Two weeks and five days pregnant. Seven stared uncomprehendingly at the tricorder for several seconds before letting it fall to her side as she sank onto the toilet seat, her shaking legs refusing to hold her up. How could she have allowed another unplanned pregnancy? She was supposed to be organised and efficient… She glared down at the spotless grey floor tiles in frustration, okay so she'd maybe been careless when Max was conceived but they'd been careful since then hadn't they? Obviously not careful enough, a sarcastic inner voice answered her own question but her thought pattern changed as the metal on her left hand caught the light and with a frown she scanned herself again, more slowly this time. The results confirmed her suspicion, her nanoprobes had adapted to counteract the birth control she was on, and the Doctor had assured her the chances of that happening were minute… The Doctor also told me I could never get pregnant and here I am having my third pregnancy in less than four years, the sarcastic voice reminded her again but despite that she felt a small smile form on her lips as her arm curled unconsciously around her waist. "Seven!" Chakotay's shout from downstairs jerked her out of her slightly calmer state of mind and back into panic mode, how would he react? His reaction when he'd found out about Max had left much to be desired…no, he'd been frightened, and he adored Max now, there wasn't any reason why this child would be any different.

She stood up on wobbly legs and walked from the bathroom back into her bedroom, ready to go and inform him but as she heard their visitors' voices travelling from downstairs she froze again as another realisation hit her, this child would be younger than Icheb's, there was something embarrassing, even indecent, about that fact and she felt her confidence drain away, cursing her cowardice as she backed back into the room, half collapsing onto her bed. Her peace was soon interrupted though by Chakotay's entrance into the room, frowning at her slightly, "What are you doing in here? I've been calling you for the last five minutes." He said, sounding slightly irritated until he noticed how pale she looked as she sat up to meet his gaze. Quietly he shut the door and approached her, his gaze intense and questioning. "You're not upset by Icheb's news are you?" he asked, trying not to sound incredulous as the very idea struck him as unlikely.

Seven rubbed her aching temple and failed to suppress a sigh. "No, of course not, it's nothing to do with them…" She trailed off as she finally forced herself meet his eyes and answer the question she knew was on his lips. Feeling a nervous laugh bubble in her throat she said, more bluntly than she had intended, "I'm pregnant again."

Chakotay's stunned and disbelieving laugh quickly became a gasp as he realised she wasn't joking. "Are…are you sure? Have you even seen the Doctor?" Seven's face looked resigned, and even a little scared as she handed him the tricorder in silence and allowed him to scan her. "Two weeks and five days…" he muttered the result which had already ingrained itself in Seven's memory. "How'd this happen? I mean I thought the Doctor gave you something…"

Seven chuckled weakly, "It seems my nanoprobes adapted to counteract the drug."

"Oh." Chakotay said in shell-shocked reply, before beginning to pace around the room skittishly. "It's the end of June now, so you're due in…March right?" He saw Seven nod heavily and sat down beside on the bed, raking his hands through his hair. "God, that means we're going to have four kids under four before we've even been married four years!" He exclaimed, a shaky but happy laugh leaving him despite the shock.

"I suppose…" mumbled Seven as the reality of their situation struck her with full force. "This child's going to be younger than Icheb and Naira's, Bajoran pregnancies only last six months and she's further along…"

"So?" Chakotay asked, not following where she was going.

"It will be awkward, embarrassing…"

Chakotay smiled as he finally saw her concern, unnecessary though he knew it was, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Remember, you're only going to be a grandmother by adoption, you're still only thirty two which is far from old, believe me…" A new thought made him wince and Seven frowned at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?"

Chakotay sighed and put his head in his hands for a moment before replying, "Nothing, I just realised I'm going to be in my seventies by the time this one turns eighteen."

Seven curled against his shoulder. "You'd be the best father imaginable no matter how old you were." She assured him firmly, earning a kiss from him before he pulled back, eyeing the room sceptically.

"We're going to have to move house, we're never going to have enough space here…" He began but Seven cut him off.

"I do not wish to move, we'll have enough to adapt to." She said sharply.

Chakotay adopted a defensive stance. "Okay, okay. We'll see about extending then, we certainly won't need the stress, not with sleep knocked off the agenda for the foreseeable future…"

Seven lay back on the bed, already anticipating months of sleepless nights. "Don't remind me, we just got Max to sleep through the night two months ago…" She stared up the ceiling until Chakotay lay down beside her, when she apprehensively turned her head to face him. "You're not unhappy about this development are you?"

"I'm shocked Seven, and worried, but happiness will come, it always has." He said softly, trying to believe his own words as his old fears resurfaced as he studied her.

Seven mumbled agreement and both sank into their own thoughts before she spoke again, "Chakotay, remember the morning after our engagement, when I told you I couldn't have children?"

Chakotay smiled sadly at the memory, remembering the pain in her eyes. "Of course I do, even though you've been proven wrong a few times, with hindsight."

Seven held his hand tightly, surprised to feel a lone tear rolling down her cheek as she said her next words, "I'll always be grateful that you married me despite knowing that."

Chakotay pulled her into a gentle hug, "And I'll always be grateful that you said yes, I think we would have been happy even if your prediction had come true."

Seven smiled lovingly at him and looped her arms around his neck. "What do you think we'd be doing if that were the case?"

"Well, we'd have a lot more alone time and adventure probably, travel…" He teased. "…and definitely more sleep!"

"Oh I don't know, it was a joint reluctance to sleep which got us in this situation in the first place!" Seven joked with a rare mischievous glint in her eye.

A/n: A short little chapter, I hope they weren't out of character. Please review! :D