Chapter Thirty-One

Laughing and shaking his head in disbelief, Chakotay took several steps backwards but kept Seven's hand firmly clasped in his. Of all the things he thought she had planned over the past few days, he never expected something as elaborate as this. He honestly thought that they were getting ready to have a wonderfully quiet evening on some sort of romantic date, but clearly that wasn't going to happen, at least not tonight. It looked like over half the crew had crammed themselves into the mess hall, and he figured that many more would stop by at some point during the evening. Pinned along the window was a large banner that read "Happy Birthday Commander Chakotay" in childlike, multicolor letters. It was easy to assume that Naomi had designed the banner herself. Suddenly, Chakotay got the feeling that the child didn't have a large project for school she'd been working on the past few days but instead had been working on the banner.

"Did you plan this all on your own?" he asked as he pulled Seven close and kissed her cheek softly, ignoring the fact that all eyes were on them at that exact moment.

"I did have considerable help from members of the crew," she replied, not wanting to take all the credit herself. It really had been a team effort, and without the help of the crew, this party wouldn't have happened.

"Well I'm not kissing all of them."

"Oh come on, Commander, I was promised a kiss for all my hard work," Tom called from the other side of the mess hall where he stood with a half empty beer in his hand. Chakotay rolled his eyes. He had a feeling that that wasn't Tom's first drink of the night, and it definitely wouldn't be his last either.

"That's why you have B'Elanna," he pointed out bluntly. Tom scrunched his face in mock protest as he took a long drink of beer. B'Elanna scoffed at her husband's reaction and swatted at his arm. Undeterred, he swung his arm around her shoulders and attempted to steal a kiss from her, but she wiggled away and somehow managed to break free.

With her arms outstretched and a smile plastered across her face, Kathryn approached Chakotay and Seven. He reluctantly let go of Seven's hand so he could give his best friend a hug and return the kiss on the cheek she gave him. She rubbed his broad back and pulled away with a smile still etched on her face.

"Seven has been working incredibly hard on planning this surprise party for you," she explained., her voice full of pride at her protege and all the effort she'd put forth over the past few days.

"I can see that, but my birthday isn't until tomorrow," he pointed out softly so Seven wouldn't hear. Knowing her penchant for perfection, he didn't want her to overhear and become upset.

"She knows that, but starting tomorrow you have a three day vacation." He opened his mouth to protest, but Kathryn put up her hand to stop him. "Don't you dare try to argue with me, it's all been arranged. Voyager will be able to survive without you. This is my birthday present to you." Kathryn was about to argue that they survived while he and the rest of the away team were stranded but ultimately decided against it, as it would probably make matters worse.

"I thought we agreed that I'd take a vacation after you do." She stopped to think.

"So we did. Alright, I'll take a vacation as soon as you get back." They both knew that that wasn't going to happen. If she couldn't even make it down to sickbay for her yearly physical, there was no way she'd even consider taking a few days off. He would have to find a way into tricking her into taking a vacation, but he could save that for when he got back from his mysterious vacation.

While Chakotay spoke to Kathryn, Seven politely excused herself and went to grab herself a drink. After spending the past few days stressing and trying to pull together the perfect surprise party while simultaneously keeping it a secret from Chakotay, she felt relieved. It had been a surprising amount of work, far more than she initially expected. When she saw the birthday parties and other celebrations in the mess hall and on the holodeck, she never gave much thought about how they were planned. In her mind, they simply happened, and those who were invited showed up. Now that she planned one, however, she realized just how much work it was. It gave her a new appreciation for all the work Chell did, as he was the one who usually organized these functions now that Neelix was gone.

Feeling festive, Seven grabbed a flute of champagne and took a drink. The bubbly liquid tickled as she swallowed, almost instantly making her head swim despite the fact that she only took a small sip. She much prefered wine to champagne, as the fizz felt strange to her, but this was a special occasion, so she could adapt.

