Chapter Two

At 0900 hours on the dot, the doorbell rang. Smiling, Chakotay shook his head as he walked down the hall to answer the door with his beloved coffee in his hand. He didn't need to peek outside to know that it was Seven and Mezoti, who were right on time. Instead, he just opened the door, revealing both of them. At their feet sat one medium sized duffel bag that he recognized as Seven's and two larger ones he assumed belonged to Mezoti.

"Hey," he greeted. "Is this all you have?" he asked as he motioned towards the bags. He knew Seven was a woman who lived a simple lifestyle, but he still expected her to have more than just one bag.

"No, I have two more bags in the shuttle," Mezoti replied as she glanced back towards her small shuttle sitting next to his on the driveway.

"Go retrieve your bags," Seven ordered. Mezoti didn't need to be told twice. She dashed down the gravel path to the shuttle. Taking advantage of the moment alone, Chakotay wrapped an arm around Seven's waist and kissed her softly. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she returned the affection. They hadn't seen each other face to face in a while, and she missed the feeling of his large body beneath her touch and his lips pressed against hers.

"I'm so glad you're here," he confessed softly.

"Your offer was very gracious. It would have been inconsiderate to turn it down." Right as he leaned in for another kiss, Mezoti's feet crunched against the gravel as she returned with two more smaller bags slung over her shoulders as if they didn't weigh anything at all.

When Seven reached down to grab the bags at her feet, Chakotay interjected, "Let me." Ever the gentleman, he grabbed the two larger bags and slung one over his shoulder, which gave him the chance to pick up Seven's bag as well. While Seven's bag felt light as a feather, Mezoti's each weighed ten kilos easily. "What did you pack, rocks?" he teased.

"I brought my books, toys, clothes and several other personal items," Mezoti answered. Her face fell. "Is that alright?"

"Of course it is. This is your house too." Mezoti still felt uneasy about the amount of belongings she'd brought; she knew it was a lot, but Seven assured her that she could bring everything from their apartment, so she did. Perhaps she should have recycled more items, surely all of this wasn't necessary. As she unpacked, she was confident she would find some things she didn't need and could therefore recycle them. In the meantime, this was what she had packed.

Inside, Chakotay lead Seven and Mezoti straight upstairs so they could drop off their bags before showing them the rest of the house. The stairs ended at the end of a hallway, which hooked around to the left, disappearing out of sight.

"First stop, Mezoti's room," he announced. There was a sense of pride in his voice as he was finally able to show off all his hard work. Despite Seven's adamant protests, he refused to let her see the house, not even a virtual one, as he wanted it all to be a surprise. With a groan that once again made Mezoti feel self-conscious about the amount that she'd packed, he dropped both the larger bags in front of the closed door. "Are you ready to see your new room?" When he looked at her, there was a hint of excitement in her eyes although she kept her expression fairly serious. He opened the door, revealing a bright, sunny room. The walls were painted a cheerful peach. An oak bed sat against the wall on the right, thrusting out into the middle of the room. Wedged into the far corner sat a desk with shelves built into the wall above it to hold her books. What books didn't fit on the shelves could find a home on the bookshelf next to the closet door. Next to the bedroom door was a tall, thin dresser. All of the oak furniture was made out of the same oak material. As he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and looked over the room, Chakotay couldn't help but feel proud of himself; he'd planned out the bedroom all on his own with the hope that Mezoti would like it. He'd originally intended on making some of the furniture on his own, but given the short amount of time, this would have to do for now. "What do you think?" he asked. It was difficult to tell how she felt. Her eyes flitted from one end of the room to the other several times, taking it all in.

"I've never had my own room before," Mezoti stated.

"Well, this room is all yours. Make yourself at home."

"What do you have to say to the Captain?" Seven prompted from where she stood behind Chakotay. She peered over his shoulder and ran her fingertips along his forearm lightly. It was a subconscious touch, something she didn't even realize she was doing. She had to admit, she was very impressed with his handiwork. She knew how much time and effort he'd put into creating a comfortable space for both of them.

