Even though the end of Alpha shift had come and gone Janeway and most of the others remained on the bridge until they were sure they weren't being followed and that there was no sign of the Borg. Even after the others had left, replaced by the Beta shifters, the Captain remained. She had to make sure the ship was safe, that her newborn daughter was safe. When she finally did leave the bridge she felt tired and couldn't think of anything but getting back to her quarters and relaxing. She smiled a little in the turbolift when her thoughts of spending time alone with Seven now included the baby.

Seven had been working on the Borg files at the computer on the desk in the quarters she was now sharing with the Captain, but had gotten up and walked over to Gretchen when she'd begun to fuss. Seven looked down at the child oddly. She had done everything the Doctor had shown her, changed her, feed her, burped her, and yet she still fussed. Finally Seven picked the child up and the moment she did Gretchen began to coo.

"Perhaps this is one of those moments where the Doctor said you'd simply want to be held." Seven said as she sat on the couch with the child in her arms. As she held her daughter Seven looked her over carefully. She took in everything about her and smiled softly as she brushed the faintest hint of freckles that dusted the baby's nose and on her cheeks just under her eyes. The Doctor had removed one of Gretchen's unnecessary implants and then placed her under a sun lamp to prevent jaundice. The exposure to the ultraviolet rays had triggered Gretchen's inherited predisposition towards freckles, a trait she got from Kathryn, and Seven adore it.

Janeway walked into the room and stopped suddenly at the sight that greeted her. A bright smile pulled on her lips as she watched Seven sitting there with Gretchen. It was an amazing sight to take in. The former drone who'd had so much trouble embracing her humanity, her emotions, and now here she was cuddling and humming softly to their daughter. As she watched Seven with their baby she knew she had a lot to be grateful for, and a lot of people to be grateful too. She hadn't ever felt this good about her life in all her life.

"Should I be jealous?" Janeway asked as she unzipped her uniform jacket and slide it off before walking over to the couch.

Seven looked up and smiled at the sight of the older woman. "Absolutely."

Janeway sat down next to Seven and reached out to trace Gretchen's jaw line which caused the baby to turn towards her. She was only a few days old and yet there was so much curiosity and so much innocence and light in her eyes. "She has your eyes, Annika."

"She will have red hair." Seven replied. "And she is already developing freckles."

Kathryn looked closely at her daughter and chuckled softly. "Oh, I am so sorry." She told Gretchen as she curled up beside Annika.

Seven looked puzzled. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's not easy being a redheaded kid with freckles." Kathryn explained, her eyes twinkling and an odd grin on her face. "I was teased pretty bad when I was younger. You have no idea how relived I was when my hair darkened and it became more auburn then red."

Seven thought about this for a few moments and then said, "She will also face scorn for being Borg."

Kathryn frowned as she nodded. "Most likely, but we'll help her through it. She won't be alone, Annika, she'll have us and Icheb, and the rest of her family." She smiled as she watched Gretchen startle herself with the discovery of her fist, which had sudden come into her line of sight. "This is still so surreal."

"Are you happy about this situation, Kathryn?" Seven asked as her lover took the baby from her arms. She turned her head so she could watch Kathryn with their child.

"I am." Kathryn admitted. "It's not something I ever expected but now that it's happened I'm so glad it has."

Seven nodded as she reached out and brushed at Kathryn's hair. "You will be a good mother."

Kathryn's smile was bright. "So will you."

The couple sat on the couch for a while longer talking about this unexpected yet wonderful change in their lives. There were deeper things they needed to talk about, but neither wanted to darken the moment. Finally after awhile longer Seven said, "It is late. We should prepare her for sleep."

"It's a good thing we're use to odd hours and long nights." Kathryn teased as Seven stood and went about preparing a bath for the baby. "Baby's this age don't sleep through the night."

"We will adapt." Seven replied with a slight smirk on her lips. The emotions Seven felt as she and Kathryn went about tending to their child confused her. She knew that what had happened with One was not likely to happen to Gretchen but the possibility was there, and Gretchen was her child, hers and Kathryn's so she wouldn't have to give her up the way she did with Mezoti, Azan, and Rebi, but she was still afraid of feeling that pain again. One of the hardest things Seven had to learn about being human was that love often came with the risk of pain, and it took her awhile to realize that the risk was worth it. It was worth it in loving Kathryn and it was worth it in loving their child.

Kathryn laughed as Gretchen splashed water onto Seven bodysuit. "I think she's trying to get your attention, Annika."

"I do believe a bath is more successful when you keep the water in the basin, Gretchen." Seven told the child softly as she smiled warmly at her.

After they finished Gretchen's bath, cleaned up the water, dressed her, and got her to fall asleep Seven and Kathryn once again settled onto the couch together. Neither was sure where to start or what to talk about. They'd agreed that Gretchen was a gift and that they were blessed to have her in their lives. But her existence brought up a lot of questions, concerns, and some darker emotions. It was Kathryn who finally broke the silence,

"Annika."

"Yes Kathryn?" Seven replied softly.

"I think it had to happen when Tuvok, B'Elanna, and I were assimilated on the Borg cube." Kathryn said in a soft voice laced with the emotion of those particular memories. "I can remember being with the Borg Queen, and the events that happened with her, but I have no idea what was going on with my body."

Seven nodded. She'd been thinking about when the Queen could have obtained their genetic material. She just couldn't figure out if it was a spur of the moment choice or if somehow it had all been planned out. The Queen's desire to shut down unimatrix zero was genuine, but could she have used the opportunity to draw them in? "That seems the logical time." Seven looked down and watched as Janeway took her hand into her own. Such small hands yet such amazing strength. "I was not aware of my surroundings while I regenerated in the Queen's chamber." Seven said softly. "I believe that was the logical time for them to take what they needed from me. Before my time with her I would have been an irrelevant drone. I only became of interest to her after my liberation."

"Do you think Tuvok could be right?" Janeway asked as she turned to look at Seven. Her eyes pleading for answers she was afraid to uncover but needed to know.

Seven nodded. "We are imperfect as individuals, yet we have prevailed time and time again against her. We have done so together and we have done so for each other. A child of ours raised and breed by her would be..."

"Harry was right." Janeway said as a shiver ran up her spin. "That is a very scary thought."

The room fell silent as both women tended to their personal thoughts. The emotions were raw and overwhelming, but being in each other's presence helped to quill the storms. After talking for a bit longer the two women decided to try and get some sleep. Seven would get up with the child since Kathryn needed to sleep more then she did. As they settled into bed Seven had a sudden thought. "We delivered our own child and did not know it."

"Fate is a strange thing, Annika." Janeway replied just as softly.