As she began to take another sip, Tom appeared at her side and quipped, "I thought Borg didn't drink."

"I have adapted," she stated simply. "Although I am not a fan of champagne."

"Well, lucky for you, Chell made sure to fully stock the bar, so you can take your pick." As he spoke, Tom slid behind the countertop that served as a makeshift bar for all the partygoers. "So, what'll it be?"

"Commander Chakotay and I normally drink wine."

"Wine it is then. Red or white?" She stopped to think. There were many food choices tonight, and either white or red wine could go with a wide variety of the food. It would be too difficult to try to match up the food to the choices, so she might as well go with the type of wine she preferred.

"Red." He poured a gracious glass of red wine, far more than she would have poured herself, and handed it over.

"Now, I know you're Borg and everything, but make sure to enjoy yourself." For a split second, he caught B'Elanna's eye. After their conversation this morning, she didn't seem bothered by his interactions with Seven. She gave her husband a small, flirty smile before turning her attention back to her conversation with Harry. He knew they were fine now.

As Chakotay spoke to Kathryn, he saw Icheb talking to several other crewmen on the far side of the mess hall. It surprised him to see the teenager there, acting as if everything was fine with him. To his knowledge, he and Seven still weren't on speaking terms, although he certainly hoped that they had found a way to resolve their issues while working together in Astrometrics today. Chakotay politely excused himself from Kathryn to talk to Icheb.

"Commander," Icheb greeted in his usual formal manner that was reminiscent of Seven's behavior as he gave him a curt nod. The way his eyes narrowed, and his shoulders bristled told him that he still wasn't happy with him, and he was simply going through the motions the appearance's sake. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, and thank you for coming. I know the past few weeks haven't been easy for you, and I should have been more aware of how you were doing."

"You're First Officer, you hardly have the time to concern yourself with the emotional well being of every crewman on this ship." Chakotay shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong. If the Captain has taught me anything, it's that the emotional well being of the crew is of the utmost importance. If your crew is struggling, even if it's just one person, it's your job to fix it, and I failed. I know if I had been the one in sickbay, you would have been there for Seven, and I should have been there for you." Icheb could see the sincerity and turmoil in Chakotay's dark eyes. Part of him felt guilty for how he acted. The Commander had enough on his mind, and he shouldn't have made things worse by making such a scene with Seven. If anything, he'd made things worse, and now he had to make things better.

"Despite what Seven believes, nobody's perfect, not even you. Seven and I have made our amends, and I appreciate your apology as well." Chakotay smiled slightly and clapped Icheb on the back. There was something about knowing that he wasn't angry with either of them anymore that allowed him to enjoy the party just a little bit more.

When Chakotay turned to continue on his rounds throughout the room, he came face to face with Aritlin. The newcomer looked obviously uncomfortable in a room where nearly everyone was a stranger, but it still meant a lot that he came. He was starting to find his niche aboard Voyager, just like Neelix, Seven and eventually Icheb had. It hadn't been an easy task for any of them, but eventually they were accepted as valued members of the crew. In a few months, it would be hard to imagine Voyager without Aritlin.

"Aritlin," Chakotay exclaimed in surprise. "Thank you for coming." He extended his hand, which Aritlin shook uncomfortably. He was starting to grow slightly more comfortable with the human custom, but it still seemed strange to him. His people bowed as a greeting, but not these humans.

"When Seven invited me, I knew I couldn't turn it down." He looked around, trying to take it all in. Between the food, decorations and sheer number of people crammed into the mess hall, it was an overwhelming sensation. "This is really nice. I've never seen anything like this before. Do you do this for all celebrations?"

"It depends on the celebration. Some birthday parties are smaller, it really depends on the person."

"What about the hiding and jumping out?" There was a sparkle of excitement in Aritlin's topaz eyes. Clearly he'd never experienced anything like that before, and it had been exhilarating, although, at first, he didn't exactly understand why they had been doing that. Chakotay smiled and shook his head.

