Part 1

He rolled over, his eyes still closed and reached for her. When his hand felt the empty space in the bed, his eyes opened. He squinted to see in the darkened room. He was alone. He chuckled to himself and pushed out of the bed. He was groggy; his sleep subroutines worked really well. He walked into the living area, knowing he would find her there.

He smiled at her, crossed to the sofa and stretched himself out so he could watch her. He loved this time of the morning. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

She was sitting in the rocking chair, nursing Kathryn B’Elanna. Her long legs were crossed, one foot swinging back and forth as she rocked. Her head was cocked and leaned down toward their baby. She glanced up at him from time to time, smiling. She knew how much he loved watching her nurse the baby.

"So," his voice was still husky with sleep, "what do you have planned for the day?"

She just looked at him, knowing what he was really asking. She gave him the same look she had given him every day of the last week and went back to watching Kathryn B’Elanna nurse.

"Seven."

"I know, Doctor. But I am doing fine."

He pursed his lips. He knew she did not want to discuss anything upsetting while she was nursing, so he decided not to pursue the conversation further. At least not now. He decided to talk about something he knew she would discuss with him. "She has grown so much already."

"I know," her eyes were bright, and her face lit up. "I can almost watch her grow." She looked at him, her eyes moist, "I never imagined it would be like this."

He lifted himself off the couch and went to her. He kissed her, "I didn’t either." He moved to the replicator, "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I do not require anything right now."

He ordered up coffee and sat back down on the sofa. "I have a busy day planned today. It is time for the annual crew physicals. B’Elanna said she would come spend the morning with you."

She did not say anything. He knew she wanted to argue but would not. He sipped his coffee and continued to watch his wife and child. This was more perfect, he thought to himself, than any life he could ever have imagined.

* * *

B’Elanna entered the room, "Good morning, all."

"Good morning," Seven’s response was not cold, but it also was not warm.

B’Elanna’s eyes looked to the Doctor who gave her a slight shake of his head.

"I am going to put Kathryn B’Elanna to bed." Seven rose from the rocking chair and walked into the bedroom.

The Doctor walked over to B’Elanna, "She is very touchy today. I don’t think she is feeling well. She would not even let me check her this morning." He looked at her carefully, "Do you think you can handle it, or should I call the Captain."

B’Elanna thought a few minutes before responding, "No, Doctor. I think I can handle it. If it gets too bad, I’ll call the Captain myself." She laughed softly, "Thanks for the warning, though."

Seven walked back into the room, her look telling them she knew they were talking about her. She turned to the replicator and ordered herself breakfast. She turned, "See, Doctor, I am taking care of myself."

He did not glance at B’Elanna like he wanted to. Instead, he went to Seven, gave her a kiss and bid her goodbye. At he walked out of the living quarters, he risked a small wink to B’Elanna and mouthed good luck to her.

Seven sat at the table to eat her breakfast. B’Elanna ordered a hot tea and sat down to join her.

"So, did KB sleep well last night?"

Seven glared at her, "Her name is Kathryn B’Elanna."

"Sorry. Everyone calls her KB and, since she is all anyone talks about on the ship, I am afraid the KB just slipped out." B’Elanna gave Seven a friendly grin, hoping to improve her mood.

Seven was quiet for a moment, "Everyone talks about her?"

Interest. This was good. B’Elanna sipped her tea, "Seven, she is the topic of every conversation. Her baby pictures have been downloaded to almost every computer on Voyager. You have a little star on your hands!"

Seven seemed pleased. "But I wish they would not shorten her name. It is imprecise."

B’Elanna just nodded in agreement. She had learned by now that sometimes not responding to Seven was the best thing to do. Without being obvious, she tried to watch her carefully. But Seven knew she was being observed.

"Lieutenant, I am fine. You do not need to watch me every minute. I wish you and the Doctor would accept the fact I am capable of taking care of myself." She rose and strode to stand near the rocking chair, "I do not need to be babysat every minute of the day." Her voice was angry. She turned to face B’Elanna, "I…."

B’Elanna watched the color drain from her face. She shot from her chair, but before she could reach her, Seven collapsed, falling into the coffee table.

"Damn." She grabbed the medical tricorder and scanned Seven. She had a cut on her forehead where she had hit the table, and her Borg systems were giving off erratic signals. B’Elanna hit her combadge, "Torres to the Doctor."

"B’Elanna, what happened?"

"Seven fainted again. I am transporting her to you. I’ll bring Kathryn B’Elanna to the Sickbay."

