A/n: A big thank you to my beta NikkiB1973 who read through two drafts of this chapter for me despite issues with the DocX system. I do not own Star Trek: Voyager.

She'd always liked Hydroponics, standing among the blooming flowers, in solitude but surrounded by life, it had been one of the few places on Voyager she could genuinely relax. Later, as she'd attended funeral after funeral, memorial after memorial, the remembrance had been tainted. It had taken many quiet days in Irene's garden before she could even start to appreciate flowers again. Now, she knew, as her senses were filled with the heavy scent of lilies weeping pollen, the association would be negative again for some time. The last wake she'd been to, that of Irene's sister in law, had been held in a non-descript hotel function room, tasteful but utterly impersonal. She realised many humans would've felt uncomfortable with that, but as she was living through the alternative she saw the benefits. John and Mary Kim had a beautiful house, that was undeniable, but the grieving parents hadn't reached the stage of wanting their son's ingrained presence stripped back until they could face it. There was a photograph of him on every wall, blankly smiling down on proceedings. His clarinet sat pride of place in its holder by the fireplace. It was if the house had been preserved the moment Harry had left orbit on Voyager and it was still waiting for him to come back. The Harry Kim they'd just buried had not been that man, that was all the more painfully evident here than anywhere else.

Katta was close at her side, solemnly quiet. She'd gotten a little, understandably, distressed in the graveyard and Seven had been sure to shield her from the sight by staying at the back of the crowd of mourners. Now the child's eyes flicked between the faces with interest, especially curious about the handful of people in the jarringly bright Starfleet formal uniforms. Seven held her hand a little tighter as her own eyes skimmed over the few familiar, aged faces among Mr and Mrs Kim's sympathetic friends. Admiral Paris and his wife, Tom would've been glad of that, Lieutenant Daniel Byrd with his arm around who she assumed was Libby, James Mooney McAllister, Admiral and Lucy McIntyre… Her mind couldn't concentrate on the others, but was unnervingly aware of Chakotay standing just a step behind her. As if he could sense the direction of her thoughts, Chakotay spoke, quietly enough that she knew the words were for her alone, "Nothing's changed." He remarked.

Seven wondered if he meant the house, since it hadn't changed since Harry's family had first invited them in five years ago, but she found as she kept her back to him and her eyes on the distinguished Starfleet guests that her answer was completely different. "The number of attendees has certainly diminished." He was close enough that she could feel his grim nod of agreement, but if anything that made her feel more uncomfortable than a denial would have. Cynicism was a weakness, a vanity, she didn't want to be indulging in.

She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder, starting to shoot Chakotay a sharp glance when she saw that it was in fact Lieutenant Barclay seeking her attention. She swallowed her sigh of relief as she regarded him. "Lieutenant Barclay."

Chakotay gripped Barclay's other hand in a firm handshake. "Hello, Reg."

Reg gave them both a shaky but warm smile. "It's so good to see the two of you."

"We couldn't have missed it." Chakotay replied softly.

"No." Seven agreed at once, "On no account."

"Well…I know John and Mary…appreciate it. They were worried about stirring up bad memories for you…"

It takes a hell of a lot less than this to stir certain things, Chakotay thought grimly as he watched Seven's face tighten, mirroring the tension he felt in his own jaw, the lump in his throat. He reflexively ran a hand through his hair, "You know them well?" he asked in surprise.

Reg's hang dog face took on an even sadder aspect, "They were my staunchest supports at the Pathfinder project, after Admiral Paris." He sighed regretfully, guilt that he hadn't been able to help Voyager still lay heavy on his heart. "Anyway, they asked me to tell you that they need to speak to you about Harry's…research on Voyager after all this…" He saw the composure of both slip, and sensibly chose that moment to crouch in front of Katta, holding out a colouring book and a packet of felt tips. "And Mrs Kim asked me to make sure you got these sweetheart."

Katta's pensive face was instantly illuminated by a beaming smile as she grasped the book. Seven gently stopped her grabbing the pens in the same manner. "Say thank you to Lieutenant Barclay Katta." She instructed.

Katta peered at Reg, suddenly shy. "Thank you…Loo…ten…tant…" She began, her brows furrowing as she struggled over the unfamiliar rank and surname.

