Author's Notes: Welcome to Chapter 7! This chapter is necessary filler to set a precedent. Thanks as always to Starshine15 and Scifiromance for all their attention and distraction, and thank you for letting me tell you a story!
Read, enjoy, review!
~LM
Obligatory Legalities: Don't own them. Never will. Fun times.
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January 23
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"And then our little ovum floats down, down, down..." The Doctor's voice came over the small console placed on the Astrometric's platform for the three youngest Borglings. Mezoti lay between Rebi and Azan, the three of them on their bellies with their PADDs in front of them as they boredly took notes. "...the Fallopian tubes until it reaches the..." The Doctor on the small screen gestured for the children to fill in the vocabulary word. "Come on, children. The little ovum floats down the Fallopian tube into the- what?"
"Womb." Rebi said boredly, resting his cheek in his hand. He glanced at Icheb who was being allowed to skip the lesson in favor of mapping a nearby bit of space. The teenager smirked at the three younger children, glad he didn't have to participate in another biology lesson.
"Yes, Rebi, the womb." said the Doctor. "But the medical term is-?"
"Uterus." Azan murmured, picking at a bit of dirt under his fingernail. "In humans and most humanoid species."
Mezoti nodded. "Some species have a reproductive bladder or a sort of-"
"Well, yes, but we are learning about the reproductive cycle of Alpha Quadrant humanoids." said the Doctor. "If you would like to expand our lessons then I'm sure I could find another few lecture's worth of information for-"
Azan snapped to attention. "Oh, no-no, Doctor. This is most fascinating." He nudged Mezoti beside him. "Isn't is, Zotti?"
The youngest nodded, faking a smile. "Oh yes, Doctor. Please continue."
Rebi didn't catch their meaning. "Do we have to? We know where humanoid babies come from. And even if we didn't, Icheb has looked it up on the-"
"Hey!" Icheb cut the boy off, glancing at Seven before giving his younger sibling a warning look. "Watch it."
Seven looked up from her console to see the teenager standing beside her fully. His cheeks flushed as he looked back down, avoiding her gaze. Well, it wasn't as though the information wasn't at his fingertips.. and she'd certainly had a few interesting database searches herself. With a roll of her eyes, she returned her attention to her work without comment. On the other side of Icheb, Jenny pursed her lips to keep from smirking, but also held in any opinion.
The Doctor continued his lecture. "And now our tiny little ovum is down to the end of the Fallopian tube and floating down to the womb hoping to meet up with a fiesty little sp-"
"Doctor, perhaps this is a lecture better listened to in person." Seven said, gently cutting the Doctor off. "I think the children would better benefit from a study of genetic sequencing-"
The Doctor's face appeared on the main screen as he leaned in, a frown pulling his brows together over a nose as big as one of the twins. "Sperm and ovum are the stepping stones of genetics, Seven. All of the genetic material that makes you 'you' is held in the chromosomes passed on to you via your mother's egg and your father's-"
"Be that as it may," Seven cut him off again, cutting off the three youngest from a round of giggles with a stern look. "The children are already familiar with this material."
On the screen, the Doctor sighed, stepping back. "Very well." He paced across the floor of sickbay, arms crossed and a finger to his lips. "Perhaps we could learn about the genetic differences between the Vulcans and the Romulans." He stopped pacing, turning to the camera on his console and clapping his hands once. "Alright, children, scroll to page seven hundred and forty-three."
Behind them, the doors to Astrometrics slid open. Chakotay walked in with his usual confident step, a PADD in his hand swinging easily in time with his movements. He smiled as he approached the center console. "Hello." he greeted, nodding to Jenny and the children before focusing on Seven. "B'Elanna is getting the replicators up and running right now, Seven. Are you ready?"
When he held he PADD out to her, Seven took it from his hand and read the information pulled up on the screen. "The requisitions." She looked back up to him and nodded.
"Good." he said. "Let's go."
"Children," she said over her shoulder. "Finish your lessons with the Doctor. I will be back imminently."
"Seven?" Mezoti propped herself up higher than Azan beside her to see over his head.
"I will be right back, Mezoti." said the blonde, quickly letting Chakotay lead her out into the hall before she could be followed.
