"Yucky!" exclaimed Michael in disgust, throwing the sandwich provided by the hospital onto the floor, making Aylen giggle and throw hers too.
Seven may have been in a hospital bed but she wasn't going to let this indiscretion pass, turning them around to face her and lowering her eyes to their level. "We don't throw things ever, it's wrong. Go and pick them up and put them in the trash can."
"Okay Mama, sorry." They both mumbled, climbing off her bed and carefully picking up the soiled sandwiches. Aylen's nose wrinkled before she turned to her father who was changing Max at the time and said, "Max eat?"
Chakotay chuckled as he turned to face her with Max in his arms. "No honey, none of us are going to be eating those."
"Good." Aylen replied, satisfied as she followed her brother's lead and threw the sandwich in the trash with more force than was strictly necessary.
Michael meanwhile was still in search of food and approached his great-aunt beguilingly, clutching her leg and looking up at her with his big hazel eyes. "Seets Aunt Rini pwease."
"I don't have any sweets right now Michael. When we go back to your house I'll make lunch but right now go see your Mama and Max because we'll be going soon." Irene told him gently but firmly as she freed her leg.
His face immediately fell. "Weave?" He whimpered, "No!" Running back to his mother's bed he managed to half scramble up the duvet, almost falling to the floor before Chakotay caught him in time. It was to this chaotic scene that Harry and Debbie Kim walked into.
"Did we come at a bad time?" asked Harry jokingly as he looked at the rather flustered family.
"Of course not." Seven assured him, as Debbie, still a little nervous around her husband's former Borg crewmate, cautiously approached the bed and Seven guessed the intention of the heavily pregnant woman. "Would you like to see Max?"
"Yes please." Said Debbie softly as Seven handed her the baby, her reserve instantly melting away as she looked at the baby. "Oh what a little angel…this makes me want to see mine even more."
Chakotay picked up on Harry's lack of comment and said under his breath, "Nervous Harry?"
"How'd you guess?" Harry muttered, slightly ashamed.
"I've been there a couple of times." He replied with a smile towards his three children.
Michael was eyeing Debbie's stomach curiously as she stood in front of him holding Max. "You haf a Max too?" he asked.
"What?" Debbie asked in confusion before bursting out laughing. "No sweetie, I'm going to have a Laura, you'll meet her soon."
"You chose a name then?" Chakotay asked both Harry and Debbie.
"Yes, Laura Jane, Laura Jane Kim." Harry confirmed, his chest puffing out with pride.
"That is a very pretty name, how did you…" Seven began but was interrupted by shouting seeping through the doorway from the corridor.
"The one time I let you drive the car and you crash it! In a hospital car park no less!"
"That corner was a stupid place to put a barrier and besides it's just a scratch."
Aylen said what they were all thinking. "Tom and Blana."
"I believe you're correct Aylen." Seven said as Tom practically stormed in with B'Elanna and Miral close behind as the argument continued to flow.
"Don't be such a drama queen Tom, it's just a car. Don't you think someone who can take apart and rebuild a warp engine can fix a car?"
Oh no, you're not going anywhere near my car…"
Chakotay stepped smoothly forward, clearing his throat as he did so. "Would you like to see the baby?"
"Oh yes." Said B'Elanna quickly, shooting Seven and Chakotay apologetic looks before being given Max to hold and immediately started cooing over him.
Tom approached the twins with Miral. "Hi, how are you doing today?" he asked them.
"Hewwo." Michael replied shyly while Aylen gazed at Tom with a frown.
"Dama king no keen." She suddenly said, her blue eyes focused directly on him.
"What honey?" Tom asked her in total confusion.
She uttered an irritated sigh before pointing at him. "You dama king." She then pointed to B'Elanna. "Dama keen."
Michael nodded vigorously in agreement. "Correct."
"Ohh…I'm a drama king am I?" Tom asked them laughingly as they nodded. "Chakotay, I think they've inherited their intelligence level from Seven, you're going to be outnumbered."
"You're too smart." Miral bluntly told Aylen.
"Irrelevant." Aylen retorted icily, not sharing her brother's near hero worship of Miral.
The room fell unnaturally silent for a moment before everyone in the room buckled over with laughter, even Chakotay couldn't help but smile. Aylen, not understanding their merriment hid under her silent mother's arm. "Well we know she wasn't swapped at birth!" Tom remarked laughingly.
