Author's Notes: Hello and Welcome to yet another story. This one stemmed from the fact that having Mezoti leave Voyager with the twins has always bothered me. I really think that she and Seven bonded to a point, and that she wouldn't just choose to take off on a whim. Also, I think that the children would have had more problems coming away from the Collective than what the canon show has for them. You can't traumatize a person, mutilate their body, and then have them be all sunshine and roses afterwards 24/7. Seven had a terrible time- and yes she was Borg for far longer, but she was the same age roughly as the Borglings were when she was assimilated.

Anyway, thank you to Scifiromance, Starshine, and Waya for letting me tell them a story! Love you guys! This one has been a long time coming, and thank you so much for putting up with my random BUT WHAT IF-?'s

Obligatory Legalities: I do not own Star Trek, and make no money from this story.

XXX

Januray 18, 2377

XXX

"You missed!" Azan laughed at his twin, jogging to the bouncing blue ball that had whizzed past his body seconds before. "My turn!" He said, lifting the ball and turning predatory eyes on his brother.

"..Crap." Rebi dodged behind a barrel as the blue orb was hurled his way.

"If you damage any of the equipment in this room," Icheb began, his voice loud and authoritative though he never looked up from his work at the console in front of him, "Seven and the Captain would not be very pleased with you."

"We haven't broken anything." argued Rebi, scooping the ball up as it rolled to a stop along the far wall.

"We are only playing." Azan put his hands on his hips. "Seven has designated this time slot for fun in her absence, has she not?"

The oldest Borgling turned and looked at the more assertive of the twins with a cocked eyebrow. "She has. However, she has not designated this time slot for damaging equipment." he said sternly.

"She hasn't initiated any punishment protocols in nine days." said the bolder twin. "She lets us play now."

Icheb's look turned into a scowl. "She has not initiated any punishment protocols due to our good behavior. That is a pattern that could easily be broken." He looked from one twin to the next. "Do be careful."

"We are." said Rebi, hurling the ball at his brother. The blue sphere made contact with Azan's shoulder with a loud slap, then bounced off to the far corner of the room. "Got you!" taunted the boy, running off after the ball.

"Cheater!" The twin gave chase, disappearing behind the line of crates.

Icheb shook his head with a roll of his eyes, before returning to his calculations.

"Come on, Mezoti." Naomi said quietly, holding the brown-haired doll out to her friend. The smallest of the Borglings paid her little mind, shaking her head once and tightening her arms across her belly. "Why don't you want to play with me?"

Mezoti couldn't make herself look up from the floor, huddled in on herself at the foot of Seven's alcove. Seven hadn't been gone for an hour yet, but to Mezoti, it felt like it had been days. The little girl didn't like this feeling... like her whole world was about to crash in on itself- like the Borg queen was waiting for them all just behind the next star- like the ship was about to be bombarded with a deadly dose of toxic radiation- like some contaminant in Neelix's cooking was about to poison them all to death- like any moment, a ship full of Norcadians was going to come and try to lay claim to her. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, glad that her hair hid her face from the others, and curled her legs up to her chest. Inside her head, she tried to repeat to herself, 'Seven will be right back. Seven will be right back. Seven will be right back.' She had been without her before and not had such circular thoughts. Why was she plagued now? How long had it been now? A bead of sweat rolled down her temple to her cheek, joining with a teardrop.

"I thought you liked to braid hair?" Naomi said, growing tired of being ignored. She let both dolls drop down on the dais next to Mezoti, and turned her attention to Icheb. "What'cha working on?"

The older boy looked up at her briefly, but his eyes were drawn to his youngest sibling instead of the redhead. He frowned at the girl's obviously distressed posture, but being unsure as to how to help her, instead tried to distract Naomi away from her. "A report for the Doctor on genealogy. Would you like to assist me?"

Naomi gave Mezoti's quiet form one last hopeful glance. The other girl's pose had not changed. With a sigh, the redhead turned back to Icheb. "Very well."

Mezoti watched Naomi's feet walk away from her with a small, relieved sigh as she continued to try to process her thoughts- to name the emotions she felt with them- but it was all becoming so overwhelming. When had this began? What happened to her? Why did she feel so damaged?

"Though I wasn't on my home planet for long, I did manage to absorb quite a bit of knowledge of.."

