Seven exhaled an exasperated sigh as she gathered the twins' clothes for Icheb's graduation that day, once finely ironed but now crumpled in the rush as the overexcited toddlers continued to thwart her determination to get them ready quickly. "Mama…" Michael began to whine but Seven cut him off.
"No, we're all running late. It's time to get dressed, come on." With that she flung the clothes over her shoulder, took Michael in one hand and Aylen in the other and half dragged them upstairs to the nursery where they both sat firmly on the floor and Seven began to remove their sleep suits and redress them despite their giggling protests as they kicked and tried to run from her.
Michael, beginning to chafe in his smart yet restrictive shirt suddenly piped up curiously as his mother was attempting to put Aylen in her dress, "Mama, where go?"
"We're going…" Seven started but was distracted by Aylen's continued thrashing around. "Aylen, sit still now." She reprimanded sharply in her most no nonsense tone which thankfully this time suitably chastened her little daughter into obedience. Pulling the green dress over Aylen's head Seven continued, "We're going to see Icheb graduate from Starfleet Academy."
"Ikeb! Ikeb!" exclaimed Aylen happily as her mother gave her a once over and almost immediately spotted a stain. Examining the offending mark Seven gritted her teeth in irritation, chocolate ice cream! How could she not have noticed that? Now she would need to find something else for Aylen to wear and she still needed to get herself ready before Max woke from his nap…
In agitation she removed the dress and threw to the floor in a spontaneous burst of pointless anger before Aylen spoke, "Ikeb go sip?"
"Sip?" Seven asked in confusion before realising what she meant. "Oh, a ship! Yes he will go away on a ship darling."
"That sad." Aylen commented, lips twisted downwards.
"Yes…" Seven murmured before trailing off as she became aware that her eyes were filling with tears and wiped them away furiously. She had either underestimated or completely forgotten how hormones could make even her carefully controlled emotions unpredictable, here she was crying over Icheb's dearest wish and getting angry about a spoiled piece of clothing, the sooner she fully adapted the better! At least the twins were back to full sprits since they'd finally learned after a sleepless five nights to ignore their younger brother's night time cries though whether this was a blessing or a curse Seven wasn't sure since they were now back to running their exhausted parents ragged.
Chakotay suddenly appeared at the nursery doorway, tying his tie as he walked. "You're not ready to go?" he asked in surprise when he saw his uncharacteristically frazzled wife.
"Obviously not!" she retorted hotly, before backtracking in shame. "I became distracted…" Just then Max decided to alert the family to his awakening and his cries echoed through the house.
Chakotay's ears caught Seven's deep sigh, heavy with exasperation and exhaustion, and decided to step in. "I'll deal with these three and you go and take a break and get ready okay? We have a long day ahead of us."
Normally Seven would have resisted rest but right then she welcomed it with open arms and rose stiffly off her knees went to her husband and kissed him gratefully, arm looped round his neck. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear before getting back to the business of delegating duties. "Michael's ready but Aylen needs a clean outfit, the diaper bags need to packed and…"
"Go and get ready." He told her firmly before going to attend to the baby.
Twenty minutes later Seven stood in front of the floor length mirror in contemplation of her reflection, which was far from ideal. She looked far from the professional put together image she liked to portray to Starfleet in particular, she would never had admitted it but the thought of dealing with that whole apparatus again deeply unsettled her. "Stop assessing yourself, you just had a baby eleven days ago." Chakotay reprimanded gently as he walked in carrying Max.
"I know but I'd at least like to look presentable…"
"You do look perfectly presentable." Chakotay reiterated before playfully turning to his baby son. "Doesn't she Max?"
Seven allowed herself a smile as the baby gurgled in response and carefully lifted him into her own arms, kissing his soft head affectionately. "It's a good thing family is worth all this isn't it?"
"Well if it wasn't humans would die out wouldn't they?" Chakotay said with a teasing glint in his eye.
"Is that an anthropology hypothesis I hear?" Seven replied in the same tone.
"Could be or it could just be the view of a family man." He caught her laugh in response to that reply and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about going to Starfleet Headquarters, you've never needed to prove anything to them okay?"
Seven met his eyes. "It's Icheb's celebration, nothing would prevent my attendance." She told him with more conviction than was perhaps strictly necessary. His relieved smile and Max's hungry whimpers made her change the subject entirely. "I will feed him and then we will go, agreed?"
"That's a plan." Chakotay replied, reassured about going to San Francisco, and went to round up the twins.
The stroller rolled easily over the orderly paths which intersected the carefully manufactured serenity of the Starfleet Headquarters complex. Seven paused for a moment to take her bearings and saw the pillared, canopied graduation stage in the near distance, the distinctive yet harmonious crowd of Starfleet uniforms acting as a beacon. Seven let out a sigh of relief, "It is a few hundred metres, we won't be late."
"Hot." Michael commented grumpily from his place in the stroller, not used to being out in the midday sun.
"That makes two of us son." Chakotay commiserated, shifting the heavy carry cot he was carrying from one hand to the other and increasing his pace to keep up with Seven.
Just as they were reaching the outskirts of the rows of chairs laid out for spectators a familiar voice rang out, "Chakotay! Seven!" Tom appeared out of the crowd, Miral on his shoulders grasping his hair with determined hands. "Come and sit with us."
"Yeah sure thanks." Said Chakotay gratefully handing the carry cot to an already sitting B'Elanna to help Seven organise the twins.
As they settled into their seats Seven looked around for other familiar faces, spotting the Wildmans and Tuvok and his family among the other cadets' families. "Where's Harry?" She asked B'Elanna, a little confused since he'd promised to be there.
B'Elanna chuckled. "Didn't you hear? Debbie went into labour just as they were leaving the house to come here!"