XXX
In the shuttlebay, B'Elanna looked up from the large replicator screen she had just coaxed back to life. Chakotay had asked for her to personally reboot the utility replicators, but he hadn't told her what he wanted to do with them, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him walk in with Seven of Nine keeping stride beside him. Briefly she wondered what the Borg children had broken to warrant Chakotay himself having to replicate it. If not for the overhaul her team was pulling in Engineering without her, she'd have stayed to try and subtly investigate, but as it was, she was needed elsewhere. 'Oh well- there's always lunchtime.'
"All set up?" Chakotay asked as they approached, his easy grin on his face.
The half-Klingon nodded, tucking her small toolcase under her arm before dusting off her hands. "And ready to go." she answered. "Treat her gentle."
Chakotay chuckled with a nod. "We will."
"So long as you treat her better than all those shuttles-" B'Elanna clapped the Commander's shoulder as she stepped past him.
"Oh, come on." he laughed, watching her head for the door at the far end of the bay. "You crash one shuttle, and nobody ever lets you live it down!"
B'Elanna spun back with an answering snort, walking backwards long enough to roll her eyes and say, "If only it were just one shuttle to live down, Jefe." She turned back in time to walk out the door. "See ya later."
Seven was the first to approach the large screen, but deferred to Chakotay at the last minute, unsure of just exactly what she needed. With more ease, Chakotay activated the screen, scrolling down through the options until he reached the furniture.
"Okay.. we need four little kiddie beds.." Chakotay murmured, perusing the thumbnail pictures on the screen. "They have a heck of a lot of options on here. Anything in particular you have in mind?"
When he glanced at her for her opinion, she briefly floundered, eyes widened and lips pursed. "I.. I am unsure." she finally spoke, turning bodily to the screen as a dozen styles of beds scrolled by. "..I think that standard issue would suffice."
Chakotay drew his brows, scrolling back to the top. "Standard issue, it is, then." He punched in the order and pulled up more options. "Though.." he murmured. "These are nice, but why don't we look at something a little more.. comfortable?"
"Comfort is-" Seven stopped herself mid-thought, taking a deep breath and blowing it out of her mouth before she took a step back. She gestured to the screen, conceding. "Please?"
He smiled, pulling up another row of standard issue beds but with more comfortable mattresses. Finally, he pointed at one. "Here- the legs retract so these can fold down flat, and the mattresses are light enough to be stacked out of the way so they can save on space." When he glanced at her for confirmation, she nodded. "Okay, then." Within a few seconds, lined up behind them were four simple but comfortable beds with their thin mattresses stacked beside them. "Now we just need some bedding."
"Standard iss-"
A warm hand on her arm gently cut the blonde off. Chakotay gave her an amused look. "I know standard issue is fine.. but I think we should look at the other options as well. Naomi Wildman doesn't even have standard issue bedding."
"Very well."
Sure that she had agreed, he looked back at the screen. Part of him was acutely aware of how unsure she was- like she expected him to be angry at the time she was taking. He could practically feel her fight or flight instinct swirling in the air around him. Shaking the thought from his head, he pointed to a thumbnail, bringing it up on the screen. "Here you go. This one is Azan."
Seven stepped back up beside him to see. A half smile quirked at her lips. One the screen was a light blue bedding set printed with sports equipment- basketballs, soccer balls, velocity spheres, hoverballs, Vulcan spinning disks, and Bajoran rackets. The blonde nodded her head. "I would have to agree." she said. "Azan is quite fond of sports."
"Alright- sports for Azan." Chakotay said under his breath, ordering the items. "Now, what about Rebi?"
"Rebi enjoys learning about engineering." Seven said quietly. "How warp cores power ships and shuttles."
"Shuttles, hmm?" Chakotay quickly picked a set similar to Azan's in red with Starfleet shuttles and com badges printed across the sheets and blanket. "Done. What about Miss Zotti?"
Her smile widened. "Something colourful and bright." Her eyes ran over the children's options until they landed on a pink set with hearts and rainbows. "This." she said, reaching out and selecting it. "And something green for Icheb. He is partial to the color."
Pleased that he had partially broken through her shell, he scrolled down to the more plain options. "How about this one, then?" he asked, pointing at a simple hunter green set with black helixes. "It's grown up enough for him, isn't it? Good?"
Seven nodded. "Yes. These will be most sufficient."
At her assessment, he grinned. "Computer, relocate the four beds and their mattresses and bedding to Cargo Bay 2." When the beds began to dematerialize, he gestured for her to turn to leave ahead of him. "I'll help you get the beds moved around where you want them. You can have the kids down for a nap before too long."
