NEW VOY 'When in Rome' (1/1) [PG] (J/C, K/7) When in Rome by Anne Rose Title: When in Rome Author: Anne Rose Email: anne3rose@yahoo.com URL: http://annerose.cjb.net Rating: PG Spoilers: none Summary: J/C, K/7, Harry and Seven run into Janeway and Chakotay while on shore leave. (17K) Archive: Yes, I would be honored if you want to archive it. Please let me know where so I can visit it. Author's Note: Submitted to Purple Comet's Shore Leave contest, purplecomet.cjb.net Thanks to Holly and Hubby for beta reading this. (c) April 28, 2001 Disclaimer: Voyager and its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended. Warning: No character deaths, No angst, No seriousness at all. If the idea of Janeway & Chakotay and Harry & Seven engaging in some harmless fluff offends you, stop reading now! Harry walked around the corner of the building, heading toward the local marketplace. The air on the planet was fresh and clean, the suns were shining, and what passed for birds were singing. It was a lovely day for some R&R planetside. It was made all the brighter by the companion on his right arm. Since the natives did not allow their males to roam about freely, it was necessary for the men in the crew to be accompanied by a female crewmember at all times. And Harry had managed to persuade Seven to assist him. Seven, on the other hand, or arm as the case might be, was not contemplating the scenery. "Ensign Kim, I believe it will be most efficient if you allow me to select the items for purchase based on criteria you outline. You will then exchange local currency for the goods and we can return to Voyager promptly," she said. Harry sighed, "Seven, the point of shore leave is to relax, to get away from the routine of the ship. And while we're on the subject, it's not going to be very convincing if you keep calling me Ensign." "Very well, Harry. I relax and discontinue my routine tasks when I regenerate. Is that not sufficient?" "No, Seven. Humans require more than just sleep or regeneration to maintain their mental health. We require time away from the stresses of our normal routines, to just be human beings together, instead of crewmembers separated by rank and department. Time on a planet, as lovely as this, is perfect for that purpose." He finished, as they rounded another building and began to pass by a small park, enclosed by the city. "Ah, I believe I understand. It would be impossible for Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay to do that on bridge of Voyager," she said, pointing towards a couple in the park. The man was leaning against a tree with the woman leaning against his chest - their arms wrapped around each other. Harry glanced briefly at the couple, "Exactly Seven, you would never see the Captain and Commander doing... that..." Harry gaped, not believing his eyes. The couple in the park was, in fact, his Captain and First Officer. "Uh, Seven, they must be pretending to be a couple like we are, since only joined males are allowed out in the public areas of the city," he said staring at them. "I'm...uh, sure they are just..." He trailed off as Chakotay nuzzled Janeway's neck. He said something Harry couldn't hear, and they both seemed to laugh. "You are in error, Harry. They are too far away from anyone to fear being overheard, so we must assume what they are saying is intended for each other, and not for an audience of the local residents," she concluded. "Alright Seven, I suppose that's true, but we don't know what they're saying. It could be about the crew schedules or the warp engines." Seven gave him an odd look, like she was explaining something to Naomi. "Actually, I can hear them, quite clearly. The Captain just expressed that she was glad none of the crew were around to see them. Commander Chakotay replied, 'You mean Paris. If Tom could see us, we'd be the subject of one of his betting pools again.' The Captain replied, 'Don't talk about Mr. Paris and his pools. They give me a headache.' He said, 'Well, we can't have that. Not when we have this lovely planet all to ourselves - at least this corner of it.' She smiled and said, 'Well, why aren't we taking advantage of it.' And then, the behavior we are observing now commenced." "I never would have believed it. Tom always said there was more to those two than meets the eye, and I always laughed at him," Harry gasped. "Will you inform Mr. Paris that he was right all this time?" Seven asked, arching her human eyebrow. She was curious what Harry would do with this information. "No! I would never do that to Captain Janeway. If she knew that anyone knew about them, it might cause her to pull back again, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for that," he said emphatically. "Don't tell the Doctor either. He's the biggest gossip on the ship." Tightening his grip on her arm, he swung them around and hurried back the way they had come. "Come on Seven, let's get out of here before they come up for air. I don't want them to look around and see us watching them kiss. We'll find an alternate route to the market." Seven nodded, and they retreated. ~*~*~*~ Later that afternoon, Harry had finished his shopping. He hoped Seven would get into the swing of things by helping him, but she had not shown much enthusiasm for window shopping. Finally, he had insisted that Seven purchase something for herself instead of returning to the ship. Harry used to dread shopping with women. His mom would drag him from store to store as she tried on an endless string of shoes and dresses. But the worst, was when she was shopping for him. Then he was forced to try on all manner of strange outfits that he was certain would get him beaten up at school. Watching Seven shop was different. It was like opening Christmas presents. She would disappear into the changing room and emerge looking completely different. With a little prompting from Harry, one of the clerks had encouraged Seven to take her hair down. 