Icheb's voice trailed off into Mezoti's head, becoming a bit of white noise in the back of her mind. Home planet.. How could he call that horrible place a home? The Captain had been so eager to see her brother off the ship, leaving him with those horrible people who called themselves his family. No mother would just give her son away to the Borg, would she? Only Seven had been able to see through the ruse. Only Seven's quick thinking and persistence had saved Icheb from reassimilation. Only Seven had tried to protect them.

Only Seven could protect her.

"When is Seven coming back?" The sorrowful tone of her voice was enough to glean the attention of the others, and she bit her lip, refusing to look up at them.

Icheb's voice was soft. "She didn't say how long she would be away, but I would assume she will return soon."

"What's wrong, Zotti?" Rebi asked, walking over to the dais. Azan followed him, the blue ball under his arm.

"What's the matter, Mezoti?" Naomi asked, worried, as she walked back to the dais.

"I need Seven." Mezoti said in a small voice.

Azan snickered. "Are you crying?" Rebi elbowed his side, silencing him.

"Shut up." Naomi said to the twin, stepping up and putting her hand on Mezoti's shoulder, noting that the girl was trembling. "Mezoti, what's wrong?"

"I just.." the girl murmured. "I need her back. I can't.. I just.."

"She's only on the bridge." said Azan, turning to go back to his game, annoyed when Rebi didn't immediately follow him. "Don't be a baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Mezoti finally looked up to glare at the boy. "I'm not!"

"Babies cry." dismissed Azan. "Borg don't cry."

"We are no longer Borg." Icheb said sternly, turning to Azan. "If you don't stop teasing her, I'll tell Seven you were throwing that ball around in the cargo bay." The athletic twin scowled, turning and storming off. His quieter brother sighed, turning to catch up to him. Icheb turned his attention back to Mezoti. "Are you damaged?"

"No, I just need Seven back." Her tears were flowing freely now, and her stomach was twisting up in knots, thickening her throat. "Now!"

"She's working on-"

"I don't care!" Mezoti insisted, her voice growing shrill. "I want her back! I can't be here like this- I need her!" Naomi tried to put an arm around her shoulders, but she dodged away, slipping off the dais. "Don't touch me!"

"Zotti, calm down." Icheb said, rounding the dais and stepping beside her. "She will be right back."

"UNACCEPTABLE!" The brunette gagged behind her hand, the sound turning into a sob as she dropped back to the floor, hunched into a ball again. "She needs to come BACK! NOW!"

Icheb watched Mezoti rock in place, crying loudly. Behind him, he felt the twins come back to see, standing silent and sentinel as their younger sibling wailed on the floor. He raised his hand to his com badge. "Icheb to Seven of Nine."

*~"Yes, Icheb?"~*

"Your presence is required in Cargo Bay 2."

XXX

When Icheb had summoned her back to the cargo bay, there had been a nagging feeling in the back of her head- a feeling she was coming to listen to a lot more often- that she knew just what was wrong. It had been there to warn her about the baby Borgling's maturation chamber. It had warned her that something was.. off.. about Icheb's birth parents. It had warned her just the other day that Azan and Rebi were no longer in their alcoves and were in fact trying to see which could balance better along the railing around the loft over the bay. Now, it was telling her that something was wrong with her most individual of charges. Seven sighed almost imperceptively, logging out of her console on the bridge.

"Twins fighting again?" Chakotay asked light-heartedly over his shoulder from his chair.

"Your odds of being correct are fairly high." returned the ex-drone. "I will continue my work from Astrometrics once I am through with the children."

Chakotay nodded once, turning to Harry. "Harry, take over for her while she is busy with the kids. The Captain has to be out there somewhere."

"We'll find them." said Tom. "Really, if I had to spend more than a few minutes on a shuttle with Mortimer Harren I'd swim back to Voyager in an enviromental suit.." Behind them, Harry snorted.

"Let's hope you're right." said Chakotay. "And hope the Captain is a strong swimmer."

XXX

Seven entered and exited the turbolift, walking down the corridor past Astrometrics and towards the cargo bay. She was still ten meters away when she could hear the noise coming from inside. Mezoti was screaming. With wide eyes, she quickened her pace.

"She's coming, Mezoti!" Icheb was saying when Seven entered. The littlest Borgling was huddled down on the floor, hands clamped over her ears as she cried great heaving sobs. The twins were watching solemnly from the safety of her alcove. Icheb and Naomi hovered near their distressed peer without touching her.

"What is going on here?" Seven asked. Mezoti, upon hearing Seven's voice, shot at her like a blur, impacting with the tall blonde so hard that they both sprawled on the floor. Seven sat up with a wince as Mezoti scrambled into her lap, small arms wrapping tight around her ribs and little legs locking around her waist. "Mezoti, are you damaged?"

