Title : Anniversary ( Another installment of the ' little moments ' series ) Pairing : Chapman/ 7 , K, EMH Rating : PG Summary : Seven and Lt. Chapman say goodbye to their shared past. Discalimer : Paramount owns the characters and everything Voyager or Star Trek. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Disclaimer # 2 : I know this is not very K/7ish.....but trust me , it will get there. Relationships do not usually start overnight. Sometimes they grow slowly. It's almost like building a brick house. You start one layer at a time until you finish. In my opinion, before Seven can move on with Harry, she has to say goodbye to her past with Dennis ( however brief it was ), the EMH, and Axum ( whom I'll get to in future installments. ). So please don't skip this short story over ! It's just one of the bricks in the house. Spoilers : There are refrences to " Someone To Watch Over Me. " Feedback : Please send feedback, as I love to hear what people are thinking when they read my stories. I'll accept both good and bad. Ajax277@aol.com " Anniversary " The doors to Astrometrics swooshed open and Lt. Dennis Chapman walked through uncertainly. Seven Of Nine barely turned around. Partly from embarrassment from what had happened the year before, which she merely brushed aside, and partly because she was rather busy. He took a tentative step forward with the information she had requested from Lt. Torres. " Luietenant," Seven greeted formally. He had requested that Torres send him on this errand. It had suprised him when he'd volunteered, he certainly hadn't planned it. But he'd been there when Seven made the request, and the next thing he knew, he was offering to bring the data to her. Torres had raised her eyebrows quizically, but Chapman was able to keep his expression passive and friendly. ' And here I am, ' he thought, ' Say something ! Quit staring at her ! ' " Hello Seven, " he stepped forward, " here's the data you requested." " Thank you, " she said taking it from him. They looked at one another briefly, and something passed between them. Something unspoken, something brief, from their past. It had been a year since their infamous date. Exactly a year. An odd anniversary, to say the least. Realization crashed over Dennis instantaneously, and he remembered. ' I wonder if she does, ' he asked himself. " Seven, " he blurted, before he could talk himself out of it. " Yes Luietenant ? " " Would you like to have dinner with me tonight ? " Seven's eyes widened momentarily. ' So she does remember.' " For old times sake, " he smiled. " This is a joke. " " No, it's not. " " You are mocking me for our failed encounter. " Was that anger creeping into her voice ? He could feel the tide slipping from beneath him. Why had he asked her out ? What was he thinking ? It had just happened. He had to think fast. " I know it seems that way, " he searched for words, " I didn't plan on asking you out today." Seven turned from him, trying to continue her work, " I must decline your request. " " I didn't mean it like that, " he was getting frustrated with himself. ' Spit it out Dennis ! ' " We've pretty much stayed out of each other's way for a year now. And that's partially my fault. I was a jerk. I just didn't know how to react. Most women your age know what they're doing on a date. " The minute he'd said it, he wished he hadn't. " I must continue my work, Luietanant. I am sure you have a duty shift to complete as well, " she advised, trying to bring out the Borg in her to ignore him. " Why can't I get this out without sounding like a fool ? I seem to be saying everything wrong. " " You are not required to say anything. Our previous affiliation is irrelevant. " " Is it ? Then why can't you face me ? " Seven felt the knot in her stomach tighten. He had a point. She turned to him, " Very well. How may I assist you Luietenant ? " " What I meant was, you'd never dated before. I didn't know that. " " What would you have done had you known ? " " I don't know , " he paused mometarily, " maybe I would've offered another kind of date. Maybe I would've chosen a nice stir fry or chicken dinner, " The memory of lobster bits flying at him flashed briefly in his mind, " You know, something you could cut with a knife and fork, " he smiled a half smile. ' Humor, ' Seven thought, processing his words. She allowed herself a small smile. " After you, " he paused, " after our unfortunate accident, I ran away and ignored you. I should've acted like and adult, and instead I acted like I was in junior high. I'm sorry. " " I am to blame as well, Luietenant. I chose you for our date because you had similar tastes to my own. I wished to experience a date and I chose you based on your record and persoanl data sheet. " " So we both did something stupid. Now we have another thing in common. " Seven looked amused. She remembered the first thing they had in common : They were both nervous on their date. Dennis took a tentative step forward. " What do you say, Seven. Let's have dinner. Or, " he said changin tactics at the thought of her turning him down again, " we can do something else." " Why do you wish to go on a date with me ? We are incompatible. " " We never got the chance to know that. Besides, I'm feeling nostalgic. You do know what today is ; don't you ? " " It is stardate - " " No Seven, I know the stardate. Exactly one year ago, you requested ' my presence in the holodeck ' . " " Our date, " she asked, though it sounded more like a statement. " Yes." " Did you plan this, Luietanant ? " " No. this is all kind of spur of the moment. And trust me, I've never been a spur of the moment guy. Everything I've ever done has been planned. Right down to the very last milisecond. But today, and last year, with you , I learned how to be spontaneous. I like it. I like that you make me feel that way. " " Luietanant - " " Listen, I'll save you the trouble of turning me down again, " he smiled wanly. Too much had happened, too much time had passed, he knew that. In the past year, she had made progress in her humanity. A year prior, she would have dismissed him easily. Turning him down without a second thought of how it may feel to him. Yet, she had grown. He could see that. She was trying to turn him down now, without hurting him. To save her from any more humitliation or from hurting him, he would do it himself. " Dennis, " she said quielty, " I wish to thank you for accepting our date last year. And also for our conversation today. " " Anytime, " he answered , but he knew there wouldn't be another time. There would never be another time for them. " We would've been something ; wouldn't we ? " " I believe so. " He smiled again, and turned to leave. She watched him go, feeling the pang of a feeling she hadn't felt in quite a while ; regret. It mildly suprised her. She hadn't given him a second thought since their unsuccesful affiliation, partly from embarrassment, and partly because she was not one to linger on regret, or things that could have been. So it suprised her even furthur when she called his name before he left Astrometrics. " Yes, " he turned around curiously. " There was a lesson in our date we did not cover. " He looked at her quizically, " Which one ? " " Lesson 36 - ' The Good Night Kiss. " His heart stopped mometarily, then skipped another beat. " How could we have forgotten ? " And with that, she crossed the room to him and took his face in her hands. Ever so slowly, their lips joined. It was a soft, sweet kiss. They pressed their lips together lightly and briefly. When they ended the embrace, something unspoken passed between them again. Seizing the moment before it went away, Dennis pulled Seven to him again. He kissed her with the longing he'd felt a year ago, and in the few brief moments in Astrometrics. A longing they both felt, and of regret of what was never to be. They pulled away and took a step back from each other. " Good night Seven. " " Good night Dennis. " He left Astrometrics then, and Seven went to her console and continued with her work. Was she correct in her thinking when she'd told the Doctor that there were no suitable candidates for a relationship on Voyager ? Had the Doctor wasted his time in assisting her with dating rituals ? He had taught her so much. She had turned Harry Kim down before he even had the opportunity to finish his request of being a candidate. Then , selflessly, he had offered to help her find someone. She was unsure of why she had rebuffed him so quickly. Was she afraid to accept and affiliation with him other than a working relationship ? Of this, she was unsure. Yet, she did not enjoy this feeling of regret. Perhaps in time, it would dissipate. Perhaps in time, things would take care of themselves. " Happy anniversary, " she said softly to Dennis Chapman, to the Doctor, and to Harry Kim. The End.