Reg smiled at her encouragingly, his stutter disappearing as he spoke to the little girl, "You know what Katta? Since we're going to be friends, you can call me Reg, okay?" He pressed the pens into her hands.

That won her over and she grinned at him again, "Thank you Mister Reg!"

The three adults around her all chucked, grasping anything that could lighten the atmosphere, and Katta was a ray of sunshine. Seven picked her up and put her firmly on one of the sofas, opening the pack of pens for her as she too sat down. "We'll thank Mrs Kim later." She murmured to her daughter before pointing out a sketch of a horse in the book, "Look, a horse, your favourite hjärtat. Why don't you colour that in for me?"

Katta nodded rigorously, surprising Chakotay by holding the pens out to him. "Which colour Mister Chakoday?" she asked him sweetly.

"Well…" Chakotay hedged, looking askance at the book even as he smiled to himself at her pronunciation of his name, "For such a beautiful pony…" He rummaged theatrically among the pens, making Katta giggle. He was pretty sure Seven smirked at him, but he blinked and her face was carefully guarded as she turned it to him. "I'd pick bright pink."

His assumption that all little girls liked pink thankfully paid off. Though smiling, Katta gave a bird like nod that was so like Seven that he gave a start. "And the mane can be purple." She announced determinedly, swapping the pink pen in his hand for a purple one. "You can do that."

"Yes, miss." Chakotay did catch Seven's eye then, and risked a smile. Seven relaxed a bit as she looked at her daughter and allowed herself to arch an eyebrow at him, as if asking what resemblance he saw exactly. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Katta urged him to sit beside her, but Seven had already shuffled over to make ample room for him. Katta opened the book in his lap and began to instruct him which sections to colour even as she began to scrawl across the drawing herself.

Katta had just advised him to make the horse's ears yellow when he heard Seven speak for the first time since she'd spoken to her little girl. Not to him of course, but to Reg. "I thought the Enterprise was ordered to report to Cardassia in order to monitor the government handover…"

"They're here for two days to…collect Starfleet advisors." Reg explained, "The Council is determined that the Cardassians maintain a government for…at least a few months at a time." He shook his head, "Not that their society itself is stable. You can count yourself lucky that the three…the two of you, missed the war."

Chakotay shifted in his seat, experiencing his usual conflict of emotion when the Dominion War, which the Cardassians had played such an aggressive role in, was mentioned. Pity mingled with vengeful feelings that he knew he shouldn't harbour, no one deserved to have their world ravaged, even if they'd done the same to others. He glanced up, and saw what had brought on the discussion. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had just entered the room, with Counsellor Deanna Troi and Dr Beverly Crusher on either side of him. Picard, who'd been part of the panel of Starfleet officers who'd de-briefed them five years ago. The man who had so much reason to hate the Borg and had revelled in it then. He unconsciously moved toward Seven, forgetting in that moment that the last time he'd seen the two of them together they'd established a wary respect and courtesy.

Seven countered his move immediately by rising to her feet in one graceful movement. "Captain Picard, Dr Crusher, Counsellor Troi." She greeted the three of them smoothly.

Picard smiled at her with a warmth that surprised Chakotay, though the smile was strained by the tiredness. "Hello Seven." He replied, giving her a light, solicitous peck on the cheek as he reached her. "I was sorry to hear about Harry." He told her, giving her an almost fatherly pat on the shoulder as he turned to face Chakotay, his face stiffening slightly. "Commander."

"Just Chakotay now." Chakotay corrected him quietly.

"Oh yes." Picard said with a thin smile, "I should've remembered you're a civilian now."

Beverly prodded him gently, "Not everyone is practically stitched into their uniform Jean-Luc." The two exchanged an amused, soft look as the private joke went over everyone else's heads, though Deanna was as good as privy. Picard lost Beverly's attention as she spotted Katta, a misty eyed smile passing over her lips as she knelt in front of the sofa, "Katta sweetheart, do you remember me?"

Katta's head snapped up from her colouring book, recognition quickly dawning as she looked at Beverly. "Doccy Bev!" she exclaimed happily.

