Author's Notes: Welcome to chapter 14! We're getting closer and closer to the end! It's a bit bittersweet, really, but exciting at the same time! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through all the chapters, and thank you so much to all my lovely reviewers! A special thanks to Scifiromance and Starshine, of course! They keep me on track and working!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Scifiromance's fic 'Soft Focus'! She just added a new chapter and it is hilarious! C/7 at its finest! (The world needs more of it.)

Obligatory Legalities: Don't own it, never will, yadda yadda yadda...

~LM

XXX

The room was spinning- a circling cyclone of grey and blue and brown and yellow and black. The swimming colors hurt to look at for too long, throwing off her equilibrium, tricking her still body into perceiving motion. Bobbing and swirling and tumbling and floundering. Her stomach rolled; her eyes watered. A shiver began at the top of her head and worked its way down her frozen body. There was sound nearby- so close but so far away. Mumbled conversations wove hellish patterns across her mind. She couldn't make out the words, so her mind painted them in. "Die, Borg!" one said. "Weak!" said another. "Imperfect! Imperfect!" chimed a third. "Impure.."

B'Elanna's sensitive ears were the first to catch the sound- a quiet, distressed whimper. She turned her head back to look behind her. Seven was shivering on the bedding, greyish tears streaming from her eyes across the bridge of her nose and down the side of her face to stain the balled up blanket-turned-pillow below. B'Elanna set her plate down, scooting back onto the bedding and putting a warm hand on Seven's face. "Hey, Seven, are you awake?"

Chakotay perked up from his seat at the helm. "Is she up?" he asked, crossing the room to the bed. He plopped down on the bedding beside B'Elanna. "Querida?"

"Scoot, babe." Tom gently moved around B'Elanna to run the scanner over Seven's form. "Temperature is getting too high again. She's back up to a hundred point two."

"Wish her mind would make up its.. mind." Harry said, watching the ex-drone writhe on the bedding.

"Chakotay." Seven whimpered. "Cold."

"Hola, Querida." Chakotay said soothingly, smoothing her loosened hair back out of her face. "How do you feel?"

"..mal." she mumbled, blinking her eyes open through the grey film of nanoprobe-rich tears. "..sick.." Her human hand snaked up, grabbing his wrist and weakly tugging it. "..soy frío." She pulled his arm over her side, curling her body tighter until her knees almost touched her chin.

"I know you feel cold, Sister," Tom said, pulling the rags B'Elanna and Harry had made earlier down from their spot on the dead console. "But you're too hot. We have to cool you off."

The blonde woman's eyes widened. "No!" she sluggishly shook her head. "Too cold!"

"Snugglebunny, you're too hot." B'Elanna said, taking some of the rags.

"No, Snugglebunny is not." returned the ex-drone, changing from hugging Chakotay's arm for warmth to trying to wriggle away.

Harry joined them, bringing a canteen of cool water. He poured a little out on the rags in B'Elanna's hands. "Here, Tom." he said, handing him the canteen.

"Hold still, Querida." Chakotay said, gently pulling her back towards him. "We have to get your fever down."

"Sluta.." she half-whimpered. The room was starting to spin again, squeezing her stomach tighter and tighter with each rotation. She gagged.

"Hold her." said B'Elanna, taking one cool, wet cloth, and shoving it under Seven's shirt against her overheated ribs.

The blonde woman squeaked, twisting. "Jävel!" she whimpered. Another rag found the other side of her ribs, then one on her neck and against the metal strip that wound around her torso. She hissed, shivering harder with each cool touch. "Rör mig inte!"

"Seven, Corazón, you'll feel better in a minute." Chakotay said soothingly. Seven only whimpered, curling up in a ball again. The commander winced in sympathy, looking to Tom to see if he had any ideas on what to do. Tom had the same pitying look on his face, holding out more cool, wet rags for B'Elanna to pack against the sick woman's fevered skin. He met Chakotay's eyes and offered him a sympathetic smile. Harry put the canteen up and lifted the spare panel cover again, beginning to fan it over Seven's form.

