Copyright 2001, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

She heard the voice calling her name. It sounded as if the voice were at a great distance. Then, she felt something warm and damp on her face and hands softly stroking her cheek. With great difficulty, she managed to open her eyes and could make out the fuzzy outline of the face in front of her.

"Dr. E’Nalto." Her voice came out a barely audible whisper.

"Seven, lie still. I am trying to treat you. Some of your ribs were cracked." Dr. E’Nalto could not keep the anger out of her voice.

"What happened?"

"They thought you were loose outside of your cell. The guards came in to subdue you."

Seven tried to take a deep breath, then quickly caught herself and let it out slowly. Dr. E’Nalto tightened her mouth, watching as Seven tried not to react to the pain. After a moment, Seven asked, "What happened to Gerald?"

"I’m afraid he has been relieved of his duty here."

Seven turned her head and closed her eyes. After a moment, she asked, "Was he hurt?"

"No, Seven, he was not hurt." Dr. E’Nalto’s voice was soothing.

"Good."

Dr. E’Nalto concentrated on her treatment for a few minutes, then closed the tricorder, "Seven, do you think you can move? We have permission for you to regenerate for a couple of hours."

Seven looked at her in surprise, "Yes."

Dr. E’Nalto nodded and reached to help her off the bed. With great difficulty, Seven managed to maneuver herself toward the opening of the cell. The new restraints were even more restrictive than the old ones had been. The guard deactivated the force field, and Seven looked at the base of the cell opening, then gave Dr. E’Nalto a helpless look. 

Dr. E’Nalto looked at the guards holding their weapons on them, "Can one of you assist her over this?"

None of the three responded. Instead, they each backed up, aiming their weapons directly at Seven. Seven turned to the doctor, "I think I can sit down on the base and swing my legs over – if you will assist me."

Dr. E’Nalto nodded grimly and helped Seven as she slowly sat down on the base and got her legs up on the base and over. Once they got to the alcove, they repeated the action, and Seven was finally able to stand up in the alcove. Dr. E'Nalto could tell the effort had exhausted her.

"Are you ready, Seven?"

Seven just nodded, and Dr. E’Nalto quickly activated the regeneration mechanism. Seven closed her eyes. Dr. E’Nalto stepped up on the alcove and opened her tricorder, scanning her. After a few minutes, she breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced back at the guards, seeing the weapons targeting Seven. She didn’t say anything, instead, she turned her attention back to her patient, watching her carefully.

B’Elanna was shifting uncomfortable in the bed. She was trying not to show her discomfort. Her mother was preparing to leave to have a meal, and she wanted to have some quiet time with Tom. She knew if her mother knew she was experiencing discomfort, Miral would not leave.

"I will return shortly, B’Elanna. If you need me, call me, and I will return immediately."

"I am fine, Mother. Please, take your time. I want to visit with Tom for a little while."

Miral turned to give Tom a slight glance, then gave her daughter a small smile, "Of course." Without another word, she turned and left.

B’Elanna immediately turned and reached for Tom’s hand, "It certainly is a good thing she likes you."

"I know," he replied, a grin on his face, "I’d hate to be in this room if she didn’t." He looked at his wife’s face carefully, "Are you all right?"

She gripped his hand tightly, "Yes, but," she paused, giving him a meaningful look, "I think I am going into labor."

"What?"

"I said I…."

"I heard what you said. Are you serious?"

She nodded, "Yes, I am." She took a deep breath, "Tom, I really want the Doctor here. Do you think you can get him?"

He immediately reached for the small communicator and activated it. It only took a moment for him to hear the Doctor’s voice in his ear, "Doctor," he caught B’Elanna’s eyes and gave her a smile, "B’Elanna thinks she is going into labor. Can you come?" He listened for a moment, then winked at his wife. Laughing, he said, "He must be on his way – he hung up on me."

She started to reply, then stopped and let out a breath of air. Before Tom could stand to go for a nurse, the door opened, and the nurse quickly moved in, checking monitors as she did.

"Looks like this might be it," Nurse Toller said. She checked the scans, "I’ll see if I can get Dr. E’Nalto. She might want to try to hold you off a few more days but," she gave B’Elanna a grin, "I think this young man might just be tired of waiting." She patted B’Elanna’s foot and left the room.