"Thank you, Captain." It felt strange to hear her call him "Captain." He didn't want her to see him as an imposing authority figure, but someone she could approach and have a close relationship with. By calling him captain, however, he felt that that wouldn't happen, but that was something he would address later. Right now, he wanted to make sure Mezoti made herself comfortable.

"How about you unpack?" Chakotay suggested. He picked up the bags he'd left in the hallway and put them inside before sliding his hand into Seven's. They both hear the distinct sound of Mezoti upending one of her bags and as she wasted no time dumping the contents all across the floor in search of one particular item.

"She will have the room in chaos before 1200 hours," Seven quietly informed him.

"That's why we just close the door," he explained as he pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. Unlike Seven, he didn't mind if there was a mess, he knew Mezoti had a penchant to be unorganized, but he saw that as part of being a child. Unlike Seven, he wasn't going to let something as trivial as a messy room bother him. He just wanted to make sure she was comfortable here.

With Seven's bag in one hand, Chakotay lead her down the hall, past the bathroom across from Mezoti's bedroom that was designated for her, both their offices that were partially hidden behind half open doors, all the way to their bedroom at the end of the hall. When they got there, he dropped the bag and scooped Seven up in his arms bridal style. Her arm instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life, although she trusted him not to drop her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she wiggled in an attempt to break free. She was more than capable of walking on her own.

"It's a tradition to carry the woman over the threshold," Chakotay explained as he struggled to open the bedroom door while simultaneously keeping a tight grip on Seven. If he dropped her, he'd never hear the end of it.

"That tradition is reserved for newly married couples," she pointed out in an unamused tone.

"Just married, just moved in together and living in sin, it's practically the same thing," he said with a shrug. The door clicked, signaling that it was open. Temporarily leaving behind Seven's bag, he carried her over the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him in the process. "There, now we've made it official," he murmured as he lowered her to her feet. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Not yet," She pulled him down so their lips could meet in a soft kiss. Chakotay's hands rested on her waist as he returned the affection. Her fingers tangled in his hair, unintentionally pulling on it, causing him to groan. Seven was about to cut off the kiss to see if he was alright, but he continued kissing her, which told her that he was alright.

In her bedroom, Mezoti looked around. In a matter of minutes, she'd managed to scatter toys, books and clothes across her bed and the majority of the floor, but none of the mess bothered her. In fact, it was almost a bit comforting; Seven always kept their apartment a bit too clean for her liking. It felt strange to have a space to call her own. Not even the apartment she'd just come from did she have her own bedroom, she and Seven had to share one bedroom. Now, she had somewhere she could retreat to when she wanted some space. Chakotay had done his best to decorate her bedroom, but she couldn't wait to personalize it and make it her own. The first thing she did was pull out a framed holoimage of her and Seven, which she put on the bedside table next to the bed. Mezoti pushed some of the random personal effects to the side, creating space for her to sit. The bed bounced underneath her as she ran her fingers over the soft, light blue bedspread. It was very considerate of Chakotay to provide her with a bed. Seven was trying to get her to sleep more and regenerate less, just like she did most nights. It was very difficult, but she somehow managed to sleep a handful of times a week Back in the apartment, she had a small, utilitarian bed that was hardly comfortable, but this bed felt like a cloud to Mezoti. With a bed like this, there was the possibility that she might be able to sleep a little bit better at night.

Realizing she was wasting precious unpacking time, Mezoti jumped off her bed and began to dig around. Confusion crossed across her face as she looked around for several of her books, which she couldn't find in the mess she'd made. She dug through the piles that popped up all over the place as she attempted to get settled in. The particular books in question were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they'd accidentally ended up in Seven's bag. It was a longshot, but it was the only explanation she could think of, so she headed down to search for her mama.

