Copyright 2000, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

Ketaria walked around their living quarters, picking up the last of the glasses and placing them in the recycler. Her husband was sitting in the chair, as he had been since their guests had left. Neither of them had spoken.

She watched as Kahkar drained the last of his toma and placed the glass down beside him. She reached for the glass to take it from him before he could refill it. He had had enough for tonight. She placed the glass in the recycler and turned, looking at the back of her husband’s head. Finally, she walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his neck. He took her arms and pulled her around the chair and down into his lap. She nestled herself close to him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she finally broke the silence, "Are you all right?"

"I have been better." He paused, then asked, "How did Seven handle it?"

She sighed, "She still covers well."

"I know." He gave an ironic laugh. "She appeared to be excited about the prospect of getting to Earth." He waited, thinking, "But she isn’t."

"No, she is not. She’s scared. She wants to be excited for the Doctor and pleased for the Captain, but she is frightened for herself and for her daughter."

"She should be."

Ketaria nodded, "You think that the fact they are both genetically Borg will be too tempting for the Federation to be able to ignore."

He nodded his head.

"Also, you do not trust the Federation."

"I do not know the people in the Federation."

"But?"

"But I have been warned to be careful of who I trust."

"The Borg queen?"

"Yes."

"And you trust her?"

"I trust no one." He pulled her tightly to him, "Except you."

They sat, quiet, taking comfort in each other. Slowly, he became aware of a shift in his wife’s mood, and he concentrated, allowing himself to absorb her feelings. "What is it, Ketaria?"

She held onto her silence for a long time, and he gave her his silence in return. Finally, she raised her head to look into his eyes, "I am concerned about Seven." His eyes told her he knew there was more, so she continued, "She has been through so much, Kahkar. I just wonder how much is too much. How much more can she handle?"

He knew what she was saying. He understood, because he was concerned about the same thing.

When the door opened, B’Elanna looked up, expecting to see the Doctor and Seven walking through. To her surprise, her husband walked in instead.

"What are you doing here?"

He glanced around, "The Doctor called me. Are they in the bedroom?"

"No, they haven’t gotten back yet. Are you sure you were supposed to meet them here?"

"That’s what he said." Tom walked over to his wife and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, "You look tired. Are you okay?"

She shifted uncomfortably in the chair, "I’m fine, Tom. It has been a little stressful lately, but I am managing."

He kneeled down next to her, a concerned look on his face, "You don’t need to push yourself. It isn’t good for you or for the baby."

"Tom," she smiled at him, "just because I am pregnant doesn’t mean I should lie around with my feet up. I am perfectly capable of doing my job and doing it as well as I ever have."

"Well," he grinned at her, "don’t expect me to quit worrying about you."

She put her hand on his face and held it there, but did not say anything. He winked at her and started to rise when the doors opened, and the Doctor and Seven walked in. B’Elanna took one look at them and quickly stood.

"What’s wrong?"

The Doctor asked, "Where is Kathryn B’Elanna?"

"She’s napping," B’Elanna’s eyes had not left Seven’s face, "What is going on?"

"Please," the Doctor indicated with his hand, "sit down. Seven and I need to talk to you."

B’Elanna grabbed Tom’s hand and looked up at him. She knew she did not want to hear whatever it was they were going to tell them. They sat on the sofa and Seven crossed to sit in the rocking chair, her eyes focused downward. B’Elanna realized she had not looked at them since she had entered the room. She squeezed Tom’s hand and sat closer to him. The Doctor pulled a chair up and sat near his wife, facing the couple.

"We have something we need to tell you." He reached for Seven’s hand, looking at her, but she kept her head bowed, not looking at any of them. Taking a deep breath, he started, "We have just learned something about Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna." He glanced quickly away, trying to find the words, "It seems the Borg manipulated Seven’s DNA."

Tom and B’Elanna exchanged glances, then looked back to the Doctor, waiting for him to continue.

"They inserted Batair DNA into Seven’s DNA."

When he stopped again, Tom said, "Is that all?"

B’Elanna cut her eyes to Seven and knew it wasn’t.

"No," the Doctor replied, "they also, somehow, inserted Borg technology."

They looked at him, dumbfounded. Finally, Tom asked, "How?"

The Doctor shook his head, "We don’t know, Tom. We only know it’s there."

B’Elanna looked at Seven’s bowed head, then asked, her voice fearful, "And Kathryn B’Elanna?"

When Seven did not respond in any way, she looked to the Doctor and he slowly nodded his head, "Yes."

