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

Seven was waiting for them when they ran, breathless, up to the doors of the sickbay. She stopped them before they could go in.

"The Doctor wants you to wait out here."

"What’s happened?" Tom’s voice was panicked.

"She started experiencing pain. I do not understand exactly what happened. The Doctor is examining her right now. He thought it might be best to know what is going on before you go in."

His face was conflicted. He stood, breathing deeply and threw a pained look at Harry.

Putting a hand on his friend’s arm, he tried to comfort him, "Tom, give the Doctor time to examine her. You know he will take good care of her."

Seven gave him an appreciative smile. He returned her smile, but she could see the look of remorse behind it. She quickly glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable, not quite knowing what to say to him.

She had not had many conversations with him since her recovery from the implant that self-destructed. She was aware that he loved her, but it was obvious, even to her, that he tried hard to avoid her. He was a mystery to her. She had asked the Doctor about him but quickly understood the Doctor was reluctant to talk about Harry or the relationship she had had with him. Not for the first time, she wondered if there had been something more to their relationship than friendship. How close had they been? She knew he loved her. Had she loved him?

"How long…?" 

Tom’s question pulled her thoughts away from the ensign beside her. She gave herself a moment to answer his question. "About twenty minutes. I called the Doctor as soon as the pain started. He transported her to the sickbay."

"Maybe I should assist him."

"Dr. E’Nalto is helping him," she put her hand on his arm, "so she has two very good doctors attending her."

Kathryn B’Elanna reached out to him, and Tom took her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head in its crook. Seven smiled at her as she tried to comfort her Uncle Tom. 

The doors opened, and the Doctor walked out, his face grim.

"Doctor!" Tom stepped forward, but was suddenly unable to ask any questions.

The Doctor put his hand on Tom’s shoulder, "They are all right, Tom, but she is showing signs of going into an early labor. We have her contractions stopped, but I am afraid we have a battle on our hands."

"Will she be okay?"

"Tom, her body is severely stressed right now, and it is not handling that stress very well. We are supporting her as best we can. Dr. E’Nalto and I have decided to keep her lightly sedated for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours and watch her carefully."

"The baby?"

"He is also stressed right now. We will be watching him very carefully, too."

"Could he survive if….?" The words stuck in his throat.

"Yes, but I would like for her to go at least another two weeks, if possible. Tom, we will have to take this one hour at a time."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes, although she is sedated right now."

Tom nodded his head, "I understand. I just want to see her."

"Okay. I’ll take you in."

Tom handed KB to Seven and quickly followed the Doctor into the sickbay. Seven and Harry stood side by side, staring at the closed sickbay doors. After a few, very quiet, very uncomfortable minutes, Harry turned slightly and spoke, "Do you think she will be all right?"

"The Doctor and Dr. E’Nalto are competent doctors. They will do everything possible for her."

He nodded, noting the tension in her voice. He could tell she was concerned about B’Elanna and uncomfortable being around him. "I don’t imagine I would be able to see her."

"No, the Doctor did not even want me to go in. I do not think he will allow Tom to stay that long."

"It sounds serious."

"It is."

They fell silent, both fidgeting slightly. Finally, Harry spoke, "You are looking well, Seven."

She turned to him, "Thank you." She added, clumsily, "You are looking well also." He nodded, but turned his attention to the sickbay door again. She lowered her head, sighing. Glancing up at him, she swallowed hard, "Ensign?"

He looked at her, noting uncertainty on her face. Despite himself, he gave her a smiling laugh, "You used to call me Harry." Her face registered a mild surprise, and he saw that his response had unsettled her even more. He understood. He was feeling very unsettled right now himself. "But I interrupted you. I think you wanted to ask me something."

She had to work hard to maintain her composure, "Yes. I did."

He turned to her, crossing his arms as he did, "Okay."

"Ensign…Harry. We were…friends?"

Something about this conversation reminded him of one he had had with her before. He almost mentioned it, then stopped himself, remembering that she would not have any memories of the conversation. Instead, he nodded, "Yes, Seven. We were friends."