The first room Mezoti encountered was a small bathroom across from her bedroom. The walls were painted a light green, trimmed in dark green and pink, giving it the appearance of being in a garden. It wasn't the master bedroom, so she continued her search. Next, she found a small office dominated by a large desk with a computer sitting on it. Based on the number of PADDs scattered across the desk and a forgotten coffee mug, it was easy for her to conclude that this was Chakotay's office. Immediately, she felt like she was intruding on some sort of sacred ground. Wide eyed, she backed out of the office, making sure to leave the door open exactly the same amount as she had found it, so he wouldn't know she had invaded his privacy, even if it was unintentional. The room across from Chakotay's office and next to her bedroom turned out to be a second office, which Mezoti assumed was for Seven. The only room left was at the far end of the curved hallway, so it only made sense that that was the bedroom. Without bothering to knock, she opened the door and went inside.

In the master bedroom, Chakotay lowered Seven onto the bed and crawled on top of her while keeping his lips latched to hers. They'd been so wrapped up in the moving process for the past few weeks, that they barely had two seconds to think about anything else. Their legs tangled together as he braced himself against the bed so he didn't crush her. Seven found the addition of weight on top of her oddly comforting. One of her hands tangled in his hair while the other slid under his shirt and across the smooth expanse of skin stretched across his back. Her fingertips trailed along his spine before splaying across the center of his back. One of her legs hooked around his waist, pulling him closer against her as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, hungrily begging for more.

Both Chakotay and Seven were so wrapped up in their intimate moment that they didn't hear the door creak open. Wide eyed, Mezoti poked her head inside. It took her a moment longer than it should have for her to realize that she was intruding on an incredibly private moment between her mother and Chakotay.

"Mama?" she squeaked meekly. As soon as she spoke up, she realized she probably should have backed off and come back later. When Seven didn't respond, she repeated herself louder. "Mama?" That was enough to catch Seven's attention. Gasping, she pushed Chakotay off of her and immediately sat up. Her hair had come loose from its French twist, and blonde strands framed her flushed face. Feeling equally embarrassed, Chakotay ran his hand over his face and tried to regain his composure. This was an unforeseen consequence of having a little girl in the house.

"You didn't knock," Seven scolded as she attempted to tuck the flyaway hairs back into their proper place. Her expression was a combination of embarrassment from being caught and frustration from Mezoti just walking into their bedroom.

"I wasn't aware that that was necessary," the child defended.

"Of course it is, it's proper behavior." Seven climbed off the bed and stood over her with her arms folded behind her back. "What do you need?"

"I can't find my entomology books. Have you seen them?" Mezoti asked innocently as she looked up at her adoptive mother with her large, brown eyes. Most people would immediately soften when they're looked at like that, but Seven remained unmoved as she folded her arms behind her back.

"All of your belongings have been brought in from the shuttle."

"I don't see them."

"Well look again." Seven's voice was definitive and annoyed, telling the child that she should comply before she got in any more trouble. She'd barely been here for half an hour, and she'd already broken a handful of rules. She needed to be more careful.

"Yes, Mama," she muttered as she hung her head in shame. She turned and dragged her feet back to her room. She should have looked more carefully before barging into the bedroom without knocking.

Unlike Seven, Chakotay was moved by Mezoti's apologetic expression. He should have expected something like this to happen eventually, but he thought it would take a bit longer. He got to his feet and fixed his shirt, which had been pushed up around his chest.

"We should have been more careful," Seven quipped as she headed to the bathroom to fix her hair properly in the mirror.

"It was bound to happen at some point," Chakotay pointed out as he followed after her to the bathroom.

"We've been here approximately fifteen minutes." He sighed. She had a point there, but he wasn't going to get bent out of shape about it. Mezoti had seemed more upset about being scolded for not knocking than what she saw when she walked in. "How about I give you a tour of the rest of the house?" he suggested as he motioned towards the bedroom door, which Mezoti had closed firmly behind her

"I should oversee Mezoti's unpacking to ensure everything is put away properly." When Seven tried to walk past him, Chakotay put out his arm and caught her by the waist.