Beverly chuckled, "Hi sweetheart, you've grown so much!" she glanced at Seven, "Hard to keep up with her?"

"It is a constant challenge." Seven replied, casting a fond eye over her daughter as her enhanced hearing registered the sorrowful sound of Mary Kim's sobs in the next room and she had to gulp hard.

Deanna of course picked up on the change of mood, but her clear eyes focused on both Seven and Chakotay. "How are you?" she murmured.

Chakotay shrugged uneasily. "As good as can be expected I guess." He told her, seeing Seven nod in agreement out the corner of his eye before regarding the half-Betazoid compassionately. "How are you holding up?"

Deanna gave him a grateful look even as she sighed sadly, "It's always hard to lose a patient." The fact that she and others like her had lost Harry long before his death went unsaid. They were all aware of how it had been. "But this must bring up thoughts of Voyager for the two of you…" She said carefully.

Seven held her head a little higher, even as Chakotay saw her face pale. "I…we…" She corrected herself with a cautious glance towards Chakotay, "…live with thoughts of Voyager every day."

Deanna nodded in thoughtful understanding, "Of course. I'm here until the day after tomorrow if either of you need me."

"Thank you." Seven told her stiffly.

"We appreciate it." Chakotay added, thinking as he did so that he'd had more than a glimpse of the past today. Here were himself and Seven deflecting good intentions as a team once again. It had once been their default method of handling themselves…

At that moment, Lucy McIntyre appeared behind Deanna. "Counsellor Troi…" She began tearfully, then stopped herself as she saw Chakotay, Seven and Katta. Her pale green eyes gazed at them glassily, "I'm glad that you're here, Harry…Harry would be pleased that…" Her voice caught in her throat and she finally noticed Katta gazing at her fretfully, summoning up a smile and looking at Seven and Chakotay with fresh, relieved eyes. "Your daughter is beautiful. I'm glad you two managed to get on with your lives, Harry…" Her voice cracked, "Harry just couldn't let go…"

Seven shivered, trying to control her own voice. "Katharina-Irene is my daughter."

Chakotay cleared his throat again, but as he spoke his voice was husky, strangled, even as he tried to smile reassuringly at an uncomprehending Katta. "Yes, actually Katta and I just met today, didn't we honey?" He tried to keep his tone light, but Lucy still blanched with mortification and then quickly became crestfallen. Even Beverly and Deanna appeared somewhat shocked for a second.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Lucy stuttered, truly on the verge of tears now, "I thought…"

Chakotay stood up and gazed at her compassionately. "It's okay." He told her honestly, seeing from Seven's stricken face that she didn't relish the girl's distress any more than he did. She was a sweet girl who so easily could've been Harry's saving grace, had been that for a few months before Harry's guilt became obsession. She had to be asking herself why her loved one had gone one way and he and Seven were still here… He sighed as Deanna and Beverly led Lucy back to the comforting arms of her father. Who was he kidding? His actions back then had been more than comparable to Harry's, he wasn't fit to judge.

As if reading his despondent mind, Seven murmured, "Are you willing to speak to Mr and Mrs Kim now Chakotay?"

He exhaled quickly, "Yes, I'm ready for this to be over." He waited until Seven had asked Reg and Picard to watch Katta and they both left the main gathering in the living room and sought out Harry's parents, finding them in their winter sun bleached kitchen, undoubtedly the scene of many family memories. Chakotay gently grasped John Kim's arm, feeling slightly sick as he felt how wasted the limb was. "John…" He murmured, "You wanted to see us?"

Mary Kim gazed into their two white, taut faces and burst into tears. Her husband helplessly held her, guiding her head until her face could hide among the folds of his suit. "The accident only damaged part of Harry's apartment, and he had so many other things in computer storage banks elsewhere, all related to Voyager." The weary man told them hoarsely, managing to keep resentment, if he felt any, out of his voice. "We believe he'd want the two of you to have it all…"

Chakotay felt Seven tense beside him, her lean body as erect and sharp as barbed wire, but when she spoke her voice was soft, compassionate, even as the actual words recalled Borg efficiency. Like him, she'd expected a request like this. "I will be here for the entirety of this week. I will proceed from tomorrow with cataloguing the data Harry collected."