"I’m ready." She could hear the frustration and concern in his voice.

B’Elanna stepped back from Seven and gave the order, "Computer, transport Seven of Nine to the Sickbay."

She watched as Seven shimmered out of sight. She hit her combadge again, "Torres to the Captain."

"Janeway here."

"Captain, Seven fainted again. I have transported her to Sickbay and am on my way there now with KB. I thought you might want to meet us there."

"Thank you. I will. Janeway out."

B’Elanna walked into the bedroom and lifted the sleeping baby from her crib. "Come on, Kathryn B’Elanna. We have to go see your mother in the Sickbay." She walked toward the doors to the corridor and sighed, "Again."

* * *

When the turbolift opened, Kathryn Janeway was inside. B’Elanna joined her. The Captain asked, "What happened this time?"

"Same thing. She got upset over being watched all the time and down she went."

"Was she injured?"

"Cut on her forehead, probably a concussion. Wiped out the coffee table. No broken bones this time."

Kathryn Janeway shook her head. The turbolift stopped and the doors opened. They walked out together toward the Sickbay. Just before the doors, Janeway stopped and looked at B’Elanna. "Strong united front?"

"Absolutely." B’Elanna nodded her head.

"Okay. Let’s do it."

They entered the Sickbay. The Doctor had just finished his scans and looked up at them. "Captain, B’Elanna." He turned to pick up his medical tricorder and started working on the cut on Seven’s forehead. "No real damage. She has a slight concussion, and I will be able to fix her cut with the dermal regenerator as soon as I have repaired the brain tissue trauma." He looked up at the two women and sighed, "She was lucky this time."

"Doctor," the Captain’s voice was firm, "I think it is time we put a stop to this, don’t you?"

He put down the medical tricorder and picked up the dermal regenerator and continued his work. "I couldn’t agree with you more, Captain. We have done it her way long enough." He finished and picked up the hypospray, "Are you ready?"

Janeway nodded and the Doctor pressed the hypospray to Seven’s neck and administered the mild stimulant. Her eyes started to flutter open. It took a moment for her eyes to focus on the three faces around her. She looked from one to the other, then stared at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"No." Her voice was firm. She sat up, facing down the three people in front of her. "I will not comply."

The Doctor moved to stand in front of her, "Seven, you do not have a choice. You cannot continue like this. You are putting yourself at risk and we…I will not allow this to continue."

Seven slid off the biobed and moved past the Doctor toward B’Elanna and Kathryn B’Elanna. Before she could reach them, her body froze, and she started to pitch forward. The Doctor caught her and, lifting her, laid her back on the biobed. He quickly administered another stimulant. Even so, it took her a few minutes to come around. She looked at the Doctor, and he could see how upset she was with herself. He took her hand and leaned down close to her face.

"Seven, you no longer have a say in this. I am speaking to you as your doctor now, not as your husband."

She looked into his face and then to Janeway’s. She did not have to look at B’Elanna’s. She stared at the ceiling, knowing that arguing would not do any good.

"How long?" Her voice was choked.

"My best estimate is at least a week."

"A week?" Her voice expressed as much horror at his answer as her face. She struggled to sit up. "Doctor, please." She looked at him, her anguish obvious. She dropped her voice to speak to him privately, "Not a week. I am nursing her. She needs me. Not a week. Please."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. After a moment, he spoke softly in her ear, "Seven, we have discussed this. You know I can make certain she gets what she needs. I can take care of both of you." He released his hold on her, pulled away and took her hands in his, "If you do not do this, you might not be there to watch her grow up. Now, what is more important?"

She closed her eyes, then slowly nodded her head. He watched her pull herself together and, holding onto him, slide off the biobed. She looked at the baby in B’Elanna’s arms, working hard not to cry. B’Elanna brought the baby over to the Doctor who took her and held her for Seven to kiss her goodbye.

"I am going to transport the three of you to the Cargo Bay." He watched as the Captain and B’Elanna moved to stand on either side of Seven to provide her support if needed. He send the command to the computer and watched them dematerialize from the Sickbay. He did not miss that Seven of Nine never took her eyes off of her baby.

* * *

They materialized in the Cargo Bay and the Captain and B’Elanna had to immediately reach for Seven to support her. They helped her to the Borg alcove where she sat on the edge.

"I only need a moment." Her voice was weak.

B’Elanna moved to set the controls, and the Captain stayed near Seven.

"We will take good care of Kathryn B’Elanna and the Doctor. You don’t need to worry about either one of them." The Captain’s voice was comforting. "You only need to take care of yourself."

