Sickbay was quiet and still; the total opposite of how it had been the night before. Seven stepped through the doors and looked around finding who she was looking for sitting at the Doctor's desk. She walked through the main bay without a sound and stopped just inside of the small office area. She stood there for a few moments simply watching the striking auburn haired woman who was looking over a padd and sipping at her coffee with her feet up on the desk. Kathryn had taken her uniform jacket off and was sitting there in her Starfleet issue undershirt; she looked comfortable and relaxed, a rare sight outside the privacy of the captain's quarters. The older woman was absolutely stunning and Seven had no issues with spending time simply watching her.

"Good morning, Annika." Kathryn said softly as she looked up from her padd and into the bright blue eyes of the tall blonde standing in the doorframe. She'd known Seven had come into the room the moment she'd heard the doors open.

"You stayed all night." Seven said simply as she walked closer to the desk.

Kathryn shifted her feet from the desk to the floor and then arched her back in a long stretch. "I tried to leave when the Doctor brought in another female crewmen. We thought that maybe it was the female factor, but it didn't help, so I stayed." She glanced at the bassinet to her left and shrugged, a soft smile on her lips. "For all intents and purposes she was just born yesterday, sticking around just seemed the right thing to do." She smiled a little more as she turned her gaze back to Seven. "Besides I never sleep well when you're regenerating instead of sleeping beside me."

A small smile pulled at Seven's lips. "It is only once every two weeks now, Kathryn, I am sure it does not make that much of a difference in your sleep cycle."

"You would be surprise at how fast someone can get use to having someone beside them as they sleep." Janeway replied moments before the sound of fussing could be heard coming from the bassinet. "Well it looks like someone is ready to face her first full day of life outside a Borg womb."

Both Janeway and Seven walked over to the bassinet and looked down at the small squirming infant as she stretched out her tiny body despite being restricted by the blanket she was swaddled in. The baby yawned and crinkled her little nose before letting out her first demanding cry of the day.

"Is she unwell? Where is the Doctor?" Seven asked as she watched the infant protest in the only way she knew how.

Kathryn smiled as she reached down and picked the baby up. "Off line. He was getting irritated which ended up irritating me." As soon as the baby was in her arms she began to settle down a little but was still informing the two clueless adults that she needed something. "She's fine Seven. She's just letting us know she needs tending too."

"Perhaps we should bring him back to care for the child." Seven offered as she watched Kathryn sway gently in an attempt to further pacify the infant.

Kathryn shook her head as she tried to remember what to do. "She doesn't respond to him very well."

"Then perhaps Neelix." Seven offered as she titled her head to the side and watched as the expression on the child's face changed.

"She might be hungry or maybe she needs…" Kathryn suddenly crinkled her nose.

"Kathryn?" Seven asked when the other woman stopped talking, and then she to crinkled her nose. "What is that scent?"

Kathryn laughed as she began to clear an area of the Doctor's desk. "Hand me a dipper, Annika."

"A dipper?" The younger woman asked as her left brow rose in a very Vulcan like manner.

Kathryn pointed to a basket near the bassinet as she laid the baby down on the desk and unwrapped her from her blanket. Neelix had replicated every possible item she might need for the baby before he'd left the night before.

Seven walked over and retrieved the entire basket and brought it to Kathryn. She watched curiously as Kathryn tended to the baby, seeing a side of the woman she'd never seen before. She was aware of Kathryn's nurturing side, she had experienced it first hand, but this was so much deeper somehow. "You are familiar with the care of infant humans? I did not know this about you."

Kathryn laughed as she carefully washed, changed, and dressed the baby. "I did a lot of babysitting when I was younger. I guess the basics are something you don't forget."

The baby continued to fuss even after Kathryn picked her up and it made Seven tilt her head to the side. She could detect the deference in tone and pitch of the child's cry now as compared to the one prier and she found it intriguing. "She is still not content, but I do not believe it is for the same reason as before."

"She's probably hungry. Computer activate the EMH." Janeway ordered as she gently bounced the child in her arms.

The Doctor shimmered into existence just behind the two women and as soon as he was solid, or as solid as a hologram got, he walked over to join them. "Is there a problem with the baby?"

"I believe the child requires a nutritional supplement." Seven informed him as she stood beside Kathryn with her hands clasped behind her back.

