AN: This is a two for one day, so please make sure that you read Chapter 9 before you read this one.

I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!

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Raffi heard the shower when it started, and she heard it when it stopped. While she chopped, she listened to the sounds of Seven's ministrations as she dried herself and dressed. When she came from the bathroom, Raffi bit back her initial desire to suggest that they turn around and go right back to the bedroom.

Seven's hair was down, still damp, and curling. She brought with her the scent of a favorite floral soap. Immediately, Raffi felt relieved to see that Seven looked refreshed. Even as she stepped into the kitchen, there was a lingering smile on her lips—just to see Raffi there. She'd chosen to be relaxed, and she was walking around in sock feet. She was wearing a favorite pair of comfortable black cotton pants that hung low on her hips with an elastic waistband. Over top of that, she'd put on a black tank top, and one of the button-down shirts that was actually Raffi's.

From just the outfit, Raffi could gauge how she was feeling—better, but tired. The outfit was akin to one that she would choose after a particularly long day at the Academy when she would start pushing Raffi toward cuddle time and popcorn on the couch—something Raffi hardly ever turned down when Seven asked for it.

Raffi was still chopping when Seven came up and, slipping her arms around her, hugged her from behind. She squeezed her, probably harder than she meant to, and rested her face against Raffi's shoulder.

"You look like you're feeling better," Raffi said.

"I feel—regenerated," Seven confirmed.

"You completed your whole cycle?" Raffi asked.

"Yes," Seven said. "My regeneration cycle is complete." She squeezed Raffi once more, moved around her, and picked up one of the green beans from the pile that Raffi had made. She bit it and chewed through it thoughtfully. "What are you cooking?"

"Something simple," Raffi said. "Roasted chicken, green beans, potatoes…and I even made an apple pie. And—I replicated ice cream."

Seven smiled.

"That sounds delicious," Seven said.

"And nutritious," Raffi said. "Everything here is healthy for mamas and growing babies."

"Pie and ice cream?" Seven asked, raising her eyebrow at Raffi.

"There is room for treats," Raffi said. "Besides—someone's calorie count needs to go up, especially if you're intending to keep up with an exercise regimen similar to what you're used to maintaining."

"I see no reason to abandon my efforts to stay physically fit."

"No," Raffi said. "But—not tonight."

"I do not feel…" Seven paused a moment and considered her words, "sufficiently recovered."

Raffi smiled at her and leaned toward her. Seven actually leaned to meet her, closing the distance a little. Raffi pressed her lips to Seven's, and Seven returned the kiss with gusto this time.

"You need to rest," Raffi said. "We're alternating which part of you rests lately, it seems, but all of you needs some rest. You're doing big, important things."

Seven smiled and nipped at the raw green bean with her front teeth. Raffi didn't miss that she pressed her hand to her abdomen.

"It seems impossible," Seven said.

"But it's not," Raffi said. "Now—when we go back to work on Tuesday, I want you to go immediately to the Dean and let him know that you're going to need to hand over the combat class."

"It is not necessary for me to engage in combat to teach the class," Seven said. "I can use volunteers and non-physical examples and instructions."

"I don't want accidents," Raffi said. "Someone gets a little overzealous, and the next thing you know, I'm getting a call telling me you'll be home late because of an accident."

"I have always been mended," Seven said. Raffi appreciated that she was clearly teasing, for the enjoyment of the exchange, and there was no actual argument there.

"You have been," Raffi said. "But—we're not taking chances with our babies."

Seven's smile grew, even though she was clearly trying to hold it back.

"I will tell the Dean, on Tuesday, that I am unable to fulfill that obligation," Seven said. "Perhaps I can take on another class instead."

"Maybe you can swap with B'Elanna," Raffi said. "She has that introduction to Starship systems class that she was complaining about the other night. Call her. Ask if she'll swap."

Seven clearly considered it a moment and nodded her head.

"I will contact her," Seven said. "But—not tonight."

Raffi laughed to herself.

"Not tonight," she agreed. "I think she's seen enough of us for one night."

For a moment, they stood there in silence. Normally, silence was comfortable between them. It wasn't unusual for Seven to go about her own projects or interests while Raffi went about hers, and the silence simply wrapped around both of them like a comfortable blanket that reminded them that they didn't have to fill each moment with inane conversation.

The silence, however, felt a little heavy to Raffi at the moment, though she guarded it until she'd put the last of the dishes on to cook.

"Do you want to talk about today?" Raffi asked, washing her hands and wiping them dry on a dish towel.