'It was a good day,' he reflected. He had helped her pick out a lovely basic dress with a matching scarf and shoes. Now Harry wanted to help her find something more interesting, something to wear to parties on the planet, and later to Sandrine's. They walked into a dress shop, which seemed to cater to a higher-end clientele. There were daytime dresses, formal and informal outfits and evening dresses. Along one wall, and clustered around several tables were accessories to complete the ensembles. As they stood and surveyed the shop, a woman walked up to them, "Welcome to my humble shop. What can I help you to find?" "I am uncertain," Seven answered. "Ah, well you've come to the right place. I have something for every occasion. Just tell me where you're going and I know we can find just the thing," she said smiling ingratiatingly. "She needs something for a party. Maybe a formal outfit and an informal one," Harry volunteered when it became obvious that Seven was not going to. "I understand completely. Please, come sit over here and relax, and I'll bring you some things." She led them to some chairs outside a changing room, handed them each a glass of some liquid, and then disappeared. Harry and Seven looked at each other, and sipped cautiously at the local drink. 'Not bad,' Harry thought. 'I should bring some back for Neelix.' He looked again at Seven, and saw her fidgeting subtly. "Seven, shopping is supposed to be fun. You get to try on things you might not ever wear. It's almost like pretending you're someone else for a little while." Seven looked unconvinced. "It's a very human activity," he said. Seven nodded, and waited for the woman to return. The saleswoman returned with several dresses for Seven to try on. She led the way, and they disappeared into the changing area. While they were gone, Harry heard familiar voices approaching. As they got closer, he could begin to make out what they were saying. She laughed, "Yes, but I want something I can wear in public." "You can wear it to the Holodeck." More laughter. "Besides the price is outrageous for such a small scrap of fabric." "That's your most ridiculous argument yet. The currency costs us nothing. I think you're just afraid." He heard a thump, "I am not afraid. I'm just..." Captain Janeway stopped in mid sentence as she emerged from the racks and found Ensign Kim seated in front of the changing rooms. "Good afternoon Ensign," she said in a tone very different than that of a moment ago. Harry sat up straight, and returned her greeting. The saleswoman spared them any further explanation when she handed Chakotay a glass and whisked Janeway into the changing area. Chakotay settled himself on a chair next to Harry, sipped his drink, and they waited. Seven was the first to emerge. She was wearing a simple brown dress, which reached just below her knees. Seven looked up at Harry and over to Chakotay. She didn't look surprised to see him there. Harry assumed her Borg hearing had alerted her to the Captain and First Officer's presence, once again. She stopped tugging at the shoulder, trying to adjust it, and addressed the clerk. "I believe this is incorrect," she said to the clerk. The woman pulled on the shoulders for a moment, then smoothed them, and stepped back to survey the situation. "You're right dear, that's just not working for you. Take it off and try the next one." Seven nodded. As she returned to the dressing room, she passed Janeway coming out. She was wearing a simple green dress that also hit just below the knee. It had a high collar, and was loose fitting though the bodice. She turned around for their benefit, and Harry watched as Chakotay looked her over carefully, and then shook his head. She looked at him and sighed. "I didn't think so either." Janeway leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "but I didn't want to disappoint the saleswoman." She appeared at that moment and asked, "What do you think of this one?" Janeway and Chakotay exchanged a glance. Harry saw the look, but he was sure he was missing something when Chakotay answered, "I don't like it. Give her something else to try, please." Janeway grinned at Chakotay and then turned, threw the clerk a helpless look, and shrugged. The clerk understood. Men could be difficult to please, but she was always up to the challenge. "Try on the blue one, dear. I'm sure he'll love that one." As Janeway disappeared, the clerk walked over to the men. "How are you two today? I take it you know each other?" They nodded. "Have you seen anything you liked in particular in the shop?" Chakotay glanced at a low cut, green dress with short, full sleeves, and then looked guiltily back at Harry, wondering how he would react if he saw his First Officer indulging himself. Harry reached over to a rack and pulled out a long, flowing sapphire blue dress and handed it to the woman. "I won't tell, if you don't," he said, winking at Chakotay. Chakotay smiled and pulled the green dress of