Title : TO FORGIVE DIVINE Author : Henry Lee Contact : lee@aries.phys.yorku.ca Series : VOY Part : NEW 1/1 Archive : Seventh Heaven; others, please request permission. Rating : [PG] Codes : K/7 Spoilers : "Human Error" (7th season) Summary : Takes place just before the final scene in Anne Rose's post-ep piece, "To Err Is Human" (story links below). Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created by Paramount et al. I'm borrowing them for a little while. Thanks : To Anne Rose for her great post-ep piece. I thought her story required a little more; so, here's my take. I place the blame fully on her. :-) Also, much thanks for her careful beta-read. ------------------------- TO FORGIVE DIVINE by Henry Lee ------------------------- Initially, Seven of Nine had approached the subject with great trepidation. The cortical node was designed to shut down higher brain functions when a certain state of emotional simulation was achieved. It had been designed as a `fail-safe' mechanism to deactivate Borg drones, when they regained their individuality and when they experienced certain intense emotions. Obviously, Seven had been lucky. She had felt tremendous loss after the death of `One'. Feeling the loss of her young Borg charges Azan, Rebi, and Mezoti had subsequently led to the malfunction of her cortical node and her near-death experience. Until now, both the Doctor and Harry had believed that the `fail-safe' mechanism had remained dormant within Icheb's replacement node. Once Harry had realized the severity of her condition, he worried what the future would have held if the Doctor's initial operation hadn't been successful. After additional discussions with Harry and the Captain, the Doctor had laid out a supplementary program of minor surgical procedures to alter the function of the cortical implant and alleviate the harsh effects of the `fail-safe' mechanism. The program of bio-ops and subsequent recovery time would last over a period of weeks. Eventually, the hope was to completely negate what the fail-safe mechanism had originally been designed to do. Eight days after her first surgery, the recovery had continued to go smoothly. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Harry had had a particularly rough day, pulling a consecutive double shift. The warp drive had developed a "tick," one which had not thrilled B'Elanna to any great degree. Plasma flow dropped, matter-antimatter exchange stalled, and overall engine throughput plummeted. After his first shift at Ops, he offered to help B'Elanna and received permission from the Captain to work a second shift in Engineering. Occasionally, the thought of Seven would come to the fore. Thinking about her brought up both affection and concern, which hadn't helped his 'efficiency'. By the fifth hour, he'd been ready to pull his hair out in frustration. At the seventh hour, he'd been barely able to keep his eyes open at his console. "Go home, Harry." "What?" His nerves were completely shot to hell. "You're dead on your feet," B'Elanna replied. "You're no use to me in this state. Go home and sleep." "What about you?" He had seen her hiding her own yawns in the last hour or so. "I'm leaving in ten minutes; Tom's expecting me. Carey's going to take over for me." Harry's shoulders slumped in fatigue. "Good, good ... all right, I'm outta here. See you in the morning, B'Elanna." "Okay. Thanks for your help, Harry." "Don't mention it," he grinned in return, as he shuffled his way out of Engineering. He dragged his exhausted body back to his quarters, where he wanted nothing more than sleep. As he left Engineering to enter the turbolift, he worked it out in his mind. If he had calculated correctly, he could have seven hours and eleven minutes of quiet uninterrupted sleep, as soon as he entered his quarters and slipped into bed. Making his way out of the turbolift, he bumped into the corridor twice. Aren't I the picture of utter professionalism, he thought. Finally, he managed to make his way forward to his quarters. His thoughts turned to dreaming pleasant dreams about a particular ex-Borg drone in Cargo Bay Two. He barely recalled the entry code and fumbled the correct sequence into the panel outside his quarters. He entered through the doors and was surprised to find his quarters were occupied. Seven of Nine was sitting on his couch, studying a PADD rather intently. The next pleasant surprise was the sight of her in casual clothes: a grey-tan blouse and a matching pair pants. He guessed that they'd been replicated recently. Harry shook his head, thinking he had somehow made his way to the Holodeck. He hadn't been quite sure, because her hair had remained tied up in its usual bun. And yet, before him was the appearance of a casual and relaxed Seven, which she showed only to him in private. At the same time, there was a hint of the cool and collected Seven, which she projected to the rest of the crew. It seemed incongruous, compared to what he'd seen inside her holographic simulations. The impact was jarring to his fatigued state. Seeing Harry, she looked up from the PADD and greeted him with a warm smile. No, he thought. She was certainly not a hologram. "Hi there," Harry greeted with a hint of affection. Quickly closing the distance between them, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he looked at her with a note of concern. "Don't get me wrong, Seven, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be regenerating right now?" "I was unable to regenerate. It would not have been productive to attempt another try at regeneration. A check of your location seven hours ago helped me to determine that you were in Engineering for an extra duty shift. In that time, I kept myself occupied with my simulations of the gravimetric array." "You've been here all this time?" "No. I spent three hours and twenty-two minutes in Astrometrics, continuing my calculations. But, my efficiency was severely impaired." "It was? Was it because of the operations? Was something wrong?" His brow furrowed with sudden worry. "No, Harry," she replied, reassuring him. "My thoughts were occupied by my desire for your presence; I simply wanted to be with you. I left Astrometrics and I have been here in your quarters for the last four hours and two minutes." Her need