The Doctor nodded and went to the replicator. "I'll prepare something tailor made just for her when I've finished analyzing all of her scans, until then we'll use a standard formula for human infants."

Taking the bottle from him Janeway offered it to the baby who took it without hesitation. She smiled down at the little girl as she leaned against the edge of the desk, totally oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She had given up on the idea of having children herself. Her career had taken priority and then Voyager had become lost and getting home became her priority. As she held the tiny newborn baby in her arms she realized yet again just how much she'd sacrificed in her life.

"Captain," The Doctor said after several moments of observation. "Have you given any thought as to what is to be done with her?"

Janeway looked up. She was a little startled by the question so she had to think for several moments before answering. "It would be unfair to order someone to take her. We'll simply have to ask and see who'd be willing to act as a foster parent. Until then she'll have to remain here."

"Captain." The Doctor protested. "This is a medical facility not a day care center."

Janeway gave him one of her trademark looks as she replied, "She is still under medical supervision isn't she? You need her here to continue your testing? So what's the problem?"

"I am not a nanny." The Doctor answered.

"It's not permanent Doctor." Janeway reassured him as she returned her attention to the baby. "I'll begin making inquiries as soon as possible." When the baby was finished she shifted her so she could pat her back to burp her. "Do you have any suggestions as to who I should ask?"

The Doctor had been watching the Captain very carefully so he had no issues with saying, "In fact I do."

"Who?" Janeway asked, her attention still on the baby.

The Doctor watched a moment longer before saying, "You and Seven."

Janeway's head snapped up. "Us?"

The Doctor nodded. "You and Seven have been the only people she's respond too. It's obvious you're a natural at tending to the child. Plus, she is Borg, and that is Seven's specialty."

"The Doctor makes a valid point concerning her status as a Borg." Seven said as she looked at Kathryn who was staring at her. "He is also correct in his observation regarding your skill at caring for the child's needs."

Janeway was feeling completely caught off guard. With the baby burped and sleeping soundly she walked over and placed her back in the bassinet. She wasn't sure why the thought of caring for the child scared her but it did.

Seven could tell that Kathryn was feeling very uncomfortable and quickly decided to jump in. "Captain, are you not needed on the bridge?"

Janeway looked at Seven with such a look of gratitude. "Yes, I shouldn't keep Harry waiting to give me his report. It makes him nervous." Her captain's mask slipped easily in place as she said, "Keep me informed."

Once the Captain was gone Seven turned to the Doctor. "I will help care for her while she remains here."

The Doctor nodded. His gaze still lingered on the door that the Captain had all but ran out of. Her reaction was puzzling. "I suppose that will have to do."

Seven gave a short nod as she walked over to look down at the sleeping infant. The baby's color was a nice full human pink, her lips had also gained more color, and there was now noticeable fine rusty fuzz on her head. "Have you ascertained the reason for the differences in her implants?"

"Not yet." The Doctor admitted. "They're upgrades compared to yours, but that doesn't explain why they're so different. I've deactivated her neural transceiver so she won't be calling out for any more help. Her interlink node is dormant. Everything else is working within acceptable parameters."

"Will she need to regenerate?" Seven asked as she reached down into the bassinet to caress the baby's jaw line. "The alcoves we have currently will be inefficient if she does. I will need to build one appropriate for her functions."

"I'm not sure." The Doctor replied. "She is capable of doing all the functions that regeneration is meant to replace, like sleeping, eating, and purging waste and toxins, on her own. But she still has implants and nanoprobes, so there might be a need when it comes to keeping those functioning. Her systems don't appear to be dependant on the implants, enhanced, but not dependant."

After listening to what the Doctor had figured out so far Seven gave a short nod before saying, "I will asset you until I am due to meet with Lieutenant Torres."

After running several more tests and countless scans the Doctor asked if Seven would take the baby with her while he worked. He made sure she had what she would need after filling her in on what he knew about human childcare. Then shooed her and the baby out of sickbay.

Seven of Nine stood at the computer consol in cargo bay two trying to access the downloaded information from the Borg sphere's computer core. The access codes, command pathways, encryptions, were all different then what Seven knew, and her inability to open the files was starting to frustrate her.

"So any luck cracking that thing yet?" B'Elanna called out as she entered the cargo bay.

