Disclaimer: Only the story is mine. Everything else belongs to Paramount. As much as I'd like to say Seven and B'Elanna are mine, 'twould be a falsehood. (sigh) This story contains femslash (yup, women love women here, get used to it) so if that offends you, then read something else. Although if you've read Ghosts, the story before this one, then you're probably not offended by it if you're still reading. And if you haven't read Ghosts—go read it!

Author Notes: Sequel to Ghosts.

Code: T7
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/Drama
Original post date: Feb, 2001
PLEASE REVIEW!


Family, Chapter 3


For days, Seven avoided B'Elanna like the plague. Mezoti complained that she missed the half-Klingon, but Seven just wasn't ready to face her yet. B'Elanna worked. She didn't eat or sleep, she just worked. When she was forced to leave Engineering under her people's protests that she needed sleep, she found something to repair. Anywhere but Astrometrics or Cargo Bay Two. If she stopped for even a moment, she began crying and felt a hopelessness that completely enveloped her and dragged her into fitful bouts of sleep.

Seven regenerated. Completely opposite B'Elanna's method, she worked only when she had to and regenerated the rest of the time. When the computer refused to let her regenerate anymore, she lay on the cargo bay floor and tried to sleep. Eventually, she was able. The first time she fell asleep, it was dreamless and short. She awoke feeling more tired than ever. But soon, she was sleeping seven or eight hours added onto her normal eight hours of regeneration.

Mezoti was worried about her mother. She no longer supervised her as rigorously as she used to and Mezoti had gone to sleep alone for three nights before practically moving in with Naomi. Sam Wildman asked Mezoti if anything was wrong with her mother and she replied that she didn't know. She described her neglect and Seven's recent behavior, which worried Samantha even more.

In fact, it worried her enough to bring her to Cargo Bay Two, where she stood, debating whether or not to just walk in. Finally, she decided to just enter, figuring that if Seven was as depressed as Mezoti said, then she might not respond to her door. She froze at the entrance to the cargo bay.

Seven's biosuits, once hidden neatly away in closets, were strewn about the floor, making it impossible for Same to enter without stepping on one. She walked into the cargo bay to find Seven asleep on the floor. At first she panicked and ran to Seven, afraid something was wrong, but when she saw the even breathing and twitching eyelids, she relaxed. She knelt by Seven and shook her shoulders, delicately.

Seven's eyes slowly opened, breaking the seal of sleep sand she had formed. She looked around, wondering what had awoken her and found the concerned face of Samantha Wildman.

"Hello, Sam." Seven said groggily, sitting up. She looked around at her space and suddenly felt embarrassed. "I apologize for the disorder."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. For the past six days, Mezoti has been sleeping with Naomi, did you know that?" Seven's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"I apologize. I did not realize that she was intruding—"

"She's not intruding, Seven. I don't have a problem with her at all. It makes both Naomi and her happy, but she's also worried. She doesn't know why her mother isn't there anymore, she's scared that you've grown tired of her."

"I could never grow tired of Mezoti," Seven defended herself, feeling hurt.

"I know that and so do you. But Mezoti hasn't had a full-time mother since the Borg kidnapped her. And suddenly, her first dependable mother has fallen into a depression that has left her alone. You used to help her with her schoolwork, now I do; you used to tuck her in at night, now I do. I don't know what is bothering you, Seven, but I came here to tell you that your little girl misses you. Frankly, so do I. I haven't seen you in at least as long as Mezoti.

"Aryn has been asking about you, too. In a week, Kalila is going to begin kindergarten studies. Seven, this has been going on for almost two weeks, now. No one has seen B'Elanna, either. At least, not socially. She's always working and doesn't talk beyond what's needed to get the job done. If something has happened, then you need to talk about it, not just sleep your life away." Seven sat through the monologue, her heart beginning to race as soon as she heard B'Elanna's name and by the end, she was trembling from fighting tears.

"I do not know what to say." Seven confessed.

"Well, why don't you start with what happened that has you so down?" Seven looked down at the deck plating and debated on whether or not to tell Samantha.

"I terminated the romantic relationship between Lieutenant Torres and myself."

"Why?"

"It… is very personal."

"Did she hit you? Did you fight too much?" Seven's head shot up and she interrupted Sam.

"No!" She looked back down at the floor. "I simply have… unresolved issues that I feel would make our relationship stagnate. I felt that was not fair to either the Lieutenant nor myself, therefore I ended our relationship." Sam rubbed her face, sighing.

"Seven. I can't tell you what to do with you life, especially your love life, but I can tell you that whatever issues you have, they can't be enough to ruin the love you and B'Elanna share. Yes, share. No past tenses here, it's obvious that you two aren't over each other and that you probably never will be. You're killing yourselves over something that you should simply talk over."

"But what if she rejects me?" Seven asked Sam, the terror plain in her eyes. Sam watched as Seven began shaking violently and she couldn't stand to see it. She hugged the taller blonde to her and rubbed her back.

"I don't think that she will. But if she does, what have you got to lose?" She held Seven at arms length. "Don't you think that she's hurting just as much, maybe more because she doesn't know why she was rejected?" Seven's eyes grew wide once again.

"I had not considered that."

"I didn't think you had. Look, why don't you do both of yourselves a favor and find B'Elanna. Talk to her and give your relationship another chance." Seven nodded vigorously and stood.

"Thank you, Samantha." Sam stood and smiled.

"Go get her." Seven nodded again and fled the Cargo Bay. Once she was gone, Samantha looked around at the mess. She sighed and, unable to help herself, began cleaning up the clothing, glad that Neelix had offered to babysit.

To be continued...