Part 4

They had been back on Voyager for a little more than three months. Parting from Kahkar and Ketaria had been difficult. The Doctor and Kahkar had installed the headboard/alcove in their quarters on Voyager, and Ketaria had given Seven the piece of art that sat on the side table.

"You have already given me too much. I have nothing to give you in return. I cannot accept this." She was holding the work of art, feeling the comfort coming from it, reluctant to give it up. Still, she offered it back to Ketaria.

"No, you have given me a wonderful gift. Your emotions are so strong and so innocent. You have refreshed me. Taking my gift will honor me. Please keep it."

She was stretched out on the sofa, holding the piece in her hands, her head resting on the armrest. Her eyes were closed, but she knew the Doctor was approaching. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Feeling any better?"

"A little. I will be fine."

"I don’t imagine I can talk you out of going to astrometrics today?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Really, Doctor, I will be fine. There is no reason for me not to go to work."

He ran his tricorder over her. "Still a little queasy?" She nodded. "But you are enjoying the feeling because it means you are pregnant." She smiled and nodded again. "Even so, you need to eat something. Promise me you will go by the mess hall and eat breakfast before you go to work."

She looked at him and grimaced, but said, "I promise."

"I will meet you back here for lunch. If you can slip away a little early to rest in your bed-alcove, I think it would be best. Your Borg systems seem to be a little weak but I would like for you to go a couple more days before you go through a full regeneration cycle if you can. I’ll check you at lunch to see how you are doing. Okay?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Have you thought anymore about when you are going to start telling people? This secret is not going to stay a secret much longer."

"I know we will have to start telling people soon. I am just not quite ready to share this yet."

He understood what she was saying. These last few months had been a wonderful time between them. They had grown even closer than they had been before. He had not thought that would have been possible. If the crew suspected anything, they did not let on. He patted her hand, kissed her goodbye and left.

She lay there a few more minutes before getting up and walking to the mess hall. She went up to get her breakfast plate from Neelix.

"Good morning, Seven," he said as he prepared her plate. Then, as he was handing it to her, he looked up at her. "Seven?" His voice was strange and with a lingering question.

"What, Mr. Neelix?" His expression puzzled her.

"Uh, nothing," he quickly recovered, busying himself with the next plate. "I hope you enjoy your breakfast."

She moved off to sit at a table away from the crowd. She was eating slowly, guarding against the queasiness she was feeling, not aware that Neelix had come up beside her. He placed a glass filled with something white on the table near her. She looked up at him, surprised.

"Uh, I thought you might enjoy a glass of milk with your breakfast." He was stuttering a little, "It will be good for you. I’ll try to make certain to keep a supply on hand for you. You know, in case you need it. Or something…. You can let me know."

He knew. "Thank you, Mr. Neelix." She glanced down at the glass, "I would like that."

He nodded, "Let me know if you need anything. I mean…anything." He backed away.

"Thank you. I will." She kept her eyes on her plate and finished her breakfast as quickly as she dared. Before she left, however, feeling Neelix’s eyes on her, she drank the milk. She knew they would have to tell people soon. The Doctor was correct that the secret would not be a secret much longer.

She welcomed the opportunity to involve herself in her work and was pleased when the time slipped away. She suddenly realized it was time for her to return to her quarters to rest in the bed-alcove before lunch. She left astrometrics and was aware she felt really tired.

B’Elanna Torres arrived in the lab minutes after she left. She was not happy to find it empty. "Computer, where is Seven of Nine?"

"Seven of Nine is in her quarters."

"Well. The Borg Queen is certainly free to take her leisure today, isn’t she?" She was upset. It had not been a good morning in engineering, and she was edgy. She decided she would make a little visit.

Seven seemed surprised to see her, but invited her in. "Do you require my assistance?"

"I required your assistance in astrometrics, but you weren’t there. So, I came looking for you." She was looking around the quarters. It was the first time she had been here, and she was curious. Still, her curiosity did nothing to dampen her building anger. "Taking a little extra time off today?"

Seven was taken aback at her anger, "No, I was feeling unwell, so I came back to rest."

"Unwell? You live with a doctor, Seven. Seems to me he could have checked you out before he left." She was starting to warm to this. She had wanted to go at someone all morning long, and this was the best chance she had had. She was going to take advantage of it. "What is it? Some Borg virus?"

"No." Seven was trying not to get upset. Doing so would not be good for the baby. "I just need to rest."

