"Confusion"
Part 2/2
 
"Megan, wait!" Harry shouted as he raced after his date. He 
caught up with her just outside of the turbolift.

"Go away Harry." Megan ordered as he grabbed her arm to keep 
her from leaving.

"I'm sorry Meg. I never meant for that to happen." Harry 
pleaded.

"Right." She scoffed. "Even if you didn't, she obviously 
did. Now leave me alone!"

"What are you talking about?"
"You are so dense," Megan cried, fed up with him, "Think 
about it.  I don't want to talk to you. I asked you nicely. 
Let go of me *Ensign Kim* and leave me alone." And with 
that, she yanked her arm out of Harry's grasp and stepped 
into the turbolift.

Harry stared at the closing doors, trying to grasp the 
events of the last fifteen minutes. The more he thought 
about it the more upset he got with himself and the angrier 
he got with Seven, *What had gotten into her?*

******

Seven watched as Harry ran after Megan, and saw all her 
plans falling apart. She tried to understand the feelings 
that were going through her.

She was angry.

She was angry with Megan.

She was angry with Harry.

She was angry with herself.

She was angry with Megan for interrupting her and Harry.

She was angry with Harry for leaving.

She did not understand why she was angry with herself. It 
was not logical.

She eventually concluded that her feelings for Harry were 
irrelevant. They had done nothing but confuse her and cause 
problems. She would ignore them and everything they meant. 
She would treat Harry as if he was nothing more than another 
crewmember with whom she worked with occasionally. This 
would fix everything. If it would fix everything, though, 
why did it feel like someone had thrust a knife deep within 
her?

"Seven!" Harry called the next afternoon. He had been trying 
to catch up with her the entire day, but it was like she was 
ignoring him. "Seven, we need to talk about what happened."

"I am busy and that would be an inefficient use of time." 
Seven said stiffly. And, with that, she left a stunned Harry 
Kim behind.

******
As Harry walked into the mess hall later that evening to 
have a little dinner, if that's what Neelix's latest 
concoction could be called. As he was waiting in the line to 
get his food he noticed Seven sitting alone in the corner 
mechanically eating the food and reading a PADD.

When the line finally ended, and Harry could get his food 
there was only one seat left in the entire Messhall. Next to 
Seven. Slowly Harry walked over and sat down. "Is this seat 
taken?" it was the most polite voice he could summon at the 
time.

"No, it is not. It would be efficient for you to sit and 
consume your nutrients." Harry felt like he had been hit in 
the heart with an arrow. Too bad it wasn't one of Cupid's.

Seven was getting to be so friendly, so human. Now she was 
reverting when she was around him. Cold and so very borgish. 
Seven continued to eat and ignore him. "Seven, we need to 
talk."

Seven stiffly answered, "What is the subject we *must* 
converse about?"

"Well, About last night. I am sorry. Let me explain. See me 
and-" Seven cut him off before he could finish.

"I understand the scenario that elapsed in the latter hours 
of yesterday." It was so Borgish. Harry thought he should 
add that to the federation language library. Borgish- a 
language spoken by former Borg in which every possible 
grammatical rule is followed.

"I am not sure you do Seven. You must understand. I was in 
the Holodeck with Megan, we were well," Harry paused how 
could he explain it to Seven? "having a date."

"Dating, another frivolous human activity. It only leads up 
to procreation. How irrelevant." Seven was still as stiff as 
a sheet of duranium alloy.

"I don't think so, but we don't need to get into that now. 
The point is you interrupted us. And when Megan walked into 
Astrometrics and saw you standing close to me. Well, to make 
a long story short, she thought we were about to kiss." 
Pausing to allow the information to sink in, Harry took a 
sip of his drink.

"Anyway, I needed to correct the error in Megan's 
understanding."
"I have finished consuming my nutrients. Lt. Torres needs me 
to assist in realigning the auxiliary sensor array." Seven 
walked away for the second time that day leaving a stunned 
Harry Kim behind.

