Life Circles
11. Redemption

J/C, P/T
Rated MA
May 2009
By: AW
Summary: Directly after 'Flaws and Demons', the end of the 'Life Circles' Saga, until the continuation that will happen in 'Jennica's Story'.
Length: 8,918 words
Disclaimer: blah blah blah, I DON'T OWN THEM

[Directly after 'Flaws and Demons']

Kathryn stood in the turbolift, unsure of why she was even going to sickbay. She had fainted, yes: but she was sure that was just because she hadn't eaten enough, or for that matter slept enough in the past two days. And so much coffee...

She drew in a deep breath, "Computer halt turbolift." She stared at the wall. When was the last time she had seen her children? She had been completely separate from Chakotay for 6 weeks now, and the last time she had seen him: the sex had been great.

She shook her head, Tom had insisted that she go to sickbay, why? He could have told her in the ready room what was wrong but he had chosen not to.

It had to be serious.

She sighed, "Computer resume lift."

[Paris Quarters]

B'Elanna had finished her shift and had gone right to her quarters. She was sure that by this point in the pregnancy morning sickness would be gone, but she was still sick every night.

She ran to the bathroom and waited. Tom would be home soon. She knew that once the baby was born they would have to try and work opposite shifts so that someone would always be home with the kids. Miral had – for the most part – been raised by other members of the crew.

She was three now and B'Elanna felt as if she had missed so many developmental steps in her life.

This one she would not.

She had yet to tell Tom of her plan to try and stay home with the baby and she was sure that the Captain would not be too happy when she told her she would have to do without her chief engineer for six weeks, but at this point she didn't care.

Kathryn had put a wrench in hers and Tom's love life by bringing Jennica into the fold of the Voyager crew, and then there was the abortion that had been Tom's baby. They had spoken and made peace with his little indiscretion, but she wasn't sure after that if she would ever truly trust him again.

[Outside sickbay]

Kathryn drew in a deep breath and stared at the doors. The doctor - when she had spoken with him - had not seemed overly surprised to hear that Tom had ordered the Captain to sickbay. He had seen her on the bridge last week when she had ordered Vorik with him to the hologram's freighter.

After seeing what Dejaren had done to Ensign Vorik's heart, constricting it in his chest he had been glad that the Captain had agreed not to send the very pregnant half Klingon on the mission.

The doctor heard the doors to sickbay open and a very pale Kathryn Janeway walked in. "Ah, Captain. I see you're listening to what Mr. Paris suggested."

She sighed, "Only because he wouldn't tell me what the hell was wrong with me." She paused, "I've never fainted, well unless you count the time I was pregnant with –" She stopped in her tracks and calculated how long it had been since she'd had a period. "Oh, god."

The doctor walked up to the Captain. "If I remember correctly, you and the Commander were trying to get pregnant weren't you?"

Kathryn nodded numbly, "Yes, but we haven't been living together for about six weeks now, and –"

The doctor took out a tricorder, "Yes, that's about right. Congratulations, you're six weeks pregnant with your third child."

[Bridge]

Tom turned around to look at Chakotay. He couldn't tell Chakotay but he hoped that Chakotay would figure it out on his own, or maybe that Kathryn would finally get up the nerve to tell him herself.

Chakotay looked oddly at Tom, "Is there a problem Lieutenant?"

Tom nodded, "No Sir." He turned around and focused his attention to the helm.

[Paris Quarters – 3 hours later]

B'Elanna was just waiting for Tom to get home. Finally the doors opened and in walked her husband. She went up to him and gave him a big hug. "Hello handsome."

Tom smiled, "Nice to see you too honey."

His hands reached down to touch the bump that was their second child. "He's really active today."

"You mean 'she'."

"You know we could just ask the doctor you know."

She grinned, "I like to be surprised."

He smiled as his lips approached hers. "Let me show you how to really surprise you..."

She felt his hands wander up to her sensitized breasts and she moaned at the pleasure he was eliciting.

"I love you Tom." She grinned as his other hand wandered down to her bundle of nerves. Her breathing grew faster and began becoming laboured as she felt herself approaching orgasm.

He loved the way she sounded when she was reaching orgasm. Slowly he brought his hard member towards her opening and as he felt her reaching the height of the orgasm, he plunged into her creating a feeling that both were getting accustomed to as the child rolled against her cervix forcing an orgasm that she loved feeling.

He watched her almost passing out at the sensations she was feeling.

Tom looked at B'Elanna, the glow of sexual sensations laying on them. "Is Miral asleep?"

"Yeah, she passed out about 20 minutes before you got home."

He nodded, "Then I guess we have a couple of hours to sleep."

B'Elanna agreed and the two of them fell into a deep and sated sleep.

[Sickbay]

Kathryn drew in a deep breath and stared at the doctor, "You can't tell the Commander. I'll tell him in my own time."

The doctor stared at her. "He has to know."

"Oh like he had to know that the last child I carried wasn't his? Like he had to know about Jennica? Those words, 'he has to know' have single-handedly managed to ruin my life, keep my children from me, and end my marriage."

The doctor sighed and let his head fall, a very human reaction for a hologram. "Alright, I won't inform him of your condition, but you should tell him yourself: and I'll tell Mr. Paris to keep the news to himself."

