The BLTS Archive - Infinity
#2: Heaven in a Wild Flower
by Jesse (chartreux@hotmail.com)

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Archive: Ask me, please

Disclaimer: I'm gonna bag me a Braga! *ahem* I mean, uh, not mine.

Comments: Please, please, puh-leeeeze mail me to tell me what you
think!

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Everyone was quite uncomfortable. The room was hot and very dark. Tom
Paris knelt behind the Mess Hall counter, trying to squeeze in
between a couple of people who he couldn't even recognize. He thought
one of them was Neelix, but it was too dark to tell.

Chakotay was too old for this. He was bent in a very awkward position
behind some chairs. He could feel the muscles in his back begin to
strain.

B'Elanna Torres let out an annoyed sigh. Someone near to her shushed
her. She gave a darting look in the general direction of her new
enemy, and rolled her weary eyes.

Harry waited in anticipation. He was excited. He looked around,
peering into the blackness. The stars through the windows cast a
faint light on the floor, but not enough to highlight any individuals.

Kathryn Janeway stood in the back of the kitchen. She was careful not
to drop what she was holding. Allowing a smile to come over her face,
she listened to the grunts, groans, and whispers throughout the room.
She casually wondered how Tuvok was doing on the bridge. Startling
her, a voice rang out in a hushed yell.

"Someone's coming!"

Everyone got real quiet. Somebody started giggling, but was quickly
silenced by a neighbour. Hearing footsteps, the room fell silent. The
Mess Hall doors opened...

".......and that's how I mended Ensign Keller's ear," exclaimed the
Doctor.

The EMH and Seven of Nine walked through the doors. They stopped, and
glanced around.

"The lights are off," said the Doctor.

"Computer," ordered Seven, "Lights."

Just as the room became illuminated, dozens of crewmembers jumped up
from behind tables and chairs and counters.

"SURPRISE!"

The Doctor beamed. Seven of Nine stiffened and grabbed onto the
Doctor's arm with one hand. After a second, she quickly let go of the
Doctor, and proceeded to give him a dirty look.

The Doctor just grinned. "Happy Birthday, Seven!" he said, just
before giving her a peck on the cheek.

From amongst the well-wishings of the crew came the Captain. She was
holding a large white cake with 4 candles burning brightly. The room
began to fill with uneven singing...

"....Happy Birthday to You...."

The Doctor stood right beside Seven, singing along with the crowd.
She would've been very annoyed at that specific time if it had not
been for the pleasing smile on her escort's face.

The melody quickly finished and Seven, jaw squared and clenched,
bowed to public pressure and blew out her glowing candles. The
clapping echoed in her ears.

Captain Janeway took Seven by the elbow and herded her over to a
large table in the corner of the room. Upon it were several large and
small packages, each wrapped in a delicate paper. Seven's stomach
tightened at the thought of opening them.

Prefering to stand, the ex-Borg accepted each gift as it was given to
her by Naomi. With hundreds of eyes upon her, she nervously opened
the first box. Inside was a small white statue, carved in an
unblemished stone. Seven held it in sweat-covered palm, unsure of
what to do next.

Chakotay broke the silence. "It's an Inca artifact, Seven. From
Earth's history. I took it from my own collection. I hope you like
it."

She looked up at him. "I do like it. Thank you Commander." Chakotay
smiled.

Seven set the figure down, and accepted another present from the
young girl. Carefully undoing the wrapping, she opened the gift to
find a small glass container filled with dried leaves and flowers. An
unusual aroma lifted from the box.

"It's potpourri!" said Tom. "I thought your Cargo Bay could use a
little more good smelling stuff!" Several faces turned to regard the
excitable ensign. The Doctor gave his medical assistant a look of
distasteful amusement.

Seven arched an eyebrow. "Thank you, Ensign. I appreciate it." Tom
widened his smile.

Naomi picked up a shiny bag and handed it to the ex-Drone. She pulled
out the tissue paper and removed the object. She looked at it in
admiration.

"They're windchimes," said the Captain. With a smile, she added, "I
know they may not be of much use on a starship, but I thought you'd
like them."

Seven regarded the remarkable object. Several long, narrow pieces of
a unique steel hung from slices of string. The music it made was
elating.

"Thank you, Captain," said Seven. She carefully put the chimes back
into the bag, and set it on the table. She then accepted a new box
from her young friend.

By this time, Seven had become less nervous. She didn't want to admit
it, but she was actually enjoying this event.

She opened the little yellow box to find a tiny, gold medallion. It
had several images engraved into it, and it hung from a light chain.

"It's Talaxian," said Neelix. "It belonged to one of my nieces. The
letters on it symbolize strength and honor. I thought it suited you."
The little Leprechaun smiled with joy.

"It is beautiful," said Seven. "Thank you." Neelix became even
happier.

Naomi took the charm and the box and set it away. Seven picked up a
large object she knew was a picture of some sort. She did not make
her knowledge known, though.

Ripping the paper, she looked at the painting and gave a soft smile.
Across the room, Harry blushed.

"I hope you like it, Seven," he said.

"Yeah!" Tom interrupted, loudly "Harry painted it himself!" Ensign
Kim turned an even deeper shade of red, and lowered his face.

Sensing Harry's embarrassment, Seven voiced her opinion. "The colors
are vibrant, and the subject shows ingenuity." She strained. "It will
make a desirable addition to the Cargo Bay. Thank you, Ensign." Seven
handed the heavy painting to the Doctor instead of Naomi. He took a
peek at it, and raised an eyebrow. He set it down carefully.