"It's called a surprise party. They're one way we celebrate birthdays on Earth." Aritlin's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"There are more ways?" he pressed eagerly, vying for more information on the strange customs on the far away planet.

"There are many ways to celebrate. Usually small children have their friends over, they play games, eat food and spend time together. When it comes to adults, it really depends on what they like. Some don't do anything, some go out with their family and maybe some friends, others have large parties; it varies from person to person and from year to year." He paused, allowing the information to sink in. "How do your people celebrate birthdays?"

"We don't," Aritlin stated matter of factly. Chakotay could see the disappointment in his eyes. Now that he knew it was acceptable to celebrate birthdays, he couldn't believe what his people had been missing out on for countless generations. "Once a Kalrussian is born, the family has a celebration and makes a sacrifice to the gods in thanksgiving, but that's it. The concept of tracking how many years you've been alive and celebrating year and after is very strange."

"So your people don't even keep track of your age?" As an anthropologist and archaeologist, Chakotay found all of this fascinating. Yes, they'd encountered several other alien species who were similar to Aritlin's, and he found them equally as interesting as he tried to understand a culture so different from his own. Aritlin shook his head.

"No, although now I wish I knew how old I was so I could participate in such a custom."

"Trust me, after a while, you don't want to remember how old you are," Chakotay assured. He'd stopped thinking about his birthday years ago, although Kathryn usually went out of her way to do something nice for him. At this point, it was little more than a visual reminder of another year passing in the Delta Quadrant. Since this was where the people he cared about were, though, he was hardly complaining.

Chakotay's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he was hungry. He'd been so caught up in socializing that he forgot that he hadn't eaten since his quick lunch with Harry and Chell nearly seven hours ago. A large buffet stretched on several tables pushed together along the wall of windows. Upon careful examination of the food, he discovered that it was all his favorite dishes and snacks, artfully arranged for everyone to help themselves whenever they saw fit.

As Chakotay grabbed a plate to help himself, Chell appeared behind him and said, "Seven overlooked every last detail." The First Officer couldn't help but chuckle as he served himself. That didn't surprise him at all. Everything looked and smelled delicious, prompting to take a little bit of everything.

"That's usually how she is," he pointed out.

"I know, but I thought that she'd bt a little less controlling with this. She was in here this afternoon putting making some last minute changes, and by some I mean at least a dozen. She had me running around the galley like a madman. It's a miracle I got it all done in time." Suddenly, everything began to click into place. Seven had been in the mess hall when he came in to look over the menu one last time, not eat lunch. Knowing her, she skipped lunch to be more efficient and make up for all the time she missed while she was sick. No wonder she had acted so strange, he simply attributed it to the stress of being back, although she would point out that she's Borg and therefore doesn't get stressed. Chakotay took a bite of pasta salad. It was probably the best he'd had in a very long time.

"Well, everything's delicious," he complimented. He hated to admit it, but Chell's cooking was an improvement over Neelix's, who always wanted to experiment with new, crazy food combinations usually involving leola root. "Even if Seven put you through the wringer." A large smile spread across Chell's face. All the stress he'd felt preparing all this food instantly melted away when he knew Chakotay enjoyed it. He'd suffered through all of this for his beloved leader who had gotten him and the rest of the crew through so much over the years.

Laughter and chatter rippled through the mess hall. While such noise was fairly normal in the room, which always seemed to be the social hub of the starship, it was especially louder with the sheer number of people and addition of large amounts of food and alcohol available. There were so many people crammed into the room that it was difficult to move even a few feet without having to twist and turn to dodge people and plates. As she analyzed the situation, Seven thought that she should have insisted on throwing the party on the holodeck, perhaps at Chez Sandrine's. The idea had come up several times while she planned the celebration, but she ultimately decided against it. On hindsight, however, she realized that that was a mistake. Next time they had a celebration like this, she would keep this in mind. She should have figured that so many people would want to come celebrate Chakotay's birthday; he wasn't just any random crew member, he was the First Officer and a close friend to many members of the crew.