"We'll proceed from tomorrow." Chakotay amended as he reached out empathically for Mrs Kim's quaking shoulder. "You have our word we'll respect your son's wishes as much as we can."

John Kim stared at the younger man unblinkingly as he squeezed Mary tighter into his side, a single tear running down his cheek. "We appreciate that."

Chakotay could only turn away at that moment and he and Seven walked out of the room in silent solidarity, but he knew he had to break it. "We need to talk."

Seven kept her silence for a few drawn out seconds before her head jerked in a leaden nod. "Yes." She whispered resignedly, "We also need to leave here. I will retrieve Katta."

It wasn't a cold day, the only sign that it was December was that the sky was already darkening, setting off the sparking Christmas lights like stars fallen to Earth. It may have been bad taste to be in a shopping district, Seven realised, and she hated crowds, but to exchange mourners for families and couples in the warm embrace of the holiday spirit was a welcome change. The three of them almost blended in, although their black attire make them look like crows among flocks of Christmas robins.

Seven still attracted attention, Chakotay had seen that at once, and she still had an unnerving ability to appear coolly above noticing, but he knew that it was a deception, she noticed everything. He'd never believed that it was only her implants that drew attention, his distinctive tattoo was just as much a marker for recognition since their return had been lauded Federation wide as a miracle just after a war that had decimated morale. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, and had somehow become even more so. Several people also smiled at him, and he wondered if Lucy's misconception was widespread. Maybe, in this setting, they did look like a family. Or maybe they just caught a glimpse of Katta. She'd come to life now, hovering beside every busker to clap, stopping at every charity collection point to chatter. Seven didn't stop him from giving her a few credits just to give the girl the pleasure of independently giving them over. She too contributed after the third stop, probably had been able to keep exact count of how much Katta was gradually bleeding him of change.

When Katta became particularly entranced by an accordion player, refusing to move while the old man indulgently played several tunes in a row for her, Chakotay decided to risk starting conversation. Each of them had spoken directly only to Katta since they'd left the wake. Childish maybe, but safe. "So you and Picard are friends now?" he said suddenly, asking the first question he could pull down to his lips from the storm of them raging through his mind.

Seven's eyes left Katta, though he knew she was still watchful, long enough to transmit a question that was all the louder for being unspoken. 'Is that really what you're going to ask?' She waited until he was ready to retract the question before she answered through a stilted sigh. "I would not define it as a friendship exactly, but we do both realise now that there are very few people who can understand." She told him honestly. She swallowed as she saw his deeply dark eyes studying her, expecting and extracting more from her. "By that same token, we cannot have a reminder around us all the time."

Chakotay, as ever, didn't re-open the wound of that admission, it was enough. "And Beverly? She helped when you…" His voice stuck in his throat.

"When I was expecting Katta, yes." Seven finished for him. "She is still the doctor in Starfleet with the most practical experience of Borg physiology." She heaved a breath, it was disloyal not to say it aloud, though Chakotay of course was well aware of the fact. "Except for the Doctor."

Chakotay nodded sadly, thoughts of the Doctor were particularly jarring, because it was possible he was still 'alive' if any large chunk of Voyager's computer core was intact. "I remember that you had a lot of trouble maintaining your implants for a while…"

"That situation has stabilised." Seven informed him stiffly, "Actually, it was how I first met Katta's father." With that bombshell dropped, she swiftly moved forward to bring Katta back to her side.

Chakotay could've quipped about Seven's affinity for doctors, or more accurately their affinity for her, he could've if she were merely a casual acquaintance, just an old friend he could tease, but as it was he said nothing. Katta had left the accordion player and squashed her face against the shop window, dragging her mother along with her. Unintentionally they'd just walked a three year old to the doors of the largest toy store in San Francisco. His smile grew to nearly compete with little Katta when he saw what had captivated her, a huge, sugar plum pink, dollhouse sitting proudly centre stage in the window display. He clung to that moment of lightness as he approached them from behind. "Want to go in?" he suggested knowingly.

"Yes!" Katta squealed, "Please Mama!"