"Which part of today would you like to discuss?" Seven asked, her words sounding a touch stiff.

Raffi turned and regarded her face. She pushed Seven's hair back behind her shoulders. She touched her face, purposefully tracing her finger over the outer edge of Seven's ocular implant.

"In one day, we got two perfect babies," Raffi said, pausing a moment. Seven smiled at that. "And," Raffi said, "I had to face, for a very real moment, that I might lose the love of my life."

"I am Borg," Seven said. "I cannot be killed that easily."

There was a smirk on her features, but Raffi suspected it was as much for her benefit as it was for Raffi's. Raffi had seen fear in her eyes.

"You and I both know that the Borg are not immortal, Seven," Raffi said. "I had to—watch you shutting down. Piece-by-piece. System-by-system. I had to watch you leaving me."

"Not all of me was leaving," Seven said. "The human part of me remained. Perhaps it was even better, for a moment, to have nothing but the human part of me left to you."

"If that was the human part of you," Raffi said, "then I'm happy to never see it in isolation, again, for my whole fucking life. I was—terrified. I thought I would lose you, Seven. Forever."

"I was afraid," Seven admitted. Raffi nodded her understanding. "But—I was not afraid of dying, as you thought. I suppose, maybe I was afraid of dying, but my first thought was that—if my body fails, the babies will die. I will fail them. And I…will fail you." Her face started to screw up, and Raffi felt an aching her chest in response to the visible emotion on Seven's features.

"You wouldn't fail me," Raffi said, shaking her head. "You never could. You've given me more than I ever expected to have, and I'll never feel like you fail me."

"I would leave you alone," Seven said.

Her words struck Raffi, mostly because Raffi recognized, immediately, what they'd talked about before. Raffi had been alone before meeting Seven. Being alone—feeling alone in the world—had nearly broken Raffi. Seven had saved her from that. Beyond that, though, Seven had admitted to Raffi that being alone was her greatest fear and her greatest sorrow. She still deeply remembered the profound feeling of being alone that had followed her severance from the Borg Collective and, even now, she feared feeling truly alone, even temporarily.

Raffi wrapped her arms around Seven's waist and tugged her to her so that they could stand closer together. The simple movement made Seven smile slightly, relieving some of the tears she was clearly struggling to hold back.

"If you were to leave me alone," Raffi said, "because you couldn't help it? I would forgive you. Just like I hope you would forgive me. But—I never want to be without you. I never want to be alone. Not forever. So—you have to promise me that you'll regenerate like you're supposed to and never, ever put it off that long again."

"I miss you when I am regenerating," Seven said, repeating what Raffi had understood—had felt—that she'd been trying to say earlier. "I am working during the day. If I'm not working, I have to either give up things that we want to do to regenerate or—put it off until night."

"When we're sleeping," Raffi said.

"I miss sleeping beside you when I'm regenerating," Seven said. "I miss your touch."

Raffi was struck. She had known that Seven often put off regeneration in the same way that a child put off naps or bedtime. She hadn't known, though, the reasons for her reluctance to spend hours in her chamber, regenerating.

Raffi pulled Seven to her in a kiss, and she let it linger—especially when she tasted Seven's somewhat desperate need for it to continue. For a few moments, they simply stood and swapped kisses back and forth. Some of them were hungry, others were sweet. All of them were mutually enjoyed and enthusiastically shared.

"I am sorry," Seven said, the minute the kissing ended.

Raffi laughed to herself.

"What on Earth for?" She asked.

"My hormones were low after regeneration," Seven said. "My alarm sounded and…I've only recently absorbed the prescribed hypospray in the bedroom…and now…"

"Now you're experiencing emotions like any woman would," Raffi said. "Especially—any pregnant woman, Seven."

Raffi smiled when a look that was clearly something like shock crossed Seven's features. She wondered how long the same revelation would continue to be a surprise. How long would it take for both of them to truly accept the presence of the babies without forgetting it after a moment—or doubting that it could possibly be real?

"You know," Raffi said, raising her eyebrows at Seven and placing her hands on Seven's hips so that she could sway her gently from side-to-side, "you're the hub of our little collective now." She was glad when Seven smiled softly, taking the teasing as exactly what it was. Raffi felt certain that she could say what she needed to say—what she really meant—without it having to be something that dissolved both of them into emotions. "Seven of Nine didn't like to be alone," Raffi said. "But Seven Musiker is never alone. You and me? We're always together. Even when we're apart, we're a part of each other. From now on. And—we have Elnor and…now? Our little ones. And anyone else who wants to be part of our family. But you and me? We're never alone again."

