"Hey, you two!" Dr. Crusher stormed into the sickbay. Her original goal was to check her Borg patient, but she found two other one instead of the sleeping drone, so she became a bit angry. "Go to your bed, and it is an order!" she told them firmly.

"I am unable to move my legs" Zimt protested, and the Admiral also looked at her with puppy eyes, so Beverly took action, and called nurses. They helped them to lie on biobeds, and the chief medical officer checked them.

"You two are equally exhausted, so you are confined to these beds for a day to rest. Fortunately, it is not something more serious. But it could easily have been. Resting is more important than working! Would you like to eat or drink something?"

Both patients shook their head. They weren't hungry. But only for food, to say accurately.

They were hungry for the closeness of their beloved ones.

Admiral Janeway was missing her daughter, while Zimt wanted to be close to Seven.

In the last few days she got used to the slow, steady breathing of the Borg woman. She missed that. The rhythmic breathing of her always lulled the young doctor to sleep.

So neither of them were sleeping, and both of them refused the sedative. So they were just lying on the beds in silence. They weren't even talking to each other.

They somehow managed to fall asleep, because in the evening they got an unexpected visitor.

The Admiral woke up first. She either felt the closeness of her former crewman, or felt the helpless rage of her daughter, she didn't know.

She immediately noticed Seven, standing by the biobed of the young doctor, gently caressing her brown hair. Kathryn turned to her daughter, who was sitting at the furthest corner of her electronic prison, watching her assimilator, snarling quietly. Amelia was afraid of Seven, so didn't let her emotions run wild. But she couldn't even stay still, just glaring at her with killing intent.

Although Seven didn't do anything harmful, or dangerous to anyone, just caressing the hair of the sleeping young doctor, and staring at her face.

"She likes you" Kathryn Janeway sat up on the bed, and tried to start a conversation with the long lost friend.

Seven didn't respond. Like she didn't even noticed the Admiral.

"She also likes the Borg."

Silence. The Commander still didn't speak a word. Kathryn Janeway felt like she was somewhere else, and only her body was present.

"She wants to be a Borg. Her wish is you to assimilate her" she tried again to force a word out of Seven.

"I heard that" she nodded finally, but didn't look at her former captain. Her voice was low so as not to wake the sleeping woman. Seven wasn't interested in Kathryn Janeway, she only cared about the young woman's wellbeing.

"Then why don't you assimilate her?" the angry, and loud question came from the other side of the force field. "You did that so easily to me, and now there is a volunteer! Do that, just do that...You beast!"

Amelia Janeway's screaming was interrupted by a hypospray, thrown to the force field. The field sparkled for a while, then fell silent, along with its forced inhabitant.

"SHUT UP!" a sleepy, but angry voice commanded Amelia.

Zimt woke up. She was still tired, and wasn't happy at all to hear the new Borg drone's voice again. She always reminded her, that the Commander didn't assimilate her, but that spoiled kid of the Admiral. It always made her angry, and felt a certain pain. A burning jealousy.

"You wouldn't like that" Seven soft voice tried to calm Zimt, like the Borg could read minds.

"Are you dealing with her feelings?" Amelia started screaming again, but this time the Commander frowned at the unsolicited company.

She slowly went to the energy field, and extended her tubules. Amelia was screaming from fear this time. Although Seven of Nine didn't harm the suddenly frightened new drone, just made some adjustment to the field. Moments later silence fell to the sickbay: Seven added soundproofing to the energy barrier.

"A bit more pleasant, isn't it?" She asked shyly from Zimt.

Zimt nodded. She couldn't even say anything. She wasn't really awake, when the Admiral told to the Commander, that Zimt wanted to be assimilated by Seven.

"Did the captain let you out of your cabin?" She asked finally.

This time Seven nodded, and fell silent.

They were just watching each other, and neither of them could speak. They were both embarrassed, and insecure in that topic.

"Commander, what are you doing here?" A strict voice came from behind Seven's back. Beverly Crusher came back with some food for the patients. "Please let them rest!"

Seven didn't make a simple move. It was clear, that she had no intention to leave. The doctor looked her over carefully. The black circles under her eyes, the half-closed eyelids, her stiff posture were telltale signs of her exhaustion.

"Please go back to your quarters, and sleep" she told to the Commander with soft, medical voice.

"I can't sleep without dr Zimt" she replied shyly.

Beverly sighed. The Borg had more emotional problems, than anyone else on the ship. Since Deanna was still resting in her quarters, Beverly had to deal with Seven's hysteria. She quickly decided, and stepped to the biobed of the young doctor. The extensions of the bed was made by pushing two buttons.

"But do not disturb doctor Zimt!" She warned Seven, and gave her a pillow and a blanket.

The Commander climbed to the bed, and she positioned herself next to Zimt. Half an hour later the lights were dimmed, and all the patients were lying in their beds with stuffed stomach. Seven turned to the young doctor.

"Do you really want to be assimilated?" she asked with heavy heart. She had already known the answer.

Zimt nodded seriously.

"Why do you want to be perfect so badly?"

"Perfect?"

"The Borg's goal is to reach perfection" Seven explained to her. "So if you want to be a Borg, it means you would like to reach perfection."

"No" Zimt protested. "I don't want perfection, just I would like to extend my boundaries, as a human."