"Helvete.." hissed Seven. "No!"

"I've never seen her act like this before." Harry said softly, slowing the fanning down in sympathy.

"I think she's a little delirious." said Tom. "From the fever.. and from everything else."

Chakotay ran his warm hand down Seven's face, his thumb outlining the silver arch over her eye, as her teeth began to chatter. "Seven?" he asked after a few minutes.

"..what?" came the whimpered response. Quivering lips began to quickly fade from dusky pink to lavender. "Too.. cold.. Please, Chakotay.."

"Stop!" said the commander to Harry, grabbing the panel mid-swing to halt its motion. "Her lips are turning blue."

"What?" Tom reached out, feeling the blonde woman's forehead. It was cold as ice. He pulled out the scanner of the tricorder, running it over Seven's body. "What the hell?"

"What?" asked B'Elanna, grabbing his arm and turning the tricorder so she could also see. "How in Grethor is she already cold again? Ten minutes ago she had a fever!"

"How can that be?" Chakotay asked, ripping the cold rags off of Seven. He pushed the backs of his fingers against her cold cheek, surprised at the rapid change of temperature.

"Her cortical array." answered Tom, concentrating his scanner over Seven's forehead. "It's having trouble holding her temp steady."

"So we get to play hot potato with her from now on?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"She can't regulate her body temperature anymore." continued the blonde medic, ignoring Harry. "Someone will have to share their own heat with her. Maybe if we can help her regulate it that way it will take some pressure off her array. One less thing it has to struggle to do."

"Are you sure it works that way?" asked B'Elanna.

"Honestly, no." answered Tom. "But it's all we can do. She has to be monitored either way."

Chakotay nodded, pulling his shirt back up over his head and crawling over Seven. He shimmied down behind her and pulled her in close to him. At the sensation of warmth, Seven clumsily turned over, pressing herself up against his warmer body. He tucked her head under his chin, fighting to keep his teeth from chattering at how cool she felt compared to him. "Toss a blanket over her, would you?" he said to B'Elanna. When the half-Klingon spread one out, Chakotay lifted Seven's shirt up to her armpits, pressing her tighter to him while she curled her hands between them.

"Do you need someone else?" B'Elanna asked, "Or can I go keep working on her unit?"

"B'Elanna, you better worry about the regeneration unit. Harry, you're up." said Tom.

The younger man blanched. "What? No, I can't."

"Oh for Kahless's sake, Harry." B'Elanna rolled her eyes, pulling the blanket back and scooting in behind Seven. She shivered as she pressed against the ex-Borg's bare back. "Harry, you get to work on the unit. Decode some of those Borg algorithms if you can. When she's warmed up I'll help."

"Yes, ma'am." squeaked Harry.

XXX

"We should move everything into the cockpit." Tom said some time later, now perched at the helm. He glanced back at Harry sitting on the dead tactical console tossing a round conduit bit from beneath the deck plating in the air like a rubber ball, and B'Elanna who had moved from the bed to continue tinkering with the wires in the regeneration unit. He couldn't see Chakotay curled up with Seven in their little nest, keeping an eye and tricorder scanner on her.

"Huh?" Harry asked, nearly fumbling his make-shift stressball at the sudden intrusion of noise.

"What do you mean?" asked B'Elanna.

"I think we should all bunk up here from now on." answered Tom, crossing his legs at the ankle on the ramp. "Move the water and the food up here- rations and all- and all our beddings and just stay in here."

"Not a terrible idea." said Harry.

"Right." agreed Chakotay from the bedding, rubbing his hand up and down Seven's spine under the blanket. "It puts two more doors between us and that thing outside."

"And we need to be close to help monitor Seven." B'Elanna pointed out. "If we only leave to pee then we reduce our chances of something happening.. something getting in." A chill ran up everyone's spines at the thought of another invasion. Having an entity that you could bodily count but not be able to pick out from amongst your friends was horrifying on a level that wouldn't be leaving their minds for a long time to come.