The Captain nodded her ascent and wondered, "How often will I faint?"

The doctor scoffed. "Well that depends if you follow my instructions and don't stay up until all hours of the night, drink too much coffee and refuse to eat meals."

Kathryn rolled her eyes, "Fine, but you can't tell him."

"I must point out Captain, that this isn't something that you can keep a secret forever. In another two months, the condition is going to start to speak for itself."

"I understand that doctor, but for now I need you to keep this to yourself."

The doctor nodded and watched as the Captain walked out of sickbay, hopefully to get herself some sleep that she knew she sorely needed.

[Bridge – 4 hours later]

The Captain had not made a re-appearance on the bridge and Chakotay wondered what was wrong? Then he realized that as callous as he tried to be towards that woman, he had realized from the moment that he had met her that this is who she was.

He still loved her, and he knew it. She had given him two children, she had married him and despite everything she had made concessions to give him as much of what he needed as she could within the confines of their command relationship.

He sighed, and went to Haley's room as she started to fuss. He picked her up and grabbed a bottle to feed the tiny child. Kathryn was missing out on so much, but it was her that had made that decision.

He ran his hand over the fine auburn down that would no doubt be much like Kathryn's silky mane when she got older. "We both love you no matter what happens Haley."

The child opened her eyes, and he saw the big blue eyes staring back at him and felt as if he was looking into his wife's blue orbs, and felt his life crumbling. "I didn't want to be a single father, but I fear that I've pushed your mother one too many times."

[Same time – Chakotay's previous quarters]

Kathryn had finally fallen into a sated sleep and looked around at the many articles that were still there that represented Chakotay in all that he was.

She placed a hand on her belly and realized that she should have realized this before now, but the past month had been nothing but her spinning her wheels trying to keep the command relationship from falling apart.

She felt the tears falling down her cheek and picked up a picture of Haley and Taya, sitting together after Haley first began to smile. She sighed and put the picture face down on the end table.

She walked up to the replicator, "Coffee black."

She knew she had to cut down on the caffeine intake if she was going to bring this child into the world safely, but at the same time at the moment she needed the jolt.

She finished her coffee and made her way back to the bedroom. She lay down and rubbed her hand up and down her belly trying desperately to feel the proof that there was a baby in there, but she wasn't showing yet and probably not for another couple of months.

She knew there was a baby in there anyway, and she couldn't wait to begin to feel the signs, aside from the fainting and morning sickness that she knew was to come, that she could do without.

She remembered:

"Kathryn stop being so vain our daughter is anxious to be noticed."

Kathryn harrumphed and lay against the couch in their quarters, "And what makes you so sure that this one is another little girl?"

"Because that's what I want."

She rolled her eyes, "What if I want a boy?"

He laughed, "Then I guess we're going to have to do this again and again until we succeed."

She'd given her patented crooked half smile and they'd spent the evening making love under the moonlight of Lake George on the holodeck. Tom and B'Elanna had been more than happy to watch their goddaughter for the night and little Miral would have someone to play with in the morning.

Six months later baby Haley had been born to them and Chakotay had proven once again that he was right when it came to their family.

Kathryn closed her eyes and tried to let sleep envelop her.

[0300 Hours Paris Quarters]

Tom was awakened by the sound of the door chiming. He looked to his left and saw that his wife was still sleeping soundly beside him. He saw B'Elanna begin to stir and got up to quickly answer the door before it woke his sleeping beauty.

The doors opened and he saw the last person he expected to standing before him.

[0600 hours – 3 weeks later]

Morning came way too quickly for Kathryn, as she'd spent half the night emptying the contents of her stomach. *She hated this part of the pregnancy*.

Kathryn moved her hair from her face and looked at the pale gaunt woman in front of the mirror.

She got up from her kneeling position in front of the toilet and ran her hand over her once flat abdomen feeling the first signs of a baby on the way.

She sighed as she felt the swell of her stomach beginning and she wondered how long it would be until Chakotay figured out that he'd hit his mark on that night two months ago. She let a tear fall for the baby that might never know the true beauty of the man that was his or her father.

She sighed and put on her tank top noticing that it was getting a little tight, but nothing that someone that didn't see her, the majority of the time would notice. She put the thick fabric of her jacket over top of the underlying layers and made her way to the bridge coffee in hand.

No one would notice yet and for that she was grateful.

[Paris Quarters – same time]

B'Elanna had finally gotten over the morning sickness at six and a half months pregnant she was really getting large with child, and her sexual appetite was insatiable. *Good thing Tom could deliver.* She thought then smiled at herself and thought about last night.

The previous night they had had the most sensual love-making she ever remembered. He had worshipped her body in ways that only he as her husband and love of her life could.

There was no vicious sex as there had been previously in their relationship, this night was all about her and him worshipping the vessel that carried their son.

She loved him so much. He woke up and walked up to B'Elanna his hand wrapping around the baby hump.

"Good morning."

She turned around and enveloped his lips with hers.

"I love you too and so does our son."

He smiled and kissed her again, showing her the love that he carried for her and their children.

[2 weeks later – Janeway Quarters]

"Where's mommy?"

Chakotay stared at Taya, "Hopefully she'll come home soon honey." He watched his daughter eating her pancakes. Haley was making a mess with her breakfast and he watched wishing Kathryn was here to see his little angels growing up.

