve Chakotay." Seven murmured as she took his hand, "It's not real, but our memories are." She pulled him back towards the bed, laughter catching in her throat as he half picked her up, laying them both out on the bed.
Chakotay ran his hands up and down her body, pausing to let his fingers brush against the necklace that lay strikingly against her fine collar bone. "That necklace suits you…"
Seven too touched the necklace, with its artful azure shards strung together by silver beads. "It was very kind of the Captain to give it to me for the wedding." She swallowed as she remembered the lump in her throat that had risen with her shock when the Captain had wordlessly put the necklace around her neck during her wedding dress fitting. The Captain had been given it by Calem, her surrogate 'father' who'd been killed by the Mokra police while helping her, B'Elanna and Tuvok escape from prison, and Seven knew it was one of her Captain's most treasured possessions, though she hadn't worn it since then. She'd been so affected by the gesture that she'd chosen blue and white as her wedding colours to complement it.
Chakotay smiled as he caught a glimpse of her misty expression before she concentrated on helping him out of his tux. He wasn't about to put the responsibility for the changes Seven had gone through solely on her relationship with him, but perhaps he'd been the catalyst for her empowerment where the Captain was concerned. In the six months since her eye-opening admissions to Kathryn, and to him, about the route she wanted her life to take, Seven's relationship with the Captain, and with the Doctor, seemed to be on a more even keel. To ease the reins of their parental view of Seven had without doubt been difficult, and frequently tested, but as Seven felt more at ease with her identity and position onboard, the submissiveness she showed towards their opinions was ebbing. The Doctor had walked her down the aisle to him, and Kathryn had been the person who did the final touches on Seven's hair and makeup. He had hopes the health of those relationships would only grow as more time passed, they seemed to have finally accepted their intimacy by the time they'd got engaged.
Seven must've read some of his thoughts in his intense expression, because she reached up to smooth his brow. "We're going to be fine." She whispered affectionately as she kissed him again.
Chakotay shook his head as a confident smile pulled at his lips, "No, we're going to be great Seven."
A/n: Please review. I've been amazed by the response to this story, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and/or put this story on their alerts and favourites. I owe a special thank you to battlevalkyrie for giving me the idea for this story in the first place. In the future I might re-visit this story's universe with some one-shots, so keep an eye out for them. :)