=/\=

After the virtual reality sanctuary of Unimatrix Zero was destroyed, Seven of Nine, who had once been Annika there, was certain she would never be with Axum again. How could they ever meet in person now? His sphere was in the farthest reaches of the galactic fringe, in the Beta Quadrant, while Voyager was still deep in the Delta Quadrant. He'd promised to find her again, but he couldn't say how that unbridgeable gulf between them could be overcome. There was nothing he could have said to comfort her. They were lifetimes away from each other, even one with as long a life expectancy as Axum's.

She mourned his loss. She accepted that viewing Vorothon Gorge with Axum in the "real" someday was a fantasy. She was so certain of this, she explored a romantic relationship with Chakotay. Ultimately, that romance did not work out the way she hoped, and she feared she would always live alone, without a partner like Axum to share her life with, knowing what it was to have been Borg.

And now, here he was.

=/\=

When General Korok and Axum, along with several Species 8472 representatives, emerged from the turbolift for the meeting in Voyager's conference room, Captain Janeway greeted the visitors. The two former Borg stepped to the right, not the left, allowing the others to pass by them. The captain smiled slightly and said blandly, "Would you like to say hello to people you've met before . . . in one reality, or the other?"

Noisy greetings were exchanged between Korok, Chakotay, and Tom Paris, drawing almost everyone's attention on them and not on the much quieter reunion taking place on the upper ramp of the bridge. Axum slowly approached the Astrometrics station Seven always assumed when she was on the bridge. At first they said nothing, but as he peered intently into Seven's eyes, Axum took a final step, close enough to touch Seven's Borg-enhanced left hand. "We were sso far apart, and now I'm closse enough to touch you. Perhapss a visit to Vorothon Gorge iss no longer out of the quesstion."

Seven did not reply. She could not reply. It was all she could do to prevent herself from throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her body as tightly against his as she could. On the bridge, though, this simply was not done; but the powerful connection they'd had in Unimatrix Zero was still there, and perhaps even stronger now because of their long separation. This time, she needed no reminders about their history. She'd regained almost all of her memories of the sanctuary, particularly those last few precious visits, when she'd wasted their time together, as she'd thought. Axum said they had fallen in love all over again, and Seven knew it was true. Invisible strands of desire connected her to Axum, even as he pulled his hand away from hers and stepped aside to let her pass. At the captain's request, Seven was to participate in the meeting.

As Axum and Seven stepped quietly away in the direction of the corridor leading to the conference room, no one looked their way. Korok's effusive conversation with Chakotay and Tom had taken center stage. Had Axum asked Korok to distract everyone else on the bridge while his first "real life" meeting with his Annika took place? Whether he had or not, that's what had occurred.

=/\=

There weren't enough chairs for everyone, but those who had been Borg preferred to stand behind or next to others to whom they were close. Seven's place was behind Captain Janeway, which gave her an excellent view of the other participants - particularly Axum, who was on the other side of the room, near the beings from Fluidic Space. The Fluidians, as Tom Paris suggested they call them, and those who had been Borg, confirmed that the Queen was gone. No sign of the Unicomplex had been found anywhere they'd looked, and the search had been extensive. To all appearances, the Borg as a Collective entity had been destroyed as completely as their Transwarp conduit system. Although the search for survivors by the ships of the Borg Resistance continued, only a fraction of all the drones assimilated by the Collective had been discovered and rescued.

The participants agreed upon the need to establish peaceful relations between the newly-designated Fluidians, the Borg survivors, the Federation, and its allies. While some of the Fluidians (the one who looked like Admiral Bulloch, especially) were still skeptical, even they grudgingly had to admit they hadn't discovered any evidence that the people of "Dry Space" were planning any aggressive actions towards the people of Fluidic Space. The Borg, such as Korok and Axum, expressed their trust in Captain Janeway. As General Korok stated, "Captain Janeway has freed as all."

"No, I didn't," the captain said. "Admiral Janeway did, with a serum developed by Cadet Icheb, Seven's adopted son."

Seven had gradually become conscious that Axum's mind was brushing against hers occasionally. Was he attempting to communicate with her subvocally? When Captain Janeway identified Icheb as Seven's son, Axum stared at her, and she clearly heard, I knew about Icheb's existence from Korok, but not that he's your son.

She detected concern on his part, and something else she thought he might not have been ready to convey to her yet. He wanted to have a relationship with her again, like they did in Unimatrix Zero - but this time, a real one. Was that why he'd come here? He'd told her he'd find her again, and now, he had.

Seven refocused her attention on the meeting. The group laid the groundwork for peace talks, and then the meeting was adjourned. As the participants began to leave, however, Admiral Paris called out to Seven, "We should speak with your son. I know he's been curious about what happened to the Borg after the serum he developed was deployed. Since it's been even more devastating to them than he predicted, I want to let him know the truth before word gets out to everyone. I want to be sure he can accept the magnitude of the destruction."

Most of the meeting participants had shuffled out of the conference room after Captain Janeway summoned Icheb to the conference room. Admiral Paris the other members of Voyager's crew remained, along with Captain Picard, the Admiral Bulloch, Boothby, and Valerie Archer Fluidians, Korok, and Axum. Since the room was no longer as crowded as it had been, Axum moved over to sit in the chair next to the seat Seven had taken. "Your son destroyed the Borg Queen?"

There was only one answer she could give. "Yes, but the serum was delivered by Captain Janeway's counterpart from another timeline, Admiral Janeway. She had no place here, and she knew it. She volunteered to be the 'sacrificial lamb.' But Icheb had prepared another dose for himself. If she had failed, he was going to sacrifice himself to make a second attempt."

"Korok told me he'd been impressed with him, and with another young Borg you rescued."

"Mezoti," she answered.

"Yes, that's the one." He didn't press her. She was glad. Mezoti had done much good on Wysanti when Borg Resistance drones sought help from the physicians there because of medical problems from failing implants; but Seven missed her desperately, now, more than ever.

Icheb entered the conference room, and Admiral Paris informed him of what had happened to the Borg. Seven was proud of him; he took it well. She'd expected nothing less.

As the second meeting broke up, Seven wondered if she should introduce Icheb to Axum. Icheb made the decision for her when he came over to where they were standing. Axum told Icheb he had many questions to ask him, but "for now, let me just ssay I'm very pleased to meet Annika'ss sson."

Seven hugged Icheb, who smiled at Axum and said, "Axum, I notice your vocal processor has what we call a 'glitch' in it. Seven repaired a glitch in mine a long time ago. She's very good at it. It will only take a few moments for the adjustment. And it won't hurt at all."

"Would you be willing to do thiss for me, Annika?" Axum asked her.

She was more than willing to provide this small service for him. The necessary instruments were in Cargo Bay Two. As the three walked out of the conference room, Icheb announced he was returning to the Astrometrics station on the bridge. Seven had no doubt, from the way her son's eyes were sparkling, that he understood how much his mother looked forward to spending time with Axum - in private.

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