Part 5

Seven woke up gasping, and quickly yanked off the oxygen mask. The room she was in was quiet, except for the sound of machines indicating her vital signs. Blinking hazily, her eyes suddenly went wide as she reached down to her abdomen, which was flat.

No protruding stomach, which meant there was no baby.

"No," she choked. Her vitals began to increase at an alarming rate, causing the machines to become louder. Instantly, the Doctor rushed into the room.

"You need to calm down; your heart rate has really spiked," he chastised her.

"Where is my baby?" Seven hissed groggily.

The Doctor remained nonchalant, humming as he checked her vitals. "You mean your daughter?"

Just then the door creaked open and in walked Ning and T'Pel, wheeling in a small bassinet. Tears immediately sprung to Seven's eyes.

"Is she…." she trailed off, too choked up to speak.

"She's perfect, Seven," the Doctor relayed, a happy gleam in his eyes. "You, on the other hand, have been through quite an ordeal. We almost lost you," he informed.

Seven had tuned him out as soon as she knew her baby was okay. Not just okay, but perfect. All she cared about was seeing her baby…her daughter.

"She is so beautiful," Ning gushed, with tears in her own eyes.

T'Pel reached down and gently picked up the tiny infant, allowing Seven to finally get a look at her child. She tried to hold it together, but tears fell down her cheeks.

"Here she is," T'Pel said softly. "She's been patiently waiting to meet you, Mama."

Seven cried softly as her baby was placed in her arms for the first time. She just stared in awe as the baby continued to sleep. Eventually, she reached down and lightly brushed a few fingers over downy hair.

Feeling how soft it was on her fingertips, Seven sniffled as a small smile inched its way to her lips. "Selene," she finally whispered, and as if on cue, the baby opened her eyes and looked directly at her mother.

Seven's breath hitched as she gazed down and looked at familiar features. It tore at her heart and brought even more tears to her own eyes. "Kathryn," she whispered.

Puzzled, T'Pel gave her a pointed look, as did the Doctor.

"Seven?" he asked. "Do you want me to call her?"

Ignoring him, Seven inhaled and continued to gaze down at her baby.

He tried again. "I'd be happy to tell her to…"

"No, that is her name …. Selene Kathryn Hanson."

His hopes dashed, the Doctor swallowed and nodded. As much as he wanted to let his former Captain know she was a mother, he knew he had no choice to but to honor his patient's wishes.

"I love it," Ning said.

"It's perfect," T'Pel agreed.

Seven held her baby close to her heart, determined not to let her go, not ever, and not for anything or anyone. "I love you, Selene Kathryn Hanson," she softly whispered against the shell of the baby's ear.

….

Admiral Janeway eagerly strolled into Admiral Shanthi's office. The older Admiral glanced up with a tired expression. "So, what is the urgent matter you wish to discuss with me?"

"I heard that Starfleet Academy is in need of guest lecturers," she explained.

He arched an incredulous eyebrow. "Let me guess, you have a sudden urge to go into academics?" he questioned.

"You know me, Sir, I've always loved teaching and mentoring crew," Kathryn explained. "I think I would rather enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience in the Delta Quadrant with our young cadets," she said smoothly.

The Admiral pursed his lips, taking a moment to contemplate her request. "I think that is a wonderful idea," he nodded. "Touch base with Lieutenant Commander Logan. He is in charge of coordinating the visiting professors. I'm sure he will be thrilled to add you to his rotation."

Janeway scratched the back of her neck as she slowly nodded. "I was thinking I might like to start with the cadets on Vulcan," she offered.

The Admiral gave her a puzzled look. "Vulcan?" he repeated. "Why there?"

"Well," Kathryn started, searching for an answer.

Sensing her uneasiness, he narrowed in on her before his eyes lit up with understanding. "Been on Earth too long, have you? Need to get up in the stars again?"

That wasn't entirely true, but she would go with whatever necessary in order to see her former Astronomics officer. "Something like that," she answered vaguely.

"I get it. In fact, I still get that way myself," he grunted and pulled a few papers out of his drawer. "I suppose you better get home and pack a bag if you're going to Vulcan. I'll send the order to Starfleet Command."

Relief filled Janeway's chest, amazed at how easy that was, yet she knew that nothing about finding and talking to Seven for the first time in months would be easy. Nothing at all.

…..