Seven bit her lip and stroked her daughter's dark hair, it would be hypocritical to tell her not to say it but still for a moment she was horrified. Aylen seemed to sense this and cuddled further into her, turning her face up to her mother's. Seven looked at her, she was human and always would be, no matter what strange phrases she picked up from her. B'Elanna's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Have you heard about the Admiral?"
"No, what's she been doing?" asked Harry with interest.
"Tom's dad says Starfleet Command have been telling her to return from the Delta Quadrant for the last two months, she's sent a couple of strange reports recently and they wanted her to come back and explain them but now she's just told them she's returning to Earth for Icheb's graduation and then going straight back, some confidential mission for Starfleet Intelligence…"
"It's just like her to tell Headquarters where to stick it." Tom commented somewhat admiringly.
"Let's hope it's not too reckless." Seven murmured and everyone nodded quietly in agreement.
The subject of Admiral Janeway came up again when Icheb visited Seven four days later. He entered to find her alone with Max. "How are you?" He asked anxiously before even greeting her properly.
Seven smiled reassuringly at his concern. "We're going home today, Chakotay is coming to collect us within the hour."
Icheb's face lit up, a rare event for the former Borg. "You will be well enough to attend my graduation from the Academy then?"
"My presence is a certainty, as long as you don't mind the children being there also."
"They are family Seven." Icheb said with conviction before approaching Max's cot and getting Seven's permission to hold him. "Thank you for coming earlier than expected Max, I was worried your mother would still be in hospital when my graduation came."
"Chakotay says fate is sometimes helpful." Seven said softly, looking affectionately at her baby.
"Yes…" Icheb pondered for a moment before continuing. "Admiral Janeway has offered to take me to my new post on Deep Space Nine after my graduation."
Seven's face tightened. "You will not become involved in her mission will you?"
Icheb looked at her in bemusement. "I…have my assignment Seven."
"Yes, of course." Said Seven awkwardly before Icheb changed the subject entirely.
"What prompted Aylen to say "irrelevant"?" he asked curiously, but with his eyes sparkling teasingly.
"Miral told her she was too smart and she responded."
"There's no such thing as too intelligent as long as you're not insufferable. Such a statement is irrelevant."
"I know and so does Aylen." Said Seven with a small smile.
Chakotay realised as he wheeled Seven to the car in a wheelchair that he perhaps should have accepted Irene's offer to look after the twins but it was too late now as Michael kept getting under his feet pushing the back of the wheelchair. "Me push!" he cried happily very pleased with himself.
"I can do it on my own from here Michael…" He tried to explain but Michael wouldn't be deterred.
As Max began to wail at the jolting nature of his ride from his mother's arms Seven intervened. "Michael, come and hold the front of the wheelchair like Aylen is doing, that would be a big help to Mama." Beaming in pleasure at being singled out he hung on to the front like Aylen was doing.
Chakotay sighed in tired exasperation, another little crisis over with. "I should have let Irene watch them…"
Seven twisted round to look at him, eyebrows raised in amusement. "You should have let me walk."
Max's cry made her eyes shoot open as her brain snapped out of regeneration. He couldn't be hungry again, not after ten minutes! Chakotay, already holding the baby, answered her silent question. "I'm changing him, have a rest."
"Mama!" called two sleepy, disgruntled voices in unison.
Seven sighed deeply. "You attend to Max and I'll attend to Michael and Aylen." He nodded and she made her way to the nursery to see two very grumpy newly awoken toddlers in their cots. "What is it babies?" she asked softly.
"Max cry." Aylen stated.
"I know but he's okay…" Seven soothed.
"Woud!" Said Michael, hands clapped over his ears, getting straight to the point.
"He'll stop, just go back to sleep."
"Can't. Wake now." Aylen pointed out.
Eventually the house fell silent after she didn't know how long of coaxing the twins back to sleep and she was almost sleeping herself in the nursery chair when Max's cries roused her again and she bolted upright, eyeing the twins nervously but mercifully they didn't stir. Walking as if on eggshells she returned to her room, taking a hungry Max from Chakotay as he sank exhaustedly back into bed. She patted his back fondly. "It's the first night home, it'll get better…"
"That won't make these next few nights any easier will it?" he asked wryly, already half asleep.
"Don't remind me." She quipped with a tired smile.
A/n: Hi, please review! I hope it's not too bad.