Ever the showman and host, Chakotay laughed and chatted with every person in attendance. He hated the thought of not personally thanking everyone who came to the party, as they took the time out of their evening to come, so it was the least he could do. When he looked across the room, however, he saw Seven standing along the fringes of the party against the far wall, just like she usually was. He had hoped that she would be more involved, especially since she was the one who organized the party in the first place. Although being the life of the party wasn't exactly Seven's forte.

"Excuse me." He pardoned himself from the small cluster of crewmen he was talking to so he could check on Seven. "You should be very proud of yourself," he commented as he materialized in front of her. She looked confused.

"Explain."

"You organized the perfect party and managed to keep it all a secret from me."

"I hope you're not upset with my deception." Unable to help himself, Chakotay slid an arm around her waist and drew her close. Her hands instinctively rested on his broad shoulders as their bodies fit together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle. Despite the fact they were in a crowded room, everyone else temporarily melted away as they entered their own little world.

"Not in the least," he assured before leaning down to kiss her softly.

The blissfully romantic moment was interrupted by Tom yelling from across the room, "Why don't the two of you get a room?" In an instant, all conversation in the mess hall halted as all eyes turned to the couple. Seven's face blushed bright red as she dipped her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, her loose hair forming a makeshift curtain that did very little to actually hide her expression. Chakotay, on the other hand, just flashed everyone a guilty grin. He had nothing to feel embarrassed for, he had every right to kiss his girlfriend.

"You're one to talk," he shot back. "If memory serves, you and B'Elanna have been caught in nearly every corridor, room and jefferies tube." Although Tom gave the outward appearance of being unbothered by the retort, the faint pink that crept across his cheeks told everyone that he was embarrassed as well. He opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to come up with some sort of insult to throw back, but nothing came to mind. In a rare turn of events, Tom Paris was speechless. The realization caused laughter to ripple across the mess hall as all the partygoers realized what had happened. After all these years, Tom should know that while Chakotay was usually quiet and reserved, he was still a force to be reckoned with when it came to smart comebacks. If anything, he set himself up to be called out like that and deserved the teasing retort. Even after being together for several years and having a child together, he and B'Elanna were still known to be found in compromising positions all over the ship.

Despite the fact that she felt embarrassed for being caught, Seven didn't let go of Chakotay. Instead, one of her arms slid around his neck comfortably while her hand rested on his chest. His heart beat steadily beneath her touch. While she'd always tried to draw a line between their professional and romantic relationships, she could see the appeal of such romantic gestures. There was a sense of flattery that came with having Chakotay's arms around her and knowing that everyone else now knew they were an item. Besides, it was a relief not having to sneak around everywhere. While there were perks not having people know, she could see the benefits of coming clean as well. Now that they had done so, she couldn't imagine keeping something like a secret ever again.

After nearly two hours, the party was in full swing and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. The food and alcohol flowed freely, adding to the merriment that always came when large numbers of the crew gathered together for any sort of celebration. The close relationship amongst all the crew ensured that every time they gathered together, a good time was guaranteed. The laughter and merriment helped Seven relax and she did her best to engage in small talk, which was arguably one of the social lessons she still struggled with. The jovial atmosphere, combined with the fact that every time she finished a glass of wine, some put a fresh glass in her hand, helped her relax significantly more than she usually did. Clutching half a glass of wine in her hand, she sat on one of the couches gathered together in a small cluster with Harry, B'Elanna and Tom, laughing as the men recounted their latest adventures as Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid.

"So Doctor Chaotica has us right where he wants us," Tom explained before taking a long drink of his beer. "And then he won't shut up. I mean the man won't shut up. We have no weapons, we're tied up, he has his death ray pointed right at us, and he's rambling on and on about how he's the greatest villain in the world for capturing us."

