AN: Here we are, another little piece here. There are little time jumps (obviously) built in. (They'll be very necessary since I plan on covering a lot of time/ground in this story.) I hope they're explained/showed in the chapter, but I'll let you know that there's one here.

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

111

Raffi woke naturally. Rather, she woke feeling as though it was all happening naturally. The alarm she and Seven had chosen for their quarters was one of the natural-waking options available, and the slight changes in the atmosphere of the room induced a gentle waking. Raffi stretched in bed, sat up, and checked the time on her personal device. She went straight to the bathroom, relieved herself, washed her face, and took off her bonnet, taking time to arrange her hair in an off-the-collar style that would pass Starfleet muster. In the bedroom, again, she dressed quickly and easily, and she passed in front of the full-length mirror to check herself. She slipped her feet into her slippers, not feeling like there was any need to put her boots on too early.

Seven's regeneration chamber buzzed with the familiar noise that, to Raffi, had become almost a soothing white noise. The first nights she'd tried to sleep while Seven regenerated, she'd found that it kept her awake. She'd worried that their relationship might end based on that one fact alone. She'd changed her thinking, though, with a little help from Counselor Troi, and it had worked—even if Raffi had never told Seven, specifically, that she'd seen the counselor to tell her she wasn't sure she could live with Seven if she had to regenerate at night.

Now, Raffi's mind heard the noise as proof that Seven was getting what she needed to be strong and healthy. Instead of being an annoying, unfamiliar sound, Raffi had taught her mind to hear the regeneration chamber as something very familiar and comforting. It was a sound of home. It was a sound that meant that Seven was close-by, and she was well. It was a sound that meant care, nurturing, and the promise of happy times together.

Now that Raffi also equated the regeneration chamber to the survival and growth of their child, she found herself even more enamored of the noise, and she believed it actually helped lull her to sleep on the nights when Seven had to regenerate instead of sharing the bed.

Raffi studied the panel, entirely protected from any accidental contact with the high voltage of the machine thanks to the invisible shield that B'Elanna had designed after she'd accidentally shocked herself pretty badly while tweaking some things to update the chamber in their home.

Seven still had a little more time before her cycle was complete.

Raffi watched Seven a moment as she regenerated. She appeared to be sleeping, her body absorbing the power from the chamber. It was easy, sometimes, for Raffi to pretend that there was nothing different about Seven than there was about any other human. It was easy to pretend away the visible Borg implants as some kind of aesthetic choice, like body art. The chamber, sometimes, was a stark reminder that Seven was, in fact, Borg.

Of course, Raffi simply thought of that as a different species—some people married Klingons, some married Vulcans, Ktarians, Bolians, and so on. Her wife was Borg, and that was all there was to it—even when she saw the slightly horrified expression that flashed, for at least a second, in the eyes of most individuals the first time they realized such a thing. Raffi believed that they would come around to accepting Seven and loving her for the incredible woman she was, but Raffi also knew that individuals took their time in learning to confront and overcome their fears and prejudices.

Raffi didn't mind that Seven was Borg. The only part she minded, really, was the knowledge that, unlike being Klingon, or Vulcan, or Terran, or Saurian, being Borg was something that had been forced onto and into Seven as an act of violation. She wasn't born Borg, though she really didn't remember much of a life when she wasn't Borg. There was a great deal of her that identified with being Borg, even though there was a great deal of her that hated certain aspects of being Borg and, therefore, of her own identity.

There was a lot of baggage that Seven had to carry, and Raffi never minded helping her to unpack it, because she knew that, any day when the world just seemed to heavy, she could bring her own baggage to Seven, and Seven would sit and patiently help her to work through her feelings. Raffi had hated herself for so many things and, though Seven hadn't been able to heal every hurt she felt inside, she had at least taught Raffi that much of what she believed about herself wasn't true—at least, it wasn't true to Seven, and it wasn't true to Elnor, and it wouldn't be true to the children that they would create and raise together.

Raffi loved Seven for exactly what she was—Borg and human pieces all included—and one of her greatest goals was to teach Seven to love herself just the same.

Raffi checked the time again on Seven's regeneration chamber, and she checked the time on her personal device. They'd both been given a later start time on their duty because the night before they'd been at a diplomatic dinner attempting to bring their very first newly-encountered beings—the Rendians—into the Federation. The dinner had gone fairly well, with only a handful of faux-pas taking place, but the Rendians still wanted time to consider things. They had promised to pay them another visit later.

The dinner had ended late, and the Doctor had made it clear that Seven was to finish a full regeneration cycle, and that he was prescribing that Raffi stay with her, just in case there was some kind of malfunction. Raffi knew that the Doctor didn't believe there would be any such malfunction. He was simply buying them the morning together, and Raffi appreciated his holographic sense of romance.

