Disclaimer: Paramount owns them; I'm just playing in their world and making no money doing it.
The Hardest Thing
Prologue
Seven of Nine was hidden in the shadows of Cargo Bay One, deep inside the returned starship Voyager, retrieving the few personal effects that she kept. Neatly folding the blanket that had been a recent gift from the Ventu girl, she looked up when she heard footsteps coming. There was nobody scheduled to be in the cargo bay other than herself.
The footsteps belonged to Crewmen Fellini and Dahali. She was about to announce her presence when she heard a comment that stopped her.
"Can you believe that Commander Chakotay is seeing Seven of Nine?" asked Fellini. Seven had not been aware that the 'rumor mill' had been alerted of their relationship, and she elected to remain out of sight as she did not know how to act in the awkward social situation. Many members of the crew wished to tour the ship one more time before it underwent extensive refits, and the women would doubtlessly spend very little time in the cargo bay. If she did not announce herself, she could most likely avoid a difficult conversation.
"Unbelievable," replied Dahali. "Everyone knows he and the captain are in love." Seven inhaled sharply. She knew of that rumor, of course. Everyone on board Voyager did. However, she had come to the conclusion that, if such affection ever existed, it was no longer present.
"I heard that she looked like he punched her," continued Dahali. "But she kept pushing him away for years. He was so obvious! That's why nobody would ever think about seeing him."
"Except Seven," amended Fellini.
"Well, she wasn't with us in the beginning."
"Even still, I would've thought…" Fellini trailed off, then started again. "I guess the commander gave up on Captain Janeway."
"But now she's free, and he's not." The petite Dahali sighed. "It's so tragic, because you know he's too good a man to dump Seven just like that." She snapped her fingers.
"It seems odd to talk about Seven here."
"Why?"
Fellini shrugged. "It's kind of like her quarters, I guess."
"Doesn't bother me. It's not like she's here or anything."
"Yeah, I bet Starfleet is going to be debriefing her for at least as long as Captain Janeway."
"I hope they're fair to her. Being a drone before and all."
"I'm pretty sure Captain Janeway will fight for her. Seven's like her daughter."
Dahali sighed again. "Ironic, isn't it?"
"Very."
The women had left the cargo bay after that, unaware that the main subject of their conversation stood in the shadows, devastated. The foundation upon which she had planned to enter the new phase of her humanity had been abruptly demolished. Seven found herself conflicted, with anger, hurt, and worry roiling inside her.