Seven and Selene were doing exceptionally well. Seven took on motherhood like she took on everything else in her life…striving for efficiency and perfection. Being a mother was all she never knew she always wanted, and she was cherishing every moment of it. She knew couldn't continue working as much as she had been, which was pretty much around the clock, so she requested a leave of absence to adapt.

Once again, she found herself packing a bag. "Do you really have to leave?" Ning frowned.

"I have been offered a perfect opportunity. It's a position I'm extremely qualified for, and my duties will not require me to be away from Selene all the time. I want to be her mother in every way, not one that just shows up after work for a few hours," Seven told her.

"But…." Ning sighed sadly.

"It's a new beginning for me."

"But…." Ning tried again.

"And like I said it's a great opportunity, one that I can't afford to refuse."

"But…."

Seven turned to the younger woman. Noticing how distraught she was, she offered a tender smile. "I did invite you to come with me."

Ning reached out and grasped Seven's hand in hers. They had become closer over the weeks that followed Selene's birth. Not as close as Ning wanted, but she was content to wait, until she received the news that Seven was leaving Vulcan.

"I know, and I appreciate that, but Betazed is, well, it's not for me."

"Are you sure?"

Ning had contemplated going, but as much as she wanted to be with Seven, she just couldn't leave her hometown on a whim. She needed to stay where she was. Besides, she had not been offered a position like Seven had. "I'm sorry…. I just…"

Seven's head dipped to meet the smaller woman's eyes, then tenderly reached down and cupped her cheek. "I know, and you do not need to explain it to me." It was the most emotion Seven had ever displayed toward Ning. She gave an affectionate smile, then dropped her hand away and resumed packing.

Ning continued to frown as she took in the other woman. "Whoever she was…. she sure did a number on you," she finally dared to say.

Seven slightly froze and it took her a moment to regain her composure. She walked toward the other side of the room then whipped back around on her friend. "What makes you think it was a woman?"

That brought a slow devious smile to Ning's lips. "Vulcan intellect," she replied snarkily. "And well now you just confirmed it."

Seven only shook her head and gave her a playful glare.

"So, who was she?"

"Someone that I wish to not speak of."

Ning inhaled. "And Selene…. I mean is she…"

"That's irrelevant."

"So it is," she commented. She had learned to read the Borg very quickly. "Well, she was an idiot, whoever she was."

"This an irrelevant conversation," Seven stated firmly.

Ning reached out and took hold of Seven's arm as she tried to walk by her, bringing her around so she could look her in the eyes. "I get that, I do. But Seven, you are way too important to just close yourself off. Don't let this woman have this hold over you. She doesn't deserve you," she swallowed, her voice thick with emotion. "You deserve to be loved and cherished and valued and desired. You deserve everything you want in life. So, you need to go out there and live your life, Seven, really live it. Live everyday like it's your last." Then Ning reached up and cupped Seven's cheeks in her hands, then slowly drew in and kissed her goodbye.

…

The light dusting of rain sprinkled on Seven's veranda as she held Selene in her arms, watching the day slowly fade away. The lights came up on the island of Jinzu. It was beautiful here, even she could not deny that. All in all, she was pleased she had picked Betazed to make a home for her little girl.

The change in scenery had done nothing to ease the loneliness and sorrow in her heart. She still missed Kathryn and was beginning to wonder if she would ever stop. It certainly did not help that every time she looked at her daughter, she could see little pieces of her other mother in her as well.

Her heart ached with love and longing for Kathryn, but she also felt pangs of guilt for not telling her about their baby girl. Even though she was loathe to admit it, a part of her knew that she deserved to know the truth. "Do you think we should return to Earth?" she asked Selene, and the little girl in her arms just gurgled and blew bubbles at her.

Seven snorted a tiny giggle at her daughter, who was looking more and more like Kathryn every day. She sighed heavily as she contemplated her next move in this new life of hers.

…

Janeway felt like she had just drunk five whiskey sours as she stepped off the shuttle and headed to the Vulcan campus of Starfleet Academy. She was enjoying just being out of the office, but her heart felt full. She was nervous and triumphant, much like she felt when she rescued Seven from the Borg Queen. The butterflies in her stomach increased in anticipation of talking to the cadets…. not to mention a certain former drone.

"Admiral," she was greeted by her old colleague and friend.

"Tuvok!" She happily gave him a tender hug, she just couldn't help herself. "How are you?"

"I am well, Admiral," he responded.

