*

B’Elanna was tearing around her living quarters, preparing to go to work. She had gotten To’mas dressed and her mother had picked him up to take him to T’Pel for school. They were trying to get the children back on a regular schedule as quickly as possible. Tom was at his position on the bridge. The rest of the crew was working with the Eightfours installing sensors on Voyager that would help them identify potential eddy conditions. In the meantime, Tom was leading Kahkar’s ship and the Borg vessel away from the affected area of space.

She was hunting her tricorder when she heard someone at the door. "Come in." She called over her shoulder, pulling up sofa pillows, searching for the tricorder. Hearing the sound again, she called, "Come in." When no one came in, she went to the door, exasperatingly opened it and looked out. No one. She almost ordered it shut when she looked down.

There was a blonde head with blue eyes looking up at her. The fingers of her hands were nervously twisting and intertwining. "May I come in, Aunt B’Elanna?"

B’Elanna gave a sharp exhalation and leaned against the doorframe for a brief moment. Then, she straightened and backed up. "Yes, KB. Come in."

KB walked in and stood in the center of the room, fidgeting. B’Elanna stood silent, waiting. Finally, the child took a breath. "I’m sorry, Aunt B’Elanna."

B’Elanna closed her eyes, then crossed her arms and reached up with one hand to scratch her forehead. She scrunched up her face, trying to figure out whether she was more furious or more scared. She finally decided she was a little of both. She opened her eyes and looked at the little body in front of her, eyes watery and chin quivering. She made herself stay quiet until she knew she was more under control.

Finally, she said, "KB, do you even know why you’re sorry?"

KB gave her a surprised look. Blinking quickly, she balled up her hands and pulled them up to press them against her chest. "For bringing the Borgs?"

B’Elanna put her hand over her eyes. Suddenly, she crossed to KB, jerked her off of her feet and plopped her down on the sofa. She kneeled down in front of the child. "No, KB, I don’t think you’re sorry for what you did. I think that what you’re sorry for is that what you did got you into trouble. I don’t think you really understand what was so wrong about what you did." She sat back on her heels. "KB, how many times have I told you that you have to ask before you do." When she was met with silence, she said, "How many times?"

A tiny voice answered, "I don’t know exactly."

"A lot, KB. Every time you do something. I always tell you to ask first. Don’t I?" The head nodded in response. "And I usually let you do what ever it is you want, don’t I?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"And when don’t I, KB?"

"When it is bad?"

"Right, when it is bad for you, I don’t let you." She reached forward, grasping the child by the arms. "Do you trust me, KB?"

It was a whispered response. "Yes, ma’am."

"Then why didn’t you ask me first?"

"I don’t know."

B’Elanna tightened her grip to get her to look up. "KB, you do know. You weren’t thinking. You weren’t thinking about what was right or what was wrong or if you should have asked for permission. You just did." She pulled the child closer to her. "KB, just doing can get you killed. Or your mommy killed or your daddy or me. Just doing is bad. You have to learn to stop and think." She took one hand and put it on the child’s face. "KB, you can do so many wonderful things. I’m so proud of the things you can do. You can do things no one else can do. And because of that, you have to be more careful. You have to think harder. And," she spoke emphatically, "you have to ask first." She pulled the child to her in a fierce hug. "Do you hear me, Kathryn B’Elanna?"

"Yes, ma’am."

She pulled back and searched the child’s eyes, trying to see if she understood. Six. How could she understand something so big at six? B’Elanna felt a deep despair settle in. "Oh, KB. Please promise me you will remember to ask from now on."

"Yes, Aunt B’Elanna."

"Good." She gave her a half-hearted hug, wanting desperately to believe in the promise, but knowing she did not.

"Aunt B’Elanna?"

"What, sweetheart?"

"Is Mommy going to be mad at me?"

"Oh," B’Elanna’s face crumpled into a painful frown, "I don’t think she is going to be very happy when she finds out what happened."

"Do we have to tell her?"

"Oh, yes. We will tell her. KB, you never make things better by not telling the truth." She watched the tears start to trickle down the cheeks, and B’Elanna thought her heart would break. She sat on the sofa and pulled KB into her lap. "But I know that, even if she gets really upset with you, she will still love you. Just like I do."

They were walking through the Borg vessel. He felt the tension building in her, knowing she was going to ask him something. He waited on her.

"I thought you were in the Beta Quadrant."

"I was."

"How did you get here?"

"Moving from one vessel to another. We have a network of freed Borg. We are still rather scattered and lack cohesion, but we have managed to maintain contact with each other."

"Why would you come back to the Delta Quadrant?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "Because I knew you were here."