"She's nine years old, she can unpack by herself. You have to let her handle things on her own. She's an individual, Seven." She looked up at him with a conflicting gaze. She knew he was right, but, on the other hand, she wanted to make sure everything was done properly. "Let her be herself. If her room's a mess, that's fine. You couldn't even walk in my bedroom when I was her age. No matter how much my dad complained, I never could keep it clean for longer than a day or two."

"I'm sure your father found that very frustrating. What did he do?"

"We used to fight about it all the time, he tried bribing me to keep it clean, then tried grounding me when it wasn't clean, and once he even threatened to recycle everything, but nothing worked. Eventually he realized that it wasn't that I wasn't doing it out of malice, I simply wasn't an organized person; he stopped bugging me about it, and eventually I got fed up with the mess and cleaned it up on my own. It's all a part of being a kid. As long as it's reasonably cluttered, I think I can live with it if you can." Seven looked hesitant. She'd spent the past several months since their return to Earth micromanaging Mezoti in order to instill in her proper organizational techniques, but nothing ever seemed to stick.

"I will adapt," she finally relented with some hesitation. The thought of allowing Mezoti's chaos to resume, even behind the closed door of her bedroom, set her on edge, but she was willing to give it a try. Chakotay gave her his boyish grin. As soon as she saw those dimples, she visibly relaxed. It was hard to stay upset with him when he flashed her one of those smiles.

"Come on, let me show you the rest of the house." Although Seven had seen holoimages of the house, and he even gave her a virtual tour during one of their nightly calls, but their hectic schedules had prevented her from actually setting foot in the house until now. She trusted him to get everything together, and so far, he hadn't disappointed her.

Chakotay guided Seven downstairs to the living room so he could show her the rest of the house. The sun streamed through the large windows and bounced off the vaulted ceilings. She looked up. The high ceilings gave the room an open feeling, almost as if they were outside.

"Having a ceiling that high is an inefficient use of space," she commented.

"It might be inefficient, but it's nice and open." Just like Mezoti's bedroom, all the furniture was oak, giving the room a warm, comforting appearance. Seven wandered over to the table that stretched along the back of one of the couches. Arranged along the table were a handful of framed holoimages, including one of the entire crew of Voyager, taken upon the starship's return to Earth. There was also the photo taken of the Senior Officers in the Delta Quadrant when they celebrated Ancestor's Day next to a photo of Chakotay and Kathryn with their arms slung around each other and huge smiles plastered across their faces. Even in a holoimage, it was easy to how much they cared about each other. The final holoimage was the same one in Chakotay's office back at Headquarters. At the very end of the table rested an empty frame. Confused, Seven picked it up and turned to face him. He could read her like a book and explained, "I wanted to save that for a photo of you and Mezoti."

"I believe I have one saved that I can give you." Their old apartment hadn't been decorated at all; she hadn't seen the point in such endeavors. Now that she saw the collection of holoimages, however, she did start to understand the appeal. It was like looking back at old, beloved memories, even for a few moments. She put the frame down and headed to the kitchen to continue on her tour.

In addition to a replicator, the kitchen was fully stocked with all the appliances necessary to make a meal from scratch. Everything was metal plated and shiny, a stark contrast to the warm tones that filled the rest of the house. Seven ran her fingers along the appliances. Her and Mezoti's apartment had been outfitted with little more than a replicator, making it nearly impossible to prepare any sort of elaborate meal from scratch. As a result, both she and Mezoti had grown accustomed to quick and easy meals. With a kitchen this large and well stocked, however, she could only begin to imagine all the delicious meals they could prepare.

"I haven't really used the appliances that much," Chakotay confessed as he replicated himself a fresh cup of coffee. "It's just been me, so I've been replicating food. I was thinking of making a nice home cooked meal tonight."

"I'd be happy to assist you." He leaned over and kissed Seven's forehead softly right above her implant.

"It's a date." She smiled.

