Disclaimer: I own nothing except the ridiculousness of my muse.
Author's Note: Luftangrepp posted a photoset of Janeway holding the Borg baby on tumblr and made the request, "... someone please write that fic that I need where Janeway adopts this baby and calls her Mollie." This is the first chapter of my response to her challenge and, while I didn't mean to let this plot bunny go wild in my mind (I've got two other WIPs I'm working on PLUS NaNoWriMo), I couldn't ignore it. I can't say how often it'll be updated but I've got three chapters written so far. This is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.
"Sickbay to Captain Janeway."
The call from the Doctor interrupts Kathryn's third coffee of the morning and she sighs wearily. Though well-intentioned, the Doctor's harping on her caffeine intake gets on her nerves and she's too stressed to deal with him. There's five Borg children on Voyager now and she's got to figure out what to do with them for the time being; Icheb and the twins both have families waiting.
The Wysanti, Azan and Rebi's people, have been kind enough to offer a home to Mezoti since Kathryn's been unable to contact the Norcadians and Voyager's scheduled to rendezvous with the Wysanti in a few days. Icheb's parents are excited to have him back and it's been a renewal of faith for Kathryn to see the four of them returning to open arms. The little Borg baby, though, is so weighed down with Borg implants that the Doctor's having a hard time determining what species the little girl is.
"EMH to Captain Janeway," the Doctor repeats and Kathryn rolls her eyes before tapping her combadge to initiate the link.
"Janeway here. What can I do for you, Doctor?"
"Captain, your presence is required in sickbay. I've finished the genetic tests on the infant and I need to speak to you."
"I'm on my way," Kathryn says and frowns at the serious tone in the Doctor's voice; he's often melodramatic but she knows that tone and that tone indicates something's wrong. She takes her coffee with her as she exits the ready room and nods at Chakotay to let him know he's still got the bridge. The ride to deck five is long and the suspense is killing her by the time she gets to Sickbay. The sound of the Borg baby crying stops her in her tracks right inside the door.
"Ah, Captain," the Doctor greets her as he picks up the infant. "You're just in time. Would you hold her while I get her bottle ready?"
Kathryn takes the baby hesitantly, looking down at the tiny being with wide eyes. She's held her before but that time she was in a hurry to get her people back from the Borg cube. Now she has time to marvel at the tiny nose and little mouth, the perfect eyebrows that accent the bright blue eyes. She heavier than a normal infant, thanks to the insane implants riddling her body; she's a mass of biological and technological components but Kathryn thinks she's perfect.
"Here we are. She should take the whole bottle."
The Doctor's voice interrupts Kathryn's musings. She looks up, startled, and takes the offered bottle. The baby latches on to the nipple and attacks the formula voraciously, making Kathryn laugh.
"As I said, Captain, I finished running the genetic testing on our little friend here and I have some surprising news," the Doctor says. "Under her implants, the infant is human."
"Human?" Kathryn breaths, her eyes wide as she stares at the EMH in shock. "How is that possible?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Captain. I would assume she was forcibly removed from her mother when the Borg assimilated her. She was put in the Borg maturation chamber and would've grown into a full Borg drone if she'd been allowed to stay. Seven of Nine indicated that the child was marked to replace the Queen when she was fully matured."
"Dear god," Kathryn whispers, her mind reeling at the thought of the tiny little girl in her arms being raised to become the next Queen. "That's absolutely horrifying."
"I thought so too," he agrees, waving his tricorder over the child. When he's satisfied with the readings, he looks back up at the captain. "What are we going to do about her, Captain?"
"I'm not sure," Kathryn admits, looking down when she realizes there's no movement coming from the bundle in her arms. She hands the bottle to the Doctor and shifts the baby up to lie against her shoulder so she can burp her. Patting her back softly, Kathryn turns her attention back to the Doctor. "Can you remove her implants?"
"I'd estimate she's about four weeks old, which means it'll be difficult - but not impossible - to remove her implants. She's proven that she's resilient so far, which is going to help her through the process," he says, shrugging.
"Good. Then let's do this as soon as possible." It's not quite an order but she knows he'll take it that way, which doesn't bother her in the least.
"She'll need a caregiver after the surgery, Captain. A shipwide memo asking for a volunteer might be a-"
"I'll take care of it," she says, cutting him off. The baby's burp punctuates her emphatic statement and she can't help but laugh again. "I'll find a caregiver for her, Doctor."
"Then I'll make the necessary preparations for the surgery," he says, nodding decisively before waving a hand toward his office. "I'll be around if you need me."
Utilizing the holo-emitters in sickbay, Kathryn calls up a rocking chair and positions it next to the small incubator. She sits, adjusting the baby so she's resting on her lap and she rocks the tiny child while she stares down at her. She finds it hard to tear her eyes away from the solemn blue eyes that lock onto hers and she's fairly certain the baby is looking straight into her soul. She laughs at herself, shaking off the feeling.
"You've had quite the life already, haven't you?" she whispers to the little girl. "I can't promise that things are going to be easy but I'll make sure you're loved and taken care of." The baby blinks a few times and then yawns widely, earning a smile from the captain. "Are you sleepy, sweetheart? Then let's get you comfortable."
Kathryn gathers the infant up, cradling her close and rocks her. The repetitive, calming motion and the gradual release of her pent up stress helps Kathryn relax; she stares down at the little girl and loses herself in the feeling of holding the infant. When the Doctor comes out of his office twenty minutes later, he finds the Captain asleep in the rocking chair with her hand resting on the baby's belly as the child sleeps in the incubator.