"We all need to rest, Seven. What makes you so special?" She turned to look at Seven, noticing that she did look pale. B’Elanna frowned. Maybe she was sick. She looked at Seven more closely and caught her breath. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Are you pregnant?"

Seven’s hands immediately flew to her abdomen as if to protect the child there. She backed up.

B’Elanna’s mind was flying. There was no way it could be the Doctor’s. He was a hologram. Her eyes blazed with anger, "How could you do that to the Doctor?" The anger that had been burning at her all day now boiled over.

Seven went even paler, alarmed at what the Lieutenant had said, "No…."

"Oh come on, Seven. I’m not stupid. The Doctor is a hologram." She was yelling now, furious at Seven and furious for the Doctor. "That can’t be his baby. Have you even told him about this? Here you are, playing house with him and obviously playing with someone else. How could you do this to him?"

But Seven was not listening. Her mind was whirling, and she was fighting to remain conscious. The words were coming to her in a fog. Everything about her started to go black.

The Doctor heard the shouting as he approached the door. Fearful, he rushed through the door in time to see Seven seem to slip down through the air onto the floor. He rushed to her, "Seven!" He quickly scanned her with his medical tricorder, somewhat relieved that most of the results were normal. The Borg systems were weak, and he knew he needed to get her to the bed-alcove. "B’Elanna, I need your help."

B’Elanna had been standing there, her anger dissipating ,but still upset with Seven. Betraying the Doctor was something she could not forgive and would not forgive. She wasn’t interested in helping Seven, but she would help the Doctor.

He lifted Seven and carried her into the bedroom. B’Elanna followed and watched as he laid Seven on the bed. He turned to her, "I need for you to activate the alcove mechanism while I do a more thorough scan."

"What?" She was looking around the room. "There isn’t an alcove in here."

The Doctor was checking vital signs, "The headboard, B’Elanna. The headboard is a regeneration mechanism. Never mind, I’ll do it myself." He moved to activate the alcove and then went back to his scans. She watched as he lingered over Seven’s abdomen and was surprised to hear his words, "Thank goodness. The baby seems to be okay."

"You know?" B’Elanna reached for his arm. "You know she is pregnant?"

"Of course I know. How could I not know?"

"And you are okay with this?"

He could hear her anger and looked at her, trying to figure out what she was upset about. Then, he realized what she was thinking, "No, B’Elanna. It is my child. Seven is pregnant with my child."

B’Elanna was not certain she was hearing him correctly. "Doctor, are you telling me you performed some kind of surgical procedure?"

"I didn’t. Kahkar did. But the baby has both our genetic patterns. Seven’s and mine. The baby is ours."

"How?"

"I will explain that later." He turned back to check on Seven. "Right now, I have to make certain they are all right." He started scanning again.

B’Elanna was feeling overwhelmed. But she was not going to leave this place until she had some answers. She walked over to check out the headboard. It was a marvel. If Kahkar could create something like this, she thought, maybe the baby was theirs. She watched the Doctor and saw the concern written on his face. She watched as he gently arranged Seven on the bed, checking her alignment with the functioning alcove and reading his scans as he made certain she was receiving the energy she needed.

Finally satisfied, he stepped back. "I think they are okay. He pulled up a chair and sat down, close to the bed, taking Seven's hand. "Do you want to tell me what in the world was going on between the two of you?"

He was angry, and B’Elanna knew he had every right to be. She cleared her throat and uncomfortably responded, "It was my fault. I went to astrometrics to find Seven, and when she wasn’t there, I got upset. So, I came here to find her and then…." She paused, getting upset with herself, remembering how angry she had been, "Then, I realized she was pregnant and got really mad when I thought it wasn’t yours." She finished weakly, not really knowing what to say.

In spite of himself, he found himself smiling at her. "I should be really angry with you. But I appreciate your fighting for me." He laughed at the word fighting. "The truth is, B’Elanna, your argument with Seven did not really cause the fainting spell."

Instantly, she was concerned, "What did?" She could see the old reticence toward talking about Seven spring to the surface. "Doctor, if you don’t want to talk about it, fine. But I made you a promise before about not betraying your confidences, and I kept that promise. I will make that same promise to you now. You can trust me."

He sighed, "It was her Borg implants and nanoprobes. Their energy levels dropped too much."

"Maybe we need to put her in her Borg alcove."

"We can’t."

"What?"