"Come on, I want to show you the backyard." She hadn't even thought about the yard. In her mind, she was only focused on the physical house and everything inside it. The front of the house had been full of lush grass with a small garden dotted with a handful of bushes, hardly worth noting, but when she glanced outside, she discovered the backyard was far more impressive.

Chakotay slid open the door behind the kitchen table, and they stepped down onto a stone patio. The patio housed a table and chairs for entertaining. Past the patio was the rolling grass of a large backyard, complete with a small playground for Mezoti about seven meters away. Several large trees dotted the backyard. There was also a hammock swinging lazily between two secure metal posts.

"I usually eat out here," Chakotay explained. "After living on a starship for so long, I can't get enough fresh air."

"Mezoti will enjoy this. She'll undoubtedly fill her room with specimen containers of bugs shortly." That was the plan. Chakotay wanted Mezoti to get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. He always heard the laughter of neighboring children in the evening as they burned off some energy. With any luck, Mezoti would join in with them.

After showing off the backyard, Chakotay led Seven down to the basement. The entire floor was cool and dark, thanks to the cement floor and limited lighting from the small windows scattered along the ceiling, which sent patches of light across the floor. The only real light was the distinctive green glow of Borg technology that came from the alcove sent up on the far wall. The machine hummed, ready to be used whenever necessary.

"B'Elanna was here the day before yesterday putting the finishing touches on the alcove. She said that you shouldn't have any problems, but if you do, call her or Harry. Either of them can stop by to fix it," Chakotay explained as he opened a door, revealing his workout equipment, including free weights and a punching bag, which took up one half of the room, and woodworking equipment, which took up the other half of the room.

"Is this your man cave?" Seven teased. She'd recently come across that phrase while researching cohabitation with significant others and found the concept amusing.

"I guess it is," Chakotay replied as he closed the door. "Sorry it isn't more cheerful down here."

"It's appearance is irrelevant. We will be down here to regenerate, not appreciate its aesthetics." After three years regenerating in a cargobay, a basement wasn't a big deal to her. Thanks to her ability to start sleeping through the night, she wouldn't be down here as often anyway.

After a tour of the house, Seven returned to the master bedroom to unpack her clothes while Chakotay retreated to his office to get some work done for an hour or so. He felt bad abandoning her after she just arrived, but she insisted that there was no need for him to help her, as all she had to do was unpack her clothes. She took out each bodysuit from the duffel bag on the bed, carefully refolded it, and put it in one of the drawers Chakotay had cleaned out for her. She wouldn't have enough clothes to fill all the drawers, but that didn't bother her; she never was one for material possessions. She was quickly learning, however, that children came with lots of stuff, whether it's clothes, toys, books or random personal objects that she didn't quite understand. She had no idea why Mezoti had so much stuff, there was no way she could possibly need all of it. Seven pulled out one of two dresses she had and hung it up in the closet, which was accessed through the spacious master bathroom, next to Chakotay's Starfleet uniforms.

When Seven returned to the bedroom, she found Mezoti perched on the edge of the king sized bed with her feet dangling above the ground. She looked completely at ease here already, as if she belonged here.

"Have you finished unpacking?" she asked as she breezed across the room to finish putting her clothes away.

"I'm hungry," Mezoti replied.

"That isn't what I asked you. Have you finished unpacking?" Seven was getting a little frustrated; she'd asked a simple enough question and expected a simple enough response. Mezoti shrugged.

"I have some more work to do," she admitted. "It's a lot of work." Perhaps saying there was some work left was an understatement, but she didn't want her mother to think she'd been wasting all this time.

"Do you require assistance?" Mezoti stopped to think. She knew it was very kind of her to offer, but the thought of her mother standing over her, micromanaging every last detail made her stomach twist up in knots. She would just boss her around, which would stress her out.

"I can unpack by myself, but right now I'm hungry."