The little girl didn't seem to hear her, so caught up in whatever was going on inside her head that all she could do was cry, clinging to Seven as she begged, "Please don't leave me! Please don't go away! Please, Seven! Please stay with me, please!"

Seven looked up at the other children watching them with worried eyes. "Explain."

"She just.. started crying!" said Naomi, stepping forward with her hands held out placatingly. Her little brows drew together. "I tried to get her to play, but she didn't want to."

Icheb nodded. "I had noticed her distress earlier after you left the bay, but I did not realize that it would escalate to.. this." He looked at the back of his sibling's head with a touch of sympathy. "She asked for you."

"You left! Don't leave me!" Mezoti cried into Seven's shoulder, hiding her face against Seven's neck. "You can't leave me!"

To say Seven was surprised would be an understatement. Her mind whirled for a heartbeat or two, unsure of what needed to be done, before her maternal instincts kicked in enough to wrap her arms around the crying girl, but not enough to help her calm Mezoti down. Not knowing what else to do for her, she unconsciously glanced up at the little microphone in the ceiling. "Computer, two for site to site transport to sickbay. Mark."

When they reappeared in a shimmer of static in sickbay, they were on the floor of the surgical suite, Mezoti continuing to sob against her throat as Seven struggled to stand up with the Borgling attached to her like a little Norcadian leech. "Mezoti, you must release me." she said, giving the child's arms a little tug from her ribs.

"No-no-no-no-no!" Mezoti squealed, clenching tighter.

Seven frowned, reaching up and grabbing the edge of the biobed beside them, using the strength of her arms to help pull her up enough to awkwardly stand. Mezoti didn't give an inch, still so tightly clenched around the blonde's body that it was hard for Seven to draw in a full breath. "Computer, active EMH."

The Doctor shimmered into existence seconds later, eyes scanning the room until he came to them. "What seems to be the nature of the medical emergency?"

"Help." Seven said quickly, leaning against the biobed and using her arms to support the eight year old's slight weight. "Mezoti is damaged."

"Damaged?" The Doctor grabbed the nearest tricorder and quickly moved to scan the girl. Meanwhile, Mezoti continued to cry- great, heaving sobs that shook her whole frame. "Mezoti, where are you hurt?" he asked, running his blinking scanner around Mezoti's head, and down her back. "..Elevated blood pressure, blood chemistry is a little off.." He reached out to take the girl's pulse. The second his hand touched her wrist, she shrieked, jerking her arm away from him and nearly toppling herself and Seven over.

"What is wrong?" Seven asked, righting them before her balance was lost. Her own anxiety levels were rising the longer the Borgling was distressed.

"She isn't physically hurt, Seven. Considering her symptoms, I think she's just suffering from some kind of panic attack." answered the Doctor, his face a slight frown. He put the tricorder away, watching the little girl with a pitying expression.

Seven blanched, turning to look down at the little girl. She had had a few of those in her short individual life, and knew how unpleasant they were. "Mezoti? Look at me."

"No- don't let me go! Please stay with me- don't go! I need you! Please! Please, I need you, Seven.." whimpered the girl.

"I'm right here." Seven said, one hand moving to rub the little girl's back. "I'm not going anywhere."

The Doctor lifted a hypospray from the little tray of tools beside the surgical biobed, dialing in a dose and held it up. "This is a mild sedative." he said to Seven. "It will calm her down." The hypo was pressed against Mezoti's throat, hissing quickly as the medicine was injected into her carotid artery. In seconds she began to quiet before going limp in Seven's arms.

The blonde quickly readjusted her hold on Mezoti, sitting on the edge of the biobed with her, one hand continuing to rub her back in a comforting manner. "Will she be okay, Doctor?"

"Oh, yes." said the EMH. "The hypo will allow her to calm down and her body to rest. Her blood pressure should stabilize quickly enough, and she will wake up, hopefully, feeling better."

Seven looked down at the limp little girl, leaning her down enough to be able to see her face, still wet with tears, but as serene as when she regenerated. She tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind Mezoti's ear, cradling her close in worry. "Why would she.. what would prompt a panic attack..?" she asked softly, more to herself than anyone else.

"She's been through quite a bit of trauma in her short life." said the Doctor, moving to the console to make his report. "It isn't surprising that it would catch up to her- and with a vengeance." He opened a com channel. "Doctor to Commander Chakotay."

