The BLTS Archive- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? by Chad K. Tanaka (chadt@aloha.net) --- Spoilers: Revulsion, Someone to Watch Over Me, Ashes to Ashes, and some vague references to other eps. Pure fluff using every K/7 cliché I could get my hands on! Keep an open mind as this is my first Voyager fic! Disclaimer: The crew of Voyager is the property of Paramount. The characters have been used without permission for purely non-profit entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. --- Astrometrics Lab Stardate 53768.2 0600 hours --- "Commencing cartographical mapping of spatial grid 3147," the computer monotonously intoned, finishing with a trilling warble from the console informing Seven of Nine that the program she'd initiated had indeed started to run. Glancing up at the large viewscreen which filled her field-of-view, Seven watched as the computer dutifully carried out the important, yet tedious task of accounting for and categorizing each celestial body and spatial phenomenon Voyager had recently encountered on its long and arduous trek back to the Alpha Quadrant. Satisfied with the computer's progress, the tall blonde began another task - remotely fine-tuning Voyager's long-range sensors. For among all of the functions the sensors were called upon to perform, one of its most important jobs was to accurately detect and scan the various features of space that Voyager traveled through. This function was vital to the mapping of the Delta Quadrant. And although Lieutenant Torres had performed a realignment just a few days ago, Seven's own projections indicated that sensor performance could still be improved another 2.61 percent and therefore, the accuracy of her mapping would also be improved. Seven thought to herself. She could not help a tiny smirk from occurring in her facial muscles. Seven knew this was her humanity expressing itself, and while there was a time she would have denied the existence of her emotions and been resistant to it, the beautiful cyborg no longer denied that she had...feelings - real human feelings. And for perhaps the thousandth time, Seven idly mused that perhaps some of the avenues of emotional expression and experience she'd discovered up to this point should be explored further. Despite the unsatisfying results of her previous investigation into romantic affiliations, Seven was surprisingly...*anxious* to continue with her experiments. Seven knew she could succeed in being as "human" as any of the crew on Voyager, though at times she wondered *why* she would ever want to be as illogical and inefficient as some of her crewmates were when it came to interpersonal dynamics. She knew she would prevail - she simply needed the right form of assistance in the matter. Voyager's database proved to be useful, but only to a certain point. It was heavy on theory, but was seriously lacking once those theories were applied to real world situations. Leaning heavily upon her console, deep in thought, Seven also reflected upon her instructor in the intricacies of humanity - the Doctor. Despite the admiration and respect she had for the Emergency Medical Hologram, she felt that he was the last person she should go to for help. The main reason for that was she had known for some time now that the Doctor harbored romantic feelings for her. She was shocked at first, but then took a small measure of satisfaction knowing she was more than just a sexual object to be ogled and lusted after. She knew the Doctor valued her on many other levels. It made her feel...special. The ex-Borg shook her head slightly, reproaching herself for such an irrelevant emotion. Then she silently took it back. She told herself that she *needed* to face these emotions if she were to assimilate them into her being. If she were able to reciprocate in kind, Seven would have no compunctions discussing with the Doctor her desire to continue learning about romance. But she couldn't. She valued the EMH as a true friend and mentor - somewhat as a daughter feels toward her father - but there was nothing else there. And that was a problem. She had no desire to hurt the Doctor. She considered her friendship with him to be one of the true successes of her short life as an individual. So telling him she wanted to pursue a romantic affiliation - just as long it wasn't with the Doctor himself - would be a painful blow. Even an inexperienced person such as Seven could see that. >From the information she'd already gleaned from her studies, Seven realized that she could easily initiate a romantic relationship with the Doctor under false pretenses, thereby procuring further data on the subject without having to deal with "getting acquainted" with another partner. she decided. That would not be fair to the Doctor, and even less helpful to herself. She wanted to experience true romance - similar to the relationship enjoyed by B'Elanna Torres and Tom Paris. And she knew she could not have that with the Doctor. Seven refused to "lead" the Doctor on, a colorful term Ensign Paris had once used in reference to various interactions on the ship where one crewmember allowed another to believe they felt more strongly about them than they truly did. She was confused about such inane human behavior, and she had told Ensign Paris so. That only served to raise Paris' eyebrows and cause him to leer at her. She stopped herself from sighing and rolling her eyes in