Seven shook her head. "This may take longer then I first estimated."

B'Elanna started to reply but something to Seven's left caught her eye. She walked over to the object and couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "We have an assistant I see."

"I do not think the child has the compactly nor the knowledge to help us, Lieutenant." Seven stated flatly before continuing in a more relaxed tone. "At least at this point in time, she was meant to be Borg after all."

B'Elanna looked at Seven for a long moment before smiling and shaking her head. "Do you think the cargo bay is the best place for a newborn?"

"She would not stop crying for the Doctor." Seven explained while her long, slender fingers danced over the interface. "He was unable to perform his required tasks so I said I would assist him since she seems to respond to my presence." She looked up and over at the bassinet. "I have adjusted the environmental controls to maintain her comfort and well being."

For several long moments B'Elanna looked at her crewmate and friend and then simply shook her head with a chuckle before asking, "What have you got so far?"

"The command pathways and informational nodes are not the same as the ones in a normal Borg ship." Seven replied as she returned to her work.

"So this wasn't a normal Borg ship?" B'Elanna asked as she took her place at the consol. She looked over what Seven had been up to and nodded as she noticed what the other woman had been talking about. "That seems like an awful lot of security protocol for a sphere, hell that seems like an awful lot of security for a cube."

Seven nodded slightly. She'd been having the same thoughts. If the ship had been diamond shaped rather then a sphere she'd have said it was the Queen's ship, but she quickly proved that theory to be unlikely. "Their purpose was clearly something highly valued."

"How valued are babies to the Borg?" B'Elanna asked with a quick glance to their guest.

"As important as any other drone." Seven replied as she looked up from what she was doing. She looked at B'Elanna a moment before asking. "You think the infant was the purpose of the ship?"

B'Elanna leaned against the console and nodded. "One funny looking maturation chamber in the middle of a sphere with twice the fire power and shielding of a battle cube, what would you think?"

"That theory is flawed because a single pre-natal drone is expendable." Seven replied. "However, I am finding that my knowledge of the Collective is becoming more flawed with the passage of time." Seven looked over at the infant for several moments before asking, "If the child is not the reason for such measures what is? If she is then what makes her so unique?"

"Well, lets put that big Borg brain of yours to work and find out." B'Elanna teased with a smirk.

Seven titled her head and gave B'Elanna her best know it all Borg look. "A Klingon's brain is larger in mass then a Humans."

B'Elanna laughed and shook her head before getting down to work.

"Damn."

"Harry?"

Harry looked up from his terminal. "Sorry Captain. I've been attempting to establish a link with the computer on the alien ship but every time I think the connection is made it gets kicked back."

"Any idea why?" Janeway asked as she turned around in her chair to look at the young ensign.

Harry just shook his head. "Not a one, Captain. I might have better luck if I could access the ship's computer directly."

"You want to head over there?" Chakotay asked as he too turned to look at Harry.

Harry felt a little nervous having them both staring at him but he managed a nod to their questions.

Janeway looked at the young man as she thought about his request. Harry had come a long way from the fresh faced ensign just out of the Academy he use to be when he first boarded Voyager, but Janeway still had moments of hesitation when it came to Harry because she sort of saw him with a maternal gaze. "Harry could you get your connection if you attempted it from the Delta Flyer at a closer range then Voyager is at?"

The look on Harry's face showed everyone he was working it out in his head and then he shrugged. "Unsure Captain. I don't really think it's about distance. I think it's just a really good failsafe program."

"Very well," Janeway said as she turned to look at Tom. "Mr. Paris, the two of you take the Flyer, but use extreme caution."

Both of the young men nodded and then handed over their stations to their stand-bys. Janeway watched as they entered the turbo lift and then returned her attention to the science report she'd been reading.

"So how's our newest crewmen?" Chakotay asked quietly as he leaned in closer to Janeway. "I heard you spent the night in sickbay. What does the Doctor have on you to make you do that?"

Janeway gave her first officer a half grin. "The Doctor doesn't have anything on me. I volunteered. As for the baby, she's fine, all things considered."

"Did Seven and B'Elanna have any luck with the core?"

"Not yet but they will." Janeway replied before turning her attention back to her work. "You know how Seven is when she's zeroed in on something."