"You're nine years old and fully capable of using a replicator on your own. I fail to understand why you need to come tell me that you're hungry." As she spoke, Seven walked back and forth between the bed and the dresser, carefully putting away each of her bodysuits one by one. It amazed Mezoti at how easily her mother stayed organized while she had to go out of her way to attempt to stay somewhat organized and tidy. It wasn't fair. When Seven turned back around from putting away another bodysuit, she stopped directly in front of her. "I thought you were hungry."

"Oh." She jumped down from off the bed and scurried out the door to the kitchen. She was fully capable of preparing a meal on her own...with the help of a replicator of course.

With her brown hair trailing behind her, Mezoti dashed down the hall. As she passed by Chakotay's half open office door, she made sure to slow down so she didn't disturb him. She could see him bent over his desk, focused entirely on the work in front of him as he gripped a cup of coffee with his free hand. Once she passed his office, Mezoti picked up her pace once again. She bounced down the steps, swung around the banister at the bottom and went down the hall to the living room. Having been so focused on her bedroom, she didn't have a chance to fully explore downstairs yet.

This house was far nicer than Mezoti thought it would be. When Seven first told her that they were moving in with the Captain, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it wasn't this. She thought they'd move into a small house, nothing so large and expansive. Temporarily forgetting her original mission to come down here for food, Mezoti explored the living room. Shelves mounted on the wall displayed various artifacts from the Delta Quadrant, which immediately caught her attention. Some items she recognized, but many she didn't, as she'd only been on Voyager for a short amount of time when compared to the rest of the crew. Even so, just seeing objects from the Delta Quadrant was oddly comforting. She ran her finger lightly over a strange black rock streaked with shimmering blue and red veins. As soon as she did, she felt like she'd broken some kind of rule and dashed across the living room and up the two steps to the kitchen where she found the replicator. While she'd been hungry, she had no idea what she wanted to eat. Finally deciding on a simple bowl of cereal, she replicated it and sat at the kitchen table.

As she ate, Mezoti couldn't help but notice the large backyard. While the small playground assembled, complete with swings, a slide and little clubhouse, certainly looked tempting, she couldn't help but think about all the bugs she could find in the backyard. Living in an apartment meant that her ability to find bugs had been greatly limited. With a backyard that size, however, she couldn't even begin to imagine all the interesting bugs out there waiting for her to discover them. To her, that was more exciting than having her own room or anything else.

That evening, Seven sat on the couch in the living room reading a book when Chakotay sat down next to her. Sensing he wanted to talk, she noted what page she was on and put the book to the side before turning slightly to face him properly.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" he asked. She hadn't given much thought to dinner that evening. Usually, she simply replicated something simple and called it a night. With a kitchen as nice as this one, however, the possibilities were endless.

"I haven't thought about it," she confessed. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking of making spaghetti."

"Spaghetti sounds perfect." He gave her knee a reassuring squeeze. "Do you require help?"

"I don't require help, but I'd be glad to accept some from you." That was all the prompting Seven needed to get to her feet. Chakotay followed in suit, and they headed to the kitchen to make the first of what they hoped would be many meals together in their new house.

It didn't take long for Seven to realize that making spaghetti with Chakotay was a little more complicated than she originally expected. She incorrectly assumed that they would simply replicate the sauce and then cook the pasta. Apparently Chakotay had other plans as he replicated the ingredients to make the sauce from scratch. Making the sauce from scratch didn't bother her, in fact she knew food from scratch tasted far better than anything the replicator could produce.

"Do you know how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch?" she inquired as he began to dig out pots and pans from a cabinet. The metal clanged against each other as he searched from the proper pots he needed. The noise echoed off the walls, preventing him from answering her question right away.

"I've done it a few times," he replied as he finally found the correct pot and put it on the stove. "Usually I just replicate food, but there's something I like about making a home cooked meal."

"What do you need me to do to help?" Chakotay stopped to think.

"How about you start by cutting up the tomatoes?" Seven began to dig through the drawers in search of a knife. After opening and closing several drawers without finding what she needed, she was finally successful and could start preparing the tomatoes.