He rubbed his hand across his mouth and breathed deeply. She could tell he was thinking about what he should say next, so she stayed quiet. Finally, he said, "The only way she can carry the child is to severely restrict the energy levels of her Borg systems. If she does not, the Borg implants and nanoprobes will attack the fetus." He looked at her, "In effect, she has to starve her Borg systems, or she will lose the baby."

B’Elanna was stunned. She looked back and forth between the Doctor and Seven. She was almost afraid to ask her question, "But I thought Seven had to regenerate?"

"She does. We are working on a balance that will keep her Borg systems strong enough to function, but weak enough not to threaten the baby. The headboard gives off a weaker energy, so she is trying to use this and only use the Borg alcove sparingly."

She walked slowly over to him and gave him a hug. She couldn’t think of anything to say.

At that moment, a call came, "Janeway to the Doctor."

"Doctor here."

"Doctor, we’ve had an accident in the shuttle bay. You are needed in the sickbay."

"On my way." He looked at B’Elanna. "I hate to ask you this, but can you stay with her and call me if there are any problems?"

"Of course. You can count on me."

"I know I can." He turned to leave, "Oh, B’Elanna, while your argument did not cause the fainting spell, the stress did not help. Please, for my sake, try to avoid any arguments."

She nodded, and he left. She sat in the chair next to the bed and watched Seven sleep. She could hardly believe it. Pregnant. Seven was pregnant. And it was the Doctor’s baby. She could hardly wait for the explanation of how that happened. She looked at the functioning headboard, again appreciating the engineering that had gone into it. Plus, it was absolutely beautiful.

She hoped Seven wouldn’t be too upset with her when she woke up. She was really hoping the Doctor would return before that happened.

But, an hour later, there was no sign of the Doctor, and Seven was starting to stir. B’Elanna moved out of her immediate line of vision and spoke in a soft voice once she was certain her patient was awake, "Seven, it is all right. Please be still and rest. The Doctor wants you to stay here until he gets back." She moved back so Seven could see her. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I am fine. I do not desire anything."

"I’m sorry, Seven. What I said to you was uncalled for. I hope you will forgive me."

Seven was looking at the bedroom door, and B’Elanna knew she wanted the Doctor to come walking through. In a moment, she turned, "I accept your apology. Thank you."

B’Elanna sat, her hands folded. Finally, she spoke, "You must love him very much to do this."

Seven sighed, "I do." She looked at B’Elanna and smiled, "And you must care for him very much to fight for him the way you did."

"I guess I do," laughed B’Elanna. "Do me a favor, and don’t tell Tom, okay? I don’t want him to be jealous." She started to wiggle, and her excitement came through in her voice, "A baby. Seven, you are really going to have a baby?"

Seven’s hands were rubbing lightly across her abdomen. She nodded her head.

B’Elanna asked, "How far along are you?"

"About four months."

"Wow. A baby." B’Elanna was giggling.

That was exactly how Seven felt, but she just smiled.

* * *

Everyone was in the mess hall, but no one knew why. They were all asking each other what the purpose of this gathering was. Only Neelix seemed to know what was going on but, for once, he was not saying anything. Finally, the mess hall doors opened, and Captain Janeway came in, followed by the Doctor and Seven of Nine. Suddenly, people were whispering and elbowing each other as they realized that the Doctor and Seven were holding hands. They quieted once the Captain started to speak.

"Thank you for coming tonight. I know all of you are wondering what occasion we are celebrating here tonight, and I will not hold you in suspense any longer." She looked around the room, certain she had everyone’s attention. "Tonight, we celebrate the union of Seven of Nine and the Doctor."

She fought not to laugh as she watched a room full of mouths dropped open. Then, she continued, "Seven and the Doctor have come to me, indicating their desire to be married. I have checked Starfleet records and can find no reason why this marriage cannot take place. Therefore, we will proceed." She looked around the room, curious as to the reaction of the crew. She was pleased to note that the heads she could see were nodding. "Doctor, Seven, will you please come forward?"

It was a simple, yet beautiful ceremony. After exchanging their vows, they turned to face the crew and the Captain said, "I now present to you the Doctor and Seven of Nine Hansen."

They were welcomed with cheers and applause. Neelix immediately came forward with champagne. Once he made certain everyone had a glass, and something nonalcoholic for Seven, he turned to the Doctor and said, "Doctor, I think a toast would be appropriate."

