Harry Kim escorted Seven of Nine down the hall and away from the transporter room. It had taken nearly two years, but Captain Janeway had found the home world, and the extended family, of the youngest child taken off the Borg ship so long ago. Icheb had made a place for himself on Voyager while Mezoti had left the year before; with Azon and Rebi. Dakota Rose, who was now two, had finally found her own home and her own family.

And it was tearing Seven up inside. He could see that much in the way Seven carried herself; the tense muscles and the brisk walk was the primary giveaway. It was no great surprise to him. Especially since Seven had, after all, been caring for the girl since the youngster�s arrival on Voyager.

�Seven?� Harry asked, albeit somewhat hesitantly. He was well aware of how sensitive Seven was; and how she tended to hide her emotions from most of the crew. Normally he wouldn�t interject himself into her life and felt awkward in doing so now.

�What?� she demanded bitterly, stopping her advance towards the Cargo Bay to look a good friend in the eye.

�I know that you�re hurt by Dakota�s leaving��

�She�s with her family,� Seven interjected sharply; so sharply that Harry grimaced. She ignored it, however, and continued with what needed to be said. �And that�s what counts.�

�Yes, she�s been reunited with her family,� Harry conceded solemnly. �But it�s also leaving you to deal with the aftermath, alone and wounded. I was just wondering what you were going to do about it�?�

Confusion quickly contorted her delicate facial features. �What do you mean, Ensign?�

�You�ve been on Voyager for nearly four and a half years now and have come a long way during that time. Not only have you regained your own humanity, but you�ve helped five children regain theirs as well. And let�s not forget One. You taught him everything you could in his short life. Even Naomi Wildman has grown extremely close to you. What I want to know is this: have you considered starting your own family? You have, after all, demonstrated that you can be and will be a good mother.�

Indeed she had considered the matter, but that had been when Dakota and the others had been in her care. She had even gone as far as practice dates on the holodeck. Now that she was only responsible for Icheb, however, she had no idea of what she was going to do about it. On the one hand, she still wanted to find a suitable mate. On the other hand, she liked having the freedom of living her own life.

�I don�t see how that�s any of your business, Ensign,� she answered carefully, taking great care to keep her emotions in check.

He shrugged lightly. �It�s not my business; not really, anyway. I�m only your friend, Seven, and even I can see that one day you will make someone very happy. I also know that when you are ready, you will also be just as happy with your choice of family life.�

Seven considered the matter carefully, and then conceded the point. �Yes Harry, I considered starting my own family. Now I�m not sure weather I am going to follow through with that aspect of my life now that there is no reason to.�

�Don�t you want to mate?�

�I don�t know,� she admitted honestly. �Whom would I mate with? You?�

Harry blushed, and then worked up the courage to speak his mind. �Why not me? Could you see yourself marrying me? Would you want to marry me?�

�Why would you want to marry me?� she asked haltingly. Of all people on Voyager, she had to confront the issue of marriage with the very man she had decided to mate with; when the time came, of course. She hadn�t expected the confrontation, however, at one of the lowest points in her life. So what was she going to do about it?

�Because I�ve fallen in love with you,� he blurted out suddenly, surprising them both with the answer. �I fell in love with you the first day I met you and it�s grown deeper after all this time. I knew right from the beginning that I�d probably never get the shot at dating you, let alone marry you. So I�ve done my best at living my life to the fullest. But now that you might be ready to mate�� he trailed off, hoping that he hadn�t said too much. Again.

He hadn�t.

Seven leaned over slightly and kissed him on the lips. Almost immediately, she knew that without a doubt, they would one day be married. And that filled her with a new sense of hope. And purpose. Though it would take time, she also knew that she would look back on this day and realize that it was filled with mixed blessings.

~Finished