Seven had thought that Chakotay had earned Katta's friendship for life when he'd suggested they hop on the tram to get here, a method of transport that had entranced the little girl. Now, with this suggestion, he'd no doubt won her heart, and, she realised as she couldn't quite hide her smile, he'd started to get under her skin again as well. She sighed resignedly to herself, "We will go in, but only for thirty minutes, understood?" She knelt to show Katta the hands on her watch, she was still teaching her to tell the time. Katta peered intently at the two hands on the watch face and the time Seven indicated on it, decided it was a good bargain and nodded vigorously. "And I am not purchasing anything today." Seven added firmly, "Remember I brought several of your birthday presents with us, and you got that colouring book and those pens from Mister Reg already today." She held open her handbag, weighed down with the gifts, as evidence.

Chakotay decided to back Seven up, still anticipating a tantrum in about thirty minutes. "Yeah, we're just looking today. It'll give your mama some ideas to tell Santa Claus."

Katta looked up at him dubiously. "Mister Chakoday, Santa doesn't need Mama to tell him, he's magic." She explained patiently, "If he wasn't magic, he couldn't live on the North Pole."

Chakotay had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from laughing at her familiar tone, and undeniable logic. Seven had the benefit of a scarf to dip her head into to hide her smile, but he could see her eyes sparkling brightly enough to see it was there. "I guess you're right Katta, I hadn't thought of that before." He told her honestly, his voice hoarse with suppressed mirth.

Katta patted his hand soothingly, "That is okay." She assured him as she ushered him towards the toy store's beckoning doors, Seven following behind them, smirking and intensely grateful for her own uneasy decision to bring Katta with her on this trip.

Chakotay was surprised that their quick excursion into the toy store went as smoothly as it did. Katta was, of course, excitable, but she obeyed her mother's rules, even the thirty minute deadline, without much fuss. He had to mentally salute Seven for managing to skilfully evade the store's Christmas grotto and keep Katta peacefully oblivious to its existence. When he'd quietly commented, she'd wryly admitted that it was owed to the fact that for the moment Katta could only read Swedish or else she was bound to realise from the multiple signs, which she was still careful to keep her away from anyway. He was even more surprised, no, shocked, when in response to Katta starting to complain she was hungry, Seven led them unhesitatingly into a fast food pizza restaurant he would've associated with the tastes of Tom Paris rather than Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One.

However, the wisdom of her choice soon became apparent after Katta relished the experience of being able to order her own meal by pointing frantically at the helpful pictures on the obnoxiously bright menu board. That experience, and the small toy that came with her kid's pizza, seemed to satisfy her enough that she sat contently down at the table, her overtired grumbles forgotten.

I have to say…" Chakotay remarked as he struggled to swallow his doughy mouthful of rapidly cooling pizza, the elastic cheese topping clinging to the roof of his mouth and burning it, making him wince. "I never thought I'd see you in a place like this."

Seven shrugged, "It has its advantages." She replied with a pointed, if affectionate, glance at Katta, who was focused on peeling the pepperoni off her pizza while walking her tiny elf of green plastic around the table.

"True." Chakotay agreed with a chuckle, "But this is me you're talking to." She stiffened at once and he awkwardly tried to recover from the loaded phrase. "I caught you almost gagging on your food when Tom held that pizza party in Sandrine's, remember?"

"Almost is the vital word in that sentence." Seven reminded him airily, "In reality, when a pizza is properly prepared, it can be highly palatable." She definitely took a bite of her own pizza, her first, to prove her point and coughed, her face twisting into an almost comical grimace as she lowered it back down to the paper plate. "This establishment's product is not a good example."

Chakotay laughed with free abandon this time, stopping only as he saw Seven start to blush. "You've got that right." He agreed, trying to keep the levity in his tone, but the moment had passed.

"Looks like she's ready for bed." Chakotay commented gently as Seven gathered Katta in her arms as they left the restaurant and the little girl instantly buried her head in the crook of Seven's neck, her waves of white blonde hair spilling over the shoulder of Seven's sombre back coat like a waterfall.

Seven paused in her stride to reposition Katta in her arms, trying to hold her and keep a grip on her bag at the same time. "Certainly. She missed her nap today."

"Where are you staying?" Chakotay asked in concern.

"A hotel at the top of this block." Seven answered shortly.