irritation. "Seven, some might say you have loads of experience in 'leading' people on," the cocky helmsman quipped. If she was confused before, the ensign only made it worse. "Elaborate," she demanded coldly. He smiled at her, as if he were privy to some kind of joke about her she wasn't aware of. "Seven, half the crew is in love with you. And despite the way you treat them, they all keep coming back for more. Come on, you must be doing *something* special to drag 'em along like that," Paris teased. Seven was appalled. "I am not aware of any 'leading' on my part, *Mister* Paris. If there is a problem, it lies with those crewmembers who are 'in love' with me, as you put it. I would not initiate such irrelevant and unproductive behavior," she replied deadpan - although Paris could see the fire he'd inadvertently stoked in her brilliant blue irises. He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, Seven. Bad joke. I really didn't mean to accuse you of anything," he said in apology. He took an involuntary step back after seeing her hostile expression. And that was the catalyst for her present predicament. Was she leading the crewmembers along somehow? Was her efficient attitude attracting others, causing serious misunderstandings? Was she already leading the Doctor on? Seven had no ready answers, and the very person she would normally go to for advice would not be of any help this time. Could she ask the Captain? She dismissed the thought outright. She valued Captain Janeway's opinions and respected her both as a Starfleet officer and a woman, but Seven's relationship with Kathryn Janeway had always been somewhat adversarial and tumultuous to say the least. They disagreed on many viewpoints, and despite knowing that the Captain's views on romance would be undoubtedly heartfelt, Seven still wondered if the advice would be beneficial to her in the long term. Sometimes, she felt the Captain was trying to mold Seven into her own image. Some of the moral arguments they'd had over the years seemed to her like Janeway was forcing her Federation-skewed views upon Seven. The former drone had lived for twenty years under the guidance of the Collective. She was now an individual and she was determined to follow the course of her life on her own - on her own terms. Seven sighed heavily and closed her weary eyes. she asked herself again. She was completely confused and frustrated. She had concluded long ago that emotions were an undesirable byproduct of the human condition, yet she was now unable to free herself of all the complications that came with it simply because she was now irrevocably...a human being. Her troubled thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the pneumatic seals on the bulkhead door directly behind her releasing their pressure. Someone was entering. "Good morning, Seven," Harry Kim said in greeting as he passed through the door into Astrometrics. He made his way quietly to Seven's station. "Good morning, Ensign Kim," Seven of Nine returned. The statuesque Borg was facing away from him and she turned her head slightly toward her young crewmate. When Kim simply stood there beside her, appearing quite restless and apprehensive, she spoke. "Is there anything I can assist you with, Ensign?" Seven asked in her characteristically level voice. She turned fully toward Kim then, and gave him her full attention. "I...uh...um..." was Harry's only response. The handsome Asian opened and shut his mouth repeatedly, yet it produced no vocalization. Seven raised an eyebrow at Kim's strange behavior. The Borg implant directly over her left eye notched a fraction of an inch higher. "Harry," she began. The Doctor had told her many times that usage of one's given name instead of surname would usually put the other person at ease. "Are you damaged? Do you require medical attention?" This produced the expected result: "N-No! No! I'm fine!" Harry blurted out and shook his head sharply. Seven dropped her hand away from the communicator fastened to her royal blue unitard. She really had no intention of activating it, but it served to move the conversation along. "It's nothing, r-really," the young ensign stuttered. His voice nearly cracked at the end, rising in pitch as if he were struggling to force the words from his mouth. Seven continued to gaze unwaveringly at the dark-haired Ops officer, her Borg ocular implant revealing evidence not apparent to normal humanoid eyes. She finally realized what was happening and tried to hide her amusement. She had seen this before - it wasn't the first time Seven had seen Harry Kim in this state. During the early stages of her development, she had been ill-prepared to deal with the situation effectively. But with experience and knowledge, Seven was confident that the issue at hand could be dealt with appropriately now. After all the male crewmembers - as well as a select few female ones - who had behaved in the exact same manner towards her in one way or another, Seven had become very good at ignoring the awkward fidgeting and distorted speech patterns that indicated a person's interest in her, be it sexual or otherwise. She used to think it was annoying and irrelevant to her functioning as a member of Voyager's crew. But lately, she began to wonder what she was missing. She had never felt the almost all-consuming desire to engage in copulation and initiate a romantic affiliation with a fellow crewmember. Since it