"This is from Tuvok," said the Captain. "He had to take the shift on
the bridge."

The Captain handed Seven a folded cloth. She opened it to find a
Vulcan meditation candle.

Tom snorted. "Boy, that looks like a lot of fun!"

Some of the crowd giggled, but most of the room gave Ensign Paris a
dirty glare. The Doctor chuckled. Seven folded up the cloth.

"This was very generous of the Commander. I will thank him later,"
she said to no one in particular, but just loud enough for Tom Paris
to hear. He smiled.

Naomi offered Seven another package. She took it, and opened the box.
Inside lay three small stones, one clear, one dirty pink, and another
a soft black.

"They're good luck stones," said B'Elanna. She paused, then
continued, "I know you probably don't believe in luck, but I....I
wasn't sure what else you could use."

Seven was nearly speechless. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she said.
B'Elanna gave a stiff smile and nodded.

The evening went on, and Seven received many more gifts. She
expressed her thanks evenly and openly, making sure to say the right
things to the right people. She was new at this. She couldn't
remember the last time so many people had done something like this
for her. She supposed she hadn't ever experienced such a thing before.

After all the presents had been upwrapped, attention slowly drifted
away from her. The crowd ate cake and drank champagne. Seven took a
small piece of the food, but didn't go near the drink. She had
developed a slight aversion towards the bubbly liquid. She wasn't
quite sure why.

People came and went, beginning a short conversation with her, and
then moving on to another group. She had always felt uncomfortable in
these "party" situations, but not for this one. The Doctor was never
more than an arm's reach away from her, and she took comfort in the
fact that there was one person there who she could go to when alone,
and wouldn't be pushed away.

One question lingered on her mind for the evening. It was
distracting, but she tried not to concentrate on it. It bothered her,
though.

The Doctor hadn't given her a gift.

She fully realized that the Doctor would not miss giving her
something. He had been one of the crew who planned the event - surely
he had something to give her. She furrowed her brow. Not that she
wanted a material possession from him. It's just that she felt like
she was missing something.

She wanted to ask him about it, but she couldn't gather up the nerve.

Hours passed, and the Mess Hall was left....well, a mess. Neelix
resolved to clean it up tomorrow, and stumbled out of the room. A few
security guards had removed all of Seven's new belongings and taken
them to the Cargo Bay.

Various crew members remained, whether it be by choice or simply
because they had passed out. The Doctor stepped up to Seven of Nine.

"Could I escort you back to your alcove?" he asked in a syrupy tone.

Seven set down her glass of water on a messy table. "Thank you,
Doctor," she said in what seemed to be the millionth thankyou of the
day.

Walking down the corridors, side by side, they remained quiet. Not a
word was spoken as they waited for the turbolift. When it arrived,
the Doctor motioned for Seven to go first. He followed her in, and
the turbolift began moving.

"Computer, Halt," ordered the Doctor.

The turbolift stopped. Seven regarded the Doctor curiously.

"I don't know if you noticed, Seven, but I haven't given you a gift,
yet."

Seven's eyes brightened. "I hadn't noticed," she said as calmly as
she could.

The Doctor gave her an accusatory glare. "You noticed," he said, with
a smile plastered on his face.

Seven simply raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor gave her a knowing glance, and then tapped his combadge.
"Transporter room three, energize."

Onto the floor below them beamed a single red rose and a small
camera. The Doctor scooped them up, and handed them to Seven.

She looked at the red rose, and a wave of happiness washed over her
face. She accepted it, and took in the aroma.

"I know it's not very personal, Seven," explained the Doctor, "but
you showed an interest in learning photography, so I thought I'd get
you a camera. Like mine."

Seven smiled. She thought back to the questions she asked the Doctor
about photography some time ago. Truth be told, she wasn't all that
interested in the medium, but she was interested in how it affected
the Doctor to such an extent.

She held the camera in her hands, feeling the contours and smudging
fingerprints on the glass.

"I...I don't know what to say, Doctor," she said.

The Doctor's holographic heart stopped in his chest. Her voice was so
soft and innocent. He moved in towards her. "Happy Birthday, Seven,"
he whispered, as he leaned in to give her a light kiss near her ear.

Seven closed her eyes as the Doctor's lips touched her skin. She
inhaled deeply, smelling his hair and wanting so desperately to touch
him. She was frozen, though, unable to move any part of her body.

The Doctor lingered a few seconds longer than *friends* would, and
then slowly moved back, brushing his cheek against hers. Seven
inhaled sharply.

Standing still very close to each other, they wandered into each
other's eyes, searching for something.

Seven wasn't sure what she was looking for, what she was feeling. She
clutched onto the rose and camera with anxious hands.

The Doctor found warmth and confusion lying in Seven's eyes. He had
touched her a little too long, and he was worried that perhaps what
he had done threatened their existing relationship.

Seven saw the worry in the Doctor's brown-eyed stare. Perhaps she had
misjudged his intentions. He looked more scared than happy about what
he had done. Maybe he didn't mean it the way it seemed to come out.

The Doctor's gaze softened. He noticed the light in Seven's blue eyes
began to dim. Sullenly, he conceded defeat, and turned to face the
door of the turbolift. Seven's eyes wandered to the floor.

The Doctor spoke then, but it was not to his companion.

"Computer, resume."

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The End