Twenty minutes later he brought the girls to Celes' quarters and went to the bridge. He saw Kathryn already on the bridge and she looked as if she hadn't slept properly in weeks.

Tom shook his head, knowing exactly what she was going through on her own and wishing there was some way he could help her and make her see.

About a month ago, Jennica had visited him and scared him with the details of her assimilation, and he prayed that this would not haunt his first born for the rest of her life.

"Hi Lieutenant, can we talk?" He looked back to where B'Elanna lay sleeping and left her a note saying that Harry really needed to talk to him about something.

"What is it you need to talk to me about?"

She shook her head, "I've been having these real traumatizing nightmares about a bird."

Tom shook his head in confusion, "A bird?"

"Yes, sir. I wrote them all down in my logs and I wish for yourself and the Captain to look at them if you could and possibly make sense of these dreams. They are troubling me."

Tom took the padd from her hand and tried to think of who he could bother that might be able to make more sense of the 'Borg Language' than he himself.

His first instinct was to go to his wife, and then he thought of Harry. That little green ensign who's mind worked like a calculator much like the Borg Language.

"I'm going to run this by Ensign Kim and see what his thoughts are Seven, and then I'll get back to you."

'Jennica' nodded and left the mess hall where they had ended up with Tom and a mug of coffee and Seven and 'nutritional supplement four beta. Tom shook his head and took the padds back to his quarters.

He saw his wife had still been asleep and he had erased the note that had been left for her, tucked the pads in his underwear drawer and curled back up against his wife.

[Bridge - 4 hours later]

Kathryn looked at Chakotay and handed the bridge over to him stating she was going to go to her ready room.

Tom turned around and made eye contact with Chakotay and decided that he had to convince him to make peace for his family if not for himself.

He nodded, "Tuvok you have the bridge."

Tuvok nodded; and off Chakotay went to the ready room to try and make peace with his wife and get his family back.

"Come." He heard from the other side of the door and walked in to see Kathryn sitting behind her desk working on reports. "Have you had anything to eat Captain?"

Kathryn shook her head, "I have a lot of work to do: No time."

Chakotay tilted his head, "Come on, I'll buy you breakfast."

0

She looked up and their eyes met, Chakotay almost forgetting about the hardships of the past almost three months. He felt as if those months were almost non-existent.

He walked up to her and placed his lips gently on hers. She had tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Chakotay."

He shook his head, "Sorry about what?"

She looked at him embarrassed and shocked out of her current state of unassuredness. "I should have told you sooner."

He looked at her confused, "Told me what?"

She grabbed his hand and placed it against the obvious bump of her stomach. Chakotay's jaw dropped. "Is it mine this time?"

Kathryn looked at her husband incredulous and slapped him. "Of course it's yours. How dare you?"

"Well you never know after the last time."

Kathryn glared at him, "It's yours, and if you don't want anything to do with him, then I'll stay in the quarters where I am now."

She walked out of the ready room leaving a totally shocked Commander in her wake.

Tom watched the Captain walk out of the ready room and look at him. She knew that he was part of her past, but he still knew her better than most.

She pulled her eyes away from his and went to sit in her command chair.

Before Tom had a chance to react, Kathryn doubled over in pain and fainted.

Tom rushed over to the Captain, "Paris to sickbay emergency transport for myself and Captain Janeway to sickbay."

Tom and the Captain disappeared in a shimmer of blue light that appeared almost white to Chakotay and he saw the image of an angel and her guardian watching over her before he rushed to the turbolift and made his way to sickbay himself.

[Hallway]

Chakotay was running down the hall when he all but bumped into Seven of Nine. "Commander, is there an emergency aboard ship?"

"I don't have time for this now Seven."

He pushed her out of his way an continued on his journey.

[Sickbay]

Kathryn lay unconscious on the biobed with the doctor and Tom working over her. He saw the haste in the way they worked, and knew at that moment that he had to see her and the child through. He loved them both too much.

The doctor turned to the Commander, "We need to work on her, we'll call you when she's out of the woods."

Chakotay nodded and walked out of sickbay.

[Janeway Quarters]

Chakotay walked into their quarters, after today she would move back in he had decided. He slapped his combadge, "Chakotay to Torres."

"Torres here what can I do for you Chakotay?"

He paused, "Can you go to my former quarters and meet me there, I need to talk to you and I need your help moving Kathryn's stuff back to our quarters."

B'Elanna turned engineering over to Vorik and walked out of engineering heading towards the Janeway Quarters.

She walked into the quarters and looked around. The quarters were still very much Chakotay and if she really looked around she didn't see much of Kathryn in it at all.

There were no children's toys around which surprised B'Elanna, had she really been without her children for six weeks?

B'Elanna shook her head and all she could think was without Miral she would feel lost.

She sighed and picked up Kathryn's clothes and began folding them and putting them in boxes.

B'Elanna walked up to a picture on the end table, it was of her two daughters it looked like it was taken just weeks or maybe even days before she had left them to Chakotay.

Chakotay walked into the quarters and saw B'Elanna gathering the meagre belongings that Kathryn had brought here.

He was touched to see that she had taken some pictures of the girls with her and he had to think that the callousness that she had shown in the last weeks was nothing more than Kathryn's defences going up.