"You knew…?"

"Yes. We are aware of you." He started walking. "We…I have kept up with you through Species Eight-four-seven-two."

"They told you?"

"No, they did not." He gave a sharp laugh. "The Borg rescued you, Annika. The Borg helped you escape into fluidic space. The collective is very aware of you, as are the freed Borg."

She looked away, having to stop and put her hand out against the wall to steady herself.

"No one has come after us."

"No, and they will not. We will not."

She turned back to him. "I do not understand."

"You are protected, Annika. You are under the protection of Species Eight-four-seven-two. The Borg will not come into fluidic space after you, and we honor our alliance. You are safe here."

She fell silent, and they started walking again. There was another question coming. He knew it. It did not take long.

"How did you know how to find me?"

He knew how she would react. He prepared himself. "Your daughter."

"What?"

"Your daughter contacted us. She told us where you were." He watched the color drain from her face. He saw her body go stiff with the shock of his words. He continued talking. "She connected through our computer systems and appeared as a holographic image. She must have adapted that ability from her father. She told us you needed help. She told us to save you."

Her voice was strangled when she finally spoke. "How?"

"I do not know, Annika. You will have to ask your daughter." He looked to his right. "We are here. We will transport you back to Voyager."

She nodded, her face still ashen. She stepped into the center of the room, then faced him. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Annika." An uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"I must go."

"Yes." He stepped toward her. "Will I see you again?"

She stared at him. Her eyes dropped, closed, then opened. She slowly brought them up to look into his single eye, focusing on it. "Yes."

"Good." He raised his head and concentrated. She disappeared from sight.

As soon as she solidified, they were waiting on her. She grabbed to them, holding them tightly. She kissed her husband and pulled their daughter into her arms. She was back with her family.

And even as she hugged them to her, she thought about Axum.

Kathryn B’Elanna was sitting in the chair, watching her parents. She wished they had someone else to look at. Daddy was upset with her again, and Mommy had tears running down her face. She wanted Mommy to be happy to be home. She wanted Mommy to be proud that she had saved her. She wanted Mommy and Daddy to love her.

But right now, they were mad at her.

How could something that felt so good, so right, be something that everybody kept saying was so wrong?

Mommy stood, and Kathryn B’Elanna watched as she walked across the room toward her. She sat, uncertain as to what to expect from Mommy.

But Mommy kneeled down in front of her, wrapped her arms around her and just held her.

Korok pounded the table in front him. "She is Borg! She should join us."

"No, she is not Borg. Not anymore."

"Once Borg, always Borg. She can not walk away from who she is."

Axum looked at his hands stretched out on the table in front of him. No, one hand, one mechanical extension. His eyes traveled up his arm, seeing the implants, thinking about Annika’s hand, more flesh than his, but mechanical like his. She was Borg. She would never be able to leave it behind her. She did belong with them. She belonged with him.

She had felt it, also. He had felt it in her. He had felt the pull deep inside her. It had been years, but they were still connected. They still shared a bond.

Was it still possible? She was married, but he was a hologram. Maybe she had married him because there were no other options. Maybe she did not really love him. Maybe there was a chance. His attention was jerked back as Korok pounded the table again.

"We must talk to her. We must make her understand that she belongs with us."

Axum looked at his hands. "Yes. We will ask her."

Kathryn B’Elanna finished her breakfast and put her empty plate in the recycler. She wiped off the table and pushed her chair under the table. She looked around for anything out of place. Not seeing anything, she pulled on her clothes, straightening them, tucking in her shirt, making certain everything was perfect. Nervously, she walked over to the chair where her mother was sitting. She was painfully aware of how quiet her mother was, how far away she was.

"I’m finished, Mommy." When there was no reaction, she tried again. "Mommy? I’m finished."

Seven seemed to jerk back, realizing for the first time that her daughter was close. She straightened and reached to fix her daughter’s clothes, turning down the collar of her top. Kathryn B’Elanna watched her eyes, seeing how distant she was.

Mommy was really mad at her.

"Did you put your plate in the recycler?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"And wipe off the table?"

"Yes, ma’am." She quickly added, "And pushed my chair in."

Seven glanced over her head. "Good girl."

When her mother did not say anything else, Kathryn B’Elanna said, "It’s time for me to go to school now."

Seven nodded distractedly. "Yes, you should go." When her daughter continued to stand in front of her, Seven frowned and forced herself to look at her. She saw the worried eyes looking back at her. She closed her eyes tight for a second, then opened them and reached to pull her daughter into a hug. "I love you, Kathryn B’Elanna." She felt her daughter melt into her embrace. Felt her need to be loved. Felt her desire to stay with her mother, to stay like this.