"It still is a little early," B’Elanna gave Tom a brave smile, "but this feels right, Tom. I think we are both ready."

Tom leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, "Do you want me to get your mother?"

"No. Let her enjoy her meal. She’ll be back in plenty of time." She pulled his hand up to her cheek, holding it there for a moment, "Now that you can quit worrying about sending me into an early labor, will you please tell me what has happened to Seven?" When he did not respond, she said softly, "Tom, I know something is wrong."

He took a deep breath, "She has been incarcerated."

B’Elanna nodded her head, "I thought so. How are Kathryn B’Elanna and the Doctor?"

"Kathryn B’Elanna is handling things remarkably well, although the Doctor is keeping the choker on her and keeping her lightly sedated. The Doctor…well," he paused and looked away from her, "the Doctor is not in great shape."

"I would imagine." She squeezed his hand, "Tom, was she hurt?"

He looked at her, trying to decide what to say. Finally, he just nodded his head.

B’Elanna gave herself a minute, then asked, "Badly?"

"It wasn’t pretty, B’Elanna, but she is okay. Dr. E’Nalto is taking care of her. Actually, she should be regenerating right now."

B’Elanna knew things were worse than Tom was telling her. She also knew she needed to concentrate on herself for the next few hours. She took a few minutes to clear her mind. She really did not want to know anymore until the delivery was behind her. It would take all of her concentration to get through the next few hours and guard her mind from anyone who might be trying to take advantage of her distraction to read her thoughts. She closed her eyes and began to breathe slowly as Ketaria had taught her. 

One thing at a time, she thought. She could only do one thing at a time and To’mas was her first priority right now.

Kathryn B’Elanna lay in her crib, her blanket pulled tightly to her. Dada had given her the hurt medicine before he left. She knew he was going to see Bala. The baby was coming. She could feel him.

She concentrated, pushing the hurt medicine away. Dada didn’t know she could push the hurt medicine away. That was a shhhh. Her eyes wandered around the room and she lifted her head, jutting her chin up. Then, she sighed.

Where was Keta? Keta said she was coming. Kaykay do. Kathryn B’Elanna not do.

She could not find Mama. And she had looked. She had tried to hear Mama’s thoughts, but she couldn’t. She heard the Captain’s thoughts. Her eyes narrowed when she thought about the Captain’s thoughts. The Captain knew Mama was in trouble.

She could hear the bad man’s thoughts. Kaykay do. Kathryn B’Elanna not do.

She concentrated on the choker. She knew it was stopping her from hearing Keta. She would work on the choker some more. She was learning more about it and soon, she would be able to turn it off. That was a shhhh. Once she learned how to turn it off, she would go see Keta. And she would find Mama.

She settled in her crib and slipped from awareness.

Seven was trying to find a comfortable position on the small bed. The manacles did not allow her to rest, but she did feel a little better. Dr. E’Nalto had managed to stall the guards long enough for her to regenerate almost three hours. She could tell that she had more function on her right hand and arm. She was also able to breathe easier. A quick glance at the metal mirror on the wall told her that some of the bruises on her face had faded.

She blew a stand of hair out of her face. She wished she had something to hold her hair back. It was constantly in her face and annoying her. This was all starting to get to her – her inability to move freely, her fair in her face, the constant discomfort from her knotted muscle in her back – it was all designed to break her, and she knew it.

She sighed, clearing her mind and waited. He would come soon. If there was one thing she had learned to depend on, it was his presence in her mind. He did not disappoint her.

"Hello, Seven of Nine."

She did not respond.

He laughed, "Are you feeling better? You got a gift of an additional hour of regeneration. I trust that helped."

"Yes."

"My, my, Seven of Nine. We are having a conversation. How unusual." He was quiet, then continued, "There is something you want to know. Go ahead, ask me."

"You know what I want to know."

"Ask me anyway."

She sighed, "What will happen to Gerald?"

"Are you concerned about him?"

She did not respond.

"I asked if you were concerned about him."

She heard the bullying tone and knew she would have to answer, or he would not tell her, "Yes, I am concerned about him."

"How touching. You know, Seven of Nine, you constantly surprise me."