The room smelled like Kathryn and he couldn't help but notice the scent of Jasmine in the air.

He had to get her back.

[Hallway Voyager]

Jennica was running, she appeared to be no older than 18, then she was running down the corridor of a Borg Vessel.

Seven was running down the corridor, the Borg were after her. "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Your distinctiveness will be added to our own."

Jennica ran she ran down the halls, her mother was nowhere to be found, her father reached out to her as the veins of the Borg ran down his face. Admiral Paris was no more "Jennica: Run!"

And she ran, and she tried to escape the Borg, and soon Jennica was no more and Seven of Nine was born.

Then her eyes opened with a start and she was back on Captain Janeway's ship, in the Cargo Bay.

[Sickbay]

Chakotay sat beside Kathryn's bed. He slipped her hand in his. He sat beside her, the doctor had yet to tell him anything about her condition and he worried.

He had asked Sam to watch the children while he was waiting with Kathryn, she had said yes, and he had left immediately.

He needed Kathryn to be okay, she still looked like she was pregnant and he hoped that their third child was okay.

He sighed and went about watching his wife.

Jennica walked into sickbay and Chakotay felt an immense hatred for the woman who was – whether he liked it or not – his step daughter.

He watched Seven walk up to the doctor: "It's happened three times now in different locations, at different times of the day. I experience a series of disjointed images in my mind."

"Can you be more specific? Were these hallucinations?"

Jennica stared at the doctor unsure, "I don't know. I've never hallucinated. It's as if I were aboard a Borg vessel, but I was frightened. I felt fear. Each experience is similar. I'm being pursued by the Borg. They want to assimilate me. I'm running from them, and then, each time I see a bird."

Chakotay listened to the conversation from the other side of sickbay, "A bird?"

Seven turned around and looked at the man who was married to her mother, not realizing until now that he was even there. "Yes. A large black bird, flying toward me, shrieking, attacking me."

"Hmmm. Your hippocampus is in a state of agitation."

"What does that mean?"

The EMH looked at Jennica, not sure what to say to her but deciding that the honest truth and the medical truth needed to be exposed, "As your human physiology continues to reassert itself, psychological symptoms are bound to manifest in a variety of ways, through dreams, hallucinations, hypnogogic regression."

"Hypnogogic regression?"

"Flashbacks. You could be experiencing some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder."

Chakotay stared once more at his wife and then at his step daughter and walked out of sickbay.

*~*~*~*~*

Then on the third day Kathryn's eyes fluttered open and Chakotay was there to see it.

"Doctor! She's waking up."

The doctor rushed over and Kathryn put her hand to her head, "What happened?"

Chakotay stepped in, "You were on the bridge, and you doubled over in pain and Tom beamed you here."

"The baby, how's the baby."

Chaotay smiled, "The baby is fine."

Kathryn put her hands on her abdomen and felt the baby bump. "I guess we're going to be parents again Chakotay."

He smiled, "Looks that way Kat, and it makes me so happy."

She went to stand up and the doctor came over, "I need you to take it easy Captain. I want to keep you in sickbay for at least another two days."

Kathryn glared at the doctor, "I need to be on the bridge Doctor; I can't be out of commission for another two days."

The doctor looked at the Captain, "Captain if you want this baby to arrive in good health you're going to have to start taking it easier. This was a scare Captain, but next time you might not be so lucky."

Kathryn sighed and looked to Chakotay for support, "You have to take it easy Kat. That baby is our last chance."

Kathryn backed down and nodded. "Fine, but if you want more children you're carrying them."

Chakotay laughed, "You know I would if I could."

They both turned at the doors to sickbay opening and Jennica walking in. "Seven."

Kathryn stared at the woman, "Are you feeling better Seven? I heard you were beginning to have a few traumatic moments making themselves known."

Seven raised what would have been an eyebrow if she didn't have an implant above it. "I'm fine Captain, but I do not enjoy this sensation. Something is happening to me and I don't know what it is. It's as though I'm being driven somehow."

Chakotay stared at his wife "Our guests have arrived. They're being escorted to the Briefing Room. The Representative from the B'omar has arrived. Tuvok is setting him up in the briefing room right now; I'll take care of it and tell them that you are unavailable because of medical reasons."

Janeway looked at Jennica, "I've been trying to negotiate passage through their space but so far they've been difficult to deal with. I hope they've had a change of heart."

"I'll stay here and wait for the Doctor's instructions."

"You and me both Seven; the doctor has decided that I need to stay in sickbay for another couple of days."

"For what purpose Captain?"

She realized that Seven along with most of the rest of the crew were as yet unaware of her condition; she turned to Chakotay asking if it was okay to divulge their secret. At Chakotay's nod, she opened her mouth, "I'm pregnant Seven, and we have to make sure the baby is going to be okay."

Jennica stared at her, "So this will be my half-brother or half-sister?"

At Janeway's nod Jennica stared at her suspiciously, "And unlike me you decided to keep this child."

"Seven, that's not fair."

"If you had never given me to Admiral Paris, I might have grown up with you and not with the Borg."

Kathryn stared at her, until now not really thinking about what she might have thought about her giving Jennica up. "I was young, and I thought that Owen would have provided a better environment for you."