Seven fought with herself. She knew her daughter needed her, needed to be affirmed, but she needed distance to sort everything out. She needed to reconcile everything that had happened. Her experience, her rescue and what it meant was overwhelming her. She could also feel that she needed more regeneration time. Her thoughts were not ordered, and she knew she was not able to process everything. She should have regenerated last night, but she had not wanted to be away from the Doctor. She had not wanted to be away from her family.

Now, she found she could not be near her family. What was wrong? What was the matter with her?

She loosened her grip on her daughter, and Kathryn B’Elanna pulled back, her eyes searching her mother’s face. Seven forced herself to smile at her child. She reached up to push her hair back, tucking strands of hair behind her ear.

"You be a good girl in school today." She saw the desire in her daughter’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I love you." She leaned forward and kissed her daughter’s cheek.

Kathryn B’Elanna felt her mother’s lips against her cheek and pressed her face into the kiss. She felt her mother pull back and then she felt her mother’s attention drift from her again. She swallowed, hard.

"I love you, too, Mommy." She took a short breath. "I’ll be good." She wanted to say more, but did not know what to say. Finally, she forced herself to step back. "I’ll see you later, Mommy." Hesitating a moment, she turned and left the room. As she walked down the corridor, she wondered if everyone was going to be mad at her forever.

The Doctor checked Kahkar carefully. His lifesigns were strong and almost back to normal. He looked at the huge man’s face, the color still pale and his eyes weak.

"You have really improved, Kahkar. I think I might just let you out of here tomorrow. I want you in here one more night so you can continue to be monitored, but I think I will turn you over to Ketaria’s care after that."

"That is good news, Doctor." His voice was barely a whisper.

The Doctor realized how much he missed the booming voice. He had never realized how much warmth the man’s voice added to the room. "You’re a very lucky man. A few more minutes, and you probably would not have survived."

Kahkar’s eyes followed the Doctor as he moved around. He thought about his words, then decided to take a chance. "We have much to thank your daughter for."

The Doctor’s head jerked in his direction. Seeing the look in the man’s eyes, he gave a short, ironic laugh. "Yes. I guess so."

Kahkar adjusted his blanket. "Are you really surprised, Doctor?"

The Doctor bit his lower lip. Leaning against the biobed, he crossed his arms as he thought about Kahkar’s question. Shaking his head, he answered, "No. I guess I’m not."

"It is who she is, Doctor. It should not be surprising that it is who she becomes when something happens that…pushes her. It is like an emotional person crying when something bad happens. Or when someone withdraws from the people around her. It is and will be the normal way she will deal with what happens in her life."

"I can’t tell you how relieved that makes me."

Kahkar laughed at the irony in the Doctor’s voice. "Doctor, as awful as that sounds, it does not have to be. What you know, you can work to manage. It isn’t that it won’t be a challenge, but it is not insurmountable." When the Doctor stayed silent, he asked, "What does Kathryn B’Elanna have to say for herself."

"Not a lot. I don’t think she yet understands what she did."

"She saved her mother. She was proud of herself, right?"

"Right."

"She does not understand why what she did was so wrong."

The Doctor gave him a quizzical look. "Right. How do you know?"

"I don’t know, Doctor. I am only trying to see things through her eyes. I am trying to understand how it might be for Kathryn B’Elanna. She is something we can barely understand. What she does that is so alien to us is like breathing to her. How can breathing be bad? What she doesn’t understand is how and when to use it." He stopped to rest and catch his breath before continuing, "The challenge will be to help her develop good judgment about when to use her abilities and when not to. How do you help her both develop and manage her special abilities when you do not share them?"

"How do we do that?"

"You simply do the best you can. You use every opportunity to teach her. You do not allow her abilities to frighten you. And you continue to love her, no matter what.

"Doctor, you and Seven have already done a wonderful job of raising her. You have met these challenges along the way and dealt with them. You will do the same with this."

The Doctor’s face slowly relaxed into a smile. "And we continue to rely on our friends for support and guidance?"

Kahkar reached forward and weakly patted the Doctor’s arm. "Always, Doctor. Always."

Seven stood in front of the painting, staring at it. Their faces. The love in their eyes. Her hand on her father’s face. Her innocence. She closed her eyes and turned away.

She had contacted the Borg. She had activated the alcove and used it to contact the Borg. Her child had heard the call of the collective. Seven knew that Kathryn B’Elanna had felt the connectivity and the perfection of the collective. How would a child be able to turn away from that? She was too young to comprehend what contacting the Borg would mean. What it would cost her. How could she ever protect her from that?

