Chapter 4 added on 18 April 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: NC17
"Computer, locate Seven of Nine."
----Seven of Nine is in the Mess Hall.
She was hit again with disappointment when she arrived at the Mess Hall to find it dark and deserted. Damn, B'Elanna thought, does she ever stay in one place? Thinking she had just missed Seven, again, Torres turned to leave but paused when she caught a glimpse of starlight glinting off metal. Looking into the far corner of the Mess Hall, Torres saw Seven leaning against a viewport, gazing out at the passing starfield.
Approaching softly, she enquired, "Seven?" B'Elanna was concerned at Seven's absolutely abject demeanor. She had only ever seen the Borg upset on two occasions-when One died and when she thought she was dying. B'Elanna remembered being concerned those times, as well. I don't even like her, do I? For not liking someone, you sure think about her an awful lot.
At her approach, Seven straightened and retreated behind her implacable shell of self-control. "Lieutenant, I apologize for not coming to Engineering when Voyager dropped out of warp. As there was no Red Alert, I thought it prudent to wait until my presence was requested before "encroaching on your territory."
"Why now, Seven? You never worried about that before," came Torres' reply.
"You were not pregnant before, Lieutenant."
"How does that change anything?"
"I do not wish to irritate you. Unfortunately, my very presence usually accomplishes that very feat. You have been going through a difficult time, personally, as of late, regarding your dissolved marriage and the upcoming birth of your child. I did not wish to add to your stress, and am, therefore, endeavoring to remain as unobtrusive as possible."
B'Elanna was a little shocked. She stared at the Borg with her mouth slightly agape. She had never expected to detect that note of, what was it?, hurt? on Seven's face. It was very brief, but, yes, it was definitely hurt. She's hurt that I find her irritating. But I don't. Find her irritating, that is. "Seven, you don't irritate me. And I can't explain it, but I've actually missed your presence down in Engineering over the last few weeks."
"Indeed," mocked Seven, her voice heavily laced with disbelief.
Have I really hurt her that much?, thought B'Elanna. "Seven," B'Elanna began softly, "I have a confession to make. Before you found me several weeks ago in that Jeffries tube, bawling my eyes out because my marriage was over, I had never seen you as Human. And that's my fault. I was a complete idiot. You were so kind to me that day, listening as I rambled on about how I wasn't upset that I was divorcing Tom, how I was just upset because I was a failure, how I couldn't even make a marriage work-"
"You did not fail, Lieutenant," interrupted Seven, continuing softly, "He was unworthy of you. You require a strong mate and he would not, could not ever be that for you." She stopped when she realized what she was saying, her face coloring slightly in embarrassment.
"See, that's just what I mean. I've been a complete ass to you the last three years, and you still manage to say the nicest things to me. Oh, don't get me wrong, you can be an incredibly annoying, stubborn, willful, but brilliant person at any given moment, but I never realized that you could be Human until that day in the Jeffries tube. That day, I finally saw what I hadn't seen in all the time I've known you. I always respected you, but until that moment, I never knew I could like you. Because I never gave you a chance. I know it's completely undeserving, but I'm asking now--if you could give me one."
To be continued....