"Well then, I'll walk you there." Chakotay offered, "And I'll take that." He added, taking the bag from her hands. It was the voluminous unwieldy style that seemed to be every mother's 'away kit'. He would've happily carried Katta for her, but knew that she would've said no. As it was, she even seemed reluctant to let him have the bag, but after taking in the sight of him carrying a handbag, she assented with a quirk of her brow.

"As you wish." She submitted, restarting her rapid, fluid strides with a slight flounce as he jumped to keep up.

They didn't speak again until they'd reached the door of her hotel room itself after several minutes. "Can you locate the key?" Seven asked him, annoyed to hear that her voice sounded mildly flustered, her arms were starting to ache. The radial clamp implant in her arm had been out of alignment for three days now, she hadn't had time to have it corrected in her haste to arrange to come here and Katta's weight was straining the surrounding human muscles.

"Sure." Chakotay told her weakly, tentatively reaching into the bag, "Where…"

"Inside left pocket."

"Right." Chakotay left ludicrously relieved when his fingers brushed against the key card and he drew his hand out hurriedly. It took two swipes before he managed to get the electronic key mechanism to work and let Seven inside with her sleeping burden. He gingerly placed her bag on the floor and unthinkingly moved up behind her to help manoeuvre out of her coat.

Seven froze at his touch, his hand on her back felt her breath catch and he realised he was holding his own as she recovered, moving Katta around enough so that he could slip the coat off her. "Thank you." She mumbled almost inaudibly, "You…You can take yours off if you wish."

"I…" Chakotay started, too unsure of what he wanted to say to continue. Eventually he did take his coat off, to give himself something to occupy himself more than anything as he looked around. It was more of a suite than a room, with a pair of small sofas and a coffee table as well as a comfortable looking children's bed set up near the plush double. Not ostentatious in any way, but much more pleasant than Voyager's Cargo Bay 2. Seven could afford to treat herself, she'd inherited estates from her grandparents as well as her parents upon her return. Not that that really meant anything, Seven was the least materialistic woman he'd ever known and he doubted that had changed, although so much had. He could vividly remember both he and Irene coaxing her to buy more belongings beyond a few changes of clothes in those first months.

Seven had already set Katta down on the smaller bed and was in the process of undressing her, all the while trying not to wake her. "Chakotay, can you locate her pyjamas?" she asked quietly, "They should be in my suitcase."

Katta's diminutive case, with cartoon motifs all over it, was open and filled only with toys and books. He found her clothes stacked neatly at the top of the larger suitcase and pulled out the first pair of pyjamas he spotted. He couldn't help but smile as he saw their design, pink with ballerinas in white sequined tutus dancing across the fabric. "Ballerinas?" he asked softly as he handed them over.

Seven gave an embarrassed chuckle, keeping her face averted as she took the clothes from him, feeling a traitorous blush flood her cheeks. "Yes…ballerinas." She confirmed, wishing she hadn't told him the story, the old memory.

Chakotay briefly put his hand on her shoulder as he caught her pretty blush. He was glad to see it, glad she was still charmingly transparent in some ways. "Good, Seven." He dropped his hand like a lead weight as he heard the huskiness in his voice, felt his pulse quicken in his wrist so close to her skin.

Seven distracted herself by swiftly re-dressing Katta, but she was too hasty, the child woke, blinking blearily in confusion, but she realised what was happening soon enough, her sweet voice loud and plaintive, "Mamma, jag är inte trött…"

"Du är trött." Seven countered firmly, "Det är sängdags nu." She sighed as she gathered Katta back up and turned to Chakotay, "Säg god natt."

Katta remembered Chakotay then and waved at him even as her head began to nod again. "God natt Chakoday!"

Chakotay smiled at them both fondly, their universal translators had been cast off with their coats but he understood well enough. He had after all spent spells living with Seven and Irene when they didn't bother with translators and thought he might even remember something. "God natt Katta." He replied warmly, "Sov gott."

He thought he'd pulled off 'Sleep well' pretty perfectly, but judging from Katta's giggle, four years without practice hadn't helped his Swedish accent. Katta was still giggling as she pressed a wet kiss to her mother's smiling lips. "Jag älskar dig Mamma."