Everyday the senior staff meets in the briefing room. 
Nothing was unusual about it. Except today. As they were 
talking about the lateral sensor array Torres brought up the 
fact that Astrometrics might be affected.

Janeway was sitting at the head of the table looking down at 
her officers.

"Mr. Kim," with that Harry's head jerked up. "You and 
Seven," Harry started. "Should check out to see if 
Astrometric's sensors were affected. If you encounter any 
problems, you and her need to work them out yourselves. 
Engineering can't spare anyone right now."

Harry stared at the floor. *Great, just great now I have to 
work alone with Seven in astrometrics*.

"Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim, did you hear me?" Captain Janeway brought 
Kim out of his thoughts abruptly.

"Um, yes. Yes of course." Harry hoped he knew what it was he 
was supposed to do.
"Very well, dismissed. Oh, and Mr. Kim, start working on 
Astrometrics immediately. We can't be losing the sensors 
now."

Two hours later Harry stood outside the doors of 
Astrometrics. Inside was an aggravated Borg and several 
hours of work alone with her. *Well, no point in prolonging 
the agony.* Harry stepped up to the doors and they parted 
perfectly admitting him.

As he stepped inside, he could see the huge viewscreen 
displaying Voyager's position in space. In front of the 
screen, a shadow that Harry knew to be Seven, her back 
facing him. He stepped further into the room, allowing the 
door to hiss shut behind him.

"Seven?" he called to her. Her back straightened slightly 
and her head lifted from her elegant, long neck.

"Ensign Kim." Harry involuntarily shivered when he heard the 
hardened and ice-cold tone of her voice. He gulped and 
replied.

"I'm here as ordered. What is it you need me to do?"

She turned to him, her face a blank and emotionless mask. 
"Begin reconfiguring these systems," she said to him as she 
held out a PADD. He walked close enough to take it from her, 
then took a few steps back as he began to read. Seven 
watched him reading and noticed a few small nuances to his 
manner that most humans would have missed. The way his eyes 
unfocused as he thought and made calculations. The way he 
ran his fingers through his hair when he concentrated. His 
breathing patterns. Everything that made Harry Kim who he 
was.

When Seven realized that she could read even the smallest 
gestures - and that they made sense to her - something 
struck her. This man, Ensign Harry Kim, was relevant to her 
well being. She knew she had not been able to work 
efficiently. Perhaps it had been due to her quarrel with 
him? The thought needed more time to develop. But time was 
something she did not have at the present, as Ensign Kim was 
finished reading his PADD and started to get to work. 
Quickly, Seven hid behind her mask and began her tasks as 
well.

Two hours had passed and neither had spoken when 
unnecessary. The reconfigurations were nearly complete and 
the time that Seven and Harry were to work exclusively 
together had come to a close. Seven found herself unhappy 
that the time was ending. But, she also could not bring 
herself to say anything to Ensign Kim regarding the 
altercation in the Astrometrics Lab the day before.

She turned to Ensign Kim, who was practically hidden under a 
panel near the edge of the Lab. She, fortunately, was 
finished with her tasks, for she found herself unable to 
continue working efficiently. "Ensign Kim?"

She heard a grunt from under the console and realized that 
he had heard her. "I have finished my tasks. I am going to 
regenerate." Another grunt.

Seven headed out of the lab when something occurred to her. 
She stopped short and turned around. "Ensign Kim?"

This time he poked his head out from under the console and 
looked at her.

She hesitated, then proceeded to say what she had thought 
of. "Thank you for your assistance." He flashed a smile at 
her, and with that she left.

He could still hear her melodic voice thanking him. It 
lightened his heart, and his step, as Harry headed toward 
the messhall. And with that realization, he halted his walk. 
A simple thank you from her had brightened his whole day. 
Why? Why did it matter so much that she like and appreciate 
him? Sure, he had plenty of friends on Voyager, but with the 
exception of a few, Seven's possible friendship meant more 
than any and all of them. *... More than any or all of 
them...* The thought echoed around in his head. It was time 
he made amends with the person he wanted to be friends 
with... and the one he hoped to spend the rest of his life 
with.