She stumbled over her next question, "Would you tell me..about the..nature of our relationship?"

Her question stopped him. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her, a pained look coming into his face.

"I have asked you an inappropriate question. I am sorry." She started to turn from him.

He reached out, "No, Seven." When he touched her, he felt an electricity pour through his body. He knew then, his love for her had not died. He looked hopefully into her eyes as she turned back to face him, immediately seeing that there was nothing for her in his touch. He quickly dropped his hand, "No, you did not ask an inappropriate question." He crossed his arms again to give him something to do with his hands and worked to put a friendly smile on his face. "Seven, I think you want to know if we were ever lovers."

Her face tightened, and she blinked quickly. Taking a nervous breath, she nodded. He could see the fear in her eyes.

He gave her a sad smile, "No, Seven." He saw the immediate relief that flooded her eyes. Ignoring the pain that ripped through his heart, he continued, "We were never lovers." She held onto Kathryn B’Elanna tighter, her mouth working with the tension she was feeling. Despite how much he hurt, he could not stand the thought of hurting her. He shrugged his shoulders, "I won’t lie to you. I wanted that with you. I wanted that for us. But there was never an us, Seven. There was always you and the Doctor. You have only been in love with him. You have never been in love with me." He leaned casually against the corridor wall, "We were…special friends though. We used to be close, and I was often there to help you through rough times. I have to admit that I miss our relationship. I miss seeing you everyday and having you in my life. But, I don’t know if it a good thing for me right now." He gave her a remorseful look, "Maybe one day, we can find our friendship again."

She raised her chin, "Maybe." It was spoken so softly, he almost did not hear it.

"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, well…." He left the rest unsaid. He looked at the sickbay doors again, a frown appearing on his face, "I sure hope B’Elanna and the baby will be okay."

She did not respond, but turned her eyes to the door. He glanced at her face, seeing that her thoughts had already returned to her friend. He took a deep breath and looked at the floor.

Tom was resting one hand on the top of B’Elanna’s head and the other on her stomach. She was sleeping. Her life signs were registering normal, as were their child’s. That was good. He put his head down on the biobed, close to his wife’s shoulder, his eyes locked on her rising and falling chest. He wanted to make certain it continued to rise and fall. And that her heart kept beating. And that his child’s heart kept beating.

Let someone else fly Voyager home, he thought. I will not leave the two of you.

Janeway handed the Admiral a cup of coffee and sat down opposite him. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, but I have to tell you, I was really scared."

"So was I." She gave him a sad look.

"You are close to her, aren’t you?"

"Yes," Janeway looked away from him, "it has been a pleasure watching her grow as a person." She turned back to him, catching his eyes, "And as a Starfleet officer. I am very proud of her, Admiral."

He nodded, pleased at her words. Glancing up, he caught the look in her eyes, "You are worried about her more than her health and the health of the baby."

"Can you blame me?"

He took a sip of his coffee and shook his head, "No, I cannot. I am hopeful, based on your meeting with Darrian Green, but I still wonder." He sat, carefully considering how much he should say to her. She saw the look in his face and stayed quiet. Finally, he licked his lips, "Kathryn, you have been away a long time. There have been many changes in that time. I wish I could say things have changed for the better, but I cannot. Now is a particularly bad time. The factions are threatening to fracture the leadership of the Federation. There are many people who will try to use Voyager’s homecoming as the catalyst to cause a complete breakup of the leadership. There are still people who hate the Maquis and blame them for some of the problems we are having today."

"You think they will make the Maquis on Voyager scapegoats?"

"It is a possibility."

"And the other possibility is?"

"Seven of Nine."

"Or both?"

He shrugged, "Maybe. Although I suspect it will be one or the other. Trying to make both the Maquis and a Borg scapegoats will undermine the effectiveness of their effort."

"Split the ranks?"

"Right."