She hesitated, reluctant to respond to his baiting, but she had learned enough about him to know that if she did not, he would never tell her what she wanted to know. He was in complete control. She opened her thoughts, "Why is that?"

His laughter was almost gleeful, "You are finally getting the idea, Seven of Nine. You are right, I am in control. I control whether you regenerate or not. I control whether you eat or not. And I control what happens to Gerald."

"I understand."

"Good. Gerald will be reprimanded and reassigned temporarily. He will not be fired."

It pained her, but she responded, "Thank you."

"Why, you are most welcomed, Seven of Nine. I am taking care of him for you."

This time, she could not bring herself to respond.

He chuckled, "You must learn, you can depend on no one but me. Gerald had grown…too fond of you to be allowed to care for you anymore."

She felt the pit of her stomach knot and grow cold.

"I cannot allow anyone like that near you. You are mine, Seven of Nine."

She tried hard not to think.

"Oh, you will change your mind, Seven of Nine. Soon, you will beg me to come to you."

She tried harder to shut off her thoughts.

She heard his voice again, this time, harsher, "Your aunt has filed suit for custody of your daughter. She has a strong case."

Her mind came fully open to him, "No. Kathryn B’Elanna has a father."

"He is a hologram and has no legal standing. Without legal recognition, he cannot be recognized as her father."

She shut her eyes tighter, knowing what he wanted to hear, "You can help him."

"Yes, I can, Seven of Nine."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You will fire your court appointed lawyer and change your plea to guilty of all charges."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You are demanding proof?" His voice had grown testy.

"I…I am demanding nothing. I am only asking."

He laughed, "Of course, Seven of Nine. It would be prudent of me to prove to you that I will keep my promise if you keep yours. The hologram will meet with a judge tomorrow. The judge will order that he has temporary self-determination and will retain custody of the child."

"Temporary?"

"It will be made permanent once you enter your plea of guilty."

She paused, giving herself time to think. Then she said, "Understood."

"I make you a promise that the hologram and your child will be together as long as you cooperate."

She did not respond.

"Seven of Nine, have I lied to you?"

"No."

"You see, Seven of Nine, you can trust me."

She listened.

"I am the only one you can trust. I am the only one you should trust. Unlike your Captain Janeway, I do not make promises I cannot keep."

She knew he had heard.

"Your thoughts are my thoughts, Seven of Nine."

She felt the depression start to overtake her.

This time, his voice was soothing, "No, Seven of Nine, do not be sad. You should look forward to the future. Ours will be a glorious beginning. You and me. Together. You should find happiness in that." 

She couldn’t help it. She immediately thought about the Doctor and Kathryn B’Elanna.

"No," his voice was angry, "you have to forget them. You only have one choice here, Seven of Nine, and that choice is me. Any other choice means their lives."

In her mind, she forced herself to turn her back on her vision of the Doctor and Kathryn B’Elanna and turn in the direction of his voice. She would not think about them again. She worked at shutting off her feelings about them.

"That is much better, Seven of Nine. You should only think about me. You should only trust me. You are mine. Your thoughts are my thoughts. And soon, we will be one. Completely."

She forced herself not to react to his words and simply responded, "Yes."

"Very good, Seven of Nine." His voice changed again, becoming softer and kinder, "This will all be over soon. You keep your promise, and I will keep mine. This will only take a couple more days. Goodbye."

He was gone. 

She did not think. She did not react. She only worked to make herself as small in her mind as she possibly could. 

He fingered the device on his neck, reducing its power. He still monitored her thoughts, but he did not want to project his to her. A smile came to his face. It was all coming together nicely. 

Her will was breaking. He could feel it. And she was starting to trust him completely. Once the judge ruled in favor of the hologram tomorrow, things would start to move quickly. She would change her plea and be sentenced immediately. At that point, she would be taken away. 

Such a shame that a horrible accident would end her life before she was properly punished.

But it would all be subterfuge, and he would have her. It would be so much easier to do what he had to do without the universe looking on.

And the leadership of the Federation would be left to deal with the war that was starting between the anti-Borgs and the Borg sympathizers. They would be too busy to notice that he had dropped from sight. He would be upset that all of his work had gone so wrong, and that he had failed to properly carry out his duties to the leadership. They would accept his resignation, and he would quietly take his leave. 