"Maybe he thought you two gave up too easily and wanted to give you guys a chance to escape so you could really fight him," B'Elanna suggested.

"No, he's not that smart," Harry pointed out in a tone that gave away that he was equally annoyed by the villain's grandiose tendencies..

"Especially if Tom is the one who designed him," Seven quipped in the usual deadpan way she told jokes. Silence fell over the quartet as they processed that she had insulted Tom. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence that made Seven feel that she had crossed some sort of line, B'Elanna and Harry burst into boisterous laughter, instantly assuaging the young woman's doubts that she had done something wrong.

"First your boyfriend, and now you, when did this turn into insult Tom Paris day?" Tom grumbled. B'Elanna gave his knee a reassuring pat.

"That's every day, babe, we just don't always say it to your face," she commented, causing him to roll his eyes and sit back in his seat as if he were sulking. His eyes told a different story, giving away the fact that he was well aware that it was all in good fun. He just wasn't used to the jokes to come from Seven, she was usually the quiet one.

From where he stood, the Doctor couldn't help but admire Seven and all the social graces she exhibited. It might have taken several years, but she finally fit in completely and seemed more at ease in these large social gatherings. She seemed completely at ease in the large social setting and even went so far as to joke and tease other members of the crew without missing a beat. Had a stranger passed through, he wouldn't have even been able to guess that Seven used to struggle with even the most basic of social interactions. Not only had the crew come embrace her as a valued member on Voyager, but she finally found her place. He couldn't be happier for her, it meant that all their hard work paid off, and now he could sit back and watch as she enjoyed herself.

As much as she hated to interrupt the joyful conversation Seven was having, Kathryn came up behind the young woman and whispered something in her ear. The blonde's face immediately grew serious as she nodded, leaving Tom, Harry and B'Elanna to wonder what in the world the two of them could be talking about.

"Very well," she stated with a curt nod, although there was a certain sense of discomfort in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Kathryn gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before disappearing into the crowd once again. With her wine glass in hand, she took a knife off the table in front of her and stood to her feet. She tapped the knife against the side of her glass. The high pitched clinking floated over the cacophony of noise. After several moments of shushing, the mess hall was silent. "I would like to propose a toast." She paused for a moment to let everyone find their respective glasses or grab a fresh glass so they could participate. Wide eyed, Aritlin looked confused as he looked around, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Just like birthday parties, his people didn't participate in such a strange custom. Thankfully, Chell leaned over and whispered in his ear what was going on. As soon as he figured it out, Aritlin jumped slightly and scrambled to find a glass so he could participate with everyone else. "To Commander Chakotay." With a coy smile, she turned to face Chakotay, who was smiling as well. "May his wisdom and courage continue to guide us on our journey home for many years."

"To Commander Chakotay," the partygoers echoed as they all raised their glasses and drank to their beloved First Officer.

With his arm slung around B'Elanna's shoulders, Tom bellowed, "Speech! Speech!" The smile instantly disappeared from Chakotay's face at the prospect of having to make an impromptu speech. Public speaking wasn't exactly one of his areas of expertise. However, once Tom started to get the crowd started, others joined in as well until there was a chorus of requests for a speech. Kathryn couldn't help but laugh. She could see the discomfort on his face and found it undeniably amusing. There was no way he could talk his way out of this one now.

"Fine," Chakotay relented, his baritone voice easily carrying over the chorus of voices. "Fine." He sighed. Seeing as he hadn't even known about this party, there was no way for him to have prepared something to say to all his guests. He would have to give a speech off the cuff and hope for the best. Looking for a little bit of liquid courage, he drained the last few sips of his glass and put it on the counter behind him. "Uhhh…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, attempting to buy just a few more seconds to think of something to say. Seven found his discomfort adorable, she thought he never looked more handsome when he looked flustered. "First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming. This was definitely a surprise. I'd also like to thank Seven. I'm the luckiest man in the galaxy to have such a wonderful woman." A few "awws" rippled across the crowd, accompanied by Tom pretending to wretch, prompting B'Elanna to smack him. He chuckled and pressed his lips against her cheek, but she only rolled her eyes. "The past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for some of us, but if anything it's brought us closer together and reminded me why Voyager is so much more than a starship, it's our home and where our family is. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful family who would give up their evening to be crammed into a small mess hall after a long day of work."