It would help if the alcoves were not on Voyager -- if Voyager could be stripped of everything Borg. The freed Borg would help them. It would be possible to get rid of the Borg technology. If it was not around, Kathryn B’Elanna could not be exposed to it.

There was only one problem. She would have to go, also.

The Doctor walked into their living quarters. She walked out of their bedroom to meet him, seeing how his eyes brightened at seeing her, feeling his happiness as he walked toward her, taking her into his arms. Feeling his love for her as he hugged her. Then, seeing the concern in his eyes when he pulled back from her.

"How are you doing?"

"I am adapting."

His eyes saw that she wasn’t. He lifted his head to kiss her forehead. "Seven, we will deal with this. We have managed to deal with everything that has happened to us, and we will deal with this." He took hold of her upper arms and held her tightly, forcing her to look in him the face. "As long as we are together, we can manage anything."

He saw the strange look that came into her eyes. "What’s wrong, Seven?"

She shook her head. "I am just concerned."

He stared at her a minute longer. Without saying anything, he tenderly pulled her into an embrace, holding her. He felt her mold herself to him. After a few moments, she pulled back.

"I have something I need to tell you."

He steeled himself immediately. "Okay."

She wanted to pull away from him, to put distance between them. She forced herself not to. "It concerns the Borg you met."

"Korok or the one that took care of you?"

"The latter."

He frowned, confused and suddenly unsettled. "Okay." He dropped his hands and stepped back from her, waiting.

She hunted for the right words. She wanted to say exactly the right thing, to use just enough words to make him understand, yet soften the impact for him. But, there was nothing she could think of. So, she simply said, "He is Axum."

His body jerked slightly, and he exhaled sharply. "Axum?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Axum."

She nodded again, but did not speak.

"Oh." He put his hands on his hips. "I thought he was in the Beta Quadrant."

"So did I."

"So, how did he get to the Delta Quadrant?"

"He said he moved from ship to ship until he got here." She hesitated, then added, "He knew I was here."

The Doctor’s eyebrows went up. "Oh." He made that sound he made. "Mmmm." His head swiveled from side to side, suddenly afraid to look at her. "And?"

"And?"

He shrugged, "And? And, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Her mouth worked slightly. "No. There is nothing else."

He looked at her, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue. But, he looked into her face and suddenly did not want to hear any of the answers.

"Axum?" B’Elanna Torres-Paris almost screamed the word. "Axum is on that ship?" She pointed wildly out of the window, almost hitting her husband in the eye.

"Whoa, B’Elanna." He grabbed her hand, pulling it down. Jerking on her arm to get her to sit down next to him, he said to the Doctor, "I thought Axum was somewhere in the Beta Quadrant."

"He was." He added morosely, "Apparently he heard about Seven being here and moved from ship to ship to get here. Now, I guess he’s exactly where he wants to be."

"What does Seven has to say about it?"

"Nothing, Tom. She won’t say anything about it."

"Hansen, I don’t think I would get too upset about anything. Seeing him had to be a shock for Seven. That plus this thing with Kathryn B’Elanna has to have her totally rattled."

The Doctor stared at the floor. "I know." He looked up with a half-hearted smile. "Maybe I’m the one who’s really rattled."

B’Elanna moved from sitting next to Tom to sitting next to the Doctor, putting her arm around his shoulder. "Doctor, Seven loves you. You know that. The two of you have been through too much together for you not to know that. So," she gave him an evil grin, "when do we get to meet him?"

"He’s going to be in the sickbay at fourteen hundred hours this afternoon, teaching me to adjust some of Seven’s implants."

Tom clasped his hands together. "Want some support?"

The Doctor’s eyes danced a little as he looked up. "I wouldn’t turn it down."

B’Elanna patted the Doctor’s back. "I think we’ll just accidentally have business in the sickbay about fourteen hundred hours this afternoon. Besides, I’m curious about him."

"I’ll bet one thing, Hansen."

"What’s that, Tom?"

"I’ll bet you have more hair that he does."

B’Elanna threw a pillow at her husband, and the Doctor fell back against the sofa howling with laughter.

Kathryn B’Elanna was sitting in her spot, trying to be a good girl. Everyone looked at her so strangely. They all watched every move she made. She wished she could talk with Ketaria, but Ketaria was with Kahkar. Kahkar was still in Daddy’s sickbay, but he had promised her he would be out in time for her birthday.

Her birthday was only a day away. She wished it would just go away now. She didn’t want to turn seven. It wasn’t going to be any fun. She probably wouldn’t even get pancakes for her breakfast birthday.

Kathryn B’Elanna.