"It will be dark soon." Harry said. "Let's go ahead and get it all moved then."

"Yup." Tom hopped up, following Harry past B'Elanna and the bedding to go down into the aft.

"Chakotay?" Seven whispered, the veil of unconsciousness moving aside for a moment. Her eyes blinked open, focusing on the warm tan skin she was cuddled up to.

"How do you feel, Querida?" Chakotay asked, craning his neck to look down at the top of her head.

The room continued to spin, forcing her to close her eyes. "Are we rotating?"

Chakotay frowned for a heartbeat. "No, baby, we're laying still."

"Equil..ibrium." She couldn't keep her teeth from chattering even in the warmth of the bedding beside him. "Where's.. others? B-lanna.. Tom.. Harr.."

"We're over here." B'Elanna answered, leaning over so she was in Seven's line of sight. "Hey, Snugglebunny."

The blonde frowned, her eyes peeking open and looking up at the half-Klingon hovering over her. "Bunny? What bunny?"

"You're the bunny, Snugglebunny." B'Elanna said with a grin. "When we get back to Voyager and the Doctor gets you all healed back up, remind me to tell you all about it."

The blonde relaxed her neck muscles, letting her head turn back towards Chakotay's chest. "I am not.. a bunny. I am.. B-.."

"Are you thirsty?" Chakotay asked, cutting B'Elanna's gentle teasing short. "Or hungry?"

"No." Seven mumbled. "Cold."

Harry and Tom came back into the cockpit with the bedding and sleep mats. Tom had the box of left-over rations tucked under one arm. B'Elanna picked up the pieces of the partially disassembled regeneration unit and lugged it over to the foot of the bedding so that they could set up the other three pallets, and continued to go over the circuitry inside it. Once Harry and Tom were finished setting up the beds, Harry joined her.

"Need a break, Chief?" Tom asked, leaning over the tactical console to look down at Chakotay and Seven's heads. "Need to stretch your legs?" Chakotay looked up at him with a sigh, shaking his head. "We should take a last bathroom break before it gets dark."

"We can't leave her in here alone." Chakotay said with an almost insulted scowl.

"We won't leave her alone." Harry said. "One of us can lay with her while the others go and then trade out."

Tom nodded. "See, Chakotay?" He gave the older man a reassuring smile. "I want to give her another scan anyway. I can do it while you run to the woods for a second." He smirked. "I'll keep an eye on your girl if you keep an eye on mine." B'Elanna clucked her tongue with a roll of her eyes, making him chuckle.

Chakotay nodded with a sigh. "Alright then." He reached under the blanket and pulled Seven's shirt down over her chest and stomach, then pushed the blanket back from him. He carefully rolled Seven onto her back, tucking the blanket around her body, before crawling over her to stand. Tom traded him places, picking up the medical tricorder and beginning a more thorough scan of Seven's implants and array. The commander spared her one last glance before leading B'Elanna and Harry to the hatch.

"Are you sleeping, Sister?" Tom asked, running the scanner along the side of the ex-drone's temple. She didn't move to answer him or make any noises. If not for the rapid rise and fall of her chest, he would wonder if she was still alive as eerily still as she was laying. Her skin was cool and clammy to the touch, and even paler than usual. Despite her body temperature currently being normal, her lips and the fingernails of her human hand were definitely tinged blue. "Seven.. Wake up for a second, Sister." he said, giving her human arm a gentle shake.

Seven's eyes fluttered, her head turning in his direction. "What.. brother.." she mumbled, and then was out again.

The blonde medic smiled affectionately. "Brother, huh? I guess I deserve that after calling you Sister for years.." He ran the scanner over her chest. "Rapid heartrate... but weak pulse.." He reached up and lifted her eyelids, one after the other, testing her pupils' reaction to the light of the tricorder. "Weak, confused, lightheaded, in and out of consciousness.." he softly ticked off. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're bleeding to death." He sat down cross-legged beside her. "Though I guess that's not far from the truth, is it?"