"So has little Laura made her appearance?" asked Chakotay, pleased for his friend.
"Not yet." Tom answered but held up his old Voyager comm. badge. "He's going to call me as soon as she does. I've got dibs on the godfather position Chakotay so don't even make a try for it."
"You'd have to have done something pretty bad not to get it Tom and besides don't you think I've got enough to handle with three of my own?"
"I'm sure!" Tom laughed, both men looking affectionately at their respective children.
"I presume the Doctor is attending Debbie?" Seven asked as she observed the band warming up to welcome the cadets.
"He wouldn't let anyone else do it! I've to give his apologies to Icheb." Tom answered.
"I'm sure he'll take the circumstances into account." Said Seven with a smile.
"The Admiral hasn't made an appearance at all yet, I was sure she'd return for this…" B'Elanna began to inform them but halted as the ceremony began.
Seven wasn't normally one for all the trappings of Starfleet ceremonies, finding them an inexplicable and inefficient use of resources, but she couldn't help but become enthralled in the emotion of it all as the cadets stepped on stage as a cadet and left as an ensign, single gold collar pip gleaming in the sun, reflecting the beaming smiles of Starfleet's newest officers. Finally the name they'd been waiting for echoed through the park and Seven found herself joining in full heartedly with the cheer that rose up from the Voyager contingent as Icheb stepped up in the full formal uniform of a science officer, his face stoic and professional while being awarded the pip but a real smile flickering across his features as he spotted his friends in the crowd before joining the rest of the ensigns at the rear of the stage. Eventually just as the ceremony seemed to be winding down the attending Admiral, head of Starfleet Academy came forward, "I'm sure you'll all join me in giving all of this year's graduates' warm congratulations but now it's time for our closing speech by this year's valedictorian, an extraordinary young man by anyone's standards, Ensign Icheb!"
The park broke into applause but Seven sat in dazed, happy shock glancing over at a beaming Chakotay. "You knew?" she asked incredulously.
Chakotay took her hand. "He wanted to surprise you honey."
Tom laughed. "What surprise? It's Icheb for crying out loud!"
Seven sat back, a proud smile filling her features. "True." She replied before listening in as he began his speech.
"Thank you for attending this celebration in honour of the graduating class of 2380. I'm sure I speak for us all when I say this has been a highly significant day in our lives so far but I speak as an individual to say that I am impressed and awed by this organisation which for me as my first true contact with the Federation has guided my development to such an extent and I am proud to follow in the footsteps of those on this stage before me and hope to do them justice. Also, it is my dearest hope that the Academy continues to offer the acceptance and camaraderie which has been extended to me during my time there and I'm sure contributes a great deal to the strength of Starfleet. Thank you very much for listening to me." The speech ended in a burst of applause and then Seven heard a voice behind her.
"Short but affecting, that one will be remembered mark my words. You should be proud of him Seven."
"Kathryn!" exclaimed Chakotay before Seven could recollect herself.
Seven now looked round to face her. "I've always been proud of him Admiral." She said quietly.
"You should have come and sat with us Admiral." Tom admonished but she waved him away.
"I was a late arrival, I didn't want to disrupt anything." Her eyes moved with a strange aimlessness until they settled on baby Max in his carry cot. "Ah, so this is the new arrival is it?"
"Yes, this is Max. He was born on the sixteenth." Seven replied but the Admiral's interest seemed to have moved on.
"What have you been doing B'Elanna?" she asked suddenly.
"Well Tom started a holonovel, Miral's growing more everyday and Starfleet have sucked me into helping delegate what new ship technology we give the Klingons…"
The Admiral visibly pricked up. "Really…" She began to exclaim before pain suddenly crossed her face and she clutched her head with the smallest of groans.
"Admiral, are you alright?" asked B'Elanna in concern.
For a moment Janeway's eyes were cloudy and she didn't seem to recognise any of them but the moment passed and she sat back up. "I'm just tired after such a long mission…"
"What have you been doing?" asked Seven with interest but just then Icheb arrived and they were all distracted. "Well done Icheb…I am proud of you." Said Seven simply but with a great deal of feeling.
"Thank you Seven." He replied happily.
"Ikeb! Ikeb!" Shouted Aylen joyfully, bounding up to him when he immediately picked her up and she lolled into his shoulder. "Go?" she suddenly questioned out of nowhere.
"Yes I'm going soon, away into the stars." He said, using the explanation he'd used many times with the twins.
"Miss you."
"I know…I will miss you also, but I'll come and see you." He soothed, half to the toddler and half to himself.
"Speaking of going away, are you coming on the Da Vinci as far as Bajor Icheb?" The Admiral suddenly piped up.
"Yes, if you do not mind Admiral." Said Icheb politely.
"No, of course not. I may find a use for you. The Notsinians would love to speak to you…"
"The Notsinians?" asked Chakotay, never having heard of them.
"Yes, I met them in the Delta Quadrant, have been negotiating for months. They're such an enlightened people, we could learn so much…" Her voice abruptly changed from the wistful to the bitter. "Of course Starfleet doesn't think we should get involved there again…" Her voice grew faint and she stumbled, Seven catching her by the arm.
"I will get a doctor for you Admiral…" Seven began.
"No!" She exclaimed vehemently before recovering her wits. "That's unnecessary thank you Seven." She said coldly.
Chakotay pulled Seven aside. "These Notsinians, have you heard of them?"
"Not at all. The Admiral's behaviour seems erratic, perhaps it is not good for her to…"
Their whispered conversation was interrupted by Tom's excited exclamation, "Harry's a dad! He just called!" This piece of news distracted them from the Admiral's slightly odd behaviour for the rest of the day.
A/n: Please review! I hope it's not too bad.
I've just realised I've been writing this for over six months now and there's no end in sight. I hope you're still enjoying it.