There it was again. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the sound.

Kathryn B’Elanna.

The voice was calling her again. It would not leave her alone. It was worse at night, when it was dark and the ship was silent and there wasn’t anything to distract her. She heard it again, calling to her, calling her to come to it. The voice was a whisper, but it sounded like a shout.

She wanted so much to answer.

"You are so nervous you are making me nervous." Kahkar’s voice held a hint of humor in it.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

Ketaria threw her husband a stern look. "Don’t let him bother you, Doctor. Would you rather I go ahead and take him home?"

"And make me miss all of the fun?" Kahkar tightened his grip on her hand. "I could have gone home this morning, but I am not going to miss meeting this Axum."

Ketaria sighed. "I don’t know who is worse, you or Tom."

The doors opened and Tom and B’Elanna walked in, hand in hand. Tom quickly looked around. "Not here yet?"

"No." The Doctor looked at the faces in the room, suddenly uncertain about having so many people in sickbay when Seven and Axum came in. He did not want to do anything to upset her. She knew Kahkar might still be in the sickbay, but he did not know how she would react to Tom and B’Elanna being present. Before he could say anything, the doors opened, and Seven and Axum walked in.

Everyone fell silent immediately. Seven hesitated a moment when she saw everyone, then raised her head, jutting her chin out and did not break her stride. The Borg beside her maintained his steady pace.

"Doctor, this is Axum."

The Doctor quickly greeted him. "Axum. It is good to see you again."

The Borg stumbled in his response. "And you."

Seven turned to Kahkar. "And this is Kahkar and Ketaria Omarahn."

"Axum," Kahkar’s voice was regaining some of its timbre, "it is good to meet you and to be able to say thank you."

"Yes," Ketaria stepped forward, reaching out to touch the Borg, seeing how he almost drew back from her touch, "I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did. I have you to thank that my husband is alive."

"You are welcome. But you should also thank the Doctor. We simply retrieved your husband from the asteroid; the Doctor saved his life."

Ketaria gave him a warm smile. "I think you are being too humble."

Seven moved slightly, drawing his attention. "And this is Tom and B’Elanna Paris."

"Hi, Axum. It’s great to meet you." Tom nodded his head at him, giving him a friendly grin.

"Yes," agreed B’Elanna, "we’ve heard a lot about you. It’s good to finally meet you."

Axum did not respond, but stood in the center of all of them. Seven stood uncomfortably next to him. They all looked at each other.

Finally, Seven said, "Axum is going to teach the Doctor to repair some of my implants."

"Yes," the Doctor quickly stepped forward, "he’s agreed to add to my medical database regarding Borg implants."

They fell silent again. Seven glanced at Tom and B’Elanna’s direction. "Did we interrupt something?"

"What?" B’Elanna started. "No. No, you didn’t interrupt anything. Why…actually…we, uh, we…were…."

"Actually, Seven," Kahkar’s voice broke over B’Elanna’s, "Tom and B’Elanna came to see me home. The Doctor has released me." He sat up and started to throw his legs over the side of the biobed.

The Doctor jumped, slightly taken aback by Kahkar’s movement. Quickly he recovered, helping to steady Kahkar as the larger man’s feet sought the floor. "Right." He looked at Tom and jerked his head to call him over. "I just released Kahkar and Tom and B’Elanna are going to see him home since I have…am busy with the two of you."

Tom and the Doctor assisted Kahkar to his feet and made certain he was steady. Kahkar reached out to hold on to Tom and B’Elanna, encouraging them to help him start walking toward the sickbay doors. "Seven, I will be staying in the quest quarters. Maybe you will come by to visit later when the Doctor checks on me."

"Yes, I will."

"Good. Axum, it was nice meeting you. I hope you will forgive me my hasty departure. I trust you will understand my eagerness to leave this place and get into a more relaxed environment and one where the Doctor is not poking something at me all the time." He had Tom and B’Elanna at the sickbay doors. "Goodbye. I will see you later."

They left. The Doctor, Seven and Axum stood in an uncomfortable triangle, each waiting for the other to speak.

"So," the Doctor cleared his throat, "you’re going to teach me to fix that pesky implant of Seven’s."

"Yes." Axum turned his body to face the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at the impassive eye, fully aware that his wife was watching him carefully. "Why don’t we get started?"

As soon as the sickbay doors closed behind them, the two couples turned and stared at the doors.

"Well," said Tom, "anyone have a reaction?"

"Yeah, I do," said his wife.

"What is it?"

"Uh oh."

Ketaria nodded. "I think B’Elanna is right."

Kahkar did not say anything. He started walking, concentrating on moving his feet.