"We're here because we were promised cake," Tom announced, prompting Chakotay to roll his eyes now.

"And just remember, no matter how much you drink, Tom Paris, many of you have the early shift tomorrow." Tom raised his glass to Chakotay before taking a drink. Between his shifts on the bridge and his shifts in sickbay, he almost never had free time in the evening, and he was determined to enjoy it as much as possible. The partygoers chuckled, which gave Chakotay the perfect excuse to end his brief speech; it hadn't been as bad as he thought

With the toast and speech over, Seven figured now would be as good a time as any for Chell to bring out the cake he'd spent all afternoon preparing, along with the rest of the food everyone was enjoying. She motioned for him to get the cake. His eyes bright with excitement, he scurried into the galley and returned with a large cake. Like most birthday cakes on Voyager, it was covered with blue and purple swirls to represent space, along with white specks as stars. Unlike all the other cakes, however, this was a huge sheet cake, easily big enough to feed every single person at the party several times over. It had to be the largest cake anyone had ever seen in their lives. While Chakotay was certainly impressed with everything, the cake took his breath away. The cake was an impressive culinary feat.

All he could say was "Wow." With the help of two other crewmen, Chell carried the cake to the table where the food was. The crowd parted, allowing them easy access. Several partygoers cleared off as many of the empty food platters as possible to give them space for the cake. On his way over to the cake, Chakotay made a pitstop to grab Seven. Since she was the one who had put so much thought and effort into this party, he wanted her to enjoy it with him. She laced her fingers with his as they walked over to the cake together. Chell busied himself assembling a handful of candles on the cake while Kathryn went behind him to light them. "Chell, you've really outdone yourself with this one. If it tastes half as good as it looks, we're all in trouble." Everyone chuckled. Once he got closer to the cake, Chakotay carefully counted out the candles. There were only twelve. "Umm, you're missing a few candles," he pointed out. Seven wrapped an arm around his waist and looked up at him. Her usually bright blue eyes were rimmed with red, telling him that she had had her fair share of drinks tonight. Normally, that would cause him to worry, but he was just glad that she was having a good time like everyone else.

"My research told me that most people do not appreciate putting their age on their cake," she explained. While her words were slightly slurred, she was not longer a lightweight and could easily hold her own after several drinks, as was evident by her surprisingly coherent behavior right now. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her bare arm.

"Well, I'm glad you did your research, because I don't want the entire crew to knew that I'm an old man."

"More like you don't want everyone to know that you're robbing the cradle," Tom teased. After several jokes at his expense throughout the evening, he was determined to get the last word in, no matter what the cost. Chakotay ignored him and instead blew out the candles before the wax ruined the beautiful cake. As he blew them out, there was a bright flash, telling him that the Doctor was doing his unofficial job as ship photographer and documenting every moment for posterity. Everyone cheered, although Chakotay wasn't sure if it was because he blew out the candles or because they were excited to finally eat the delicious cake.

With his slice of cake in hand, Tom threw himself down unceremoniously next to Harry and across from B'Elanna on the collection of couches at the far end of the mess hall. As soon as he took a bite of the chocolate dessert, he was in heaven, it was just as delicious as it looked, if not better. Chell really outdid himself with all the cooking and preparation this time around, along with the help of Seven of course.

"You know, I was thinking," he blurted out between bites of cake.

"Here we go," B'Elanna commented dryly. It was never a good idea when Tom started thinking. While the man was undeniably brilliant and hands down the best pilot she'd ever seen, it usually wasn't a good thing when he made an announcement like that, especially after several beers. While B'Elanna seemed skeptical, Harry looked intrigued as he leaned forward.