Then, he would be free to concentrate on his new alliance with Seven of Nine. It was something he looked forward to.

That part was unexpected. He raised his head, thinking. He had never expected to fall in love with her. Or in lust with her. Whichever. She really wasn’t human so it could not be considered love. It really did not matter. She would be his, and their progeny would mean a new beginning.

He laughed. Their progeny would lead the war against the Borg – and against the Federation. And they would win both wars. 

He checked the chronometer. It was time to meet with Andrew. He had to make certain that there were no surprises with the hologram and the child. He could only control her as long as they were taken care of. He understood that.

Reaching up, he removed the device from his neck and placed it in his pocket just as the computer announced Andrew at the door. Laughing to himself, he ordered the computer to open the door. He loved it when things came together in a timely fashion.

"Drink?"

Harry looked up at the soft red eyes and gently shook his head. Supala turned and offered the tray to Neelix, who reached up and accepted a tall, frosty glass. Then, she put the tray down, picking up her own drink and sitting down in the chair next to Neelix. They shared worried glances, then Neelix leaned forward in his chair.

"You might feel better if you talked a little."

Harry just looked at him.

"They are doing everything they can for her. You know that."

Harry closed his eyes.

Neelix gave Supala a helpless look, but she shrugged her shoulders at him. She knew there wasn’t anything she could say to help. It would be better if she would just listened. Neelix tried again.

"Ensign Kim…."

"Neelix!" Harry’s voice was sharp. He immediately closed his eyes and grimaced, "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell."

Neelix forced a smile on his face, "No need to apologize. I know this is a bad time for everyone right now."

"For everyone." Harry stood and started pacing around the room, "Everyone."

Supala sat back and closed her eyes. She was all he could think about. But right now, even she understood why. They had all met last night, and Admiral Paris had explained how bad the situation looked for Seven. The leadership had confiscated all of the logs of Voyager and the crew and had built a strong case against her. Some of Seven’s own personal logs had been the most damning, especially the ones where she blamed herself for the explosion on Voyager. He had also explained that there was strong public support for punishment for the lives she had assimilated as a Borg. The coldness of her logs when she talked about assimilating beings had angered many people. It had been impossible for people to understand how she could be so unfeeling. Supala had to admit that even she had found the sound of Seven’s voice chilling. She had never known that person. That was a very different person from the Seven she now knew. The sad part was that no one would be allowed to know the real Seven. They would only be introduced to the old Seven. The old Seven served the political purpose.

Kahkar had been right to be worried. She thought back to his words and his concern. Suddenly, she heard her name. Looking up, she realized Harry was standing in front of her. Eyes widening, she responded, "What?"

"I asked if I could change my mind about that drink."

"Of course," she stood quickly, bumping into him. Blushing, she said, "I’ll get it." Turning, she stumbled over Neelix’s feet as she moved toward the replicator. He quickly put out a hand to steady her and help her past him. Once she was, he looked up at Harry, and they shared a grin. Neelix raised an eyebrow at Harry and received an eye-rolling look in return. He silently chuckled and moved out of Supala’s way as she returned with Harry’s drink. 

Harry quickly reached out to take the drink from Supala before she could get too close to him. She colored slightly, but moved back and took her seat, watching Harry as he sipped his drink and moved distractedly around the room. After a few minutes, he turned and looked at the two people sitting across the room from him, sharing a pained expression. Then, he turned his back on them.

Supala watched him, then glanced over at Neelix. Even as she did so, she thought again about Kahkar. He should come. He should know to come. Did he? If he didn’t, why not?

Suddenly, she knew something was wrong, and she felt her heart start to beat faster. She reached up to brush her hand through her hair and rub at the base of her neck. Her red hair waved wildly in all directions. She was so deep in thought, she did not notice Neelix grinning at her. She was so deep in thought, she did not notice Harry’s eyes settle on her hair, his eyes taking on a gentle look. 

She could only sit and wonder what she should do.

"Breathe, B’Elanna." Tom stood behind his wife, trying to get her to breathe with him, "Come on, breathe with me. You can do it." She puffed, the pain making doing so difficult. Once again, she heard his voice, disgustedly comforting behind her, "Good. See, it’s easier than you thought."