Seven's arms tightened around her child as she kissed more gently, her eyes closing for a moment. "Jag älskar dig sötnos." She murmured thickly, thinking that that was even more vital to enforce today of all days. She nodded to Chakotay over Katta's head as he pulled the duvet back for her, leaving her able to lay the girl down in one smooth movement.

"Jag vet det, Mamma." Katta mumbled as she rolled over and settled among her many pillows, falling back to sleep almost immediately.

Seven remained kneeling beside the bed, gently stroking wayward strands of hair out of her daughter's face, then, with all of her old, efficient rigour began to tuck her in with the brisk smartness of a hospital matron. Chakotay watched the scene with a lump building in his throat. Seeing her like this, so altered by time and circumstance, but so constant in some ways, was throwing him through a loop. Nothing about Seven's life had been much of a secret to anyone on Voyager; of course no one wanted to delve into the detail of her existence as Borg, but they could guess, and she'd been bluntly open when asked. Her fourteen months on Voyager had been another type of open book, with the Captain and the Doctor monitoring and guiding her development, and roping the rest of the senior officers into it too. He looked back on those days with a turbulent mixture of regret and nostalgia, as he did everything concerned with Voyager. In certain aspects his life there had been simple, wholly orientated around a single goal. On Earth, they'd shared so much out of necessity, though he'd thought the rupture between them had cauterised long ago, he was oddly disturbed by the thought that there were four years of her life that were completely cut off from his. He pushed these thoughts away, but wasn't able to stop gazing at the mother and daughter. "She's adorable Seven, an angel." He murmured honestly.

Seven swallowed, "Yes, I am very fortunate." She whispered, her tone reminiscent of a prayer, a strange but now somehow fitting juxtaposition for her. "I have tried to adapt for her."

Chakotay closed the few steps that had seemed like a gulf between them, crouching to lightly touch her shoulder. "You have adapted Seven, wonderfully, anyone could see that and I certainly do."

Seven's neck muscles gave a downward jerk under his hand, "I suspect many assumed the onslaught of emotion inherent in parenthood would overwhelm a drone so lacking in them before."

Chakotay bristled a little, then breathed a thoughtful sigh. "Then I guess those people didn't know you." He thought back, to the drone he'd linked with, who'd fought him to the verge of death, who'd lived the terror and agony of losing her family, then her Collective, and finally her crew. "You've never lacked emotion Seven, for better or worse…"

"I suppose you'd know that better than anyone." Seven answered sharply, flinching herself when she realised how bitter the words sounded. She twisted to face him, starting to rise to her feet. "I'm sor…"

Chakotay shook his head, painfully aware that he deserved the jab and more from her. "I just wish I'd understood that from the beginning, for both our sakes."

"I did not understand my emotional processes back then." Seven told him wearily as she finally stood up on suddenly watery legs. She still didn't, not when she was with him. She glanced around the room, her eyes landing on the replicator. "Do you want a drink?" She regretted the question at once, stopping mid-stride on the way to the replicator as memories flooded back.

Chakotay sighed ruefully, her momentary panic hurting him. "Tea please." He watched the muscles in her back relax at that answer and she continued on to the replicator. "I don't drink anymore Seven. I stopped altogether almost four years ago." He waited for her recognition of what four years ago had been, but if there was any he didn't see it in her carefully blank expression as she handed him his cup and took a sip from her own.

"Where are you staying?" she asked abruptly.

"I haven't decided yet." Chakotay admitted, "I was hoping I could go home tonight I guess, try to forget about all this with Harry, but I half expected the Kims' request."

Seven blinked rapidly a few times. "As did I." She murmured before abruptly moving across the room to get to the wall console. "You should stay here. It will allow us to complete the task more efficiently if we start together. I will put Katta in the hotel crèche for the morning." Without giving him a chance to reply, she called up the face of the hotel's receptionist onto the screen. "I have a guest here who needs to book a room for the week."

The young female receptionist's eyes widened nervously as she stared back at Seven's stoic, scarred face. "Yes…yes, of course Ms Hansen. Is a single room suitable? We have one available just down the hall from your room."