She was anxious to get to work—now that they had arrived safely in the Delta Quadrant, finished their business at the station that was under construction, and were actually beginning to move around, attempting to make peaceful contact with the inhabitants of the Delta Quadrant—because she found the prospects exciting and invigorating, but she still valued the quiet time of the morning with Seven. It was, in those precious moments with Seven, where Raffi found the strength and effervescence that she needed to get through anything that she may find herself facing during the day.

In their living area, Raffi requested a carafe of coffee, cream, and two mugs. She put that in the center of the table and touched her combadge.

"Musiker to Elnor," she announced.

"It is early," came back the response.

"Good morning to you, too. It is late, Elnor Musiker," Raffi said, laughing to herself. "Are you just waking up?"

"I am prepared for my day," Elnor said. "I'm reviewing my work for a class assignment."

The cadets aboard the ship still had to complete their classwork, so there were times built into their schedules where they were meant to study, complete lessons, and make presentations about their work on the mission that they sent back to the Academy.

"Elnor—we won't be able to make it to breakfast this morning."

"Is something wrong?" Elnor asked.

"Everything's fine," Raffi assured him. "Seven is still regenerating. The dinner ran late last night, and her cycle isn't done. The Doctor doesn't want her interrupting her cycle while she's pregnant."

"That's an understandable precaution," Elnor said.

"Absolutely," Raffi agreed. "We won't be able to make it to breakfast. If you want, you can join us here in about ten minutes."

"I will eat in the mess hall," Elnor said. "There are others who sometimes study over meals. We can review our lessons from yesterday."

Raffi felt something in her stomach catch. She knew the feeling immediately, and it was an odd but welcomed sensation. Elnor was making friends—which was absolutely what they wanted for him—but it meant that he was happy to pass up breakfast with his "moms" in favor of a meal with his friends. There was a certain sense of pride and melancholy there, all mixed in together. Raffi smiled to herself so that the sound of the smile would come through in her words.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Raffi said. "Maybe we'll—see you for lunch or…if you want to eat with your friends, Elnor, that's fine, too. You don't have to decide right now. You can—just send me a message, or send one to Seven."

Elnor seemed to like that idea, and Raffi wished him a good day before she went back to the replicator and requested breakfast—two eggs, two slices of bacon, one English muffin with butter for herself, and a breakfast burrito, in which she requested an extra serving of vegetables mixed in with the other ingredients, with a bowl of assorted fruit for Seven. She took the time, standing at the replicator, to request the exact assortment of fruit, making sure, today, to choose only what Seven would enjoy. There were times that Raffi pushed for expanding her palate and experiences, and there were times that she simply let her be comfortable in what she already knew and enjoyed.

Raffi prepared Seven's coffee and waited by the regeneration chamber until the cycle finished. Seven woke immediately and stepped out of the regeneration chamber like she'd just had the best and most restorative rest ever. Sometimes, Raffi wondered what it might be like to wake so refreshed.

Seven smiled at Raffi the moment their eyes met, and Raffi's heart drummed hard in her chest.

"I missed you," Seven said.

"I love you," Raffi responded. She realized that the response was more of a knee-jerk declaration of what she was feeling than a response to what Seven had said, and she felt her face grow warm. "I missed you, too," she added.

Seven stepped off the platform and met her with a kiss—the kind that was worth waiting all night for, in Raffi's opinion.

"I love you, too," Seven said, the moment the kiss had broken. Raffi passed the coffee cup over into Seven's hands.

"Your breakfast is ready," Raffi said. "Elnor has a breakfast date with friends, so he won't be joining us. You can eat as you are, or…"

"I would like to dress," Seven said.

Raffi nodded her acceptance.

"Don't forget your hyposprays. Don't make the alarm go off—and don't forget the baby's vitamins. I'm going to make my coffee," Raffi said. She left Seven to dress, and she went about preparing her own coffee. It wouldn't take Seven long. Like Raffi, she was accustomed to getting dressed quickly. She would be in her uniform, and she would have swept her hair up into a passing style—even though she wasn't actually required to follow Starfleet protocols—in a matter of minutes.

"Raf…" Seven called from the bedroom. Raffi took her coffee and went to see what Seven needed.

"Something wrong?" Raffi asked.

"There is a malfunction with the replicator," Seven said. "I don't want to request my hyposprays here."

"The one in there is fine," Raffi said. "I'll get them for you. What's wrong with this one?"

"It's my uniform," Seven said. She was mostly dressed. "I replicated it last night, but the size was incorrect. I recycled that uniform, and I replicated another, but the size is still incorrect."

"Mine was fine," Raffi said. "What do you mean it's incorrect?"

Frustration hung heavy on Seven's features when she glared at Raffi with a furrowed brow. Raffi didn't take it personally.

"I mean that this is not the size that I require," Seven said.