"Her nanoprobes are a big part of her blood volume." B'Elanna said, coming back into the cockpit from her restroom break. "She's lost a lot of them."

"I wish there was a way to give her a transfusion out here." said Tom.

B'Elanna settled down beside him, leaning against his side as she watched Seven sleep. "I know. The Doctor can when we get back, though. I'm sure he can."

"Just hope she lasts that long." He turned to his wife, pecking a kiss on her ridged forehead. "Did you already go to the bathroom?"

"Yeah. I'm here to trade you places." she answered, turning her head to kiss his lips. She smiled at him when he pulled back. "Better go before Chakotay decides you don't need to. He's antsy out there."

"I would be if it were you that was sick." Tom sighed, standing up and setting the tricorder on the console beside them. "I'll be right back."

As Tom left, B'Elanna stretched out alongside Seven's body, wiggling under the blanket next to her. Sensing warmth, the blonde woman turned towards B'Elanna and curled against her. After a few seconds, azure eyes blinked open to meet brown, quickly going from confused to lucid. "Hello." Seven said softly, tiredly lifting her head to look around. "Where is..?"

"They're outside taking a bathroom break." answered B'Elanna. "Do you need to go?"

Seven shook her head, relaxing back onto the pallet. "No."

"Well lucky you then." teased the pregnant Klingon. "I have to go enough for the both of us with this little monster using my bladder as a pillow." She smirked affectionately. "How do you feel?"

"Me duele.." answered Seven. "Cold and.. hard to.. focus.. Hard to stay awake.. Was Tom just..?"

"He was just here, yes. He's outside for a minute." said B'Elanna. "If it's hard to stay awake, don't bother for my sake. Sleep. Maybe it will help your nanoprobes stay a little more charged." Seven nodded once, curling closer to B'Elanna's side, stomach to stomach, and relaxed. B'Elanna put her arm out over the ex-drone's side, making herself comfortable. "You need all the charge you can get until I can get your mobile unit to work.. somehow."

"No power, 'Lanna." Sevem mumbled. "No alcove.."

"Well, we didn't have power for heat and air but I fixed that, didn't I?"

Seven frowned, her eyes still closed. "..helped."

B'Elanna snorted. "Right, yes, you helped. You just better hang on til I'm finished. No dying on me, you hear me?" she teased. Seven half-smirked. "You can't go out like this- you're my friend. If you die, I'd have to do something crazy.. like name my baby after you- and why would you want to curse her with a name like that? What's she ever done to you?"

Seven's eyes fluttered open, and her hand sluggishly moved up to poke B'Elanna's rounded belly. "Well.. right now.. she's kicking.. me.."

B'Elanna chuckled. "Kicking you? I'm the one with bruised ribs here."

One silver eyebrow rose. "That hard?"

"Maybe one day you'll feel it for yourself if you and Chakotay have kids."

The blonde scrunched her nose. "He doesn't want.."

"Ready to work on that unit?" Harry asked, walking into the cockpit, rubbing his hands together in near anticipation. The sooner they could possibly fix Seven's portable regeneration unit, the better- if they could at all.

"Yeah." B'Elanna said, gently disentangling herself from the blonde. Seven's blue eyes slid open, surprised. "Chakotay will be right back. Are you still cold?"

Seven shook her head, watching B'Elanna join Harry at the foot of the bed. By the time Tom and Chakotay came back inside, she was asleep again.