That was more than she could take. She reached up, grabbing his collar and jerked him close to her, "If you think it’s so easy, I suggest you get on this bed and push this baby out."

"B’Elanna!" The Doctor’s voice pulled her attention toward him, "I need to you pay attention to me. Ignore Tom and pay attention to me. We are almost there."

Miral stood at the Doctor’s side, her hand on her daughter’s leg, a look of excitement on her face, "You are doing fine, daughter. I can see the top of his head." She gave B’Elanna a proud smile, "He has a full head of hair from what I can see."

B’Elanna just concentrated, breathing deeply and slowly, and tried to maintain a rhythm and keep her mind quiet. Doing both was proving extremely difficult. Suddenly, she felt a presence in her mind and knew she was receiving help. Clearing her mind, she accepted the help and felt herself relax. Without giving thought to the source of help, she allowed her body to react naturally to the contractions. Soon, she heard the Doctor’s voice coming through to her.

"Very good, B’Elanna. We are almost there. When I tell you, push as hard as you can. Understand?"

She nodded and closed her eyes in concentration. Then, she felt the contraction starting, and she heard him again.

"Not yet. Don’t push yet." She felt his hand on her stomach and knew he was using his tactile subroutines to monitor the progress of her contraction. She forced herself to relax, waiting for his instructions. Finally, she heard him, "Okay. Push. Give me really good push!"

She pushed, and Tom lifted her slightly from behind. She felt her mother’s hand tighten on her leg, doing her best to help without interfering.

"Harder, B’Elanna. Push a little harder." She pushed. "He’s coming. Very good. Keep pushing." She concentrated, putting all of her energy into pushing her son into the world. "A little more." She groaned a little. "That’s it. Good girl." She felt an intense pressure, then a sudden relief. "I have him. That’s it, B’Elanna!" She fell back against Tom, exhausted. He lifted up behind her, straining to see his son, nervously looking at the expression on the Doctor’s face, only relaxing when he saw the grin spreading.

B’Elanna watched as the Doctor worked quickly between her knees, then lifted a red, screaming and thrashing figure, gently cradling it in his arms. She kept her eyes on him as he walked around beside her and laid the baby on her chest. She immediately placed both hands on the baby’s back, pressing him to her, unable to speak.

"Your son, B’Elanna," the Doctor’s voice was breaking with emotion.

She looked at her son and started to cry, "He’s beautiful."

Tom had moved so he could see his son. Reaching out to touch his son’s head, he said, "He looks like you." He quickly stood to kiss his wife, then dropped back down to be able to look at his son.

B’Elanna looked up at the Doctor, "Is he all right? Everything is there?"

"Yes. Ten fingers and ten toes. I counted twice."

Miral moved so she could see her grandson, her eyes glowing in satisfaction when she looked at him, "He has your forehead."

B’Elanna’s eyes cut to Tom, her expression suddenly concerned. She had wondered how he would react if their child’s Klingon heritage was obvious. She had almost hoped it would not be. But she saw her husband grin at his mother-in-law as he responded, "Yes, but I think he might have my nose."

She watched as Miral returned Tom’s smile, "Yes, I believe you might be right."

"Okay, folks," the Doctor stepped in and lifted the baby, "I need to clean him up and get him weighed." 

As he turned with the child, Dr E’Nalto rushed in, "Oh, I am so sorry I am late. I was…detained." She saw the child in the Doctor’s arms and gave him a helpless look.

She saw he wanted to ask her about Seven, but would not. She tried to encourage him with her eyes without saying anything, then joined him in taking care of Thomas Eugene Paris, Junior. As they worked over the squalling baby, the Doctor leaned his head closer to her.

"Did she regenerate?"

"Yes," Dr. E’Nalto nodded her head.

"Good." He was relieved. As he was checking To’mas’ vital signs, he tentatively asked, "Did she…say anything?"

She hesitated. He wanted to know if Seven had sent him any messages. Reluctantly, she shook her head, knowing how disappointed he would be. He tried to cover up his feelings, instead focusing his attention on the child. After a few minutes, they finished their work and took the crying baby back to his anxious mother.

"Here you go, B’Elanna," he placed the baby in her arms, then stepped back to watch Tom wrap his arms around his wife and child, remembering a time when he had done the same.