She lowered her head to her hand and rubbed her forehead, "Not a very pleasant thought." She pursed her lips, "Do you think we need to be concerned or are we borrowing trouble?"

"I sincerely hope we don’t really have to be concerned about it. I think, for me, it is the fear of the unknown. It is uncomfortable to come to this point in my career and have such serious doubt about the people I answer to."

"Admiral," she looked him straight in the eyes, "aren’t you taking a chance by even discussing this with me."

"I probably am, but you need to be prepared for anything."

She suddenly noticed that he looked older than he had when he first sat down. She suspected she did, also.

B’Elanna opened her eyes and looked around the room. It took her a minute to focus her eyes on her husband’s worried face.

"Hello, sleepyhead."

"Hi." She licked her dry lips, "How long have I been asleep?"

"About ten hours."

"Have you been here the entire time?"

He nodded his head, picking up her hand as he did, "I didn’t want to be anywhere else."

She moved her free hand to rub it over her stomach. She tried to focus on it, "Is he okay?"

"The Doctor says he is doing okay. And so is his mother."

"Good." She shifted on the biobed.

"Are you comfortable?"

"This is okay, but it isn’t my bed." She glanced around, "Where is the Doctor. I’d like to get back to my bed."

"He has gone with Seven to put Kathryn B’Elanna to bed. He should be back soon." He squeezed her hand, "B’Elanna, I don’t think he is going to let you go anywhere tonight." When she frowned, he continued, "I think he is going to want to keep you here for a while."

"What?"

He reached up to brush her hair with his hand, "You have a very close call, and the two of you are not out of danger yet. The Doctor has said you will need to be closely monitored. I think there is a good chance you are going to have to be right here until we get to Earth."

"Tom, I can’t stay here. I…." She looked quickly around the room, suddenly concerned that someone was around who could hear. 

Before she could finish, he spoke, "B’Elanna, I know what you are going to say, but you have to stay here. I could mean your life. Or our child’s life." He pulled her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers, "You don’t have a choice."

She whispered, "But Kathryn B’Elanna…."

"I know, but no one wants you to put yourself or our baby at risk."

"Tom, you don’t understand." She turned slightly on the bed, but before she could finish, the Doctor walked in.

"Well, you are awake." He walked up to her, "How are you feeling?"

She gave her husband a lingering glance before responding, "I am okay, but groggy."

"You are going to be a little groggy for the next couple of days. I am going to keep you sedated." He put his hand over hers on her stomach, "I need to keep you here and monitor you very closely." She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off, "There is no arguing."

Even as groggy as she was, she could see it in his eyes. She turned her head toward her husband and saw that the Doctor had his full support. Sighing and without protest, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

Janeway leaned back against the transporter control and put her elbows on it. "I tell you, Tuvok, this is exhausting. How many families have we welcomed so far?"

He checked his roster, "Ninety-two."

She rolled her eyes, "That means we still have almost thirty to go."

"Yes." 

She looked at him, "Are you okay that your family is not on the ship?"

"I have talked with my wife, Captain. She knows I will be home in a few days. Traveling to meet me would be an inefficient use of time."

"And you are okay with that?"

He lifted one eyebrow, "I am perfectly all right with that, Captain. I am the one who told them not to come. I will see them when I return to Earth."

"Transport is beginning."

Janeway did not even turn to look at the crewmember behind her. Instead, she pushed herself off the transporter console and prepared herself to meet another family, joining Tuvok as he stood at attention in front of the transporter platform.

"Put on your smiling welcome-to-Voyager face."

He turned to her and set his face into something less than a smile. She grinned at him and turned her attention to the figures materializing on the platform. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. She jerked her head to look at the man standing beside her.

His eyes were locked on the figures materializing on the platform. As soon as they solidified, the woman walked forward, holding her hand up to him and spoke.

"Hello, husband."

He could not speak. He barely managed to bring his hand up to meet hers. He was blinking furiously, and Janeway looked away from him before the tears in his eyes could spill on his cheek. She watched as his oldest son approached him.