XXX

Kathryn Janeway stalked back and forth across the length of her Ready Room, holding her long-empty coffee cup to her chest, her fingers drumming along the sides. Her shortened fingernails ticking across the smooth metal was a grounding noise as she pondered what exactly they may find when they reached the planet she had possibly doomed her senior staff to. How exactly should the words of the professor be taken? At face value? He had no evidence- no scientific papers to back him, no studies, no autopsies, no genetic evidence of such a horrifying beast even really existing. But then why did she have such a nervous knot in her belly? She liked to think she had a little bit of a sixth sense for things like this- whether or not something was going to go so sour... and the little planet.. well, maybe it had been too good to be true. Had she sent some of her closest colleagues and friends to die over a few measly dilithium crystals when they were already on the way to a planet in which they were going to trade for some? What had greed cost them?

The door chime washed over her like a bucket of ice water, startling her out of her thoughts. She started to bring the empty coffee cup to her lips out of sheer habit before remembering that it was empty. "Come in." She called, walking to the replicator to recycle the mug.

Tuvok walked in, his hands behind his back as he stood at attention near her desk. "Captian." he greeted.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" she asked, pushing the button to make her empty cup disappear in a little shower of blue static.

"We have received a distress signal." reported the Vulcan. "It is Starfleet. Most likely from the away team."

Kathryn whirled on him. "What did it say?"

"They are downloading the message now. It is partially corrupted due to radiation levels nearby."

"Radiation?"

"Yes."

Kathryn rounded the desk, heading to the bridge. "Well, let's see what we can get out of it either way. He turned her attention to Icheb at the opps. "Report."

Icheb nodded once, a perfect mimickry of his mother. "Yes, Captain."

The overhead speakers came to life, staticy at first before a familiar voice could be heard through it. "Delta Flyer to... -ger... radiation causing... nacelles... preparing for a crash landing. Buckle up, folks-..." Tom's voice came across through the static. The knot in Kathryn's belly tightened as she listened to the beginning booms and crashes coming across the speaker- the unmistakable sound of a console overloading and then a female's pained yelp.

"Orders?" asked the lieutenant at the helm, looking nervously back at his Captain. He was sure that the fearful look in her eyes was not for him to see, and quickly turned back around to face the viewscreen.

"How far are we from the planet now?" asked the Captain, shaking her nerves off enough to sound far more confidant than she felt.

"Approximately fifty-seven hours at our present speed." answered Tuvok form his station.

"Lieutenant," Kathryn said, heading back to her Ready Room. "Go to warp eight. I want to be there in half that."

"Yes, Captain."

XXX

"Querido?"

The Commander looked down at the blonde curled up to him with a warm smile. "Hey, Querida."

"Where is.. the Captain?" she asked, eyes closed but her face turned to him.

"She's on Voyager, babe." he answered. "Coming to get us."

"..Oh."

Tom chuckled, walking to join the others on the bedding. Harry and B'Elanna had Seven's portable regeneration unit opened and half of its guts spilled out around them. He was careful to not move any of the pieces as he took a seat nearer to Seven, and lifted the little tricorder to take some readings now that she was once again awake.

"Where is my son?" Seven asked softly.

That question bought her some attention. Tom frowned curiously. Harry and B'Elanna also turned around to look confusedly at the sick drone laid out beside their commander.

"Son?" Harry asked, setting the length of wiring in his hands down in front of his crossed legs.

Chakotay only smiled. "Icheb is on Voyager, too. He's safe- waiting for us to get home."

"Accept.. -able.." Seven said with a little nod. After a few seconds, she frowned. "Where are Rebi and Azan?" she asked. "My Mezoti?"

"She's delirious again." said B'Elanna, concerned eyes searching the side of the sick blonde's face that she could see.

Tom nodded. "Her temperature is a little elevated again."

Chakotay blanched. "Seven, Azan and Rebi are with the Wysanti, remember?" he said carefully, "And Mezoti-"

Seven's frown deepend. "Why do the Wysanti..?" She cut herself off, tucking herself closer to Chakotay's body. "Why did they take my children?" She barely sniffled, her face flushing a shade darker as Chakotay pulled her in closer to him. "My Mezoti?"