was an inefficient use of her time, it merited no acknowledgement on her part. She felt that way no longer. She realized that she didn't want to ignore Harry Kim's arousal. Seven thought to herself, As Harry continued to fidget and pull at his collar with a finger, Seven decided to initiate a solution to this interesting situation. "Will you explain your aberrant behavior, Ensign?" Seven asked forthrightly. With a start, Kim realized that he could hardly refuse her anything, though he felt like bolting for the door and hiding in his quarters until they reached the Alpha Quadrant. "Um, I..." "Harry," Seven said not unkindly. "I have seen you behave this way before, although it has been quite awhile since that last encounter." She crossed her hands behind her back. "I hope that we can avoid any...misunderstandings between us this time," she stated. "Yes, uh, of course," Kim answered, gulping audibly. "Agreed," Seven concluded. "Then please state your intentions." She stood facing Harry and awaited his response. A strange sensation came over Seven. After some thought, she concluded that she was experiencing...anticipation, excitement, and a bit of apprehension over his answer. She felt perspiration forming in the palms of her hands, and she noticed a not completely uncomfortable undulating in her stomach - much like being in a zero-g environment. She hoped that this was simply her emotions exerting its powerful influence over her and not that she was malfunctioning somehow. Seven was so distracted with the new sensations, she almost missed Harry's answer. "Seven, um...would you consider going out on a date with me after your shift is over?" he said quickly, almost as if he were trying to get the words out before he changed his mind. When he finished the sentence, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Seven of Nine stared back at the young ensign blankly. Harry began to sweat. He'd expected a multitude of reactions from the gorgeous woman before him - anger, aloofness, amusement, joy, sadness, confusion. But never in his wildest dreams - or nightmares for that matter - did he expect... Nothing. "Uh, hello?" Harry said gently. He leaned forward to look closely at her face, when suddenly - "Ensign, you're asking me out on a date?" Seven blurted out in disbelief, startling Harry. "Well...I don't see any other women named Seven in here, do you?" he responded with a tiny grin. he told himself. "Indeed," Seven replied. Strangely, although this opportunity was *exactly* what she was looking for, Seven was still dumbfounded when confronted with Harry Kim's romantic overture. Somehow, she'd expected that he was going to ask her to engage in intercourse with him. Despite being only a small part of her overall goal of experiencing romance in its purest form, she was not averse to participating in copulation with Harry. It was research. But to be presented with an offer of a "date" with the ensign was certainly a...pleasant surprise. And a frightening one, she discovered. She fought her feelings of inadequacy back down. she tried to convince herself. Shaking herself from her reverie, Seven regained her former composure, save for crossing her arms across her ample chest. Harry fleetingly wondered what the ex-drone had to feel insecure and defensive about. He tried not to feel hurt at the unconscious gesture. "May I ask why you wish to change our former affiliation into a romantic one?" "Hold it," Harry said, backpedaling a step and holding up a hand. "I'm not asking for your hand in marriage or anything," he explained. Seven felt brief flash of sadness at the correction, but it passed quickly. "I just saw you over the past couple of days and you seemed like something was really bothering you," he explained. "You looked very unhappy, and I wanted to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, I'm here as a friend...or anything else you need me to be." Seven stared at him, trying to decipher the layered meanings in Kim's speech. The ensign just looked down at his feet, unsure if he'd overstepped any boundaries or not. He looked up, directly into her eyes and said, "I was wondering if you wanted to have a nice dinner together - outside of the mess hall and Neelix's 'mystery meals.' Or maybe we could go to the holodeck - " "And see the K'tarian moonrise?" Seven asked innocently, although the amusement in her eyes gave her away. Harry blushed. He couldn't help but laugh at the thinly veiled reference to the last time he'd tried initiating a "change of affiliation" with Seven. "Yes, that and anything else you'd like to do. Just say the word," he answered with a toothy grin. And even though Seven of Nine, former tertiary adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One, was admittedly unsettled by the recent turn of events, Ensign Kim's smile was infectious and she responded with a demure one of her own. "I was not certain whether that night in the mess hall was an anomaly on your part," Seven commented coyly. "Come on, Seven," he chided. "You're an incredibly intelligent woman. Even if you aren't well-versed in the ways of love, I'm sure you've had an inkling that I've always felt something special for you," he said. "Ever since that time in the mess hall, I've wanted to try again - to ask you out on a real date." Harry shook his head slowly. "But I always convinced myself not to, rationalizing that it was inappropriate to risk our