"What about?" he asked before picking up his beer where he stowed it at his feet so he could eat his cake.

"Have you ever noticed that Seven only refers to Chakotay as Commander?"

"Well, he is her Commander," B'Elanna pointed out bluntly. Clearly her husband wasn't firing on all cylinders if that's the best he could come up with right now. She figured he used all his energy trying to think of smart comebacks all evening.

"Yeah, but I don't go around referring to you as Lieutenant Torres."

"Maybe you should. You know, show me a little bit of respect." Tom scoffed. There was no way that was going to happen, and all three of them knew that. The pair hadn't referred to each other by their formal titles in years. It was an entertaining thought though.

Ignoring B'Elanna remark, Harry asked, "What's your point?"

"Do you think she does that in bed?" Harry nearly choked on his beer, which would have sent the liquid flying out his nose at record speed had he not coughed and caught himself at the last possible moment. He never wanted to think about what any of his friends on Voyager did in bed, although Tom had a habit of giving him a play by play of his exploits with B'Elanna every once in awhile. He'd never tell B'Elanna though, she'd undoubtedly use her Klingon knowledge to find the most painful way to kill him.

"You're a pig," she sneered.

"Yeah, but you married me, so I'm your pig forever." She rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, he was right. He could all the comments he wanted, and there was nothing she could do about it; it was simply who he was.

"Oh boy," she commented bitterly. At this point in their relationship, she was used to his obnoxious and sometimes insensitive remarks. In fact, she had come to expect them at this point in their relationship. He really was harmless and always sarcastic; Tom wasn't the type of person to make comments out of malice, it wasn't in his nature.

Although her knowledge of birthday parties was more limited than others, Seven felt confident in classifying Chakotay's surprise party as a complete success. The food and refreshments were delicious, the company wonderful and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, so much in fact that the party didn't end until nearly midnight. Nobody intended to stay out that late, but time flew by as they all enjoyed being together. It was everything Chakotay could have asked for in a birthday party, which was only made better by the fact that it was Seven who organized all of it for him.

Seven's feet felt like they were on fire as she and Chakotay walked back to his quarters for the night. Try as she might, she simply couldn't hide her discomfort. It was a slight limp, but enough to catch Chakotay's attention as they walked hand in hand. He immediately stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm undamaged," Seven replied.

"That's not what I asked, muñeca. You're limping." Seven knew she couldn't deceive Chakotay, even if it was something as trivial as this.

"This shoes aren't suitable for long term wear." The heels were significantly narrower than the boots she typically wore, not to mention several centimeters taller, and tehs hoes didn't offer the same support for her ankles as her typical footwear. At first, it hadn't been too much of a problem, but after being on her feet for several hours, she was starting to feel the effects of the accursed shoes.

"So take them off," he reasoned with a shrug of his shoulders, causing her eyes to grow wide with shock. While she was getting used to bending some rules and social norms, walking down the corridor barefoot was incredibly improper and crossed the line for her.

"I can't do that," she spluttered.

"Sure you can." Without bothering to ask for permission, Chakotay knelt down and her feet and unbuckled the sandals. Of course, she could just buckle the shoes up again, but once the straps were loosened, her feet immediately started feeling better, so to buckle them up again would be like torture. Instead, she complied with his suggestion and stepped out of her shoes. The carpeting was rough against her bare feet. It was the same utilitarian carpeting in Chakotay's quarters, but he did his best to cover it with softer rugs to add a homier feel. Before standing up, Chakotay scooped up the sandals and dangled them in his one hand while he took her hand with his free hand. She stood still, staring uncomfortably at her bare feet. "If it makes you uncomfortable, you can put the shoes back on." She shook her head.

