"Hello Seven." Said Admiral Janeway pleasantly. Seven just stared at her for a moment, standing there in her ubiquitous Starfleet uniform, the mentor she hadn't seen or heard from in almost a year.
"You have returned from the Gamma Quadrant?" Only after she'd uttered these words did Seven realise how cold and strained they sounded.
The Admiral winced slightly at Seven's lack of greeting but answered her anyway. "Temporarily. You didn't consider me lost did you?" Seven's face creased in a small frown, the Admiral's contact had been nonexistent, what did she expect them to think? "I couldn't miss Harry's wedding now could I?"
Seven, not registering that the question was rhetorical said quietly, "No, that would have been a great disappointment for him I'm sure."
The Admiral nodded, "Aren't you going to invite me in?" Seven fought a flush of embarrassment at being directed in that way as she silently stepped aside to allow her into the hallway, the Admiral seemed to have forgotten she was no longer the frightened child-adult she had salvaged six years before.
Meanwhile Chakotay stood in the kitchen awaiting Seven's return either alone or with a guest. He heard the door close but she didn't return. "Aunt?" questioned Michael from his place in his highchair.
"No I don't think it's your Great Aunt Irene." Chakotay told him, seeing visible disappointment flicker across their faces for they adored their great aunt. He cast his eyes through the door but saw no one approaching, "Come let's go see who it is." Aylen clapped her hands in excitement and Michael struggled to get out of his highchair. Hurriedly Chakotay set them down on the floor, allowing them to rush ahead.
Michael bounded down the hallway, making himself known to both his mother and the Admiral but any excitement left his little face as soon as he saw the stranger and he bolted back, burrowing his head in his mother's skirt. "Mama…" he mumbled fretfully.
Seven cast the Admiral an uncomfortable apologetic glance. "He's always shy…" she explained lamely, this was true, her mischievous active son was also the shyer of her two children but the Admiral didn't know that. Just then Aylen rounded the corner, immediately stopping in her tracks and staring at the Admiral with round eyes but thankfully did not go to her mother as Michael had, instead staying where she was.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay's shocked exclamation filled the small hallway as he came in behind his daughter and saw the Admiral.
"Hello Chakotay."
"The Admiral has returned temporarily for Harry's wedding." Seven explained softly, her gaze travelling to Chakotay who gave her a grateful look for the information the Admiral herself seemed in no hurry to give.
"That's great." Said Chakotay with as much graciousness as he could offer, though it was spoken rather stiffly. "Let's go sit down shall we?" Seven and the Admiral both nodded and Chakotay made his way back to the kitchen, Aylen toddling at his feet. Seven tried to encourage Michael to walk but he just sat down on the floor clinging to legs so she had to carry him.
She tried to put him down again but he pressed his face into her neck just as Aylen too clutched the hem of her dress. "This is Michael and this is Aylen." She introduced awkwardly, indicating them to her as she pointed their faces towards the Admiral.
"I can see that." Said the Admiral with a small upturn in her lips, even in a crowd of toddlers she would have been able pick them out. Aylen was Seven in miniature, complete with the unnerving blue-eyed gaze, only the shock of inky black hair and occasional sighting of one of Chakotay's expressions marked her out as her father's child. Michael meanwhile was a more even mixture, facially he looked like Chakotay, though perhaps slightly finer boned, his hair was already thick and chocolate brown in colour, his eyes were hazel, brown with flecks of blue and green, they appeared amber in some lights. Chakotay felt himself bristle despite himself, if you'd been here or even bothered to call us, Seven wouldn't need to tell you! He thought angrily.
Seven gave Michael to Chakotay and quickly served the Admiral a cup of coffee which she sipped gratefully, giving Chakotay and Seven a chance to formulate what to say. When the cup was finally lowered and she just looked around the room with a critical appraising eye, Seven spoke up. "Your mission is going well Admiral?"
"I'd give you my report but it's classified." She quipped. "No, everything's going as well as could be expected…Has Icheb graduated yet?"
Seven started at the abrupt change of subject. "He will graduate as an Ensign on the 27th of June 2380."
"Next year…good. Any idea where he wants to be posted?"
"He has had many requests for his expertise."
"I thought so. Would he consider the Gamma Quadrant do you think?"
So that's why you're here! Chakotay mentally exclaimed but kept his expression passive as he saw Seven swallow. "I am uncertain…perhaps you should ask him yourself, he'll be at Harry's wedding."