"Apparently you were in error Captain."

Kathryn sighed and decided now was the time to take the initiative about her 'adoption' about the Borg and about her current predicament, "We'll help you through this, Seven. You'll be all right."

[2 Days later – Janeway Quarters]

"I spoke with the B'omar, they told me they were plotting a course for us. Tomorrow we'll meet with them and the senior staff and view the course Kathryn: Hopefully it'll work out."

Kathryn walked up to the crib and picked up Haley. "I'm sure it will be okay. Seven's been acting rather strangely lately."

Chakotay shook his head, "She won't talk to me; will she talk to you?"

"I haven't heard anything aside from the information from the Doctor telling me she's having strange hallucinations about a bird: I'm not sure what that's all about."

Chakotay shrugged, "I have no idea, but I'm sure it will all come out in the next little while."

Kathryn finished feeding Haley and put her against her shoulder to burp her. "I missed my girls Chakotay."

"I know." Chakotay heard a burp and saw the child's eyes slowly becoming heavy. "Here let me take her."

Kathryn passed the baby to her husband. "I'm glad we worked everything out Chakotay."

He nodded, "Me too."

They checked on Taya who was sound asleep and cuddled up for a night of sleep. Chakotay's hand circled around Kathryn's waist to rest on her belly and Kathryn's hand joined his enjoying the feeling of being cocooned in love. "Soon we'll have another baby, and maybe finally you'll get your son Chakotay."

He smiled against her neck, "If all you ever give me is girls I'll be happy all the same."

They fell into an exhausted sleep.

[0900 the next morning – briefing room]

"Captain Janeway, nice that you took the time to see us."

Kathryn could feel the sarcasm dripping off of him. "Have you had a chance to consider our request?"

"Congratulations, Captain. Against our better judgment the B'omar Sovereignty has agreed to grant your vessel passage through our territory."

Kathryn bit her tongue, and kept 'her sarcastic comments' at bay. "On behalf of my crew, thank you. That will cut three months off our journey."

"However there are a few stipulations. Guidelines that you must adhere to."

"You'll have our complete co-operation."

Gauman looked at Janeway and had an air of superiority about him that Kathryn was leery of. "We expect nothing less. While in our space, your vessel will not exceed warp three, and your weapons systems will remain off-line. You will avoid unnecessary scans and you will not conduct surveys of any kind. You will make no attempt to explore our space and you will avoid all communications with non-military craft."

Dumah looked at the Captain, "We've also plotted the course your vessel is to follow."

Tom stared at the course, zig-zagging everywhere. "It'll take us weeks to follow that course."

Chakotay joined in the conversation seeing exactly what Tom was talking about, "If not months."

Dumah smugly looked at the Commander and then at the Captain, "We've designed this course so your ship would avoid our populated systems and industrial areas. Deviation is not recommended."

Gauman joined in irking Janeway even further. She wasn't sure if it was hormones that were making her more irritable or if that man was just annoying, but it was getting to her, "There are a total of seventeen checkpoints where you will submit your vessel for inspection."

Kathryn bit her tongue and turned to the annoying man in front of her, "Chancellor Gauman, if I may interrupt? I appreciate your efforts in plotting this flight plan, but if we could, I'd like to negotiate a course that's a little more direct."

Chakotay stared at the course and pointed at the map, "What about this course? It's a marginal adjustment. The nearest populated system is more than three light years away."

"Definitely not. You'd pass directly through the Agrat-mot Nebula. A key resource in our trade negotiations with the Nassordin."

Tom was getting excited at finally putting his piloting skills to good use, "I could chart the nebula, try to avoid any –"

Dumah got closer to Kathryn, invading her personal space and making her uncomfortable. The Captain's hand landed on her belly in a protective measure as the man almost yelled at her, "No, no, no! Are your translators malfunctioning?"

Kathryn heard a comm. call and stepped back from the man, it was Tuvok hailing from the bridge. "Captain Janeway to the Bridge."

Kathryn was glad to finally have an excuse to get out of the briefing room. She turned to Dumah and Gauman "If you'll excuse me."

[Bridge]

Kathryn entered the bridge the B'omar and Chakotay in tow. She sighed, "Report."

Tuvok answered promptly. "I've received an alert from Security. Seven of Nine attacked Neelix in the Mess Hall and three other crewmen on deck two."

"Janeway to Seven of Nine. Jennica, if you can hear me? What are you doing? Respond."

Chakotay looked at his wife then took the initiative and faced Tuvok, "What's her location?"

"Deck six, section twenty eight alpha."

Gauman, got in Janeway's face with questions she couldn't and preferred not to answer, "Captain, what is happening here?"

"I wish I knew, Chancellor."

She turned to Chakotay, "Chakotay, seal off deck six."

[Hallway]

Jennica was hurrying down the hallway phaser in hand. She heard the Borg calling to her: "Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One: You will be assimiltated."

Jennica come home.

She ran some more, there was a need to get where she needed to. It had nothing to do with the hatred and loathing she felt for her biological parents, or her 'step-father' it was a primal urge, and incessant need.

[Bridge]

Kathryn looked around unsure what to do: she heard a hail from a security officer almost sounding scared. "Security to the Bridge. We've just seen Seven of Nine. Her Borg shields are fully operational and they've adapted to our phasers."