"I appreciate your assistance." Seven said gratefully. She began to turn, but stopped herself at the last second. Her smile turned into a worried frown as her hands came up over her belly to wring together. "Cha-.. wait."
"Yes?"
"I.." Forcing her hands back to her sides, she took in a bolstering breath. As she blew it out of her nose, she met the Commander's eyes. "I have done some research."
"Research? What kind of research?"
"On child development."
His brows drew down, remembering her last big dive into child development. "You're not pulling out the minute by minute planner again, are you?"
"No." she said quickly, shaking her head once. "No, I was looking up something to help Mezoti with her.. episodes, and I had a few ideas. But.. I would need clearance to execute them."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I wondered if I could lay claim to the back corner of Cargo Bay 2?"
"Lay claim?" He chuckled. "You kind of already have, Seven. What do you mean?"
"I mean." Her hands wrung again in front of her belly before she stilled them. "To make it theirs. For the children."
"Go on."
The breath she drew in felt shallow. "The children are Borg. Like myself, they will likely always be at least partially reliant on an alcove, so our presence in the bay is.. required." she said, trying to keep her voice steady and strong. "It would be difficult to place an alcove into typical quarters- and quarters are tight already- and everyone is settled into the spaces already allotted to them- and I have never had any objection to- to- to being where I.." Internally she cringed at her own inability to properly express herself as her eyes locked with his in hopes that he would save her from drowning.
Chakotay nodded once, his expression thoughtful at the distress he could recognize bubbling under the surface of hers. "No, you've never objected- at least not to me. But it is a little unfortunate where you have had to end up, Seven."
"I do not feel unfortunate, Chak- Commander. I am satisfied with.. but the children.."
His eyebrows raised as it clicked. "You don't want the children to..?"
"I don't want them to feel deficient. Less." She could see the cogs spinning in his head now, and felt foolish for bringing it up in the first place. Who was she to ask anything from anyone when she was in debt to the Captain up to her cortical array? Still, now that the ball was rolling, she didn't have the means to stop it. "The children have seen that Naomi Wildman has a space of her own- a room where she can engage in play and store her things. A home. All the children have is a row of alcoves and several rows of storage barrels and crates.. and the toys that Samantha Wildman was kind enough to give them from the things that Naomi no longer played with."
Chakotay felt his stomach sink. How much time did he spend a week with those kids teaching them their lessons compared to how much time he spent worrying about the rest of their well-being? Did the children feel like they were lacking something while being on Voyager? How was their life down in the Cargo Bay? He swallowed. "You're right." he said firmly. "They may have been Borg once, but they are still children."
Seven nodded once. "I do not have quarters of my own for them," she said, dropping her eyes from him to glance at the space where the beds had been. "But.. there is a space in the back of the bay that has remained unused since my arrival on Voyager.. and I could perhaps give the children some semblance of normalcy.. there."
"Alright." agreed Chakotay. "What's the plan?"
The blonde in front of him nearly dropped her mouth in shock at his easy acceptance. She had expected at least a little refusal at her request to expand their living area. Perhaps it was not as illogical as she had first thought. Smiling instead, she began to tell him her plan.
XXX
"Alright, children." Chakotay called, stepping into Astrometrics twenty minutes later. "Nap time! Seven is waiting for you in the cargo bay."
Rebi sat up straight, his eyes wide and smile excited. "Will we dream again, Chakotay?"
Azan, who had heard all about Rebi's experience, raised his eyebrows. "About Captain Proton?"
Chakotay chuckled as the twins were the first to reach him. Mezoti had followed silently with a yawn behind one hand. Icheb stood resolutely beside the main console, his face a grimaced scowl. "Come on Icheb."
"I do not require these naps." Icheb groused. "I am not a small child."
"I'm not small!" Azan argued.
"You're not a grown-up, Icheb." said Mezoti with a snort. "Even by Brunali custom, you are several cycles from becoming mature."
"Nobody said you were a small child, Icheb." Chakotay said patiently. "But the Doctor thinks you should sleep, so you're going to have to give it the indian scout try. Come on, son." He gestured for the teenager to join them, smirking in amusement at the roll of the eyes that came before the taller boy would move to join them. You can take the teenager out of the Borg..
"I do not see how this is necessary." Icheb continued as they walked the short distance to the cargo bay. "Seven does not sleep."