"I might just do that. Is Harry nervous?" Again another change of subject but this time Seven was relieved; she didn't want to talk about Icheb, the idea of a Gamma Quadrant assignment for him even with the Admiral made her uneasy.
The conversation moved to the better pastures, old colleagues and memories, before long Seven realised that it was beyond the twins' bedtime and their little heads were droopy with sleep. "Excuse me please Admiral, I must put Aylen and Michael to bed."
The Admiral nodded but Chakotay interrupted, "I'll help you Seven…"
"No, no it's fine." Seven replied, carefully lifting Michael to join Aylen in her arms.
As Seven skilfully soothed Aylen after the movement woke her, the Admiral cast her eyes around the kitchen and the connecting living room. The whole space was child orientated, cheerily littered with toys and other necessary paraphernalia. She looked up at Seven again, "I must say Seven I never envisioned you being so…domestic."
Seven wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not but decided to take as such. "Being domesticated as you call it has certainly been one of the enjoyable adaptations I've made in my life." She said firmly looking at her from over the babies' heads before leaving the room and heading for the stairs.
Chakotay mentally cheered his departing wife, he couldn't believe that was the only thing Kathryn had said even alluding to the twins' existence and it had to be a thinly veiled barb. He couldn't think of a civil word to say to her at that moment but she spoke for him. "She's coped better than I thought she would."
"Seven has a habit of exceeding your expectations." He replied, not hiding his pride in Seven from her.
"Yes, it would seem so." She gracefully conceded taking a sip of her third cup of coffee. "There was a time where I had higher expectations than you did."
Chakotay felt his hackles rise, "What exactly do you want Kathryn? You cut us off for nearly a year and then turn up on our doorstep unannounced…"
"You always see an ulterior motive; it must be all those years with the Maquis. My mission in the Gamma Quadrant is floundering; I need better people, people I can trust. You and Seven could easily…"
"Wait, you want us to come to the Gamma Quadrant with you? What makes you think we'd do that?"
"Neither of you are fulfilling your potential here, in part time work playing house and happy families…"
"We are a happy family! I can't see what makes you think otherwise! As for potential, I think Seven's willing to forsake that for a peaceful family life, it's not as if she'd had much of one before!"
"If she feels that way she can remain here, you can come and Icheb can take her post. It would be at least six months but your children are still young. The only condition Starfleet makes is that you completely recant your time with the Maquis…"
"Kathryn have you learned anything about me in nine years?" Seven halted on the stairs having heard the part about Chakotay being away for six months, frozen with apprehension before common sense drove her down to stop the rift behind her husband and mentor growing any wider.
Chakotay felt Seven's hand on his arm. "Admiral, we are all tired but we will see you at the wedding won't we?" She said with calm conviction.
"Of course Seven, I'm sorry." She gave Chakotay a significant look. "I'll see you then. Goodnight, I'll see myself out." As soon as they heard the door close they retreated together to their bedroom.
Seven stroked his face as she sat down beside him on the bed. "Please explain my love."
"She wanted us to go to the Gamma Quadrant, said we weren't living up to our potential, and suggested we uproot our lives, our children…"
"I cannot do that. I would not be happy with the children in space, it's neither safe nor stable and I would not leave them…"
"I know…"
"If you feel unfulfilled here I would not…prevent your leaving…if that is what you wish…" Seven whispered thickly, already anticipating her loneliness for him.
He pulled her against him. "There's no way in hell that I'm leaving you or the kids here! I don't even want to go, it's not an option!"
Seven felt herself relax. "I am deeply relieved…"
"I know my love…" He murmured, kissing her face and throat.
"My potential is irrelevant. I am working less but living more." She told him emphatically. "If the Admiral had a family unit perhaps she would understand…It is useless attempting to analyse her actions isn't it?" she ended with a sigh.
"It certainly is." He said, rubbing her back.
Seven shifted until she was fully cocooned in his arms, suddenly desperate to be as close to him as possible. "I'm glad you wouldn't go, I would have struggled to function without you…"
"The feeling is mutual. Let's leave it in the past."
"Agreed, but I believe we were kissing before she came, can we revisit that?" she teased.
He kissed her cheeks then her lips. "Which part?"
"We have all night." She pointed out, kissing him deeply
"I like the way you think Seven of Nine." He said rather breathlessly before turning the lights off with a single command.
A/n: I hope this is okay, please review! Hope it wasn't too smutty at the end but they needed something to boost their moods!