"Please, Captain," Seven almost pleaded "Sit down? and allow me to explain my actions."

"Sit down?" she whispered hoarsely "I? can do that."

Seven carefully seated her on the steps leading up to the holographic alcove, and sat alongside her. She gently took the Captain's hand in her own, causing Kathryn to glance at Seven's eyes in shock?a move which she instantly regretted. Humiliated, she lowered her own reddened eyes to the floor and waved her hand in a pathetic 'go on' gesture.

Seven shifted to face her Captain, Inhaled slowly, and began.

"Over the past Five months, I have observed that when your holodeck sessions come to a close, you appear to be dissatisfied. The area surrounding your eyes is slightly inflamed, and they do not possess their usual?" a hint of a smile appeared as she spoke "I believe the word is? sparkle?"

(Sparkle? She thinks my eyes? sparkle? Oh, my God? is she? smiling?)

"After a short time, I found myself experiencing? curiosity. I wished to know the cause of your 'upset',"

Kathryn lifted her head, and caught Seven's gaze head on. This time, she didn't look away. Somehow, she couldn't quite bring herself to.

"?I wished to know the cause, so that I may prevent it from happening again."

Seven spoke calmly, softly? but in her eyes, Kathryn could see a torrent of emotion. They could speak to her as clearly as light could cut through darkness. She genuinely feared her heart would burst, but for now, while she was still unsure of where this was leading, she held her mask of indifference. However, indifference was possibly the last thing she was feeling. Silently, she continued to absorb what Seven was saying.

(She cares! Oh, tell me I've got this right, that I'm not misinterpreting what she's telling me? that I'm not getting my hopes up for no reason?)

"Following your last holodeck visit, I instructed the computer to run the program you had used. I entered, and found your holographic simulation of? me."

Seven paused momentarily, and Kathryn felt a creeping, warm flush rise from her chest, and slowly cover her neck and cheeks. She raised a hand to her face, attempting to partially block it from Seven's view. This was torture!

"After recovering from the initial shock," she spoke slowly, and carefully " and persuading your hologram that it was, in fact, a hologram? It was willing to inform me of your activities. It told me that it believed that you? harboured feelings for it."

Kathryn felt panic rising sharply in her throat.

"What? I..!" she squeaked "I gave no such indication!"

She knew that it was ridiculous to deny her feelings for Seven after what had just gone on, but the hologram? She had never told the hologram how she felt! She had spent five months almost getting to the point of telling it, but no, she failed to believe that the holo-Seven had known.

"Please, Captain? remain calm. The hologram told me that you had, on several occasions, attempted to engage it in a conversation about love, but had been unable to continue the conversation for any length of time, instead changing subject, or leaving the holodeck altogether."

(Oh, great. Am I so transparent that even a hologram can pick up on my feelings?)

"However, from my subsequent conversations with this Hologram, I came to realise that it was a? less than accurate simulation. I found it to be devoid of emotion. It lacked individuality? and feelings."

The auburn haired woman suddenly felt heartened. Her face even managed to break into as wry a smile as she could muster.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she rasped, dryly "but in my defence, I created that program some time ago! You've grown as an individual since then, I know."

"Your hologram had not," Seven responded "and in order to learn the true nature of your feelings, I deemed it necessary to replace it for a time. I am aware that this was invasive, and I apologise. However, I would ask that you take into account the two emotions that I was experiencing. This is what eventually forced me to take the actions that I did. It? hurt me, Captain, to behave toward you in the manner that your simulation of me certainly must have. I would like you to know that."

The Captain felt as though all the air had left the room.

"Oh?two emotions?" she choked "And? may I ask?"

"Certainly. The emotions that I speak of are anxiety?

?and love."