"Well, Seven was Borg quite a bit longer than you were." said the Commander, letting Mezoti lace her fingers through his as they went. "Perhaps her physiology is just different from yours." He clapped the teen's shoulder with his free hand. "There's nothing to worry about, Icheb. It's just a nap. I wish I could take a nap every day."
"You're welcome to trade me places, Commander." said the teen. "I won't tell if you won't."
"Rebi said we could dream." Azan sprinted ahead. "I'm going to be Captain Proton!"
Rebi gave chase. "Not if I am first!" His twin gave an excited squeal as they raced down the corridor.
"Will you be staying with us, Chakotay?" asked Mezoti, content to walk at the Commander's more sedate pace. "Like yesterday?"
"I think you stayed with me yesterday." he returned as they reached the cargo bay doors.
Inside, Seven was handing a blue and a red bundle to the twins. Azan and Rebi unfolded the simple sleeping clothes, holding them up to see. In her arms, she held a green and pink bundle as well. When Mezoti hurried to her side, she was given the pink one. "You may change in the bathrooms, children." said Seven, holding the green bundle out for Icheb.
Icheb looked at the pajamas with an expression akin to disgust. "Must I change my clothing? Is my time not better spent doing my lessons or assisting you in Astrometrics?"
Seven gave him a more stern look than she had the others, forcing the clothes into his hands. "You will change your clothing with the others and report back here in five minutes for your afternoon sleeping cycle." She gestured for him to follow the other three as they headed to the bathrooms across the hall. "Now, Icheb."
The teenager scowled again, an irritated huff blowing out his nose as he stomped off after the others. Chakotay snickered once the boy was securely in the men's room, coming to stand beside a bewildered Seven. "And you thought Mezoti was your problem child."
The ex-drone shook her head. "Mezoti is a child; she is not a problem." She breathed a little sigh. "Icheb is opposed to being included with the younger three. He wants to be seen as separate. Apart. Individual."
"Ah, that's teenagers for you. Too big to really get down and play anymore, too young to do much else. It's frustrating. Especially on a starship like this where he's the only one."
"Unfortunately, outside of cloning him, there's nothing I can do to solve that."
Smirking in amusement at her attempt at humor, Chakotay crossed his arms and leaned back against the console. "Well, let's not do anything drastic." His smirk deepened at the amused snort from his blonde companion.
The children returning cut off any further conversation between the two. The twins in their exuberance ran into the bay barefooted, stopping short in front of their guardian for her to inspect their clothes. After she straightened their pajamas, she directed them to the little line of beds across from the alcoves.
"Shuttles!" Rebi hissed in awe as he found his bed. He picked up the blanket and held it out unfolded. "Birds of prey and Type 9s! Look, Azan- it's a B'rel!"
Azan had found his own blanket and spread it out over his bed, crawling on it and examining the various images upon it. "I wish we were old enough to play Velocity, Rebi."
"Do I get a special blanket, Seven?" Mezoti asked quietly, stopping to take Seven's hand instead of continue down to where the twins were already laid back and talking excitedly about what dreams they would have while asleep. Her other hand bunched into the soft fabric of her pink flannel nightgown.
"Of course you do." answered Seven, leading the little girl to the first bed. She lifted the pink and rainbow blanket and shook it out before putting it around Mezoti's shoulders like a cape. The young girl snuggled into it with a smile before turning and bouncing up onto the bed.
Reluctantly, Icheb sidled up to the green bed in his green pajama bottoms and his white tshirt. He lifted the blanket and then turned to Seven for instruction.
Seeing his intent, Rebi chuckled. "Just lay down, Icheb." He laid out flat, his head on his pillow, and pulled his blanket over his body. "Like this." Beside him, Azan and followed his lead.
Seven tucked Mezoti's blanket around her body the way that she had observed Chakotay doing the day before. Blanket secured, she gently tucked the hair behind the girl's ears. "Close your eyes." She moved on to Azan's bed, tucking him beneath his blanket the same way.
"Think good thoughts." Chakotay instructed, watching Seven tuck Rebi in and tousle his hair with a grin.
"That's difficult at the moment." Icheb muttered. Before Seven could tuck him in, he quickly rolled side to side beneath his blanket, tucking himself. "Now what?"
Rebi rolled his eyes, turning his head to the side to see the oldest boy through one eye. "Now you close your eyes and relax all your muscles."