for adequate recovery time had required alternatives other than Cargo Bay Two, alternatives that would offer a place of quiet and relative solitude. Astrometrics was not on that list. Harry had generously offered the use of his quarters while he was on duty. There were no objections from the Captain, although the Doctor had the usual reservations. There were the expected friendly jibes from Tom and others, but everything was above board, as far as the motives of an upstanding Ensign was concerned. The only thing of import to Harry was that she had trusted him. He'd devoted some time to thinking about personal quarters for Seven. What little he had seen of her simulated quarters seemed wanting or lacking for amenities or furnishings, except for the dream-catcher. She had been particularly eager to eliminate that item to avoid further embarrassment. They had both gone back to the Holodeck and started at the beginning of her simulation. Harry noticed that the holographic version of Neelix had offered suggestions with regards to personal touches. Harry had observed that she had specifically programmed holo-Neelix to mention the variety of sculptures in Harry's quarters, to which she had replied that she had never visited his quarters. It was a very pointed reference to bring up, something which had been put into the program for her to respond. He felt warmed by the thought that she had taken him into consideration. "Computer, pause simulation," he had commanded at the time. "Seven, did you program that specifically into your simulation?" Her reaction had been unusually shy. "Yes, Harry." It had propelled him to ask her to spending time in his quarters. He had indicated that she was free to spend as much time as she wanted or needed in his quarters. If she was interested in securing quarters of her own, what better way for her to accustom herself by spending time in that fashion. He asked her to examine the way he arranged his quarters, if she was interested in picking up a few ideas. Once she was ready, she could then proceed and request quarters of her own. She had been grateful for many reasons, not the least of which was the man who had offered so much to her and continued to do so. "So you've been here, just _waiting_ for me? That's so unlike you, it's so ..." "Inefficient? Yes, it is. While I find my own behavior to be disturbing, the truth is that I also find it to be reassuring." "Why is that?" "Your presence permeates these quarters through your personal effects. As I waited for you, I began to feel increasingly secure. I believe it is because I knew that you would return here." Her face fell, fearing he might not understand. "Do you comprehend?" she asked cautiously. Grinning, Harry was delighted by her admission. "Yes, I do. Perfectly." She brightened, relieved that he was able to understand what had only just dawned on her. Another yawn came out of Harry, which he tried to hide with his hand. "Sorry, I'm exhausted ..." She smirked at his obvious comment. "I can see that. You should regenerate." "I should." Even while seated, she projected an air of cool Borg-like confidence. But her eyes spoke so much more: they told him that she was so very pleased to see him. He reached for her, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "You know," Harry said tiredly. "There's one thing that I'd really like right now ..." "What's that?" "Sleep with me." If he'd been more alert, he would have immediately caught his own slip and not voiced the thought. At the very least, it should have come out differently. Her eyes widened. Seven tilted her head, which to Harry meant, tension, discomfort, or both. "If I understand you correctly, you wish to copulate with me. Need I remind you of the limitations placed upon my emotional state due to the regimen which the Doctor has prescribed for me. The fail-safe mechanism is still partially in effect until the procedures are complete." "Sorry, slip of the tongue, Seven. Or wishful thinking, perhaps," he teased, before he was overcome by another gaping yawn. "What I meant was, I'm really tired and I'd rather be asleep next to you. That is, if you'd care to join me for `regeneration.'" Seven breathed a sigh of relief. The Doctor would have been upset if she deviated from their carefully laid out plan. "Your proposal has a great deal of merit. I would enjoy regenerating with you, Harry." He smiled tiredly. Silently, he stretched his hand towards her. She looked at him in momentary confusion. Finally dawning on her, she accepted his hand and got up from the couch. She allowed him to lead them both into his bedroom. "Computer," Harry commanded. "Lights, 70% illumination." They entered, where he saw her biosuit, neatly folded on his chair. Seeing where he was looking, she smiled at him. "I'm going to change," he said. "I won't take long." She squeezed his hand. "I will wait here." Releasing her hand, he grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom to change. A couple of minutes later, he walked out, wearing a grey t-shirt and shorts. In his hands were the uniform jacket and dark-grey turtleneck, which he tossed into the refresher. He stopped and looked at Seven, who seemed to look out of place: standing upright and proper, dressed in casual clothes, and hands clasped behind her back. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "What are you finding so humorous, Harry?" "It's nothing," he shook his head in reply. "I'll tell you about it in the morning." He slipped into bed and shuffled to the opposite side, leaving her room on the near side. Glancing up at her, he patted the empty space with his hand. After a moment of hesitation, she slipped into his bed. "Computer, dim lights to 10% illumination." Lying on his bed and facing each other, his hand reached out tentatively. He intended to wrap her in his arms, but, once their hands met, they parted again to explore. Gently, they began touching one another: a cheek, his shoulder, her neck, an upper arm, a hip, his stomach. The silent agreement was in comforting one another, which would have been difficult to maintain, had he not been so tired. Another yawn came from Harry. "Sorry," he apologized. A small smile appeared on Seven's face. "You need not apologize." Harry smiled, knowing she could see