Disclaimer: You saw it on Star Trek? Then I don't own it! Simple enough? Femslash content (I like that word) so if you don't like that please don't waste your time with this story. Disclaimer, done.

Code: T/7.
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: M/R
Feedback: Click review, e-mail me, however you'd like to do it, but let me know what you thought!

Dark Dawn
Chapter 4

"She's coming around..."

"B'Ella, can you hear me?" B'Elanna heard a baby crying and she tried to open her eyes.

"Seven?"

"Yes, B'Ella. I'm here." B'Elanna blinked through the brightness at Seven, who stood over her, seemingly enveloped in a halo of light. Her eyes tired and sore, B'Elanna closed them again.

"Am I in sickbay?"

"Yes." The doctor's voice. "You've had your baby. She's beautiful. Do you want to see her?" B'Elanna opened her eyes to look and sure enough, the doctor handed her a beautiful, blonde baby girl. "Have you decided on a name?"

"Yes," B'Elanna said, taking the baby. She looked into the deep, blue eyes and smiled. "I want to name her Annibel."

"A lovely name," the doctor agreed. "English. A combinaiton of the names Anna and Bel—"

"No. At least, not this time," B'Elanna interrupted.

"Annika and B'Elanna?" Seven asked. B'Elanna turned her head to look at her and smiled.

"Yes." B'Elanna felt Seven's hand cover her own. She looked back down at Annibel, who was being quiet now. Her eyes had closed and she was settling down into the blanket the doctor had wrapped her in. B'Elanna ran her hand gently over the barely visible ridges, then leaned down and kissed her new daughter's eyelids.

B'Elanna woke up at the sound of Annibel's screams. She hurried to the crib at the foot of the bed and picked up her baby. Annibel cried as her half-asleep mother carried her back to the bed. B'Elanna offered her a late-night snack, but Annibel refused, moving her head to the side and crying even louder. After checking her diaper to find out that she was dry, B'Elanna tried rocking and singing to calm the baby down, but after about ten minutes, it became apparent that it wasn't going to work.

B'Elanna only took enough time to slip on a robe before practically running to sickbay. Everything seemed to take too long as her baby kept crying. She couldn't walk fast enough, the turbolift was agonizingly slow and then the doors to sickbay seemed to have a malfunction that caused them to take way too long in opening.

"Computer, activate EMH!"

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the doctor stated pleasantly, much to B'Elanna's annoyance as it further delayed helping her child.

"Annibel won't stop crying. I've tried feeding, checked her diaper, rocked her and sang to her and nothing seems to work."

"Okay, let's have a look, shall we?" He took Annibel from B'Elanna and set her in the middle of the infant biobed to examine her. B'Elanna paced impatiently, her eyes never leaving the doctor and his tiny patient. "As I suspected." The doctor closed the tricorder and collected a hypospray from the table nearest him and began programming it. "It's common in human-Klingon hybrid children for the early growth and developmental rate to be radically different from either race, most commonly being more rapid. Litttle Annibel here is suffering from just that."

"Is that why she's crying?"

"Yes. Over the next few months, her body will be growing so quickly that her growing pains will most likely cause her to cry for hours every night."

"Can't you stop them or something?"

"Of course not. It's the natural development of her body. However, I can give her this compound to help ease the pain."

"You're giving her drugs?" B'Elanna growled incredulously.

"No! Don't be absurd. It will simply help ease the process of rapid bone growth and alleviate the pain."

"Oh." B'Elanna stepped closely to monitor the injection of the compound. A few moments later, the baby's cries died down. "Will she be okay?"

"Yes. But you'll have to bring her in every three days for another treatment."

"Yes, Doctor." B'Elanna picked Annibel back up and held her tightly, relieved that she felt better. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "Other than this how has she been? Is she feeding well?"

"Yeah, but she's really got a big appetite. It doesn't seem like I can keep her full all the time."

"Don't worry, that's normal, considering. Your Klingon side should ensure that you do produce enough milk to keep her nourished, as Klingons tend to over-produce. But, if you're unsure, I'm sure that the captain will authorize Annibel some replicator rations for a supplemental formula."

"I'll ask her just in case."

"Good. Then how are you holding up?"

"I think I'm doing pretty well. It's a little tedious, being on maternity leave, but it's not so bad, really. Annibel is a full-time project. I have a new respect for Sam Wildman. Did she have the problem of rapid development and growing pains with Naomi?"

"No, Ktarians naturally develop rapidly, so there were already natural countermeasures in place in Naomi's system."

"Lucky kid." B'Elanna watched as Annibel fell asleep and smiled at the tiny yawn her little girl produced. "Thanks, Doc."

"I wish to discuss the nature of our relationship," Seven stated.

"Yeah, hold on a sec. Anni! Stop pulling those down, please. Mommy needs them." Annibel pouted, jutting out her lower lip. At only four months, she was developmentally eighteen months old. By Klingon standards, that meant about two human years. B'Elanna recovered the padd before it was flung in one of Annibel's new obsessions: a tantrum.

"No!" Annibel yelled when B'Elanna took the padd away, then she flung herself on the ground and screamed at the top of her lungs. All three of them. B'Elanna tried to tempt her with stuffed toys and other objects, but finally, just had to let Annibel wear herself out, as she had become too angry to deal with.

"I can't even say that it's the 'terrible twos,' since she's not even a year old yet." B'Elanna said, apologetically to Seven over the screaming.

"Are all children at her developmental age this loud?"

"All the ones I've met," B'Elanna said. "What is it that you wanted to discuss?" B'Elanna watched as Seven shifted uncomfortably.

"Four months ago, you asked if I had decided whether or not I reciprocated your feelings. At the time, I had not and was unable to give you an answer. I have thought about it very hard lately and must conclude that the answer is..." Seven paused and B'Elanna had to restrain herself from jumping across the room and yelling at her to spit it out. "That I do not. I am sorry." B'Elanna felt as if she had just been hit with a shuttle.

"You… don't." B'Elanna said, crushed and in mild shock.

"No. Though I enjoy our friendship, I must admit that the physical aspect of our relationship has grown... undesirable. I hope that we can maintain our friendship, despite the loss of our romantic affiliation."

"You mean, let's just be friends." B'Elanna translated, bitterly.

"Precisely." Seven waited for B'Elanna's response, unable to meet her eyes.

"Get out."

"What?"

"I can't be around you right now, get away from me." B'Elanna stood and pointed at the door. Seven looked at her sadly.

"I did not wish to hurt you."

"Please just leave. We'll talk later, but right now, I can't be around you. Please," tears began forming in her eyes and she turned her back to Seven, unable to look at the woman she loved—who didn't love her back. She heard the doors to her quarters open, but they didn't close for a long moment. When they finally closed, B'Elanna sat down on the couch and began crying. Annibel, noticing her mother's distress, abruptly ended her tantrum and crawled over to her.

"Mommy?" B'Elanna quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile at the sound of her little girl's voice.

"Yes, honey?"

"Why you sad?" B'Elanna looked into the big blue eyes for a moment, and then pulled Annibel into a hug.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, baby. Mommy's okay." She pulled Annibel into her lap and snuggled her, kissing the top of her head.

"Wuv you, Mommy."

"I love you too, Annibel." The door chimed. "Come in."

"Lieutenant Torres? This is for you." B'Elanna looked up at the crewman and indicated that he should bring the padd to her. He complied, and then left, quickly. B'Elanna scanned the contents of the padd, unable to believe her eyes.

"He's suing for custody?" B'Elanna glared at the padd a moment, rereading it to make sure she was reading it right, then she threw it towards the wall as hard as she could.

To be concluded…