"That's wonderful."

Tuvok wondered if the real reason she was here was to see a certain someone who was no longer on the planet. "I assume you would like to get something to eat and freshen up before your lecture?"

"That would be great," Janeway replied breathing in some Vulcan air. "So, how's things here on Vulcan…. how is your family?"

"I didn't realize I missed it here. Also, they all are doing well."

Janeway had missed their candid conversations, and for that she was glad to have come all this way. She desperately wanted to inquire about Seven, but she would just wait and ask her in person when she saw her.

In no time at all she was ready to walk into the first classroom and right away she sought out the one person she desperately wanted to see. As she scanned the room, her face fell when she didn't recognize anyone. She drifted her eyes across the room a second time and once again came up short.

She felt her chest tighten from the pang of disappointment at not seeing her. She cleared her throat. "Is everyone here?"

One of the young cadets scanned the room. "Yes, I believe so Admiral."

Janeway glanced down at the attendance roster that was in front of her and immediately found Seven's name. "Where is Seven?"

Ning raised a questioning eyebrow and narrowed in on the Admiral. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were her Captain. She isn't here," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"And why is that?" Janeway returned, shaper than she intended.

Ning blinked. "Um…she took a leave of absence."

That baffled the Admiral and it took her a moment to recover. "Why?" she finally breathed.

Ning was the only one who really knew about Seven and she wasn't going to tell this woman anything, even if she was her former commanding officer. If they were close, then she would have known she wasn't here, and why. So instead she just shrugged.

Just great…. Janeway thought. I came all this way for nothing. She sighed, then began her lecture. "So, tell me what you know about nanotechnology?"

After the class ended and the students left, Janeway rubbed at her temples. "I need coffee," she muttered. As she was leaving, she noticed the young girl who she somehow knew more than she let on.

"Excuse me…." she trailed off, realizing that she was not dealing with a lowly cadet. "Lieutenant."

Ning stood more at attention. "Yes Admiral."

"At ease," she exhaled. "May we talk candidly?"

"Sure," Ning answered.

"You seem to know Seven…. I mean when I mentioned her…. you…." she faded off. She now wasn't so sure how to ask this.

Ning sensed something in the Admiral and tilted her head as she tried to read her more.

"You see," Janeway tried again. "She was a friend and I was looking forward to speaking with her."

Ning slightly raised an eyebrow. "Friend?" Ning wasn't stupid, and she knew exactly who this woman was and wasn't about to say anything more.

"Yes, a friend."

"That's odd; she never mentioned you. In fact, I even brought you up once in conversation and she said you were irrelevant."

Shocked Janeway blinked, "She told you that?" she blurted, knowing that would be something that Seven would say. "I mean how …." She stopped her sentence, gathered a breath and redirected it. "Do you know where she is?"

"I do," she said, with no inflection in her voice.

Janeway tried to keep her annoyance in check. "Would you care to share with me?" she asked, her patience growing thin.

"No, I don't believe so," Ning gave back. "She wanted to keep her destination private, and I shall honor her wishes. Because I am her friend."

"What? Why?"

"I think she needed time for herself."

"Do you know when she will be back?"

Ning made a face and shrugged. "No, but between you and me, I doubt she will be back." She wasn't sure about that, but she felt she needed to say it anyways. She also had a theory.

"Really? Did she tell you that?" Janeway asked.

"She told me lots of things. I was sad to see her go," she informed the older woman. "I should have gone with her. She did ask me to," she sighed dramatically.

Now Janeway knew something was up, she wasn't an Admiral for nothing. "Oh, are you and Seven in a relationship or?"

"I…" Ning began. "We were, but she had things she needed to take care of, and I had to stay here."

"I see," the Admiral said through clenched teeth, knowing and hating the fact that Seven was with someone else. What did you expect, that she would be living a celibate life? She's beautiful, she would have her choice of suitors. "Are you sure you can't tell me where she is?"

Ning took a breath. "She is on Denobulan." She knew it went against everything in her to lie to anyone, let alone a Starfleet officer, but this was for Seven.

Janeway's forehead furrowed with disbelief. "What is she doing there?"

"Had a job opportunity," Ning glanced back at the door. "I need to run; I am going to be late for my next class."

Janeway watched her leave and then groaned. She wasn't stupid, she knew Ning was not being forthcoming, but the question was…. where in the hell was Seven of Nine?