B’Elanna closed her eyes, her hand gripping Tom’s hand so hard his fingers were turning white, her voice incredulous, "She is Borg?"

The Doctor nodded at her again.

"That’s why she scanned Borg," said Tom, shaking his head. "I thought it was…I don’t know what I thought."

B’Elanna almost could not ask the question. "How…Borg is she?"

"We don’t know, B’Elanna. Kahkar said he would have to run some tests. But we do know that both Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna are genetically Borg." He raised his head, "The Captain is calling a meeting in an hour to inform the senior staff."

"No!" B’Elanna stood, "No one needs to know about this. Why is she telling everyone about it?"

"Because of the aliens who wanted her to turn over Seven while Voyager was in the nebula."

Suddenly, B’Elanna’s eyes grew large, "You mean they wanted Seven for…." She sat down, hard.

The Doctor finished her statement for her, "They wanted Seven for her DNA." He looked at his wife, "She is not safe in the Delta Quadrant. The Captain will be telling the senior staff that we will start our journey for Earth using the transwarp coil as soon as it can safely be brought on line." He looked back at the two people in front of him, "We have to get Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna to Earth as soon as possible. They will be safe there."

B’Elanna did not allow herself to look at Seven, and she did not question the Doctor like she wanted to. Now was not the time, but she did not share the Doctor’s optimism. Then, she had a thought, "Doctor, what about the Borg? Do they know?"

"According to Kahkar, the queen does, but the collective only knows Kathryn B’Elanna is telepathic."

"Wait," Tom moved forward slightly on the sofa, "I thought if one knew in the collective, they all knew."

"Tom, I don’t understand all I know about this. I am just trusting what Kahkar told us."

"Doctor," B’Elanna’s tone was controlled, "how does Kahkar know what the collective knows and doesn’t know?"

The Doctor gave a worried glance at his wife before answering, "The queen told him."

"What?"

The Doctor nodded, then added, "That is where he got the transwarp coil."

"He stole it from the Borg queen?"

"No, she gave it to him."

B’Elanna’s jaw dropped open, and Tom looked at him in shock. Before either of them could say anything else, Seven stood, walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. The Doctor turned to look at the closed door, then gave Tom and B’Elanna an imploring look.

"Doctor," B’Elanna nodded at him, "you go ahead. We’ll stay here in case KB wakes up."

The Doctor stood, "Thank you." He started walking toward his bedroom, then turned back to them, "The Captain wants us all there at the meeting." Without waiting for a response, he walked into his bedroom.

Tom and B’Elanna looked at each other, but neither said anything.

Kathryn Janeway watched the faces of the people sitting around the conference table. They had been talking for more than an hour, and she could still see the shock and disbelief that registered on their faces. She had given Kahkar her chair at the head of the table and watched the reactions of her senior staff as they learned about Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna. 

They had asked questions and offered comments. They assured the Doctor and Seven that they had their full support and that every effort would be made to get them safely to Earth.

She noticed that Seven had not looked at anyone in the room while Kahkar had been talking, but that she had looked each person in the eye when they offered her support or words of encouragement. She could see, however, that the Seven that responded to the people in the room was more like the old Seven than the new, open person she had been getting to know.

Janeway moved to stand beside Kahkar Omarahn, making certain she had the attention of every person in the room before she spoke, "How long before we can bring the transwarp coil online?"

B’Elanna Torres replied, "I think we can test it now."

"Good." She gave herself a moment to think, "we will test it at oh seven hundred hours in the morning. Right now, I want everyone to have a good meal and get a good night’s rest. Be at your positions at oh six hundred hours." She nodded her head and her senior staff slowly filed out of the ready room. 

Once they had left, she turned to the Doctor and Seven and the Omarahns, giving them an encouraging smile. She saw that the Omarahns wore grim, worried looks. The Doctor, while concerned, was hopeful and slightly excited. 

And Seven would not look at her. She stood, head down with eyes averted. 

"Well," even she could hear the hint of excitement in her own voice, "tomorrow will be a big day."

"Yes, it will be, Kathryn," Kahkar responded, "and I think we will retire in preparation."

"Of course," she replied, leading them all out of the ready room and into the turbolift to accompany them to the transporter room. 

She stood beside the crib, watching her child sleep. She had been standing in this spot for hours. 

Borg. They were both Borg at the very core of their being. 

She looked at the metal of her left hand and reached up to touch the implant over her eye. She was also outwardly Borg. 

They were not safe here. For a reason she could not understand, she doubted they would be safe when they arrived at Earth.