Seven glanced briefly back at Chakotay, who could only nod dumbly. "Yes, that will be sufficient."

Seven managed to list his basic detail off to the receptionist as easily as he could have, his key was waiting for him in reception, and soon the screen clicked back off and they were alone again. "Thanks for doing that." Chakotay muttered awkwardly.

Seven swallowed hard, "It was…the most efficient arrangement." She started to lift her tea cup back to her lips then reconsidered and placed it on the edge of the table, staring into the light liquid as if she expected to read something among the leaves. "When did you last see Harry?"

Chakotay ran that habitual hand through his hair. It was greying now, Seven noticed for the first time. "Probably around when you last saw him." He answered, looking at her intently. Seven didn't lower her gaze quite fast enough to hide the shock in her blue eyes. Chakotay's lips curled ruefully, "He burned his last bridge with us back then, but I'll admit I was definitely holding one of the torches." He glanced warily back at Seven, "We all were." He let that lie between them for a moment, "You remember when you designated us a Collective of Three?" he asked her suddenly.

Seven winced, though she could tell from the softening of his tone that he hadn't said it to hurt her. "That was an insensitive, as well as an inaccurate, statement at the time and now it is somewhat ironic." She answered bitterly, standing up, she still wasn't completely comfortable with sitting Chakotay saw, and held her arms tight to her sides. If she exchanged her simple black dress for a biosuit, he could've been convinced she'd just left the Collective.

Chakotay gave her a tight, wry smile. "It was ironic then too, Harry was already drifting away from us…" He walked up to her, gripping her by the elbows to steady both her and himself.

"Or we were drifting away from him." Seven whispered, dropping her eyes but not resisting his hold.

Chakotay swallowed, "He was coping differently, he had so much guilt…" He didn't want to replay this conversation, but it left his mouth almost verbatim.

"We all experienced guilt." Seven replied, also hearing echoes of her old words, "The Borg assimilated the quantum slipstream technology and I provided it for the crew, you followed the Captain's decision when you had significant doubts…"

"But we were coping with that, weren't we?" Chakotay questioned desperately, "Harry wasn't, and he never learned to, that isn't our fault…" His voice cracked.

"But he is still dead, and Voyager still hasn't been found." Seven finished for him, tears slipping silent and unheeded down her cheeks as his hands moved to hold her head. "Is that how you would define what we were doing…coping?"

Chakotay flinched, his thumbs pressing harder into her damp cheeks, but his gaze remained steady. "No…God, no…" He choked out, staring at her in hurt disbelief. "You didn't really believe that…"

Seven finally twisted her face away from him. "It is irrelevant now." She answered, her low voice resigned as she took a sweeping step back from him, shaking her head as her stinging eyes squeezed shut.

Chakotay's arms remained hopelessly reached out for a moment. "Seven, I…" He began hoarsely.

She'd recovered herself, now standing stock still, head held high. "I'll see you tomorrow." She reminded him shakily, trying to be civil, even reassuring. The fragile façade began to crack when his face mirrored her own inner conflict. "Go…please." She pleaded brokenly, glancing fretfully at Katta when the little girl began to stir.

That glance away from him broke the spell and Chakotay sighed heavily, all the adrenaline draining out of him. What was he doing here? What did he expect of her? He startled Seven with his faint smile of understanding. "Okay." He told her softly, turning soundlessly and slipping unobtrusively out of the door.

Seven stared numbly at the closed door before stumbling over to it, her hands roaming aimlessly over its control panel as she slumped forward, her forehead brushing against the door's cool metal.

"Mamma…?" Katta mumbled drowsily, her voice seeming to drift over from far away.

Seven inhaled sharply, her body snapping upright, her fingers finally able to make the decision to press the lock. "Oroa dig inte, älskling." She murmured thickly, striding back to the bed and giving her a quick kiss. "Sov nu."

A/n: Please review. :)

Translations of what Seven and Katta said, for those who are interested:

Katta: 'I'm not tired Mama...'

Seven: 'You are tired. It's bedtime now. Say good night.'

Katta: 'I love you Mama.'

Seven: 'I love you sweetheart.'

Katta: 'I know that Mama.'

Seven: 'Don't worry darling. Go to sleep now.'