Chakotay leaned his face down, kissing the top of her head. "Baby, she's with her brothers. She went to go grow up with them, remember?"

Grey-black tears began to pool in the corners of Seven's closed eyes as she shook her head. "Why?" she whimpered.

B'Elanna made a sympathetic noise, turning on her side to face Seven. "I thought the children wanted-"

Chakotay shot her a dark look, cutting her off with one short shake of his head. When the half Klingon was quiet, he turned his attention back on the sick ex-drone. "Querida, they're safe and happy. They're getting to grow up together like normal children." He rubbed her back, pulling her in closer to him. "Icheb is still with us, though. Your boy isn't going anywhere."

"One." Seven mumbled, "The newborn, the twins, Mezoti.." A soft, strangled sound pushed up her throat. "Why are all of my children taken from me?"

"I didn't know she considered the Borglings her's." Tom said softly. "But it makes sense, doesn't it?"

The ill blonde sniffled again, not paying attention to the people behind her. "Mezoti called me Mama.. Now they're gone.."

"Not all of them are-" Chakotay was cut off as a sob broke through Seven's lips. "Baby, they're-"

"They're gone." Seven wept quietly, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

"Icheb is still here." Harry said, watching the two on the bedding with a concerned look.

"The Captain tried to give him away.." Seven murmured, letting Chakotay tuck her head beneath his chin. "He was nearly lost, too."

B'Elanna swiped her hands across dampening eyes, her face a mix of irritation and sadness. "Damn hormones.." she hissed. With a sigh, she set the parts in her hands down and slung her arm over the slender woman's belly, scooting down to lay behind her. "Kahless, Seven.."

"You could always have more kids, Seven." Tom said, his voice light, trying to lighten the mood. "You and Chakotay could have a baby."

Seven shook her head, burrowing closer. "He won't want to have a child with me.."

Chakotay's dark look turned into a glare at Tom. The younger man nervously scaratched at the neckline of his shirt, averting his eyes. The dark haired commander turned his attention back to the sickly ex-drone. "Maybe someday, Querida." he soothed. "Te quiero, Seven. Tendría una docena de niños contigo." He pecked a kiss on her brow, ignoring B'Elanna's surprised expression. "But first we have to get off this planet."

"¿Prometes?" Seven whispered.

"Lo prometo." he said, firmly but gently. Crisis over, Seven's body slowly released its tension, relaxing back into sleep.

XXX

The microfilament slid scross the tiny chip and embedded itself into the fleshy part of B'Elanna's thumb. The half-Klingon hissed in pain, yanking the offending tool out and then sticking her thumb in her mouth to soothe it. Harry jerked in surprise next to her, dozing off as he sat holding the two motherboards up for B'Elanna to rewire. "baQa!" grumbled B'Elanna. She set the microfilament on her knee and brought her hand up to rub the bridge of her nose before her vision could double again.

"Are you okay, Be'nal?" Tom asked groggily, leaned back in the pilot's seat, feet propped up on the ramp. He sat up straight, craning his neck to see the two sitting hunched over on the bedrolls.

"Yeah, I'm okay." B'Elanna groused, glancing over at Chakotay and Seven on the other side of the bedrolls. Seven, she wasn't surprised, was still asleep or unconscious or both.. Chakotay, however, was still out cold next to her, spooned around the ill blonde. It had been a long day for all of them. As she watched him, his eyes blinked open, blearily at first but quickly turning lucid.

"I can't stay awake." Harry said softly, hiding a yawn behind one of the motherboards. "I'm sorry."

"Me, neither." said B'Elanna. "I'm sorry Chakotay. If I don't get some sleep I'm going to start making mistakes we can't afford.."

Chakotay slowly sat up with a tired groan, tucking the blanket down around Seven's sleeping form. She let out a sigh, but remained asleep. "It's okay, B'Elanna." he said softly. "You can only do what you can do."

"What time is it?" Harry asked around another yawn.