She resisted the urge to reach out and touch her child. More than anything right now, she wanted to hold her child in her arms, to feel her close to her body, to connect with her through their special bond. But that was a selfish act, considering only her needs and not those of her child.

Then again, conceiving her and giving birth to her had been a selfish act. 

She put her head in her hand and closed her eyes in grief. What had she done?

"Mama?"

She jerked her head up, surprised, "Kathryn B’Elanna. I’m sorry I woke you." She reached out to place her hand on her daughter’s stomach. "Mama did not mean to wake you up."

Kathryn B’Elanna lifted her arms to her mother, and Seven gratefully reached down to lift her from her bed, pulling her close to her. She crossed to the small bed and lay down, cuddling her child. 

"Kathryn B’Elanna," Seven pushed her child’s hair back, smoothing it, "Mama won’t let anything bad happen to you. Whatever it takes, Mama will protect you."

Kathryn B’Elanna gave her a sleepy smile and reached out to pat her mother’s face. Seven smiled back at her.

"Mama loves you, Kathryn B’Elanna."

Her child laid her head on her mother’s chest and was soon asleep again. Seven sighed and rested her head on the pillow.

The Doctor found them like that the next morning.

"Is engineering ready?"

The voice came back, strong and confident, filling the bridge, "Engineering is ready, Captain."

"Prepare to bring the transwarp coil on line, Lieutenant Torres."

"Aye, Captain."

She sat up straight in her chair, preparing herself for the test. Taking a deep breath, she gave the order, "Engineering, bring the transwarp coil on line."

"Bringing the coil online, Captain. Powering at twenty-five percent, at fifty percent, seventy-five, one hundred percent, Captain."

Kathryn Janeway blinked, sat back and gave her command, "Engage, Mr. Paris."

He engaged the coil, and they watched as the view in front of them quickly changed into swirls of color as the ship jumped forward. Each crewmember held their position, carefully monitoring their consoles, but no one could help but glance at the spectacle of color occurring in front of them.

She stood, "Report."

Tom called out, "All looks normal. The ship is handling well."

"The shields are holding. No problems indicated," Tuvok’s calm voice came to her over her right shoulder.

Ensign Kim reported, "Systems appear normal. No unusual stress loads noted."

"Lieutenant Torres?" Janeway was watching the view screen, but listening carefully for her Lieutenant’s voice.

"It is all go from engineering, Captain. The transwarp coil is functioning…" she hesitated to say it, but could not help herself, "perfectly."

She heard her Captain’s chuckling response, "Thank you, Lieutenant." 

Janeway sat back down, "Continue on course. We will maintain this speed for two point five hours." She glanced over her right shoulder, "Are we in contact with Kahkar Omarahn?"

"Yes, Captain." Tuvok responded, his eyes locked on his console, "And, he is matching our speed off our port bow."

"Good." She settled back, finding herself unable to take her eyes off of the view in front of her. It took her a minute to realize that Chakotay was speaking to her. She turned to him, "Excuse me?"

He smiled, knowing she was distracted, "I said, how is Seven this morning?"

She glanced around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation before answering, "I don’t really know, Chakotay. She was at her position in astrometrics this morning at oh six hundred."

"Did you speak with her?"

"No, I did not." She took a deep breath, "I tried to, but she said she needed to double check the course she had charted for our test run."

He hesitated, "Did you believe her?"

She gave a soft, grunting laugh, "No, I didn’t." She rested her elbow on the arm of her chair and put her chin in her hand, "She didn’t look as if she had slept much last night. She was…" she reached down and brushed at some non-existent lint on her pants, "…distant."

"That is to be expected."

"I know, Chakotay," she gave him a sad smile, "I know what she found out is going to be difficult for her to deal with. But, I hate to see that old reserve build itself back up."

He nodded his agreement with her, "Give her time, Captain. She just found out about herself and Kathryn B'Elanna. She needs some time to get used to the idea."

Kathryn Janeway turned her head to look at the view, her chin still on her hand, nodding, "I just want to get her to Earth and to safety as soon as possible."

They were celebrating their successful test run in the mess hall. Ketaria and Kahkar had joined them, as had Supala. Eloca and Rowin had volunteered to man the bridge on their ship to allow the Omarahns and Supala to attend the party. They had spent the better part of an hour trying to give Supala hints and suggestions for finally getting to meet the man who had captured her attention.

"Just tell him you are interested," Rowin has suggested.

"And what if he tells her to get lost," Eloca fired back. "No, it needs to be more subtle than that."