friendship in that way. Harry laughed mirthlessly. "Well, in a way, I suppose you proved me right when you told me I wasn't a suitable candidate for your first date." He was surprised at how much Seven's unintentional slight still managed to hurt so much. Seven didn't miss the pained expression on her companion's face. The strange feeling in her abdomen intensified and she experienced acute discomfort knowing that she had mistreated Harry with her casual remarks during the period when she was preparing for her first romantic encounter. <"You are not one of the candidates, Ensign,"> she remembered saying. How could she have missed the disappointment in his features? She realized that he had looked much like he did now - sad, but valiantly trying not to show it. She paused before speaking. "I *am* sorry for that, Harry," she apologized in a gentle voice. Her aloof expression melted into one of genuine sympathy. "I did not realize my comment concerning your 'unsuitability' as a prospective date would cause you such distress." The sincere apology seemed to lift Harry's spirits. "It's not your fault, Seven," he reassured her with a self-deprecating grin. "You were just being honest. And besides, you were probably right - I would have made a terrible date." "Explain," she asked, with a frown on her face. Despite dismissing him initially, Seven was curious as to why Harry would believe himself to be an unsatisfactory date. "Well, I would have been so nervous that I'd goof up somewhere and probably embarrass the both of us," he stated matter-of-factly. This brought a true smile to Seven's full rosebud lips. "If it would make you feel better, I did indeed 'goof up' as you said, and I embarrassed as well as injured Lieutenant Chapman in the process," she admitted. Harry stifled a giggle. "Yeah, I heard about that," he replied. "So, how is the Lieutenant these days?" he asked, referring to Seven's "victim" that night at Sandrine's. The luckless Lieutenant Chapman was only left with a dislocated shoulder for all of his troubles. Seven sighed. "He appears to be well, although he insists on avoiding me whenever I come into contact with him," she answered with a note of resignation. "Well, that's his loss," Harry said with conviction. She tilted her head slightly as way of thanks for the compliment. However, there was still one thing on her mind, and she was compelled to ask: "Why now, Harry?" She knew he would understand what she meant. Harry grimaced slightly. Seven concluded he was uncomfortable with this line of questioning, but she still wanted to know. So she waited. After a brief moment of foot shuffling and throat clearing, Harry Kim came clean. "Remember Lyndsay Ballard?" he asked, as a way of beginning. Seven nodded in acknowledgement. She did indeed remember Ensign Ballard - a lost crewmember literally returned from the dead. Her genetic structure had been altered by aliens so extensively, that she was now a member of a race called the Kobali. Ballard had come to Voyager looking to finish things undone and say words left unsaid. She remembered the rumors: that Ballard and Kim had consummated a relationship that never took form when the Kobali woman was originally on the ship. Seven did not let it bother her - she told herself jealousy was irrational - yet she was not sorry to see Ballard leave the ship again. What did that say about her feelings toward Harry Kim? "Well, after she left the second time," Harry continued, "It finally dawned on me that I've had problems making lasting romantic relationships out here in the Delta Quadrant." When Seven just gave him a slight frown, Harry tried to explain. "For some reason - and Tom can confirm this - I always yearn for the unattainable women." A wistful look came over his smooth, tanned face. "A former crewmate back from the dead, an alien hologram, a virus-spreading revolutionary, the wrong Delaney twin - " Harry gave her a smirk which Seven returned. The smirk vanished as Kim paused. The wistful look returned. "And you, Seven," he whispered. Seven suddenly felt like sitting down - surprising, considering she disliked that position. She also briefly wondered what was wrong with the environmental controls - it was too warm. While Harry Kim never considered himself an overly aggressive romantic, just the same, he was drawn imperceptibly closer to the captivating golden-tressed vision before him and it was all he could do to stop himself from taking her in his arms and ravishing her like there was no tomorrow. "After I finished things with Lyndsay," he explained, "I came to the realization that I've been fooling myself, Seven. I'm always infatuated with unattainable women and start things that couldn't possibly succeed. And you know why?" he questioned her. She had absolutely no idea, and she said as much. "I think that deep down, I'm...afraid to find real love, where my heart is truly in someone else's hands, because if I do and I get hurt, I don't know if I'd be able to handle it, being stuck in an unfamiliar quadrant, seeing the person who broke my heart day after day, with no escape from the memories of what we had." He hesitantly raised his hands and held them just millimeters away from her arms. She could feel the heat of them burning through the material of her unitard. She detected a quickening of her cardiac and respitory functions and strove to return them to normal limits. With a faint breath of laughter