A/n: Wow, over 200 reviews! Thanks everyone! Here's a new chapter. (Finally)
"Ma…Mama…" Seven's eyes slowly creaked open at the sound of the persistent small voice, but the sight of Chakotay sleeping undisturbed beside her and the warmth of the duvet which cocooned them together seduced her eyes into closing again… "Mama!" The voice was much louder now, a frustrated exclamation, immediately followed by a soft thump.
Her contented sleep now entirely broken, Seven pushed herself off her pillow and twisted round to face the noise, only to see Max standing up in his cot, about to throw another of his soft toys onto the floor until he spotted that he'd been successful in getting her attention and a triumphant smile played on his young features. "Me wake Mama." He told her, stating the obvious.
Seven pushed the duvet away from her, making Chakotay groan softly and pull a spare pillow over his head without fully waking, and swung her legs over the side of the bed, hastily putting on her dressing gown as she replied, "I can see that honey, now Mama's awake too. What is it?"
"Hungwy." Max responded in a whine as he stuffed his small fingers through the bars of the crib in an attempt to reach the latch.
"You're hungry?" Seven asked, "It's only…" She paused as the information from her internal clock reached her brain, "0943 hours..." She realised guiltily, "I'm sorry Max baby, breakfast is late this morning."
"Yesh!" shouted Max across the small hotel room. "Bwekfas now!"
Seven winced at his volume. "Speak softly Max, don't wake up your brother and sister." She rebuked him as she stepped over the obstacle course of children's toys that scattered the floor and narrowly missed hitting her foot off the pull out bed the hotel had provided for Aylen and Michael, thankfully both still sound asleep after the excitement of wedding duties the day before.
"Papa sweep too." Max pointed out in a whisper as she reached him and lifted him up.
"Yes, Papa's still asleep too." Seven agreed. Although I wouldn't mind if he woke up and offered some help, she thought for a moment but then berated herself, it wasn't often that they indulged in partying; she should probably let him be. Smiling at her youngest, she moved on to the next urgent task, "Come on, we need to get you cleaned up for breakfast." She said as she headed for the changing table.
"Kay." Muttered Max reluctantly, thumb in mouth as his mother began to undress him on the changing table. Suddenly, just as Seven was setting out a clean diaper, there was a loud knock at the door. "Who dat?" questioned Max curiously, unhelpfully kicking his legs up in the air.
Seven frowned as the knock became more insistent, obviously it wasn't just the hotel maid. "I don't know. Let me finish and we'll go and see." Obligingly Max stopped wriggling long enough for Seven to fasten the diaper, hoist him on to her shoulder and head towards the door. Hurriedly she opened it a crack, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Admiral Janeway standing there. "Admiral! I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you…"
Janeway waved her apology away distractedly, "It's alright Seven. When are you and Chakotay planning to leave?" she asked with an urgency which confused Seven.
"Tonight, after we've seen Icheb and Naira off on their honeymoon, why?"
Janeway sighed heavily, "Their plans have changed, everyone's have." When Seven looked at her in confused bemusement, she began to explain, fear painfully evident in her eyes. "The Notsinians attacked our outposts on the other side of the wormhole during the night…"
"All of them?" Seven asked in disbelief.
"Every single one, we're not sure what the death toll is yet but…" She stopped, pressing her lips together until they turned white. "War was declared at 0700 hours. All Federation civilians have been ordered to evacuate, no exceptions, and the taskforce is being deployed in its entirety tonight." She gave Seven a compassionate look, "Icheb and Naira say they're going."
Seven felt like she'd been kicked hard in the gut and for a moment could only bring herself to choke out, "No…no…" Max began to whimper, sensing the abrupt change in atmosphere, and Seven had to pull herself together, her next words to the Admiral decidedly robotic, "We'll be ready as soon as possible." The Admiral barely had time to nod her head in reply before Seven slammed the door in her face.
Chakotay jerked awake at the sound, sitting up to see Seven sagged against the door, clutching Max to her as she visibly fought to keep her face from crumpling. Rushing from his bed, he grabbed her shoulders, "What's happened sweetheart?" Seven gulped and mutely shook her head at him, not yet able to speak.
"Hush, little girl, hush." Chakotay soothed as he rocked a distraught Aylen back and forth in his arms, kicking one of their suitcases over a little for one of the people rushing past them on Deep Space Nine's packed Promenade, crowded with people jostling to get tickets on the hundreds of transports fleeing the suddenly dangerous Bajoran sector. "Any luck?" he asked Seven anxiously as her reappeared through the throng, giving Michael a tight hug as he ran to her.
"No, we'll have to wait until tonight, if it's not cancelled." Seven answered, referring to her fruitless attempts to get their pre-booked tickets transferred to an earlier transport.
"I want to go home… Scary here!" Aylen cried unhappily.
Seven gently took her from Chakotay and let her bury her head into her shoulder. "We will go home angel, we just have to wait a little while…but Mama and Papa are here to keep you and your brothers safe." She waited for a nod from the little girl before addressing her husband again, "Have you seen any of the Voyager crew?"
"Harry, a few minutes ago." He saw that he going to be unsuccessful in hiding the extent of the situation from his hurting wife when he met her questioning expression and sighed heavily, "He was getting Debbie and Laura safely to the docking bay before he joined the Armstrong." He felt his fingers clench as he continued in a lower tone so not to distress the children, "He said that Starfleet probes have confirmed 352 dead and 502 missing on the other side of the wormhole."
Seven paled at that but after a few seconds stated with her inbred Borg stoicism, "There will be more."
Chakotay couldn't deny that and conversation died between them until he saw Icheb's uniquely recognisable frame through the crowds. "Icheb!" he shouted, making the younger man turn to them in a flash of ensign's uniform.
"Seven, Chakotay!" He exclaimed in agitation, "What are you still doing here? If they attack this will be…" He halted as Aylen's face crumpled, guilt reflecting in his eyes. "Let me try and get places for you…" He began, about to turn away but Seven held his arm in an iron grip.
"When are you leaving?" she asked quietly.
"1800 hours." He replied. "I know the risks Seven, I'll be careful…"
"We've had that conversation. You know how I feel about this situation, whether it's early in arising or not." She told him, tensing in surprise when he hugged her quickly.
"I know." He said, before taking Chakotay's outstretched hand firmly. "Be safe Commander." He said, slipping momentarily into their old formality.
"You too." Said Chakotay warmly. "I think you should come to Earth for your belated honeymoon when you come back."
Icheb smiled weakly. "We'd like that very much." He agreed as he ushered the family to come with him. "Come, I can get you on a transport."
Not another word was said by any of them until their muttered but heartfelt goodbyes on the overloaded transport and Icheb disappeared back into the bowels of the space station as the engines flared into life.
A/n: Please review! I might have time to update another story today too because the family car is broken so I'm stranded at home, I'll try my best! Thanks to lisac1965 for putting up a brilliant chapter of "The Little Girl" last night.