Seven grabbed Raffi's face, and Raffi forced herself not to bite her lip over the fact that her beautiful wife was, at times, stronger than she realized. This time, Raffi was only thankful to feel the strength in Seven's hands—and to realize that she hadn't hesitated even a second to place one on each of Raffi's cheeks. Seven kissed her again, this time hungry and demanding, and Raffi indulged her in the kiss.

Seven held her eyes, her hands still in their places, when she broke the kiss.

"I enjoy being in the Musiker Collective," Seven said. She smiled warmly, and Raffi smiled back.

"Me too," Raffi assured her. "And—speaking of our collective? Our baby boy is coming for dinner and maybe a film or a game. We can tell him about our new additions to the Musiker Collective. He'll want to know what his Seven's doing." Raffi smiled and winked at Seven.

Seven dropped her hands, but Raffi didn't read it negatively. She simply leaned comfortably against the kitchen counter.

"I thought we were going to ask Elnor to come later in the week," Seven said.

"He noticed we weren't at work today," Raffi said. "You weren't at the Academy when he went by to see if you wanted to grab something to eat between classes. He was worried. I think it's better for him to know now. He won't be happy if we tell him it's nothing, and then we tell him in a week that we lied to him. Do you mind?"

"No," Seven said. "It's only—I'm not sure that I know how to tell him."

"We'll figure it out," Raffi said.

"Is that why you didn't replicate dinner?" Seven asked.

"It's a special night," Raffi said. "That calls for a special meal. I enjoy cooking, anyway. It's relaxing, and I could use the relaxation today. Besides—I had to keep busy while you were regenerating. And—Seven? We'll work on that, too, OK? I miss you when you're not beside me, but not enough to lose you to not regenerating."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know you didn't," Raffi said. "It got away from both of us, and neither of us could imagine how much pregnancy is going to take out of you. We have a learning curve ahead of us—for both of us. I only mean to say that we'll work on figuring out how to make nights when you regenerate special in other ways, OK?"

Seven smiled at her.

"I look forward to it," she said. "Mrs. Musiker."

The simple title, coupled with the tone of voice and the smile that Seven gave her, sent a chill running up Raffi's spine in the best way possible. She almost hated that Elnor was coming to dinner—and that he would want a quiet family night to follow. On the other hand, though, she reminded herself that Seven—despite what her fancy new hormones might tell her—needed to rest and recover. The thought spurred her response.

"How are you feeling? How's your…feel?" She gestured toward her own abdomen. Something deep inside of her practically ached to reach and touch Seven's, but something else held her back—like she wasn't allowed, which she honestly knew was ridiculous, or like it wasn't real enough to do that just yet, which was also ridiculous.

"I am fine," Seven said, pressing her hand exactly where Raffi practically ached to put hers. "There is cramping."

"Worse than earlier?" Raffi asked. Seven shook her head. "Did you replicate a hypospray?"

"I do not require an analgesic," Seven assured her.

"Maybe just—sit down and rest a bit?" Raffi asked.

"I do not require an analgesic," Seven repeated, "but—I do require another kiss."

"To make your…to make you feel better?" Raffi asked. Seven nodded, biting her lip. Raffi felt her face grow warm. They had a long way to go in this pregnancy, and Seven had a lot of work ahead of her when it came to adjusting to what it was like to have a constant presence of hormones in her system. Still, Raffi felt up to the challenge, and she thought she might even enjoy it. "Come here," she said, not needing to do much more prompting to get Seven to close the gap and take the kiss that she wanted—hungry like before. Her fingers—that hard grip returning—grabbed onto Raffi's hips. Raffi pulled out of the kiss.

"You need to rest," Raffi said. "Nothing strenuous. Nothing too tiring tonight."

"I understand," Seven said. "I do not feel sufficiently recovered," she admitted again.

"But," Raffi said, nodding her head, "if you feel up to it? I may just have—a little something relaxing and gentle in mind for after Elnor goes home tonight."

"I will look forward to the experience," Seven said.

"But for now? You have to do what I say," Raffi said. "No arguments. Go relax. Put your feet up. Spoil our babies and let me finish this dinner."

Seven laughed at her, but she did pull away and start toward the living room. Raffi playfully grabbed the dish towel and snapped it in her direction, catching her with it. She hopped, in response to the sound more than any genuine sting from the towel and, laughing, she disappeared into the living room just as Raffi had requested.