Star Trek Voyager: Death Takes Aim

A/n: This one-shot is the third part in the series that includes “One Small Step Towards You” and “The Meaning of Family” but you don’t need to read those to understand this. It’s set during the episode “Imperfection”.

Seven may her way slowly down the corridor, trying not to think of what kind of uproar there would be when someone eventually entered Sickbay and discovered that not only was the Doctor deactivated but that only her comm. badge lay on the biobed upon which she’d been ordered to rest. Rest. Why couldn’t they just be honest and say what they all knew by now, that they were waiting for her to die? She sighed heavily and leaned her aching body against a bulkhead for a moment. Denial, that was what they were suffering from, but she supposed that they could say the same about her, walking around the ship as if nothing had changed…

She closed her eyes for a second, gulping hard to control herself. As she opened them again she found herself staring at the doorway which led into Commander Chakotay’s quarters. Bracing her shoulders and recalling her original reasoning for coming here, she lightly pressed the doorbell.

Chakotay’s gaze snapped up from where it had been focused on the sacred artefacts he and all of his ancestors before him had used for prayer as the ring of the doorbell echoed eerily through his silent quarters. Shaking his head slightly to dissipate the mental fog of intense concentration, he turned to face the doorway. “Enter.” He called clearly.

He couldn’t stop himself from inhaling a sharp intake of breath as he registered that it was Seven of Nine standing in his doorway. She was the last person he’d expected to see, especially since she’d been ensconced in Sickbay for the last two days under medical supervision. “Seven? What are you doing here?”

Seven’s pale face dipped downwards in sheepish shyness, not meeting his gaze. “Mr Neelix told me you…consoled him after his near-death experience.” She stated hurriedly before her voice became more shaky and uncertain, “I…I was hoping you could do the same for me, even though my circumstances are different.”

Chakotay swallowed hard, touched by the poignancy of her request as she stood in front of him, teetering unsteadily in her high heels and looking more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her, even in comparison with when she’d confided in him about the fears for the Borg children. This wasn’t a near-death experience for her, the Doctor had made it painfully clear that Seven was terminally ill, without the intervention of a miracle she would be dead within days. “Of course.” He replied softly, still stunned as she walked fully into the room and began to lower her failing body to the floor beside him. Quickly he offered her his hand to help, “I would’ve happily come to Sickbay to talk Seven, we can at least move to the sofa…”

Seven shook her head as she managed to drop to the floor next to him with a surprising level of innate grace, considering how weak she obviously was. “I am fine here Commander.” She assured him with quiet firmness, “I have no desire to return to Sickbay.”

Chakotay sensed the finality in her tone and narrowed his eyes at her, “The Doctor doesn’t know you’re here does he?” he guessed.

Seven pursed her lips for a second before deciding he was trustworthy, “I deactivated him.” She admitted, “I just did not want to spend the remainder of my life confined in Sickbay…” she began to explain heatedly, anticipating disapproval that in the end didn’t come as he laid a careful hand on her arm.

“I can understand that.” He agreed, “And if you’re not safe with the First Officer who can you be safe with?” he added with a weak smile which she surprisingly returned with more vigour than he had.

“You may make that argument with the Doctor if you wish.” She commented wryly before falling silent. This silence became increasingly awkward as Chakotay struggled with what he could possibly say to brighten her unenviable position, but suddenly Seven herself spoke up, pointing cautiously at his prayer stone. “That is a prayer stone, correct?”