She was surprised to see tears starting to slide down Seven’s face. "A week, Captain. I cannot bear the thought of being away from her for a week."

The Captain sat down next to her. "A week is better than a lifetime."

Seven looked at her through a haze of tears and nodded, "I know." She looked at the floor, "I have failed her."

"Oh, Seven," the Captain put her arm around her shoulders, "you have not failed her. You are not well. You can’t help that, but you can do something about it. If you did not take care of yourself, then you would fail her. You are doing the right thing."

Seven sat with her eyes firmly locked on the floor. B’Elanna walked up to them, "The controls are set and the alcove is ready." Seven sighed and tried to stand. The Captain and B’Elanna had to help her to her feet and then to the alcove. While Captain Janeway supported Seven, B’Elanna reached to activate the alcove. Seven glanced briefly at each of them before she straightened and closed her eyes. The Captain continued to hold her hand until she was certain Seven was stable in her regeneration position. Then, she removed her hand and joined B’Elanna to view the scans.

"Looks like someone is going to have to keep a close eye on her while she regenerates." The Captain’s voice sounded concerned.

"I think you’re right. At least for the first few days." B’Elanna was having to make adjustments every few minutes.

The Borg implants were erratic and had been so since the birth of the baby almost two months ago. Everyone thought they would eventually stabilize but they had not done so. Instead of improving, they were getting less and less stable. Long-term regeneration was the only solution, but Seven had fought against it as long as she could. She had tried rest and increased consumption to compensate but nothing had worked.

"I’ll take first watch," B’Elanna was concentrating on the scans. "Do you think you can arrange for someone to relieve me in about four hours? As closely as I am having to watch these scans, I think four hours is about all anyone is going to be able to last right now."

"I’ll draw up a schedule. We’ll make certain someone is with her at least for the first forty-eight hours. I’ll tell the Doctor what is happening. He may have to monitor her closer than he had planned."

"What about Kathryn B’Elanna?" B’Elanna didn’t even look up from the computer.

"I’ll talk to him about her also. I may have to draw up two schedules." She turned to walk out of the Cargo Bay. At the door, she turned to look back at Seven of Nine in her alcove and then at B’Elanna at the computer console. She watched them for a long moment. Then, she turned and left.

* * *

"I can’t decide who she looks like," Naomi was peering over the crib at the sleeping baby. "Sometimes I think she looks like the Doctor and sometimes she looks like Seven." She sighed and moved back from the crib, walking out of the bedroom with her mother. She went to sit in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth looking decidedly unhappy. Samantha Wildman watched her.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about, Naomi?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Samantha knew what was bothering Naomi. Ever since Seven had gotten pregnant and had so many problems, the time Naomi had been able to spend with her had been restricted. Samantha knew Naomi was missing her friend. She also knew Naomi was concerned that Seven would not have time at all for her now that the baby was here.

"You know, when Seven finishes her regeneration and is able to manage on her own, she will probably need someone around to help her with KB and KB will do better with a big sister. It seems to me you might be the best person for that job."

Naomi continued to rock but Samantha knew she was thinking. After a few minutes, she said, "I never had a big sister."

Samantha tried not to smile, "Oh, I don’t know about that."

Naomi looked at her confused, "What?"

"It seems to me Seven has been a kind of a big sister for you."

"Seven?"

"Yes, Seven."

Naomi was quiet. Then, she said, "I never thought about it before."

"So, wouldn’t it be nice to be to KB what Seven has been to you. Seems to me it would be a nice way of telling Seven thank you." Samantha was trying to keep the conversation light, acting as if she was more interested in folding the baby clothes in front of her.

Naomi slid out of the rocking chair and went to sit next to her mother on the sofa. She picked up a small shirt and folded it, slowly and precisely. Samantha noticed that she folded it exactly as she had seen Seven fold it. She realized how much Naomi emulated Seven. She wondered again why the close relationship between the two did not threaten her.

They were very close or they had been before Seven had gotten pregnant. She suspected their relationship would change, but she expected them to continue to be close. The pregnancy had taken so much out of Seven that she had had to restrict most of her social contacts with people. That had been especially difficult on Naomi. When she did try to visit. Seven had often been too tired. It had added up to an unhappy few months for Naomi.

Samantha had kept trying to tell Naomi that it would be different after the baby was born, but it had actually gotten worse. Since the birth of the baby, Naomi had had even less contact with her. Naomi was scared something bad was going to happen to Seven but had expressed that fear as anger. It was so difficult for her to understand she was not being abandoned.