The Doctor lifted his glass, "And I wish to thank Mr. Neelix for that unplanned opportunity." He winked at Neelix.

"A toast to Seven of Nine, whom I love dearly, for becoming my wife. Finally, because of her, I have a name!" Everyone roared. The Doctor leaned over and kissed her lightly. Cheers erupted again.

Then, Neelix stepped forward, "To the Doctor and Seven of Nine. May you have a long and healthy life." Everyone cheered and drank. That was the beginning of a long round of toasts, some serious, some not.

Finally, the Doctor asked for quiet and, after many attempts, was given the floor. "I want to thank all of you for being a part of this tonight. Now, I have another bit of news, and I hope all of you also will be a part of that." He paused, looked at Seven, then pulled her closer to him. The Captain was holding her breath, as was B’Elanna. The Doctor continued, "I am very pleased to announce that Seven and I are going to have a baby."

A total silence fell over the room. The Doctor tightened his arm around Seven and continued to address the group, "I know you must wonder how that is possible. We have Kahkar and Ketaria to thank. It was their scientific abilities that made this pregnancy, this child possible. She is not a clone. Our daughter carries the blending of our genetic patterns. This child is very much wanted and very much loved. We hope you will be as pleased for us as we are for ourselves."

The Captain was searching the faces of the people in the room. She did not know what to expect, and she was nervous. The wedding was one thing, but this was something else all together. B’Elanna was next to her, alert for anything. They exchanged glances.

Then, Neelix stepped up, "A toast to the Doctor, to Seven and to baby Hansen." He lifted his glass and looked around the room. It only took a second, then a room full of glasses was raised with a resounding "hear, hear" and the silence was broken. Tom Paris called from the back, "When is the baby due?"

The Doctor replied, "In about five months."

"Okay all, I am running the baby pool. I’ll have a calendar with dates and times in the morning." He was met with more cheers.

Then, Seven of Nine stepped forward with her glass raised. The crowd fell silent. She turned to the Doctor, "To the Doctor. When I came onboard Voyager, you removed most of my Borg implants to give me back my human body. You gave me your friendship, and we became friends. Then, you taught me how to love and out of that love has come our marriage and our child. You told me once whatever it took to make me happy, you wanted that for me. You, Doctor. You make me happy." She tipped her glass to him, "To you." She sipped her drink, then moved to him and kissed him. He embraced her, and they hugged, to the cheers of everyone in the room.

The Captain and B’Elanna looked at each other with tears in their eyes. Neelix, also teary eyed, decided it was time to move the party along. "Okay, everyone, feel free to help yourself to the food."

Chakotay and Tuvok made their way to the Captain. Chakotay sidled up to her and asked, "Is what happened here tonight really legal?"

The Captain sipped her drink, "I didn’t find anything that prohibited it."

"But you didn’t find anything that allowed it."

"No, I didn’t. But, as I said, I didn’t find anything that said I couldn’t do it."

"Do they understand that, while it is not illegal, it may not be legal?"

"Chakotay, they were aware of my findings. We decided we would cross that bridge when we got there."

"A prudent decision," offered Tuvok.

They both looked at him, somewhat surprised.

"There is an old earth saying that I am familiar with," he paused before continuing, "it is easier to get forgiveness than permission."

Janeway laughed and patted him on the arm, "My sentiments exactly."

* * *

Tom was watching the Doctor as he worked at his desk. He did not think he had ever seen the Doctor look so concerned. He fought with himself for quite a while about whether or not to talk to him. He thought knew what the Doctor was worried about. He had seen some of the records the Doctor had been keeping on Seven although the Doctor kept most of the records encrypted. Still, he knew Seven didn’t look right, and the Doctor was monitoring her closely. All of these things added up to something but he wasn’t certain exactly what.

He shook he head when he thought about them. He knew Seven would never want a baby just for herself. She had been raised by the Borg and very rarely considered herself in any decision. She always thought about her "collective." Her decisions and desires were never driven by selfish acts. Having this baby was something she wanted for the Doctor.

He never would have believed she would love anyone that much. Or anything. The Doctor was a hologram. He wasn’t even a real person.

No, thought Tom, I don’t believe that. He is as real as I am.

He walked to the door and lightly knocked, "May I come in?"

The Doctor looked up, slightly surprised. Mr. Paris never knocked. "Is something wrong?"

"Maybe."

