Based on a JetC-22 challenge: explore the J/C relationship through the eyes of a third party other than Tom or B'Elanna.  Somehow, the third party became more than a disinterested observer...

Contains spoilers for "One Small Step"

***

They laugh, and he places his hand on her forearm.  Her response is subtle, a mere straightening of her spine and a toss of her hair.

Utterly irrelevant.  This line of thought is inefficient.

Utterly human.

His eyes are brown, like the confectionary called 'chocolate'.  It is a frivolous substance, but I remember enjoying it, long ago, when I was Annika.  Even now, consuming it is a pleasure I occasionally indulge in.  Like watching him.  Them.

Him.

He glows in her presence.  She positively radiates in his.  I wonder whether I am as transparent.

Ensign Paris and Lieutenant Torres sit at a table, apparently unaware of anything outside of the other.  I studied their relationship closely, but they lack subtleties shared by the captain and commander.  What Torres and Paris must say in words, Janeway and Chakotay can communicate with a look.  They are compatible.  Efficient.

A crewman sees me watching them.  "Looks like our Borg Queen's planning the assimilation of the captain.  D'you think we should tell Chakotay?"

They think I cannot hear them, but my auditory sense are acute.  I have heard similar statements in the past, but they are inaccurate.  They are irrelevant.  My interest is not in the captain.

He hands her a fresh drink.  I watch his face as she thanks him.  His hands linger on the glass, allowing their fingers to brush as she accepts the offering.  His hands are strong, larger than hers.  I remember the way they rested against mine in Astrometrics once.  I imagine them on her skin.

I imagine them on mine...

I remember my anger when his obsession with the Ares module led to our imprisonment in the anomaly.  My confusion when I realised that he was capable of flawed decisions ... and yet, I had always known that.  He is human, imperfect.

As am I.

I look up and they are standing before me, his hand on the small of her back.  She is shorter than I, but I can look Chakotay in the eye with ease.

Eyes like chocolate...

"Having fun, Seven?"

"Fun?"

"It is customary to have fun at parties," Chakotay points out.

I wonder what he would say if he knew what I was thinking.

"I ... am contemplating the effect these gatherings have on human interactions," I say.

They exchange a look and I see amusement in his eyes.

"Are you enjoying your contemplation?" he asks.

Eyes like chocolate.

"Yes."

They smile and move on.

His hand caresses the base of her neck.

END

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Copyright © 2000 Elizabeth M. Barr

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