and a shrug he added, "Or maybe I'm just plain unlucky at love, I don't know." Then he touched her, and he smiled. "But knowing all of this has helped me to see, Seven, that it doesn't change the fact that you're a vibrant, beautiful, intelligent, innocent, good-hearted individual - a woman I'm fortunate enough to call a friend." He slowly rubbed his hands over her arms. The peculiar sensations she'd experienced earlier only intensified under the physical stimulation, and she had to hold back an involuntary moan. Her eyelids fluttered and she had to concentrate in order to remain upright. "And you're here, Seven!" he exclaimed. She didn't understand, but he went on. "You're right here in front of me, and you're not unattainable! Where others see a cold, calculating Borg who wouldn't give me the time of day, I see a warm, caring woman hidden behind those Borg implants. And I'd be monumentally stupid to let you slip through my fingers, no matter what my fears are," he said with an urgent look. She felt his hands gripping her firmly. "I've wasted too much time already, Seven of Nine. I have to start living my life again to the fullest potential, and...I'd like for you to be part of that, if you're willing." "We can teach each other about love," he murmured huskily. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open a tiny bit. With a hopeful expression, Harry asked "So, what do you say?" Seven tried to speak, but her voice was nowhere to be found. So instead, she nodded once. And Harry Kim understood. His deep brown eyes held her crystal-clear blue ones for a moment - a brief instant that threatened to stretch into eternity. The unspoken communication they shared at that moment overwhelmed Seven and she was forced to pull away, her heart racing and her breath coming in short gasps. She was certain her eyes were dilated in response to this stimulus. Leaning over her console for a brief moment, she attempted to regain her equilibrium and her senses. Then she felt a comforting hand upon her trembling shoulder. "Seven," Harry said in a panicked voice. "What's wrong?" Seven shook her head feebly. "Do not concern yourself, Harry. I...I am fine," she told him, sounding anything but. she admonished herself. Steeling herself, she stood upright and took a calming breath. "I apologize. Interacting with you has been quite...pleasurable, however, I am experiencing feelings and...sensations unfamiliar to me. For lack of a better description, I believe I was momentarily overcome with emotion." "Really?" He asked, incredulous. He received only a raised eyebrow for the question. "I'm sorry," he said to her with remorse. "I knew I shouldn't have let it all out at once," he mumbled, more to himself than her. "That would be too intense for anybody." His brow scrunched up in concern. "Are you sure you're okay? If you're having second thoughts - " She interrupted him. "I am not Ensign Kim," she said, trying to maintain a modicum of restraint. "I am very...receptive to your reasoning." Seven paused, then forged ahead. "In fact, I have been contemplating reinitiating my studies on romantic affiliations for several weeks. Due to your compelling arguments, I have decided to proceed - with your help of course," she finished. The thousand-terawatt smile returned, in all its glory. "Nothing would please me more Seven," he said, with barely uncontained excitement. "We'll start the lessons tonight then, shall we?" he queried. Fixing a characteristic level stare at him, she said, "That will be acceptable, Harry." And as impossible as it seemed, the ensign's grin grew even wider and Seven failed to hold back a faint smile of her own. "Great!" he exclaimed. "My quarters? About 1900 hours?" Seven simply nodded once. "Okay, see you then," he continued, nearly bouncing out of his uniform with joy. "Don't worry, I've got some interesting things for you to experience..." Seven raised her brow at this comment, but Kim seemed not to notice. "...so just dress casually," he finished. Looking down at her unitard and back up at the ensign again, she replied, "I normally wear these dermaplastic garments the Doctor designed for me, however, I can replicate 'casual' wear as you instructed." Harry shook his head. "It's not necessary," he said dismissively. "Just come as you are." "Affirmative. I will meet you at your quarters at precisely 1900 hours," she said. And with a final nod, Ensign Harry Kim turned on his heel and headed for the door. But just as the panels parted to let him out, he turned to her and said, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you tonight, Seven." And then he was gone. With the tiny smile still alighting her features, Seven of Nine turned back to her scanning duties. "And I look forward to seeing you as well, Harry Kim," she whispered to an empty room. --- The End --- Notes: So, how was it? Better than a trip to the dentist? I hope so. I've been reading Voyager fanfic for several weeks now, and I decided to try my hand at it. Sorry for using every K/7 fanfic cliché I could fit into the story. I promise to be more original next time! I've used enough clichés when I was deep into writing X-Files fanfic for two years! Anyway, I'm still trying to get used to Trek fic writing, so bear with me. I plan to continue the story where our lovebirds left off, if response to this one is positive. If you liked it, please drop me a line and let me know what you thought!