"Father. It is good to see you."

She had to turn her head. This was more than she could take. This told her they were going home. She heard each of his sons welcome their father and then heard as his daughter told him she was glad to have him home. 

It wasn’t until later, she realized that she had never heard him say anything.

Neelix had joined her in the transporter room. They had just greeted Harry Kim’s parents and had seen them off as he took them to his quarters.

"It is easy to see why he is the man he is," Neelix observed.

"It certainly is."

Neelix chuckled, "The look on his face was priceless when they asked him about Supala."

She laughed with him, "I think they might have been reading between the lines."

"Possibly."

She cut her eyes to him, "Neelix. Do you happen to know more about that than maybe you should?"

"Me, Captain? Why would you think that?" He gave her an indignant look. Then, he slowly winked at her. 

She shook her head in laughter, "Poor Harry."

Neelix shrugged, "I think Supala might just be the Seven of Nine antidote he needs."

She sobered, "You might be right about that, Neelix. You might just be right about that."

"Transport is beginning."

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Neelix."

Janeway recognized her immediately. She was surprised to realize she felt a twinge of jealousy as soon as the woman solidified. She was glad to see her, but knew this would change an important relationship for her.

"Miral, welcome. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway. It is a pleasure to meet you. This is Neelix."

The woman barely acknowledged his greeting, instead addressing Janeway, "My daughter, Captain. I am anxious to see her."

"Of course." She started to tap her combadge, then stopped, "You are aware she is in sickbay."

"Yes. They informed me that my daughter almost lost her baby and is currently in sickbay." 

"She is doing well, but the Doctor is restricting visitation."

"I am also aware of that, Captain. Still, I hope your doctor will recognize that I am her mother and can assist in her care."

She nodded and reached to tap her combadge, "Janeway to the Doctor."

"The Doctor here."

"Doctor, I need to talk to you."

Miral slowly approached her daughter’s bedside. She could feel the eyes of the Doctor on her. He had been very clear that he would summarily remove her from the sickbay if their meeting put B’Elanna under any stress. She would never have admitted it, but she had found a great deal of comfort in his words. It was good to know her daughter was so cared for.

She eyed the tall blond man standing beside her daughter, holding tightly to her hand. So, she thought, this is the husband. She would reserve judgment.

"Daughter."

B’Elanna tried hard to focus on her mother’s face. It was difficult since the Doctor had her so heavily sedated. He had told her he was going to make absolutely certain she did not get upset. She laughed at the thought. She didn’t think anything would upset her right now, not even her mother. She roused as much as she could, "Mother."

Her mother gingerly reached out to touch her hand, "It is good to see you."

B’Elanna laughed, "It would be good to see you, if I could focus." She saw a small smile appear on her mother’s face. For some reason, it gave her a sense of satisfaction.

Tom reached across her, "Hello, Miral, I am Tom Paris."

She stared at the hand a moment before taking it and greeted him with a nod of her head. Looking back at her daughter, "How are you feeling?"

"I am well, Mother. And so is our baby."

Her mother’s eyes moved to the mound under the blanket. She hesitantly reached out to lay her hand on her daughter’s stomach, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It’s a boy," answered Tom proudly.

She only glanced at him before she asked her daughter, "Have you given him a name?"

"Yes," B’Elanna looked her as straight in the eye as she could, "his name is Thomas Eugene Paris, Junior."

"Ah." She was disappointed.

"Yes," said Tom, "B’Elanna wanted to name him after me. I finally agreed to it after she agreed that we would call him To’mas."

Her head jerked up at him, and he could tell she was really seeing him for the first time, "That was your idea?"

"Yes, ma’am. It is his heritage. I wanted him to remember that."

B’Elanna thought she saw something change in her mother’s eyes. Miral took a deep breath, "Daughter, I have come to care for you." She looked at her son-in-law, "And to meet the man that finally will make me a grandmother."

B’Elanna smiled, squeezing Tom’s hand, her eyes drooping in sleep. It was going to be okay.