It didn't take long for delicious smells to start wafting through the air, indicating that both Seven and Chakotay were successful at preparing a meal together. Deciding to see if the sauce tasted as good as it smelled, he dipped a spoon into the sauce and took a small taste. It was absolutely delicious, far better than any spaghetti sauce he'd made in the past.

"You want to try?" he offered as he dipped the spoon into the sauce again and held it out to Seven. She dubiously eyed the outstretched spoon before awkwardly leaning forward and tasting it.

"I had no idea you were such a talented chef," she commented.

"Well, I have wonderful help." He kissed her softly. "I'm so glad you're here," he murmured against her lips. "I've missed seeing you every day."

"You see me every day when we call each other," Seven pointed out as she lifted the lid on one of the pots to see if the water for the pasta was boiling. It wasn't.

"But that's not the same as you being here, being able to hold you, kiss you, touch you." To make his point, he ran his fingertips along her upper arm, causing her to smile. She felt the same.

"I've missed that too," she confessed softly. Temporarily abandoning her role as chef, she turned to face him. "This house is perfect." He couldn't help but smile. For her to compliment him like that was a very big deal. "You have gone out of your way to create a space that both Mezoti and myself will be able to enjoy. I don't know how to thank you." He slid an arm around her waist and drew her close.

"You don't need to thank me, I did this because I care about both of you, and I want you guys to be happy here. This is your house too, so if there's something you want to change or add, just do it."

"There is something I would like to change…" She trailed off. Chakotay had no idea what it could be, he really felt he had gotten everything down perfect. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "The towels in the downstairs bathroom don't match the walls." Laughing, he crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to look offended, but he found her answer amusing.

"Really? Of all the things you're going to comment on, you're going to pick the towels in the bathroom?" he teased.

"You asked me if I had any suggestions, and I provided you with one. If you want me to come up with more, I'm sure I can look over the house for more flaws." There was no doubt in his mind that she would do that if he asked.

"No, no, it's fine." He brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face and stroked her cheek affectionately. "Replicate whatever color towels you want. It doesn't matter to me." He was sure she'd find other changes she'd want to make to the house as she continued to get settled, and that didn't bother him at all. A feminine touch was greatly needed around here.

It didn't take long for the smell of dinner cooking to float all the way upstairs to Mezoti's room. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly. Having been caught up in setting up her room, she hadn't even realized how hungry she was. Before heading downstairs, she looked around her room. While it may not be as neat and organized as her mama might like, she felt proud of herself for the progress she'd made. Most of her books and all of her specimen containers lined the shelves above her desk and the bookshelf while other books scattered across her desk, along with several sketches she'd recently made of various bugs. She had no idea what she wanted to do with them right now, which meant they blanketed the surface of her desk. Her clothes were mostly away in her dresser drawers, but colorful pieces of fabric poked out from the partially open drawers. A few articles of clothing still littered the floor, along with the bags she had packed everything in. For right now, she was satisfied with her work and wanted to see what was for dinner.

When she got downstairs, Mezoti poked her head into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. She found Seven and Chakotay laughing and chatting carelessly. She immediately felt like she imposing on something special between the two of them. Right as she was about to turn to leave, Chakotay saw her out of the corner of his eye.

"How's your room coming along?" he asked as he took the pot of pasta off the stove to drain it. Dinner was just about done.

"Good, Sir," she replied. "Do you want any help?"

"You can set the table," Seven replied as she produced three plates from a high up cabinet and handed them to Mezoti. While the girl went to set the table, Seven grabbed three glasses and three sets of silverware. Mezoti dutifully set the table, making sure everything was perfectly arranged. It was time for them to share their first of what would hopefully be many meals together as a family.

Author's Note: Leave a review and check out my other Chakotay/Seven fic, titled, "Coming Clean". It's a completely different vibe than this one. I'm also so excited to announce that this fic is the first of a trilogy. Originally, it was just going to be two, but inspiration struck, and it would be horrible not to take advantage of the muse.