"But it is the truth!"

"Of course it is the truth," said an exasperated Eloca, "but she can’t just ‘announce’ her feelings. The guy probably doesn’t even know she is alive! She can’t just walk up and say, ‘by the way, I think I love you.’"

"Thank you very much, Eloca," she threw her brush at him, "that really makes me feel better."

"Oh, Supala, you know what I mean," his face was distressed. "I didn’t mean…."

"I know what you meant, Eloca." She plopped on her bed, "And you are right." She gave him a wry look, "As always."

Now, she looked around, trying to see if he was attending the party. So far, she had not seen him.

But, she had seen her.

Seven had walked in, carrying Kathryn B’Elanna. Supala noticed how everyone turned to look at her. She also noticed that Seven didn’t even notice how she attracted everyone’s attention.

She really was beautiful. When she passed, Supala realized she did not even come up to the woman’s shoulder. She was everything Supala wasn’t. She was tall and slender, with flawless skin and a graceful walk. 

She watched as Seven walked up to Kahkar and Ketaria and saw the warmth with which they welcomed her. She saw the child in her arms bounce in the excitement of seeing the Omarahns. They were a family, and it was apparent to anyone who saw them. She saw the way Kahkar looked at Seven, and the way he reached out to put his arm around her, pulling the ex-drone to him, kissing the top of her head.

Supala felt the jealousy start to rise in her and turned quickly, intent on leaving the party. In doing so, she ran into someone carrying a plate of food and a drink. She watched in dismay as the food and drink flew back, landing on a Starfleet uniform.

"Oh, no!" She exclaimed, grabbing a cloth and starting to wipe off the person’s clothes. "I am so sorry. I never watch where I’m going. Kahkar always says I act before I think. He says it will be the death of me one day." She was babbling as she tried to wipe off food and rubbed at the growing wet spot on the uniform. Suddenly, she felt the person grab her arm, and she heard the voice.

"Thank you, but I think I can handle this." She looked up into his eyes, her own widening in horror as he continued talking, "It was just an accident. Don’t worry about it. I’ll just go change." He was picking up the dishes and the cup and handing then to her. "If you will take this back to Neelix for me, I’ll run back to my quarters for a change of clothing."

"I…I…I…."

"No," he smiled down at her, "please, don’t worry about it. It was an accident." He finished handing her the last of the utensils, "I’ll see you later."

She stood, unable to speak, watching as he left. Then, she felt someone at her elbow, and she turned to see a strange looking person standing beside her, "Here, let me take that." He reached to take the dishes from her hands, "I’m Neelix, and you must be Supala." She could only nod at him. He chuckled at her, "Why don’t you come over here. Ketaria has told me you have an interest in cooking. I might have some recipes you would like to try." He reached and gently pulled her toward his galley, taking her out of the center of the room and attention.

"I can’t believe I did that," Supala ran her hand through her hair, causing her already tousled hair to stand out straight in places.

"Don’t worry about it," Neelix reached out and gently brushed her hair down, "it was an accident." He watched her face carefully, "There wasn’t any harm done."

"Yes, but…." Her words trailed off, and he watched as her eyes focused on the doors of the mess hall with a telling despair.

Neelix glanced down, working to keep the smile from his face, suddenly realizing there was more to this than just being upset about the accident. He put his hand on her back and turned her toward the small pantry just off the galley. "So, Supala, tell me, what made you start cooking?"

She shrugged, "I don’t know. I just decided to try something one day. It just seemed like it would be a fun thing to do."

"Oh, I agree with you about cooking being fun." His eyes started to dance with delight, "I find that it is personally satisfying to create something that other people enjoy." When she nodded absentmindedly, he continued, "It also, sometimes, helps…break the ice in making friends."

It took a moment for what he said to connect, "What?"

He busied himself with straightening out some supplies on a shelf, "Oh, I have found that fixing someone something special has often helped me make a new friend or get to know someone better." He turned to her, his finger thoughtfully resting on his chin, "As a matter of fact, the person often would not even realize I had fixed something special for them. They would simply enjoy what I had cooked, and I would visit with them while they ate. By the time they finished eating, I often had a new friend."

He watched as her eyes lit up, and her head turned back to look at the mess hall doors. Yes, he thought, she is definitely interested in him, and I think I also have a new friend. 

Her glass was held high over her head, "To going home!"

Cheers went up in the mess hall and glasses were tipped back in celebration. Janeway walked from the center of the room, up to the Omarahns and Seven. 