"I think it's about midnight." said Tom, craning his head back to see the sky through the windscreen. "Give or take an hour maybe?"

"No wonder I'm about dead on my feet." B'Elanna sighed.

"You're all exhausted. Go to sleep. I'll be awake a while." Chakotay said, propping himself up where he could see the others. "I'll wake you if anything happens."

XXX

In the quiet of the night, his mind wandered and worried, keeping him awake while the others slept. Tom was softly snoring on the other side of B'Elanna. B'Elanna was currently snuggled up behind Seven's back, sharing her blanket and heat. Harry was laying spread-eagle on the other side of Tom, his blanket over his torso and face, and his legs sticking out. Seven was laid out along the length of him, her head cradled in his arm, and her arm over his belly. "..flowers of yellow and green, towering over you head.." he half-sung, half murmured, running his fingers through the cornsilk hair laid out over his arm spilled from its braid. "..Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and-"

Seven whimpered in his arms, her eyes squeezing shut tight before blinking open to stare at the ceiling above them. With a withering breath, she spoke weakly. "You have.. a terrible.. singing.. voice.. Chakotay.."

The commander snorted, gently turning her head so that he could look her in the eyes. When her blue depths met his brown orbs and focused, he smiled tenderly at her. "Yeah." he whispered. "I can't sing to save my life." He smirked playfully. "You love me anyway."

She frowned as though offended. "Of.. course I.. love you.. Chako..tay.."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her's, running his thumb over the sensitive starburst by her ear before pulling back a few short inches. "I love you, too, Querida."

A playful smirk slowly lit up her weakened features. "Then stop.. singing."

"Okay, okay." he chuckled, pecking another kiss on her lips. "How about I hum to you instead?" Her eyes slid shut, her body too taxed to stay lucid for very long. That was probably for the best, he thought. Perhaps if she wasn't conscious then she wouldn't hurt as bad as it looked like she did. His thumb slowly tracing over her starburst, drawing a soft, contented hum from her mouth, turning her head into his hand until he repeated the gesture.

Finally, her lips quirked at the edges, and she drew in a short puff of air. "..acceptable." Her eyes slid open again, azure blue meeting coffee brown. "Kiss me."

Chakotay quirked an eyebrow, even as he pecked another kiss against her mouth. She full-on pouted, her expression mirroring one he had seen on Mezoti and Naomi's faces many times. He almost couldn't hold back a soft chuckle. "What? Not good enough?" A gentle shake of her head, and a coy smile gracing her lips gave him a little comfort. If she felt well enough for a moment that she could tease him, maybe it wasn't quite as horrible as he feared. Again he leaned down to kiss her, this time more thoroughly, gently pushing her down into the sleepmat as his lips captured her's.

One slightly uncoordinated arm lifted up to wrap around behind his neck as he nibbled on her full bottom lip. The taste of blood- copper and metallic- hit him a second before he smelled it. He pulled back, his eyes falling to her mouth, expecting to see her lips red. "Are you bleeding?" he asked, ignoring her raised eyebrow as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "Did I bite too hard?" She shook her head, pulling her tired arm back down to rest by her head on the bedding. '...nanoprobes?' He tried not to frown or show how worried he was, not wanting to distress her. Instead, he pecked another kiss on her mouth before turning them back on their sides and tucking her body up to him. "Go back to sleep, mi amor."

XXX

Love it? Hate it? Tell me in a review!

~LM

Translations:

"..bad." Seven to Chakotay

"I'm cold." Seven to Chakotay

"I hurt." Seven to B'Elanna

"Stop!" Seven to Chakotay

"Son of a bitch! Don't touch me!" Seven to B'Elanna

"Hell." Seven to B'Elanna

"I love you, Seven. I would have a dozen kids with you." Chakotay to Seven

"Promise?" Seven to Chakotay

"I promise." Chakotay to Seven

and Be'nal means 'Wife' in Klingon. On a related note, 'lo'Dnal' means 'Husband' as well.