Their uniforms were fitted for their unique sizes and shapes. They were "sized" with a tricorder, and the data was entered into the computer. If uniforms were found not to fit—because one lost weight, gained weight, or shifted body composition in any other way—all they had to do was scan themselves and update their information stored in the Starfleet files. Their uniform statistics would be updated, then, and their fitted uniforms would be available through the replicator. Having stored personal information such as that made it easy to replicate clothing. Your personal requests and adjustments were stored, and everything you replicated was created, automatically, in the size that would best satisfy your needs and personal preferences.

"Let me see what's wrong," Raffi said. She walked over to Seven and, very quickly, she noticed the problem. The front fastenings on Seven's uniform pants were simply not going to make it. Raffi felt a sensation run all the way through her body. She tried to hide it, for a moment. "Seven—you wore pants last night. To the dinner."

"That is irrelevant," Seven informed her. Raffi bit back her amusement at the irritation radiating off of Seven.

"Maybe not. Did you recycle them, yet?" Raffi asked.

"I did not," Seven said. "I was careless and messy. I rushed to start my regeneration cycle."

Raffi stepped into the bathroom. She found the pants, discarded on the floor, that Seven had worn the night before. Normally, they would have immediately gone into the recycler, but Seven had been in a rush—concerned that her regeneration cycle would make them late. That concern was what had prompted Raffi to contact the Doctor for a medical notice to be sent out excusing them both of being tardy to their duty stations. Raffi brought the pants back to Seven.

"Try these on," Raffi said.

"I do not see the point," Seven said.

"The point is—I want you to try them on," Raffi said. "Please, Seven."

Raffi stood and sipped her coffee while Seven did what she asked. As soon as Seven moved to button the pants, though, it was clear. Raffi's pulse thundered, but she did her best to keep her composure as neutral as possible. Seven looked at her with pink cheeks and wide eyes.

"Come here," Raffi said, putting her coffee mug down. She reached out and touched Seven's abdomen, gently pressing on it, not even sure what she was searching for as she moved her fingers around. "Your tummy is really very tight, Seven." Immediately, she wished she hadn't said that. Seven looked a little more panicked. "It's OK," Raffi said, willing her voice steady with everything she had in her. She smiled at Seven. She tried to be soothing. "This is—perfectly normal."

"I fail to see how this is normal, Raffi," Seven said, a hint of panic in her voice. "The clothing that I wore less than twelve hours ago no longer fits my body." She did her best to force the button, and Raffi reached out and caught her hand.

"Don't do that," Raffi said, keeping her voice steady. "Seven—don't force it. OK? This is completely normal. Your body shape is going to change. You're going to—grow. The baby has to grow, and you'll grow with it. That's all this is. You're making some room for the baby—it's just a little room for the baby to grow."

"I wore these pants one regeneration cycle ago," Seven said.

"It happens," Raffi said. "It may be time to look into a maternity cut uniform. They're actually pretty comfortable."

Seven's chest was rising and falling rapidly, and Raffi recognized growing panic when she saw it. She gave Seven the best smile she could. She reached a hand out and touched her cheek. Seven jerked—involuntarily—a second before she leaned into the touch. Raffi brushed the edge of Seven's ocular implant with her thumb. Seven didn't jerk. She was relaxing, so Raffi held her eyes to keep that going.

"Our baby is growing," Raffi said. "And that is a wonderful thing. And—I know it's a little scary…but…it's good. It's great."

"It is too soon," Seven said. "I read the information sent to our PADDs."

"About human gestation?" Raffi asked. "I read it, too. It may be too early for human gestation, but it appears to be right on time for Borg gestation. Seven—it's hardly noticeable. Nobody is going to notice this that doesn't look at your body all the time. I tell you what—let's scan you. I'll enter your information in the replicator. We can have breakfast, and it'll update. By the time you're done eating, your new uniform will be ready. In the meantime, I'll contact Chakotay and let him know that we'll both be a little later than we thought, because we need to take a little trip to sickbay."

"I am not unwell," Seven said.

"No," Raffi said. "You're—very well. We just need to check on Baby M and see what the nanonannies are up to. See if there's any advice." Seven had calmed, mostly, at least, and Raffi leaned to kiss her. Seven kissed her back, and she relaxed more as Raffi drew the kiss out. When they finished, Raffi scanned Seven with the tricorder. "Go eat your breakfast, I'm on the way. Don't forget your coffee."

"Perhaps the problem is that—I've been indulging too much. Gluttony is bad for the body, and perhaps I am seeing the effects of that." Seven said.

"We're absolutely not going that route," Raffi said, transferring Seven's new information through the replicator. "We'll ask the Doctor about it if it makes you feel better, but you know as well as I do that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There—it's in. Let's go eat and get your hyposprays."

"Raffi—I'm not wearing pants," Seven said.

Raffi laughed to herself and shrugged her shoulders.

"So, you're comfortable and my breakfast experience is enhanced," Raffi said. "I don't see a downside to it. Come on, Seven, let's have breakfast."