Janeway addressed the ensign manning the console, "How many more?"

"Only about five."

"Thank goodness. My smile is wearing out."

Five arrivals later, they watched as the last person left the transporter room with their family. Janeway threw her hands out, "Thank you for stepping in for Tuvok, Mr. Neelix. I could never have managed without you."

"It was my pleasure, Captain. Personally, it was wonderful watching all of those family reunions."

She saw the melancholy look in his face, "Well, I know the crew appreciated you being here to greet their families." She took his arm and prepared to walk out of the transporter room with him when the ensign called to her. "Yes?"

"There is another transport."

She frowned as Neelix looked at his list, shaking his head, "I don’t see anyone we’ve missed, Captain." 

Before she could say anything, a figure started to materialize in the center of the transporter platform. Once the figure solidified, no one had to tell her who it was. The family resemblance was strong.

The tall, blonde woman stepped down from the transporter platform, "I am Claudia Hansen."

Janeway looked up into the blue eyes, "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway. Welcome to Voyager, Ms. Hansen."

A quick smile came to her face, "Thank you, Captain Janeway. It is a pleasure to be here." She paused, looking around her, "I never thought I would be on a starship. Or meet my niece."

Kathryn Janeway had to give herself a moment, "I don’t imagine you would have." She felt Neelix move beside her, "Oh, forgive me. Ms. Hansen, this is Neelix."

The woman nodded her head at him as he greeted her, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hansen. I am a good friend of Seven’s."

She frowned at him, then a look of displeasure crossed her face, "You mean Annika."

"Yes. Of course." He stammered, surprised at her response, "I mean Annika."

"I would like to see her and my grand-niece immediately."

Janeway put one hand to her mouth, "Ms. Hansen, you were not listed as a visitor so we have not told Seven…Annika that you were coming. I am afraid you would be a big surprise for her. I think it might be a good idea if you allowed me to…let her know that you are here."

"I was not on the list because I was afraid she would refuse to see me."

"What?"

"Our brief communications led me to believe that she might refuse to see me. I do not wish to give her the opportunity to do so."

"Ms. Hansen…."

"Captain Janeway, I wish to see my niece and my grand-niece."

Janeway stood, trying to decide the best course of action. Finally, she said, "Please, follow me. I will take you to her quarters."

She gave Neelix a questioning glance and led the way out of the transporter room. A few minutes later, they arrived at the living quarters, and Janeway instructed the computer to announce her. It only took a few moments for the door to open.

Seven stared at the woman in front of her.

Janeway spoke, her voice soft, "Seven, this is your aunt, Claudia Hansen." The older Hansen woman was staring at the face of her niece. No, thought Janeway, she is staring at the implant. She looked up at Seven, "Perhaps we could come in and sit down."

Seven almost jumped at her words, "Yes, of course. Please, come in." She moved to allow them to enter.

Kathryn B’Elanna had been playing on the floor. Once they entered, she stood up, running awkwardly toward her mother, grabbing her leg. She looked up at the visitor, her face puzzled. Seven reached down and picked her up. She wrapped one arm around her mother’s neck and looked suspiciously at the woman in front of her. No one spoke. Finally, Kathryn B’Elanna said, "Hi."

Claudia Hansen’s face broke into the hint of a smile, "Hello, Kathryn B’Elanna. I am Aunt Claudia." Then she turned to Seven, "Hello, Annika."

"I prefer to be called Seven."

"Your name is Annika." When Seven only stared at her, she said, "But I will try to remember to call you Seven."

Janeway put her hand on Seven’s arm, "Maybe we should all sit down." She gently pushed Seven towards the chairs and invited Claudia Hansen to sit. "May I get anything for anyone?" When she did not get an answer, she joined them, "Ms. Hansen, I think I can speak for both myself and Seven when I say your being here is a surprise."

"Yes. I apologize for that. But," she looked meaningfully at Seven, "I wanted to make certain I was able to see you."