Kathryn B’Elanna started to cry, and Samantha got up and walked into the bedroom. Naomi continued folding the baby’s clothes. After a few minutes, Samantha brought the baby out and got a bottle ready for her.

"Naomi, would you like to feed her?"

Naomi looked at her with her eyes wide, "Really? I can feed her?"

Samantha nodded, "If you would like to."

"I would."

"Okay, sit in the rocking chair."

Naomi moved to sit in the rocking chair, and Samantha placed the baby in her arms. "Now, support her head." She adjusted Naomi’s arm under the baby’s head, "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes." Naomi’s voice was tentative but excited.

"Here is the bottle," she put the bottle in Naomi’s hand and showed her how to hold it. She soon had Kathryn B’Elanna nursing the bottle. Naomi watched her intently, careful not to do anything to dislodge the bottle from the baby. Samantha thought she could already tell a difference in Naomi’s attitude toward the baby. She smiled to herself.

Naomi looked at the baby closely and, without looking up said, "I think she looks like Seven."

* * *

Neelix walked in, "Hello, Naomi. Ensign Wildman. I am here to for my duty shift." He walked up to the baby, sitting in her carrier, eyes moving as if she were observing everyone around her. He put his finger in her hand, and she grabbed it. He thought she was looking him right in the eye. "You are so much like your mother."

"I fed her." Naomi had moved to stand next to them.

"You did?" He acted impressed, "All by yourself?"

"All by myself." She responded, proudly. "Well, mother helped me some, but I did most of it by myself."

"She sure did," Samantha Wildman put her hand on Naomi’s shoulder. "And she did a wonderful job."

"Good for you, Naomi," he gave Ensign Wildman a sly wink. The two of them had been worried about Naomi’s increasing despondence. It was good to see her reacting positively toward the baby. "I’ll bet KB enjoyed you feeding her as much as you did."

"Her name is Kathryn B’Elanna." Without even realizing it, Naomi’s voice took on Seven’s firm, clipped tone.

Neelix and Samantha exchanged amused glances. Samantha patted Naomi’s shoulder, "Come on. You need to go to your class, and I have to report for duty."

They prepared to leave but, before they did, Naomi went to the baby and kissed her on the cheek, "Goodbye, Kathryn B’Elanna. I’ll bring a Flotter book the next time we keep you and read you a story."

They bid Neelix farewell and left. He stood a moment, smiling to himself. He was relieved that Naomi seemed to have a changed attitude about the baby. He turned to her, "I think you have won a convert, little girl. You must have magic charms." He picked the child up out of the carrier, moved to the rocking chair and settled himself. He started rocking. The baby looked up at him, her eyes seeming to focus on his face. He knew she was too young to actually do so, but he had the eerie feeling she was watching him. "You have eyes just like your mother." He chuckled and pulled her closer to him, "Let’s see if I can think of a story to tell you." He thought for a moment and began.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess named Kes. In her court was a healer, and his name was the Doctor, just like your daddy’s name. Kes liked to spend time with the Doctor. He was a cold, unfeeling man, but Kes knew that there was a warm and wonderful person in him. She just had to help him find himself.

"So, she tried to help him find his way. She spent time with him and talked to him about his feelings. The Doctor didn’t even know he had feelings but, with Kes’ help, he slowly started to change. He started to see himself as a person in just the same way she saw him. Her love for him helped him love himself.

"One day, Queen Janeway faced a dangerous enemy. She decided the only way to defeat this enemy was to join forces with another enemy, so she approached this enemy with a flag of truce. The enemy sent a warrior to join the queen’s forces. Together, they won their battle and the queen and her people were safe. But in the battle, the warrior was lost from her people, and the queen became responsible for her life. Soon, they realized the warrior could not live as a warrior apart from her people. So, she ordered the Doctor to work his healing power on her to restore her to the human she had once been.

"While the Doctor worked on the warrior, the princess Kes was trying to leave the realm. She knew she had to leave for she was a person of a great and wonderful power. As hard as it was for the queen to do so, she realized she had to let her go. With a heavy heart, she allowed Kes to leave her realm and, in return, Kes used her great power to send the queen and her people out of the land of their enemies.

"Now the queen had a different problem. The warrior did not want to leave her people, and she was angry. She was lonely and lost and afraid. The queen went to her and promised to help and protect her. The great love of Kes still touched the heart of the queen, and the warrior felt that love, and it gave the warrior the strength to finally agree to turn from her people and pledge her loyalty to the queen.