him, even in darkness. He lifted his hand and cupped her face, dragging his thumb along her lips. "I should warn you," he whispered. "I'm about sixty seconds from deep sleep." A moment later, he felt her hands on his chest, as if she was absorbing his warmth through his shirt. She shuffled closer to him and tucked her head into his neck. She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply. A soft sigh of comfort and contentment escaped her lips. His arms came around and enveloped her in a warm hug. He savored the feel of her body against him and the light touch of her breath against his neck. "Is this position acceptable, Harry?" "Very. Does spending time recovering in this way agree with you?" "Indeed. I should like to spend all of my recovery in this manner." He chuckled softly in response. "Good night, Seven; sweet dreams." "Good night, Harry. Sleep well." She held onto him a little tighter. "I will. I ... will ..." She listened to him breathe slowly and deeply as he succumbed to slumber. Ensuring that he was asleep, she raised her head to address the computer. "Computer," Seven said softly. "Eliminate lighting." Seven looked down and watched him sleep. The near-perfect acuity of her vision allowed her to see through the darkness; he was close enough for her to see him clearly. She rested her hand on his cheek, caressing the smooth surface with her thumb and feeling the warmth suffuse directly into her skin. Lying back on the bed, she retreated into his warmth, sliding up next to his body. She placed her hands on his chest and buried her head into his neck. Unconsciously, he reached out and encircled her once more within his protective embrace. They slept in each other's arms without fear of rejection or the fear of being alone. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Weeks later, a young couple walked down the corridor with their hands clasped. Occasionally, crew members would walk past them and look back amazedly at what was considered as either `an odd pairing' or `a pairing whose time had finally come,' depending on which betting pool crew members subscribed. "You should ask her," Harry said. "I admit that I feel great reluctance in approaching this subject with the Captain," Seven replied. "Seven, you've come a long way. You're a completely different woman from the one I saw a few weeks ago. A wry look came over her face. "Yes, I'm sure Lieutenant Torres will be quite forthcoming with useful advice when it comes to the maintenance of my hair." Harry grinned. "Look, I'm sure the Captain will understand your need to feel like the rest of the crew. Frankly, most of us feel it's been a long time coming." She looked at him in surprise. "Just explain it to her like you did with me. Tell her that you're becoming tired of wearing the biosuit, that you want to appear more like one of the crew. A Starfleet uniform for you, even if it's only on a temporary basis, will allow for `enhanced assimilation' with the crew. Tell her that your desire for quarters arises from the fact that you don't want to feel so separate from the crew, that you are beginning to feel isolated when you regenerate in Cargo Bay Two. Because you're now able to sleep with increasing regularity, you can say that the Doctor has given you permission to moderate your regeneration with actual sleep periods. Tell her that you've finally come to the conclusion that you want to be more accommodating to the crew." Seven looked at him with admiration in her eyes. "I am gratified that you have described my wishes so succinctly. Still, I feel uncertain ..." Harry stopped. Realizing he had halted, Seven turned back towards him. "What is the matter, Harry?" "Seven, would you feel more comfortable if I came with you to see the Captain?" She hadn't realized how much sense his request made until he had completely verbalized it. She was unsure how her requests would be received by the Captain and if she would be allowed to explore further new facets to her humanity. "Yes, Harry. Would you please accompany me when I make my formal request with the Captain?" His presence would help bolster her confidence. He brought up his hands and squeezed her arms in encouragement. "Of course, Seven." They continued walking until they reached Holodeck Two. They were celebrating Seven's successful recovery following the spate of medical procedures, which had increased her ability to explore more fully her humanity without fearing additional damage to her body. She had modified her own holo-simulations to be integrated within Tom Paris' "Sandrine's" program. "Wait until they get a load of this," Harry said. He held her hands away from her body, while he gazed lustily over her body in anticipation of her appearance inside Sandrine's. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in that red dress again; I just love the way you fill out the dress." A flood of warmth rushed to her cheeks. "By your unusual statement, I take it that they will be surprised by my appearance. I believe that is the point, isn't it, Harry?" "Remember how surprised I was when you showed me? Expect equally stunned looks on their faces when you walk through those doors." A sly grin appeared on Seven's face. "I now believe I am experiencing a heightened sense of anticipation." He smiled and looked endearingly at the woman who had always held a special place in his heart: first only as colleague, then as friend, and now, in such short time, as the most important person in his life. "Are you ready?" Recognizing the deeper implications of his question, she smiled at her man. Seven slipped her arm inside his and held onto his upper arm for support. She squeezed his arm and bent forward for a short, sweet kiss on the lips, grateful for his encouragement. "I am ready now. Let us proceed." The two walked through the Holodeck doors and found themselves inside Sandrine's. FIN [what follows next is the final scene in Anne Rose's story] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/resistance_is_futile/message/13543 (pt_3) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/resistance_is_futile/message/13542 (pt_2) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/resistance_is_futile/message/13541 (pt_1) http://annerose.cjb.net (click on "J/C Stories", "To Err is Human")