Her mind replayed the events of the day. His voice, his 
beautiful smile flashed in her direction, even his breathing 
patterns. She always paid attention to those around her. 
They each provided her with insight into humanity and 
individuality. But Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of 
Unimatrix 01 paid attention to Ensign Harry Kim the most. 
She had always known that he was relevant to her, but her 
naivete on social interactions and individuality had always 
prevented her from figuring out why. She worked with him, 
that was for sure, but she knew from her earliest days that 
his importance had little to do with his efficiency.

Over and over they played, the times that she had spent with 
Ensign Kim since her first day aboard Voyager. And from them 
she learned that Ensign Kim had always tried to be her 
friend. Her understanding of friendship, however, was 
rudimentary. And with that acknowledgment, her understanding 
of friendship grew exponentially.

A friend was one who engaged others in irrelevant--no, "chit 
chat"--because they cared; a friend is one who will always 
be there, no matter what the circumstances; a friend is one 
who has similar interests and is willing to discuss them; a 
friend is someone one can trust and is trusted by. Ensign 
Kim is a friend.

The last puzzle piece fell into place, and Seven of Nine 
could understand most of Ensign Kim's behavior immediately 
after the incident in Astrometrics. *Perhaps Ensign Kim had 
not been chasing after a lover. Perhaps he had been 
attempting to mend a misunderstanding and salvage a 
friendship. If that were the case, then perhaps he still 
cares for me as well. Maybe he loves me....*

Her understanding fell back again. What is love? Seven had 
seen Lt. Torres and Ensign Paris interact. They were lovers. 
But, if that were love, Seven could not understand it. 
*Maybe that is where Ensign Kim can assist me...*

The door hissed behind him as he entered the Mess Hall. He 
surveyed the room and found her, eating with her sister. 
*Well, that's going to make things easier,* Harry thought to 
himself sarcastically. Nonetheless, he sucked it up and made 
his way over to Megan Delaney. "Excuse me, may I talk to 
you... privately?" he said as he moved his gaze from the 
back of Megan's head to Jenny's face.

Megan stiffened when she heard his voice. The pain had 
faded, but it still hurt. Her emotional mind was telling her 
to spit in his face and go back to her quarters to mope. Her 
rational mind, however, was telling her to hear him out. She 
hesitated, then nodded, pleading to her sister with her eyes 
that it was okay. Jenny got the message and, with an evil 
glare aimed at Harry, left the table.

Harry sat down and looked at the woman across from him. She 
looked slightly upset and haggard. It was a mental slap to 
Harry's morals. He had caused her pain. It hurt him to think 
that he had. He took a deep breath and began. "Look, Megan, 
I want to apologize about the other night. I was a big jerk. 
I shouldn't have treated you that way. Please, accept my 
apology."

Megan looked at him solemnly. She nodded her head, and a 
ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

Harry sucked in his breath, but Megan stopped him. "There's 
more you want to say." It wasn't a question.

Harry looked bewildered for a moment, then lowered his eyes 
and nodded.

Megan smiled even broader at him. "Harry, I know that I 
could never be what you are looking for. Let's face it, I'm 
not a one-guy kinda girl. I should have stayed with Tom." He 
looked up at her, his eyes anguished until he saw the huge 
smile on her face. Their eyes locked and they laughed 
together, glad the tension was broken. Harry was the first 
to sober up. His smile faded.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive." She took his hand in hers, not a 
romantic gesture, but one of a friend giving strength and 
assurance to another. "Go find her Harry. You and I both 
know it's her you want. You two will make a wonderful 
couple. Or perhaps a collective." They shared another 
friendly laugh. This time Megan turned serious. "Please 
Harry. You need her and, though neither of you may realize 
it, she needs you. We will always be friends, but you and 
Seven will not. You will be something more precious and 
special than even friendship." She paused, seeing the look 
of sheer gratitude and happiness in his eyes. "Now go before 
I have to drag you there myself."