Janeway let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Acknowledged. Bridge to all security personnel. Configure your weapons to a rotating modulation, but keep them on stun."

The Chancellor looked at Janeway incredulous. "Borg. You have Borg on your ship."

Kathryn hated feeling as if she had to justify everything, but as Captain she did. "It's not what you think. She is a member of my crew. We liberated her from the Collective. She's no longer a Borg."

"Then why is she equipped with Borg shields?"

"I don't know."

Chakotay was unsure but he saw that Kathryn was beginning to lose her cool. "She's able to cross through the security fields. She's entering the armoury on deck six."

Janeway looked to her chief of security a certain amount of desperation in her eyes. "Tuvok, track her and see if you can stop her."

Tuvok rushed off the bridge and headed to the spot where Seven was currently accessing weapons.

Ten minutes later Kathryn heard Tuvok's hail, "Tuvok to Bridge. We were unsuccessful. I have wounded. She's moving toward junction thirty-two alpha.

[Bridge]

"The Shuttle Bay." Kathryn stared at Chakotay with fright in her eyes, "I'm going to lose her again."

Chakotay tried vainly to stop her, "I'm erecting a forcefield Harry, reroute all available power to deck ten!"

Harry tapped the controls and stated. "Done." A few seconds later he stated bluntly, "She's accessing transporter control!"

"She used a site to site transport. She's in a shuttlecraft, powering engines."

Kathryn was panicking, she was going to lose her daughter again, "Seal the launch doors." There was no effect and Kathryn screamed, "Tractor beam! Stop her."

Chakotay was looking at his wife who was losing everything it seemed in one shot. "No effect. She's remodulated the shuttle's shield harmonics."

Kim shook his head, "Captain, Seven's headed directly into B'omar space. She's gone to warp."

Tom turned and looked at his former love, it seemed like so long ago, "She's masked the shuttle's ion trail. I've lost her signal. She's gone."

[Ready Room]

The B'omar were after Jennica, Kathryn had to get her back but how. How would she find her? Where was she going?

She sat in her ready room, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Why did she all of a sudden begin to re-develop Borg traits?

She shook her head and let her head fall in her hands: The door chimed and she called for entrance. Chakotay walked in and looked at the broken woman in front of him. "Maybe this was inevitable. Even if Seven did want to stay on Voyager her Borg nature may have won out. We can remove implant after implant, but, maybe at her core, she'll always be part of the Collective."

Kathryn stared at her husband, "No. I won't accept that."

He shook his head, "Maybe you're going to have to, maybe she won't give you a choice."

Janeway looked at him, "I told you I won't accept that, I just got her back and I'll be damned if the Borg are going to take her away from me again."

The doctor comm'ed them, "Doctor to Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway can you please make your way down to sickbay I have something I need to show you."

"We'll be right there doctor."

Kathryn stood up and stretched, exposing the growing expanse of her belly and making it show more than she probably intended to.

Chakotay walked up behind her, "You're going to have to tell them all soon."

Kathryn sighed, "I know, but not yet. I think that me telling Jennica may have pushed her over the edge."

He wrapped his arms around her, "Not everything is your fault Kathryn. I've said it before and I'll say it again: maybe not everyone can be saved."

Kathryn pushed his hands off of her stomach, "We're on duty Chakotay, and we have to go to sickbay."

The couple walked out of the ready room and made their way to the turbolift. Kathryn walked into the turbolift along with her husband, "Deck five. She was responding to us, interacting with people outside the Collective for the first time. She was adapting to this environment and to this crew. But where is she going? We've scanned space for a distance of forty light years. We've found no evidence of Borg ships so she can't be trying to rejoin the Collective."

"I love you Kathryn, and I love the way you care for each and every one of the crew, including former 'Borg Drones' but sometimes you don't know when to step back and maybe this is one of those times you have to look at this as an outsider not as her mother."

She looked at her husband, "You know I can't separate that from the Captain any more than I can separate anything else from the Captain: You know that."

"She may plan to take the shuttle back to Borg space: She may be gone for good Kathryn."

She shook her head as she tried to figure out what the hell she was doing, "Ten thousand light years from here? I don't think so. No, something else going on. We're missing a piece of the puzzle."

Chakotay decided now was not the time to appeal to Kathryn his wife or Kathryn Jennica's mother, the Captain needed her Commander right now so his demeanour changed, "In the meantime, the B'omar intend to find her. And if they do, she'll probably resist them. "

"One more reason for us to find her first."

[Sickbay]

Kathryn walked into sickbay with her husband; she stared at the doctor, "What have you found, Doctor?"

The doctor looked at the Captain: the mother of the woman who had come back to her an then left her once again. He knew that she blamed herself, and he knew that she needed something to take that blame from her. "Something most peculiar. This graphic represents the matter conversion data from Seven of Nine's last transport. If you'll notice, there's a high concentration of Borg organelles in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue. The dormant nanoprobes in Seven of Nine's cells have reasserted themselves, taken over blood-cell production and they're growing new Borg implants. Thirteen percent of the Borg technology I removed three weeks ago has regenerated in a matter of hours."

Chakotay stared at the doctor, "You said the nanoprobes in her cells were dormant. What reactivated them?"