"But.." Azan wriggled in his bed. "If I relax all my muscles.." Azan's eyes widened as he burst out of his blanket and made a beeline for the door. "Be right back!"
"Azan?" Seven called after him.
"He's gotta go to the bathroom." Rebi said. Mezoti giggled, turning on her side and getting comfortable. Rebi shared her amusement.
"Computer, lights at fifty-five percent of normal." Seven commanded, shaking her head.
"Why must it be dark?" asked the teenager, laying stiffly on his sleeping surface.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" asked Mezoti.
Icheb gave her an acidic look. "Of course not!"
"The lights are dimmed to help you rest, Icheb." Chakotay said, walking to the line of beds. "To help you relax."
When Azan sprinted back in the room, Seven re-tucked him into his bed. "Does anyone else need to visit the restroom before you commence your rest?"
"No." Rebi shook his head. Mezoti wriggled, curling up beneath her blanket and closing her eyes. Azan smiled sheepishly. Icheb rolled his eyes.
"Very well. You will now close your eyes." Seven moved to the foot of the twins' beds, blue eyes looking from one child to the next. "Icheb, close your eyes." She waited with more patience than he until he closed his eyes.
"If you keep rolling your eyes like that, they will roll right out of your Brunali head and across the cargo bay floor." Azan murmured, eyes shut but face turned towards Icheb's bed.
"That's not how it works." Icheb grumbled. "I'm not rolling my eyes."
Chakotay snorted, coming to stand beside Seven. He glanced at her. "Did they change the definition of rolling your eyes when I wasn't paying attention?"
"Perhaps." she commented. She turned to him, looking for any guidance he may be willing to offer her. "Is there any other ritual that we have missed?"
Mezoti sat up in her bed, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Affirmative!" Azan and Rebi turned their heads to look over at her, but her attention was solely on Seven. "Naomi says we are to receive kisses!"
Icheb sat up in disgust. "Kisses! Kisses are irrelevant!"
"They are not, Icheb!" argued Mezoti, whipping her head to the side to glare at the teen. "They are required for children to properly sleep!"
"Elaborate, Mezoti." Seven said with a slight frown. This was definitely a ritual she was unaware of.
The youngest Borgling smiled. "Naomi told me that her mother gives her a kiss goodnight every night before bed! Sometimes, Neelix does, too!" she explained. "She said she cannot properly sleep if she is not kissed goodnight just here-" She pointed to the middle of her forehead as she spoke. "-or here!" She pointed to her cheekbone. "We must have kisses also if we are to have proper sleep, Seven."
"I want a kiss goodnight, Seven." Rebi sat up in his bed. "If Mezoti gets one, so should we." Beside him, Azan sat up and nodded, watching Seven expectantly.
Seven looked from Rebi to Azan to Mezoti. Was this an appropriate ritual? Surely if Samantha Wildman kissed Naomi Wildman every night then it must have some merit to it, or else why do it at all? With a little unsure frown, she nodded. "As you wish."
"I do not." said Icheb, laying back down with his arms crossed over his chest.
The blonde moved to Rebi's bedside, leaning down and pecking a kiss to his forehead. When he laid back down with a smile, she re-tucked the blanket around his body before moving to do the same to his twin. When she got to Mezoti, the little girl raised her arms up and wrapped them around Seven's neck in a quick hug, returning the kiss to her cheek before she settled back under her blanket and let herself be tucked in. "Goodnight, children."
"Well done." Chakotay said quietly when she returned to his side. Icheb continued to pout in his bed, but the twins were already nodding off, and Mezoti was quickly joining them. The Commander turned to Seven, arms crossed comfortably and his easy grin on his face. "What time do they regenerate tonight?"
"2200 hours." she answered, her voice thoughtfully quiet. "Sharp."
"Okay, we will get the rest tonight." he whispered. He glanced behind him to the space hollowed out behind the barrels. "I'm sure it will fit if we rearrange the rest of this. We can wait until they are asleep."
A rare, bright smile lit up Seven's face. She quickly tamped it down to a smaller wisp of a grin. "I appreciate your assistance, Commander. The children will be pleased!"
"No problem. They deserve it." he returned. "I better head back to the bridge."
"Of course, Commander. Thank you.. for everything."
"Anytime, Seven." He gently clapped her shoulder. "I'll see you tonight."
XXX
Well? What do you think? Good? Bad? Tell me in a review!
~LM
