A/n: This first chapter is set in the closing scene of the episode "Human Error".
Seven strode purposely through the halls, ever faster than usual, her thoughts on recent events. A familiar voice which she simultaneously feared and longed to hear broke through her reverie.
“Where’s the fire?” said Chakotay, to her sounding unnaturally cheerful.
“Fire?” she stated with sharp bemusement. She was not in the mood for analysing strange human sayings that particular day.
Chakotay couldn’t help from smiling slightly, but decided not to patronise her by dissecting the phrase, instead changing the wording.
“What’s the hurry?”
“I must complete my report into the weapons array.” Just let me go please she thought silently, increasing her pace even more.
Chakotay almost had to break into jog to keep ahead of her. “Come on, you saved the ship I think you deserve a break. I’m going to Neelix’s cooking lesson in the mess hall, “Talaxian tenderloin in ten minutes.” Why don’t you join me? It’ll be fun.”
At that moment Seven couldn’t think of something she’d find less enjoyable and said in the coldest and most dismissive tone she could muster “I am no longer interested in cooking.”
She always had to make being nice to her such hard work, thought Chakotay, barely suppressing an irritated sigh but persevering nonetheless. “Then come for the company. B’Elanna is coming, even Tuvok promised to make an appearance.” He said in attempt to convince her.
It failed. “I’d rather not. Perhaps another time?”
Chakotay felt anger and an emotion he only subconsciously acknowledged as hurt course through him and he made a spur of the moment accusatory rebuke. “You know, you might want to socialise with the crew a little more, it might do you some good.”
Seven felt herself flinch as if he’d slapped her and hurriedly tried to hide it as he turned away from her in anger. She fixed her eyes on his disappearing back and felt self hatred and grief flood her as she thought about how easily his words had pierced her carefully formed defences. As she turned back the way she had come to avoid him, she mentally cursed Unimatrix Zero for creating this emptiness in her and her own misjudgement at trying to fill it.
Chakotay tried to suppress his guilt as he walked away, he felt like he had kicked a wounded animal. He had seen an expression of pure unadulterated pain in her eyes when he had rebuked her, if only for a matter of seconds as she had hid it from him almost immediately and the look worried him. Could there really be that much turmoil beneath the surface in such a reserved woman? He impulsively glanced back to look at her but saw only her back disappearing through the door. It occurred to him that she had been going the other way when he’d met her, was she running away? Regret and guilt gnawed at him but he pushed it back. Throughout that night’s cooking class much as he tried to ignore it, the guilt stayed with him and the expression on her face was to haunt him for days to come.
A/n: Please review! There's a lot more to come, because I've already written loads of this for another site.
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Star Trek Voyager: Fascination
FanfictionThe story of how Seven and Chakotay's romance blossomed and grew, before, during and after "Endgame". If you don't like Chakotay/Seven you won't like this!