Janeway noticed that the expression on Seven’s face did not change. Kathryn B’Elanna was sitting in her mother’s lap, leaning back against her body, her hands wrapped around Seven’s hand, holding it tightly to her stomach. Janeway could tell the child was trying to make up her mind about the woman in front of her.

Claudia Hansen offered a smile, "You look very much like your parents, Annika…Seven." Her eyes moved down to the child, "And so does Kathryn B’Elanna." When she was met with silence, she awkwardly continued, "I never thought I would see you. I thought you were lost to the Borg."

"You have Captain Janeway to thank for that." Seven’s voice was tentative and Janeway could tell she was working hard not to sound harsh.

Claudia Hansen moved her eyes to the Captain, "Then I should offer you my thanks, Captain."

"You are welcome. It was…fortunate that things turned out the way they did."

"Yes. I guess you could say that."

She turned to stare at her niece, her eyes focused on the implant over Seven’s eye. She saw her niece lift her head, almost defiantly. She had to ask her question, "Do they…hurt?"

It was not the question she had expected, and Seven was surprised to realize the question angered her. She fought not to let her feelings show, and she tried to answer evenly, "No, they do not hurt."

"Good."

The door swished open, and the Doctor came rushing through, "Neelix told me we had a visitor." He walked up to them, his eyes focused on the blonde visitor. Extending his hand, he said, "I am…Doctor Hansen."

Her face went stony, and she left his hand empty in the air between them. He straightened and pulled his hand back, not allowing himself to react to her look, "I am glad to meet you Ms. Hansen. Seven and I did not realize you were going to be visiting. If we had, we would have met you in the transporter room." He stepped back to stand behind his wife, putting his hands down protectively on her shoulders.

Janeway watched as they stared at each other, the atmosphere in the room going cold. Before she could speak, Claudia Hansen stepped up to the Doctor, "You are a hologram."

He answered her evenly, "Yes, I am."

She looked down at Seven, "You realize, this is not an appropriate relationship."

Seven stood, her look growing angry, "It is appropriate to me. I do not see that it should concern anyone else."

"It is unnatural."

"What is natural?"

"You are a human being. You should be with a human being."

"I am also Borg. Does that mean I should be back with the Borg?"

"No." She backed up, the comment unsettling her, "I did not mean….."

"I know what you meant." She moved to stand beside the Doctor, "I think this visit should be terminated."

The two women stood glaring at each other. Finally, Janeway stepped forward and addressed the elder Hansen, "I think I should accompany you back to the transporter room."

"Yes." She turned to the Captain, "I think that would be appropriate."

Janeway turned from her, "Seven, Doctor, I will see you later." She left their living quarters with Claudia Hansen immediately behind her. They walked toward the turbolift, and she fought to keep her anger in check.

"You do not approve of my comments."

"No," Janeway stopped and faced her, "I do not. You have made up your mind about their relationship, and you do not even know them."

"I know Annika has been warped by her experience with the Borg. She will never be able to become the human being she should be if she maintains a relationship with that thing."

"He is not a thing!" She lowered her voice, her words spoken slowly, "And, as far as that goes, neither is she."

She narrowed her eyes, knowing this woman had seen through her. She lifted her chin in a defiant gesture.

Janeway was stuck by how much the action reminded her of Seven. She felt a pang of hurt that Seven was once again to be denied her family and again because of the Borg. Without saying another word, she turned toward the turbolift, knowing Claudia Hansen would follow. She purposely did not say another word to her.

"Are you all right?"

Seven did not answer his question. Instead, she looked at him, her pain full in her eyes, "Are you all right?"

He thought carefully about what his response to her should be. He decided he could only be honest with her, "No, not really. But I will be okay. What she said hurt, but they were only words. They cannot change how I feel about you. That is what is important to me."

To his total amazement, she broke down in tears.

"Mama?" Kathryn B’Elanna started patting her mother’s face, "Mama not cry."

Her child’s words only made her cry harder. The Doctor went to her and took her into his arms.