"So, the Doctor continued his work with the warrior and as a result, the warrior became a beautiful new princess and her name was Seven of Nine. But Seven of Nine did not know how to love for her people had blackened her heart. The queen worked very hard to teach Seven of Nine compassion and love but the darkness in Seven’s heart was so great, the queen was starting to despair of ever doing so. The Doctor looked on Seven with great kindness. He remembered the love Kes had given to him and how that love had been great enough to thaw his frozen heart. The gift from Kes was one he decided to give to Seven of Nine.

"He worked with the queen to teach Seven of Nine about kindness and compassion. It was not easy and many times they did not think they would be successful.

"But underneath everything, the beautiful Seven of Nine was lonely. The Doctor wanted to reach through to the heart of the lonely princess but doing so proved to be extremely difficult. He was beginning to think he would never be able to reach her when something terrible happened. In a great explosion, the Doctor was hurt. It took another healer, B’Elanna the Great, to save the Doctor. Knowing she almost lost the Doctor caused the ice in Seven of Nine’s heart to melt, and she went to the Doctor to profess her love. He was finally able to tell her that he loved her also.

"They loved each other very much, but their lives were empty because they could not have a child. Then, the queen offered help to two great wizards who took the Doctor and Seven of Nine into their hearts. At their parting, they gave the Doctor and Seven of Nine a great gift – they were to have a child. Soon the realm was blessed with a new princess, and her name was Kathryn B’Elanna. She was greatly loved by everyone in the realm, and they all lived happily ever after."

She was still watching him, her eyes intense. He had the sense she had taken in every word he had said. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the door.

"B’Elanna the Great?" B’Elanna was leaning against the door. Neelix looked at her, eyes widening.

"B’Elanna! I didn’t know you were there." Neelix was embarrassed, "Uh, how much did you hear?"

"I’d say, oh, all of it." She walked in, chuckling. "It was a wonderful story, Neelix. I enjoyed it. Especially the ‘B’Elanna the Great’ part." She sat down on the sofa, "Maybe next time though, you can give me a bigger part. B’Elanna the Great really should have more than just a walk on role."

"I’ll see what I can do." He leaned back against the chair and continued to rock. "How is Seven?"

"I don’t really know. I am on my way there now." She stretched her neck and rolled her right shoulder. "Yesterday was really difficult. I had first watch, and I had to constantly monitor her." She sat staring at the baby in his arms.

"You look concerned, Lieutenant."

"It’s probably me worrying about nothing, Neelix." She gave him a small grin. "I just wasn’t expecting her to be so unstable. But, she was still upset about being separated from KB and that probably was affecting her. I imagine she will be powering up nicely when I get to the Cargo Bay." She put her hands on the sofa arm and pushed herself up, "Which is where I need to be going right this minute. Tom should be on watch and I need to relieve him." She walked over and looked down at the baby in Neelix’s arms. Then she gave Neelix a wink, "See you later."

He watched her walk out of the door and frowned. He had not found her visit very comforting.

* * *

She was surprised to see the Doctor in the Cargo Bay when she walked in. She looked around but Tom was no where to be found. "Good morning, Doctor. I thought Tom was taking this watch."

The Doctor did not even look at her but was watching the computer scans. "I sent him back to Sickbay. She was still too unstable, and I decided I needed to be here with her."

She noticed how haggard he looked. She walked up to read the computer scans beside him. After watching them for a few minutes, she said, "This looks worse than yesterday. What’s happening, Doctor?"

"I wish I knew." He left her at the computer console and walked up into the alcove to stand next to Seven. He looked at her carefully before turning to face B’Elanna, "I hope I have not let her go too long. She should have undergone this long-term regeneration immediately after Kathryn B’Elanna was born."

"And you and what army was going to make her do that? Doctor, all of us thought her Borg implants would stabilize. We thought all she needed was time and for her to undergo normal regeneration. She did that. No one could have expected this." She wanted to go to him to comfort him but found herself having to stand at the console making almost constant adjustments to the energy flow. One second, it was too much and the next, too little. She realized she was starting to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was almost as if the implants were trying to short themselves out. "This probably isn’t the best time to ask this question, but do you have any ideas?"

He was still standing there, watching his wife, a worried expression on his face. "No, B’Elanna, I don’t have any ideas."

"Then I guess we keep doing what we are doing." Her voice was determined.

And we hope for the best, she thought.

Part 2