the rack and gave it to the clerk. She nodded approvingly at them as she took their choices. "It will take them a few minutes to put these on. Look around and see what else appeals to you." She smiled and disappeared into the changing room. Harry watched Chakotay as he looked through several racks of dresses. He lingered over a couple, but then hesitated and moved on. Meanwhile, Harry had draped several dresses over his arm. "Commander, why don't you pick out a couple? I had to tell Seven that shopping is supposed to be fun and a bit fanciful, do I have to give you the same speech?" Chakotay considered him for a moment, and then shook his head. "It's not that simple," he started. Harry reached out and put his hand on Chakotay's shoulder, "Yes, it is." He looked into the other man's eyes, seeing the concern there. "If it helps, Seven and I know. We walked by the park earlier today." Chakotay stiffened and sucked in a breath. "Don't worry. We think it's wonderful, and we won't tell a soul. You're secret's safe - so enjoy yourselves a little. If you can't do that with us around, we'll be happy to go to another store." Chakotay thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, it has to start somewhere. I'm just glad it's you and Seven, and not Tom." He chuckled and his shoulders eased. He walked back over to the racks and pulled out three dresses he had been considering earlier. Harry whistled appreciatively, "She's going to look stunning in those." "I know." he chuckled. "And those you picked out will look wonderful on Seven. Let's get that clerk's attention." They passed the next hour without even realizing it. It was a relief to have a friend, of sorts, to confide in. One who knew his secret, and wouldn't trivialize his feelings or joke about it. Harry sensed that Chakotay felt the same. He hadn't seen him this relaxed in ages. Harry and Chakotay anxiously awaited each new dress, and were an appreciative audience. Janeway emerged in another green dress Chakotay had selected. It was a tasteful design, but it was cut low in the front, and lower in the back. What fabric there was in the bodice, hugged her closely and then flared out slightly at her hips. It had a long skirt, but there was a slit up the side that made it easy to move. Janeway turned around, so Chakotay could make an informed decision, and he nodded as he gestured, circling his right hand, for her to turn around again. As she spun around, his eyes went wide as the skirt opened slightly and he noticed just how high the slit went. She smiled at his expression, and walked over to the empty chair next to him. She watched his face as she sat down beside him, catching the edges of the dress at the knee, as the fabric threatened to all fall away. His mouth fell open, and she laughed and leaned in towards him with a wicked smile. "Are you sure you'd like me to wear this to the ship's social events?' Chakotay leaned towards her and replied, "I would insist, but the events would be for only the most senior staff." Harry could see Janeway's hair stirring with Chakotay's breath and saw a shiver run through her. He smiled and looked away, hopefully before she noticed him. Janeway did notice him turning away, and suddenly became aware of her surroundings. She started to pull back, but Chakotay stopped her. "It's ok," he said, but she just looked at him nervously. "They know, and it's all right." He smiled reassuringly and stroked the back of the hand he was holding with his thumb. She relaxed and her face brightened as a smile spread across it again. "In that case," she whispered, as she leaned forward. "I guess there's no harm in thanking you for your lovely compliments." She said as she closed the distance and kissed him gently. When she looked up, Seven was observing her. Seven looked away from the Captain, and over to Harry. Harry couldn't make up his mind where to look, but now he stared only at Seven. She was again wearing the sapphire blue dress and he was mesmerized. "Seven, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress," he breathed. Seven walked over to Harry and leaning down, she rested her hand on his cheek. "I think I should also thank you for your compliments," she said. Before he could react, her lips were pressed softly against his. His eyes closed and he reached up to take her face in his right hand. After a moment they parted. Seven smiled at Harry, and then turned and headed back to the dressing rooms with Janeway. Chakotay looked over at the stunned ensign. "Well, you've had an interesting day, haven't you?" Harry was still staring towards the dressing rooms. "Yes, I have Commander. Yes, I have." Chakotay chuckled again. Janeway selected a couple more dresses, and then she and Seven picked out accessories to go with them. When Janeway paused for a moment and considered putting back some of the items, it was Seven who intervened. She pointed out that it was far less expensive to replicate local currency and purt. e goods than it was to replicate the items onboard. It was all Janeway needed to rationalize the purchases. The clerks loaded the men down with sacks and containers as they left the store, but over the packages you could just see the broad grins on their faces, as they walked back to the beam out site. ~*~*~ They returned to the ship, and hurried to change into their new clothes, anxious to return in time for the festivities on the planet that evening... but that is another story...