Harry squeezed her hand, said his thanks, and virtually ran 
out of the room. Megan looked at him, smiled a sad smile, 
and then watched her hands until her sister came back. They 
got up and left the Mess Hall, with much less enthusiasm 
than when Harry had left it a few minutes earlier.

The doors to Cargo Bay 2 swooshed open and admitted an 
elated Harry Kim.  He paused, searching the room, and then 
made his way over to the alcoves that lined the room on one 
side. He could see Seven, her face almost serene, her eyes 
closed, regenerating in her alcove. He hated to interrupt 
her during her regeneration, but he felt that he needed to 
talk to her now.

Seven thought she heard a quiet sound on the outer edges of 
her thoughts. It was gone, but she heard a different sound, 
trying to be quiet, yet wanting to be heard. The sound 
stopped, but it didn't take long for Seven to process it as 
a person who had entered the cargo bay. And, from the tread 
and bearing of the footsteps, Seven guessed that the person 
was Ensign Kim. She opened her eyes and saw him standing 
there, looking a tad indecisive. Then he noticed that her 
eyes were open and a warm, contagious smile spread across 
his lips, lighting his entire face. Seven smiled slightly 
and disengaged herself from her alcove. She stepped forward 
and was mere centimeters from him.

He looked surprised by her nearness, but spoke anyway. 
"Seven, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. 
I was not a very good friend to you. I was a bit 
preoccupied."

"On the contrary, I should be apologizing to you."

Ensign Kim definitely looked surprised now. "What for?"

"I . . . purposely interrupted your date with Crewman 
Delaney in an attempt to keep your attention." Her 
expression clouded slightly over, and her eyes looked 
inward. "I do not understand what caused me to act in that 
manner. I have been contemplating my actions. While I have 
experienced a revelation as to the meaning and application 
of friendship, I am at a loss to explain love." Her eyes 
refocused on Ensign Kim, who looked mildly shocked and 
amused. "Is it possible that you, as my friend, could 
explain love and related emotions to me?"

Harry had, throughout what she said, looked shocked. "You 
consider me a friend, Seven?"

"I do. However, I have come to realize that, while what I 
feel for you includes friendship, there are other 
unexplainable emotions that are connected with you as well."

"Seven, I'm not going to explain them to you as a friend." 
She stared at him and he could see hurt and anger in her 
eyes. "Let me finish. Seven, I too feel additional emotions 
toward you. Emotions that are more than just friendship. 
Seven, I can help you understand love. And I will explain 
love to you, but as someone who loves you."

Seven's eyes registered surprise . . . and relief. "I cannot 
say if I love you as well, Ensign Kim."

"I understand that. But you want to know what love is. I 
want to show you." With that, Harry softly touched Seven's 
cheek, rubbing his thumb along her jaw. He held her and 
kissed her, not aggressively or passionately, but a kiss 
that brushed softly against her lips and was gone almost 
instantly. The contact was brief, but the reverberations 
moved all throughout her body, tingling with warmth and joy 
and something else. Her stomach tried to fall down a 
turbolift shaft, while the blood rushed in her head, her 
heart pounded and her eyes dilated.

Shortly, she recovered her senses. She looked Ensign Kim in 
the eyes. "Ensign Kim . . . " she said softly.

"Call me Harry," he answered as softly, still holding her 
chin and cheek with his hand.

"Harry, I believe I have experienced two epiphanies in the 
few seconds time that have elapsed since you kissed me. The 
first is that I now understand why you turned down my 
invitation for copulation."

Harry blushed. "Why do you think I did?"

"Because you understood my ignorance with the emotional 
implications that copulation would entail, and because I now 
understand that I would not wish to... become involved with 
just anyone."

Harry nodded and smiled at her. "What was the second 
epiphany?"

A smile brushed Seven's lips. "I believe I am beginning to 
comprehend love and attraction. Explain them further... 
please."

Harry smiled warmly on her and Seven reveled in it. "I would 
be delighted." With that, he removed his hand from her face, 
wrapped his arm around her waist, and guided her over to a 
cargo container, where the two began their discussion of 
love.

THE END

***********

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