"I don't know, but I've developed a way to stop the process. This hypospray contains a genetic resequencing vector. It should neutralise the nanoprobes."

She stared at her husband and turned to the doctor, "That means someone needs to get close enough to do it: and that someone has to be me."

Kathryn walked briskly out of sickbay with Chakotay following close behind, "What the hell do you think you're doing."

Kathryn spun around and faced her husband, "What do you mean what the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm doing my job: I'm protecting my crew."

"You're not protecting your crew if you end up dead going on some suicide mission to save a daughter that it's possible may never have been able to have been saved."

Kathryn stopped in her tracks. She looked around at the corridor and the odd stares their two most senior officers were getting with their lover's quarrel. "I think we should take this somewhere more private. 'Our quarters'."

They arrived in their quarters and Kathryn turned around livid. "You have no right to talk to me that way: I'm the Captain."

"You're also my wife and you're like four months pregnant with our child, who has already given us a scare. I don't think it's a good idea that you go on a suicide mission to save a child that you had before us."

Kathryn glared at her husband. "She's still my child, and she's still a big part of me."

"And sometimes you have to let go."

"Not this time."

"So that's it then? I have no say in this."

"Not this time, this child has nothing to do with you. Jennica was my mistake and I'm going to take responsibility for her."

He walked up to her and placed a hand on her abdomen, "What about this child?"

She stared into his eyes, and placed a hand over his, "This child, is both of our responsibility; but it's still my body and I'm responsible for this baby so long as he's living in there."

Chakotay shook his head, "Then I guess the decision is made."

"I know it is; and I'd appreciate your support."

"You're the Captain, I'm the First Officer: I understand that, but I hope that it's not going to be the end of our last chance at parenthood." And he walked out of their quarters leaving Kathryn to stew over his words.

[Bridge]

Chakotay walked out onto the bridge and made his way to Tom's station. "Lieutenant, can I have a word with you in my office?"

Tom got a puzzled look on his face, "Yes, Sir."

They made their way to his office and Chakotay sat down behind the desk, Tom sitting across from him. "So what's this about Chakotay?"

Chakotay sighed, "I just spoke with Kathryn and she's insisting on going on this mission instead of Tuvok to get Seven, Jennica, whatever you want to call her back."

Tom nodded encouraging him to continue.

"You're going to be going with her, and I need to make sure that you keep her safe, her and the baby. After that scare - and I still haven't been told what that was all about, what exactly happened – I need to make sure they're both okay."

"You know I can't tell you: Doctor/Patient confidentiality."

"Does she know why?"

Tom nodded silently, "Yes, and I think you need to talk to her and not me."

Chakotay stood up and started pacing, "I need to know Tom, that's my wife and child; and if she insists on going on this crazy mission to save her first born, I need to know that she'll be okay."

Tom looked at him, "She'll be okay, I'll make sure of it, but you need to ask her if you want any medical information and not me."

Chakotay saw that Tom wouldn't budge on this, and realized it was probably part of the reason that he was a good medic and nodded. "Fine, just keep them safe Tom."

Tom nodded and left the office.

As he walked onto the bridge he saw Kathryn leaving the ready room. "Mr. Paris, you're with me."

[Paris' Shuttlecraft]

Kathryn stared at Tom. "Well it's been a while since we've had to worry about Jennica hasn't it?"

Tom put the shuttle on auto-pilot and turned around to look at Kathryn. "I promised your husband before we left that I'd take care of you. He wanted to know why you had that scare a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't tell him because of doctor-patient confidentiality; but you need to tell him. It's his baby too."

Kathryn nodded, "I know, but even I'm not sure I totally understand why or how, or what." She paused collecting her thoughts, "Do you know how afraid I am of losing this baby too?" She placed her hands on her belly.

"I know, but he's your husband and he loves you and he needs to know Kathryn."

The shuttle beeped indicating they were close to Seven's location. "I'm detecting weapons signatures. Federation and B'omar. Five B'omar vessels are adrift, heavily damaged. Lifesigns are stable."

"I've located Seven's shuttle. It's two point five million kilometres from here."

Kathryn stared at Paris, "Adjust course to intercept," She paused looking at Jennica's father. "We have to find her."

"The implants in Seven's body are disrupting the transporter signal. I can't get a lock."

Kathryn played around with the controls, and finally turned to Paris, "See if you can remodulate our transporters to match her shields."

Tom was incredulous, "You can't be serious Kathryn, You want to beam in there?"

"Yes, Set my co-ordinates for the aft compartment."

"I told Chakotay that I'd take care of you and I'm not sure that you going on your own to take on Jennica: A former Borg Drone is really me doing my best to do that."

"I'm giving you an order as your Captain Lieutenant: I need to go and find her: Energise."

Paris watched his Captain, and the mother of the child who had come back to them disappeared. He said a little prayer that she would be okay, he'd made a promise to Chakotay that he would. He ran his fingers across the controls and made sure he kept the lock on her.

He needed to keep her safe, all of a sudden he felt weapons fire and knew the B'omar had found them.

"Come on, Kathryn, give me a sign."

He heard the computer give him the warning that they'd hit propulsion and it was offline. "Damn!"

[Seven's Shuttlecraft]

Kathryn materialized on the shuttle where her daughter sat at the controls. She tried to approach her and hit a forcfield almost sending her to the ground with the jolt she received.