The Doctor looked at him, puzzled, "What’s wrong? Am I needed?" He started to rise.

"No, Doc. Keep your seat." Tom entered and sat down in the chair across from the Doctor. He gave the Doctor a sympathetic smile, "I thought maybe you could use someone to talk to." The Doctor looked at him suspiciously, and Tom could tell he was reluctant to tell him anything. Tom cleared his throat, "If I were you, I wouldn’t trust me either. But, I’m serious, Doc. I know you are worried about Seven. I know something is not quite right. I’m not going to tell anyone anything but I want you to know I am here for you if you need a friend."

The Doctor almost did not know how to react. This was not the Tom Paris he knew. But the look in Tom’s eyes told him that the words were sincere. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling gathering his thoughts.

"Have you and B’Elanna been talking?"

"No. Well, I asked but she wouldn’t tell me anything."

The Doctor nodded. "She promised not to say anything. Good for her." He sat silent for a moment. Tom was his assistant and he decided he should know. "The only way Seven can carry the baby is to severely restrict the amount of time she regenerates. She has to keep her Borg systems weakened so they won’t threaten the pregnancy. This is putting her under a lot of stress. We have been trying to figure out where the balance is between too much regeneration and too little. The baby does much better with a minimum regeneration time, but that is really hard on Seven."

Tom was not certain how to react. He had no idea this was what the problem was. He figured she was experiencing some problems with the pregnancy but had never figured on this. "Did she know this was going to be a problem?"

"Kahkar made certain she knew before we ever made the decision."

Tom exhaled. "Wow." He thought for a moment. "But she seems so happy."

"She is thrilled. Even when she is feeling her worst, she is happy."

"And you aren’t doing nearly as well."

"I guess I am just worried." He looked down at the data pad on his desk. After studying it for a moment, he pushed it across the desk.

Tom picked up the pad and studied it for a moment. "No wonder you’re concerned. These reading are all over the place. Her Borg energy levels aren’t stable at all." He looked at them for a while longer, "Doctor, how is she functioning?"

"She is doing every thing else right. She is getting a lot of rest, she eats very well, and she is very careful about not over exerting herself. I cannot complain about her as a patient."

"Well, Borg always do try to be perfect." He was pleased the Doctor chuckled. His asked, his voice warm and compassionate, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Doctor’s head turned toward him, amazement and appreciation in his eyes, "Thank you for asking, Mr. Paris. Just be there for both of us. What ever happens."

Tom nodded his head. "You will have that."

He was about to offer to get each of them a cup of coffee when the Sickbay doors opened, and Seven came rushing in. They both saw she was panicked. They rushed out of the office to meet her.

"Seven, tell me what’s wrong." The Doctor’s voice was calming.

"I do not know," hers was scared. "I felt something."

He was helping her onto a biobed, "Get me a tricorder, Mr. Paris." But Tom was already handing him one before he could even finish his sentence. "Lie still, Seven." He scanned her carefully.

Then, he gave Tom a strange look, but Tom saw it wasn’t a worried look. It was almost an amused one. He watched, wondering what was going on.

The Doctor leaned over Seven, picking up her hand. "Can you tell me what you felt, and where you felt it?"

She put his hand on her abdomen, "It was about here, and it felt like a Borg implant moving." She watched his face, fear in her eyes, her breath coming quickly, "Is the baby okay?"

He concentrated for a moment, closing his eyes. Then a smile started to spread across his face. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him intently. "Seven," he reached down to stoke her hair, his voice tender, "the baby is fine." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then said, "What you are feeling is the baby. She’s moving."

Her eyes went wide. He took her hands and moved them to her abdomen, covering them with his.

"Our daughter is moving, Seven. It isn’t a Borg implant. It is our daughter."

She lay there still, concentrating, waiting for the baby to move again. Tom stood there, quiet, not wanting to do anything to break the magic of the moment. Finally, she looked up at the Doctor, a smile starting to appear, "I feel her." Her voice was soft, almost musical.

Tom watched as tears started to trickle down Seven’s face. Then, he saw her sit up and reach for the Doctor. He saw them embrace each with one hand still on Seven’s abdomen, trying to feel their baby. He saw them, but it was hard since he realized he had tears in his own eyes.

* * *

They settled into a comfortable routine. Seven tried to continue her work in astrometrics, but it was not long before the effort was too much for her. She was regenerating less and less, relying mostly on the bed-alcove as her energy source. The Borg alcove was too powerful and using it invariably caused problems with the pregnancy. It was difficult for her to do much more than take her walks around Voyager.

