Title : " Shades Of Grey " Pairing : K/7 Rating : PG Episode References : Pt. 1 - " Body & Soul. " Pt. 2 - " Nightingale " ( There is a brief reference to an earlier story of mine " Anniversary Pt. 1 " ) Summary : Pt. 1 - Seven and Harry have a moment while discussing enjoying life and first kisses Archiving : Seventh Heaven. Others, Please ask. Disclaimer : Paramount and Viacom own all things Voyager. I'm just toying around in their universe. " Shades Of Grey " " Ensign, " Seven asked after several moments of silence. Harry's head snapped up quickly from the console. He had been in deep concentration as they downloaded their mission information into Astrometrics and made their reports. The only sound before Seven had called him had been the soft blips from the computer and their manipulations from the consoles. Harry turned slightly to her. " Yes Seven ? " " Do you think the Doctor is correct in his thinking ? " " About what ? " " You were there, Ensign. " Harry was puzzled, " I'm not following you. Want to clue me in ? " " The Doctor believes I do not enjoy life. That I do not live it to the fullest. " Harry looked at her a moment before answering. Had he not been so tired and frustrated throughout the ordeal, or locked in a brig, he might have seen the humor in the situation. It was quite sobering to look at Seven and have the Doctor answer. It gave a whole new spin on judging books by their covers. Yet at the same time, the Doctor had used Seven's body without thinking of the consequences it would cause her. He answered carefully, " It's hard to say. " " Elaborate, " she snapped. " Don't get mad, " he said trying to keep his tone light. " You either agree with him or not. " " I do and I don't. " " I see, " she turned back to her console, the hurt briefly crossing her features. " Seven, not everything is black and white. There are always shades of grey. " Seven turned around again, her composure back, " Explain. " " When I put myself into his shoes ; you know, not being able to eat or feel certain things, or smell ; I can understand why he did what he did. I'm not saying I agree, but I can understand. " " I suppose your comments have merit. " " On the other hand, he was like a kid in a candy store. He didn't think about any repercussions of his actions or how his excessive behavior would effect you. " " I understand, " she paused, " Yet you still have not answered my question. " " You're still going to make me answer that ; aren't you, " he teased. She smiled slightly, " I am. " " Yes and no, " he paused, watching her expression change from normal to quizzical. He chuckled, " Let me explain. " " Please. " " I agree with him partially. There are plenty of things you could be enjoying that you don't, " he paused again, searching for an example, " Like chocolate. I know for a fact that you like chocolate, but in the four years I've known you, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen you actually eat it." " Chocolate is an indulgence, as is many other foods. I also cannot ingest synthehol due to the adverse reactions it has on my implants." " No one's asking you to eat indulgent foods or drink wine all of the time. Haven't you ever done anything just for enjoyment ? " " I have tried many things, Ensign. Shall I list them ? Shall I always indulge ? " " Of course not. And I know you've done some things. There's no harm, at least in my opinion, to indulge every once in a while. Maybe you could treat yourself to a bit of chocolate once a week, or every couple of weeks. The Doctor was right in that respect. You're not a drone anymore. " " When does your opinion begin to differ from the Doctor's ? " " When he left your body and you got sick. He didn't think of who would have to pay the piper for his actions. " " ' Pay the piper ? ' " " Just an old expression, " he mumbled, waving the explanation away, " Then when you were angry with him he turned the tables on you, attacking the way you live your life. Though he may have had some points, he had no right to judge you. And if were something he wanted to approach you about, there are more tactful ways to do it. " " Thank you , Ensign. " " For what ? " " For answering my question and understanding. " " Anytime. " It was quiet again for a few moments. Seven studied Harry out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be more on edge lately and frustrated. There was a sadness in his eyes lately that had never been there before. It was as if a realization had come crashing down upon him and he didn't care for the results. He was the same Ensign Kim, yet different. " I suppose you got gypped on your first kiss, " Harry said, breaking Seven's silent scrutiny with a sly smirk creasing his handsome features. " It was not my first kiss, " she blurted before thinking. Was that disappointment crossing his features ? She was unsure. " Oh yea. I forgot about Axum, " he finally said. " I'm sure you kissed him plenty of times. I'm sure the opportunity came up, " he realized he was babbling uncomfortably as he watched her turn away quickly, blushing. ' There was also Dennis Chapman, ' she thought, but decided not to share. " Had it been my first kiss, " she answered trying to stave off the awkward moment between them, " I would have been disappointed. There was nothing behind it. The Captain merely grabbed the Doctor and I and pulled us into an embrace. " Harry smothered a smile, wishing for a brief moment he could have been a fly on the wall to witness that, " Not a fan of those kind of kisses ; are we, " he asked playfully. " I prefer to be prepared. " " Then you don't want to hear about the first kiss I shared with Libby. Talk about awkward. " " As a matter of fact, " amusement flashed in her eyes, " I do wish to hear of it. " " You can't tell anyone. " " Agreed. " " The first time I wanted to kiss her, we were on a picnic. I'd been thinking about kissing her all day and kept talking myself out of it. The opportunity finally came up after I played a song I had written for her on my clarinet. As I leaned in for a kiss, I slipped over the picnic basket and came crashing down on her. I ended up kissing her chin. " Harry could see Seven biting back laughter. it suprised him. He'd never seen or heard her laugh, but could imagine its richness. Her amusement at his embarrassing moment didn't bother him in the least. In fact, he wished that she would laugh. The look on her face, the smiled played across her lips, warmed him with a familiar twinge in his gut. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment. The feeling came virtually out of nowhere, and it suprised him. Yet, it remained , even as she regained her familiar composed expression. " How did she retaliate ? " " She laughed, but she did kiss me. The next time I saw her she had drawn me a map of herself so that I'd know where to aim the next time. " Seven smiled lightly again, and the urge to kiss her nearly overwhelmed him. He was unsure where it was coming from and turned away chuckling, continuing his work. " So my first kiss with Libby, " he continued, " wasn't as ideal as I hoped it would be. " " Neither was mine and the Captain's. " " Well, there's always next time, " he said softly. " I suppose there is, " she answered. It was then that Harry realized he and Seven were practically in each others faces. One step away. They stared at one another in that moment, neither moving or breathing. As they were leaning in closer to each other, Harry's combadge chirped. " ' Paris to Kim. ' " Both Harry and Seven jumped back from one another and continued their work, suddenly and furiously busy. As Harry's hand traveled to his combadge, he contemplated Tom's impeccably bad timing, and in what manner he would kill him in later on. " Kim here, " he said through almost clenched teeth. " ' Harry, where the hell are you ? We're all set to play hockey in twenty minutes. ' " " Just give me a few minutes to wrap up here with Seven and I'll meet you there, " he answered. ' Then I'll kill you, ' he thought. " ' All right. I'll see you there. Paris out. ' " " If you have an engagement Harry, you may go. I will complete the report. " " That's ok. I'm almost done here. " " Very well. " " Have you spoken to the Doctor since your little incident ? " " I have not. " " Maybe you should. " " Ensign ? " " I know when I've had disagreements with friends how unpleasant it can be. Maybe you should talk to him. " " You believe he and I should ' make up ' ? " " Do you really want to hold on to your anger ? " She was quiet momentarily, contemplating Harry's words. In a way, she was still angry with the Doctor, yet she was beginning to see the other side. She also missed her friendship with him. " I do not. I will go to him Ensign, in my own time. " " I'm sorry, " Harry answered, " I didn't meant to pry or to be pushy. " " I understand, and I appreciate your view points. " " Well, I'm finished here. I'll see you later. " She nodded and watched him prepare to leave. Before he exited, she called his name. " Yes, " he asked turning around. " Perhaps I will invite the Doctor to dinner this evening. " " He can't taste anything - " he began, but stopped himself. He understood where she was going , " I think that's a great idea. Maybe you could tell me all about it over breakfast tomorrow, " he blurted before he could talk himself out of it. There was the briefest of pauses before she answered. in that moment, Harry believes she would turn hi down again. To his suprise, she looked up from her console and nodded. " Would 0700 hours be sufficient ? " " It would be perfect, " he smiled, and only when she went back to work, did he leave. End of Part 1............