Kathryn stood back up and put a hand on her belly and made sure the baby was still okay. She had yet to feel the baby move, but she knew he was there.

Jennica turned and looked at her mother. "It's a level five forcefield, Captain. I suggest you be more careful for you and the child you carry. I know this one you want unlike me, you never wanted me and neither did my father."

"That's not true Jennica, we never kept you because you had a much better chance at a much better life not being raised by two teenagers."

The Borg Drone stared at the Captain, cold hatred in her eyes, "I guess we'll never know will we 'Captain'? And I am Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One: I am Borg. I ceased being Jennica Paris a long time ago."

"You said you needed to go back to the collective, what brought this on?

Jennica stared at her mother, "A homing beacon. I am following a signal. A Borg vessel is waiting for me."

"Jennica we've scanned this entire region for Borg. There aren't any."

"You're wrong. They are there and my designation is 'Seven of Nine'. Human. Species Five Six One Eight. Physiology inefficient, below average cranial capacity, minimal redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities. Your distinctiveness will be added to our –"

Kathryn backed off from where the woman was standing and decided to take another approach. "Seven?"

"No. I will not assimilate you. Once I return to the Collective, you will go back to Voyager and tell your husband and all the Voyager crew 'thank you' for their kindness."

Seven of Nine. Grid nine-two of subjunction twelve.

"I can hear them calling me. I'm frightened, but I need to go to them: I must rejoin the Collective."

Kathryn walked as close to the forcefield as she dared. "Take down the forcefield, allow me to come and help you out."

"No, I must re-join the collective they are waiting for me on the planet."

Kathryn had tears in her eyes, "Jennica, this is not what you want and there are no Borg on the planet."

Seven turned around from the controls, "Don't try to tell me what I do and do not want. You were never there for me as a child and you won't be there for me now. You have a life of your own already that does not include me."

Kathryn felt the hurt and pain radiating from this woman. "I love you and I have always loved you whether you believe it or not."

Seven lowered the forcefield and walked up to the Captain. "You are a liar and a hypocrite Captain, and I do not wish to be like you."

Kathryn drew in a quick breath and put her hands on her belly. "Oh, my god."

Seven stared at the woman in front of her, "Captain, are you damaged?"

With one swift movement Kathryn grabbed Jennica's hand and placed it on her belly. Seven felt the movement and realized it was the movements of her new 'half-brother' or 'half-sister'. Her eyes glazed over. "I have changed my mind, I would like to return to Voyager and protect this child no matter what."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow and looked at her daughter, "What caused this change of heart."

"I was assimilated and taken away from everything I knew, but I do not wish that for the Voyager crew or for my brothers and sisters."

Kathryn walked up and enveloped her in a hug which Seven stiffly accepted. "I want to be a part of your family now."

Kathryn nodded and hit her combadge to signal Tom to beam them up.

The two of them arrived on the shuttle and Tom stared at the Captain asking her if everything was okay now. Kathryn had a huge grin on her face, "I just felt the baby move for the first time Tom."

He laughed, "Yeah it makes it feel more real doesn't it."

Kathryn nodded, "It does."

Jennica opened up, "Do you think that the doctor can make it so that I don't get any more messages from the Borg when we get back to Voyager?"

Kathryn walked up to her and took her hand, "I hope so Jennica, I hope so."

[Bridge]

Chakotay paced the bridge hoping that his wife and his baby boy were okay. *Please let them be okay.*

Tuvok turned to Chakotay, "Commander we're getting a hail from the shuttle."

Tom answered, "I've got them, Commander. We're on our way to Voyager."

Chakotay let a breath go that he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, "Acknowledged. Good work."

Harry piped up from behind him, "I'm detecting a fleet of B'omar vessels approaching. Sixty eight ships."

"Ensign, as soon as Tom's shuttle has docked, take us out of B'omar space. Warp eight."

"Aye sir."

Chakotay stared at Harry, "Looks like there won't be any shortcuts this time. I'll be in the ready room taking care of a few reports so the Captain doesn't have to take care of them when she gets back."

Harry nodded, "Aye sir."

Chakotay walked into Kathryn's ready room and waited for the shuttle to come home.

[Holodeck - Da Vinci's Workshop]

Kathryn walked into the holodeck. She had decided there was no reason hiding her condition from anyone anymore, it was getting obvious. She was wearing a flowered sundress, and it showed her condition in all it's glory.

"There you are. I wanted to tell you that the Doctor said he could adjust one of your implants so you won't receive any more homing signals."

Seven looked at Janeway and smiled, "Thank you. I hope you don't mind that I activated this program. And I have to say that you look quite different when you're not in your uniform Captain."

"Of course I don't mind that you activated my program, and thank you Seven."

"No problem, it does make me realize how important family is, and how important your children are to you."

Kathryn let a soft smile grace her features, "All my children Jennica including you."

Jennica nodded, "Perhaps."

"Hopefully someday you'll be able to forgive everyone for everything that's happened to you over the years and find someone to love you. Maybe you'll have children of your own some day."

"What does the doctor say Captain? One step at a time."

She nodded and approached Jennica to embrace her in a hug, "One step a time indeed."

END 'Life Circles'

TBC in 'Jennica's Story'