The crew knew her pattern, and she found she could not walk very long before she was joined by one or another of them. She suspected it was by design, as the Doctor did not like her being alone. At first, she found the constant company disconcerting, but she gradually became accustomed to it and finally found she looked forward to visiting with the various crewmembers.

Today was not one of her better days. It was always like this just before she was scheduled to regenerate in the Borg alcove. Her energy levels would be really low, and she would struggle to get through the day. But she never complained. All the crew ever saw was someone who was extremely happy.

She was nearing the end of her walk when B’Elanna joined her. B’Elanna noticed immediately how pale she was and how slowly she was moving. She moved into step with Seven and offered her arm. Seven took it gratefully.

"Not having a great day?"

"No," Seven shook her head, "but I will be fine." She put her hand on top of her rather large stomach, "We will be fine." The smile she gave B’Elanna lit her face and added color to her cheeks.

They entered the living quarters, and Seven went immediately to the lie down on the sofa. B’Elanna was concerned by what she saw. Seven had lost all of her color and seemed extremely weak. She picked up the medical tricorder the Doctor kept in the room and scanned her.

"B’Elanna, thank you, but I am fine."

"No, you are not. The energy levels of your Borg systems have really dropped. You need to regenerate. Come, I will help you to your bed."

"Can you give me a minute? I do not think I can get up right now."

B’Elanna continued to scan and replied, "No, Seven. We need to go now. Do you want me to call the Doctor?"

"No. I can do it." With great effort, she got off the sofa, but needed B’Elanna’s help to walk to the bed. B’Elanna activated the headboard and pulled the chair closer to the bed. She kept scanning and was relieved to see the energy levels rising.

"I am going to stay here with you." To her relief, Seven did not argue with her. "Seven, you need to be more careful. When are you scheduled to regenerate in your Borg alcove?"

"Tomorrow."

B’Elanna heard the concern in her voice. "Are you worried about it?"

The reply was soft and given reluctantly, "Yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It sometimes stresses the baby," Seven was looking at her stomach, "I worry about her."

"I am certain the Doctor monitors you carefully while you regenerate. You will be fine, and you will feel a lot better afterwards." B’Elanna was doing her best to be supportive.

A look of discomfort crossed Seven’s face, and she shifted her position on the bed, then placed her hand on the side of her stomach. A look of delight appeared on her face. She looked over at B’Elanna, "She is moving. She does that a lot when I am lying like this. The Doctor loves to feel her when she moves at night. He often goes to sleep with his hand on top of my stomach." As soon as she realized what she said, she blushed. B’Elanna laughed at her embarrassment.

"Seven, that is wonderful. You should not be embarrassed." She hesitated before asking, "Could I feel?"

Seven nodded and guided B’Elanna’s hand so she could feel the baby moving. B’Elanna concentrated and laughed when she felt the baby move beneath her hand. "Oh, that is great. This must make you so happy."

"It does." Seven looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "At times like this, everything feels perfect." After a moment, she said, "B’Elanna, I would like to ask a favor of you."

B’Elanna gave her an expectant look, "Okay."

"I would like to know that you and Tom Paris will be there for the Doctor and our child if something happens to me."

B’Elanna caught her breath. "Seven, don’t talk like that. Nothing is going to happen." She started to remove her hand, but Seven caught it and looked at her intensely.

"B’Elanna, please. It is important to me. I have to know that this child will have people who will love her and care for her if I am not here." Her voice was emotional and B’Elanna found herself nodding.

"I promise."

"Thank you." Seven released her grip and relaxed. "You more than anyone else understands what she will face. You can help her. You can show her how to live with honor and strength in the face of adversity. The Doctor will love her, but you can make her strong." She fell silent, suddenly exhausted.

B’Elanna was stunned. Then, angrily, she leaned over Seven and looked her in the eye, "Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let anything happen. You will be here to make certain this child grows up loved and strong. I promise you that." She backed off, breathing heavily, "Now, rest. I will sit here with you while you regenerate. Don’t worry. Don’t worry about anything."

Seven of Nine’s eyes teared, and she gave B’Elanna a grateful smile. Then, she closed her eyes and slept. B’Elanna sat back, weary and shaken.

No, don’t you worry, she thought. I don’t make promises I don’t keep.

Part 5