"And thank you, Kahkar. Without you, this would not be possible."

"I am not the only one you should thank for the transwarp coil." Kahkar’s eyes belied the seriousness of his voice.

"Yes, of course." Janeway laughed, responding with skepticism in her voice, "I’ll thank her the next time I see her."

Seven smiled through the conversation, but Ketaria could feel her nervousness.

"Where is the Doctor?" Janeway was looking around the room.

"He is working on something in the sickbay," Seven responded. "He should be joining us in a few minutes." She turned and looked longingly at the mess hall doors as if doing so would cause him to walk through the doors sooner.

Kathryn Janeway gave the Omarahns a wistful smile, and they exchanged knowing looks. All three could feel Seven’s reserve. Janeway hoped the return of her aloofness would be short-lived. Ketaria reached to touch her arm and gave her a slight nod, acknowledging that they understood what she was feeling and agreed.

Before anyone could say anything, the mess doors opened and the Doctor and Otoro walked in, stopping briefly as Meloka materialized near where they were standing. Janeway watched Otoro reach out to gently take Meloka’s arm as they walked to join the group near the center of the mess hall.

The Doctor gave Seven a kiss on the cheek, "Hello. Has the party been fun?"

"Yes," she replied, shifting Kathryn B’Elanna so the child was between them.

Janeway noticed it was almost a defensive action, the act of putting their child between them to protect her. She turned her attention to Otoro and Meloka, "How are the two of you doing?"

"We are doing fine, Captain," replied Otoro. "I want to thank you, again, for the opportunity to stay on this ship while we try to figure out what to do next. And for delivering my crew safely to their homes. That was very gracious of you."

"We were glad to do it," she took a sip of her drink, "it really wasn’t an issue since their home was practically on our way."

"Yes, it was only a week’s detour," laughed Otoro.

"Meloka," Janeway addressed the quiet hologram, "B’Elanna tells me you have been invaluable to her in engineering."

The eyes widened in surprise, and she stuttered her response, "It..it has..been an educational experience working with the Lieutenant."

Janeway laughed, noticing that Meloka was still having a few problems dealing with her new emotional subroutines, "Well, we certainly do appreciate the work you have done." She glanced over at a group nearby, "If you will excuse me, I need to mill around a little." She gave the group a smile and moved away.

Before the group could break up, Otoro turned to Kahkar, "Captain Omarahn, I have been thinking, my opportunities on Voyager are limited and I find myself without a ship and without the resources to buy one. I was wondering if there were any opportunities for Meloka and myself on your ship?"

Kahkar pulled himself up even taller, a pleased look on his face, "I am flattered you would even ask. I know Captain Janeway has offered to give you passage to a planet of your choosing or to give you a shuttle. I don’t think your opportunities are a limited as you imply."

Otoro started to laugh, "I cannot fool you, sir. No, I would be very interested in serving on your ship. From what I have seen, it is a beautiful vessel and," he colored slightly, "the idea of serving under you is appealing."

"Sir, I believe I could use someone of your piloting skills. And," he turned to Meloka, "there would also be opportunities for you, if you would join us."

Her face cracked into a smile, "I would be pleased to do so, Captain Omarahn." She gave Otoro a glance, and he grinned his approval at her.

"Very good. I will speak to Captain Janeway and arrange for you to move onto our ship. We will need a little time to make special preparations for you, Meloka. We will want to make certain we have the ship’s holo-emitters properly installed so you will have full access to the ship. It will be a pleasure to have you both on board." He reached to shake both their hands, then added, "And I am called Kahkar, not Captain Omarahn."

"Yes, sir!" Otoro grinned his pleasure. Looking over at the food on the table nearby, he said, "If you will excuse me," he put his hand on his stomach, "I am starved. I think I will go get a plate of Neelix’s food." He moved away, and Meloka walked with him.

"That was a pleasant surprise," Kahkar could not keep the smile off of his face.

"They will be valuable additions to your crew," Seven said, also pleased for Kahkar. She knew he had been concerned about the stress on his small crew. She glanced up at the Doctor, "You, however, will lose a special friend."

He gave her a shocked expression, "No! I will be fine with it. I…."

She laughed, "Doctor, it was a joke."

"Oh," he saw she really was joking with him. He reached to take Kathryn B’Elanna from her and pulled Seven to him with his free hand.

Ketaria watched them carefully, pleased at the love she was able to both see and feel between them. There was one thing that she was certain of and that was that even the people of Earth would be able to see them for the beautiful family they were.