"It's fine," she assured. "Just a strange phenomenon, but we only have a little further until we get to your quarters." As she walked, Seven knew she had made the right decision in taking off her shoes. Her feet felt a million times better without the heels on. The shoes really hadn't been a problem until the last hour or so of the party, but she simply ignored the discomfort for the sake of enjoying herself.

When they got to the privacy of his quarters, Chakotay immediately sat on the couch and pulled Seven down onto his lap. The red lights cast a comforting glow throughout the quarters as she wrapped an arm around his neck. Just like her, his feet were starting to hurt as well, although not nearly as much since he was wearing one of his seldom used pair of dress shoes. Even so, it felt wonderful getting off his feet for a little while.

"I am capable of sitting on my own," she commented.

"And yet, this is far more comfortable." It was hard to argue with that logic. His warm hand rested on her thigh, exposed thanks to the daring slit up the side of her dress. She ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed small circles on the back of his neck.

"Did you enjoy the party?" she asked. They'd both been so wrapped up in their own socializing, that they barely had time to talk during the actual celebration.

"It was perfect," he replied. "Everything I could ever want in a birthday." Her free hand rested on his cheek as she leaned down to kiss him. He closed his eyes and returned the kiss. Without even realizing it, his hand ran higher along her thigh, pushing up the dress even further. While she'd been self-conscious about the length of the dress earlier, it didn't bother her at the moment. Instead, her hand shifted to rest on the side of his neck.

"It's after midnight," she murmured against his lips.

"Do you need to rest?" She had to be exhausted. Not only did she return to duty after several weeks off, but she also played the perfect hostess at his birthday party. She might act like everything was alright, but he couldn't help but worry. She was still recovering from a near death experience and needed to act accordingly.

"No, I'm fine, but it's officially your birthday." He stopped to think. He hadn't really been paying attention to the time.

"I guess it is."

"That means I can officially give you your present." Confusion flashed across his face.

"I thought the party was my present," he blurted out. The party was everything he could ask for, he didn't expect Seven to give him something else in addition to it; as far as he was concerned, she'd already gone above and beyond.

"No, the party was exactly that, a party. My research told me that I should also get you a present." She kissed the corner of his lips softly before getting to her feet and disappearing to the bedroom where hid the present amongst her clothes in the closet. It was the only place she felt confident he wouldn't find it, although it was small enough to hide just about anywhere.

Moments later, Seven returned with a small brown box that fit in the palm of her hand. Tied around the box was a red ribbon, expertly tied and fastened to the top. She'd made sure to keep the wrapping simple, as Chakotay wasn't the type of person to relish in over the top gifts.

"Happy birthday." She sat down, this time next to Chakotay and not on his lap, and handed over the box.

"You really didn't have to do this. The party was more than I could ever ask for."

"This present is already prepared, it would be rude not to accept it."

"Then I guess my hands are tied." Chakotay had absolutely no intention of turning down the present; he simply couldn't believe that she planned the perfect surprise party and got him a present. Very carefully, he untied the ribbon and opened the box. The contents glowed as he picked it up. "It's a holodeck program," he stated rather bluntly as he tried to figure out why Seven would be giving him a holodeck program.

"Tom helped me write a program, and we're leaving tomorrow for a three day vacation." Now everything fell into place: why Seven had been spending so much time with Tom the past few days, and why Kathryn gave him the next few days off; they weren't just for him to relax in his quarters, all of this was planned.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"That's a surprise, but I will give you one final birthday present." Without actually handing Chakotay anything, she got to her feet and began to walk away, leaving him to figure out what she was talking about. When she realized that he wasn't following her, she glanced at him coyly over her shoulder. "Are you coming?" Finally, it dawned on him what she was talking about. His arms flailed as he scrambled to his feet and rushed after her.

Author's Note: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the next chapter is the last. Fear not, though, I have several shorter fics that I'll be posting, along with Adjustment Period. I'm doing my best to get back in the habit of posting regularly, but between work, grad school and the boyfriend, it's a bit of a challenge. I appreciate all your patience! Make sure to leave a review.