"Do you think that the boys will suffer similar.. episodes?"

*"Yes, Doctor?"* Chakotay's voice came overhead from the bridge.

"Report to sickbay, please." When Seven cocked an eyebrow, the Doctor continued. "In the Captain's absence, I must report every sickbay visit for either yourself or the children to the Commander, Seven. You know the rules."

The blonde nodded once, scooting farther back onto the biobed, and pulling Mezoti closer to her. Even sedated, the little girl's hands continued to clutch at Seven's side, unwilling to let go. Seven watched her face with concern, wondering just what had gone on in the little girl's head before she returned to the cargo bay.

It was several minutes later before Chakotay walked into the room, his gait brisk and his patience obviously close to being shot. His eyes scanned the bay for the Doctor, pausing for a second on Seven as he took in the worried expression on her usually stoic face. The robotic veil had been lifted and now Seven was watching the unconscious little girl cuddled to her with a look of pure concern. If she had worn her hair down and had on a uniform, he would have mistaken her at first glance for Samantha holding a sick Naomi. He frowned as the Doctor approached him, tossing the surprise and curiosity behind him. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Since the Captain is not here, and you are acting captain in her absence," the Doctor began, pulling up Mezoti's chart on the screen at the main console, "Then I must report any sickbay visit by the children directly to you."

"I see." said Chakotay. "Is Mezoti sick?"

"Not quite." answered the Doctor. "Seven brought her to me in the middle of an anxiety attack. She required-"

Chakotay frowned. "An anxiety attack?"

"The sudden onset of intense anxiety, characterized by feelings of intense fear and apprehension and accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, and trembling." said the Doctor. "Textbook symptoms. She required sedation before-"

"Wait, wait, wait-" Chakotay cut in. "You sedated a child-" Chakotay nearly dropped his jaw, his eyes flashing from the unconscious little girl cradled in Seven's arms and back to the EMH. The doctor at least had the good sense to look chastised. "-For having a panic attack?! What would you do for a hangnail?! Surgery?!" He crossed the room to stand in front of the two ex-drones, looking concernedly down at Mezoti's limp form. "The poor thing- he didn't even give her the chance to try to calm down on her own?"

Seven felt a little compelled to not necessarily make an excuse for the doctor but to perhaps soften Chakotay's reaction. One more glance down at the little girl she held and her mind changed. "No. He did not." She answered softly, "She was inconsolable."

"What did she say?"

Seven pursed her lips, her anxiety levels still high. "She begged me not to.. to leave her." She said, her tone of voice softer than usual though her enunciation was just as precise. In her arms, Mezoti frowned in her drug-induced sleep, turning her head back towards Seven's body, unconsciously trying to keep close to her.

Chakotay frowned, confused. "Leave her?"

Seven nodded confirmation.

"People become confused when they have panic attacks." said the Doctor, turning the hypospray around in his hands. "It is very overwhelming. That's why it's an attack."

"I'm aware." Chakotay said dismissively. "How long until she wakes up?"

"Considering I only gave her a minuscule dose, and that her nanoprobes will run through it twice as fast as a typical eight year old humanoid would, I would say within the next ten minutes or so." Answered the hologram, continuing to worry his hypospray.

"Guess we just have to wait then." The Commander said with a sigh, hopping up onto the bio bed next to Seven.

"Commander?" Seven turned to him with brows drawn.

"You can't just knock her out for ten minutes and think she's gonna be all better when she wakes back up." Chakotay explained. "When she wakes up, we can talk to her and see if we can't get to the root of the problem." He gave Seven a reassuring smile. "We'll make her feel better." The small smile and nod she returned was grateful. Her eyes were still dark cerulean with worry, but her posture seemed more assured. "Tuvok can handle the bridge while I'm down here."

Seven nodded. "Still no sign of the shuttle?"

"No." Chakotay shook his head. "But the Captain is resourceful. I'm sure she is out there waiting on us to reel them back in."

Mezoti grunted again, her body twisting into Seven's. "..noooooo.." she moaned, tiny hands clenching against Seven's arm around her body. "..don't.. leave.."

"I am right here, Mezoti." Seven shifted the little girl again so that her head rested on her shoulder, and her bottom was seated in Seven's lap. Seven rubbed Mezoti's back in what she hoped was a soothing gesture. Honestly, she still floundered now and then trying to figure out just what the children required of her, and she was still unused to the level of physical contact that the youngest three expected.

"Has she ever had any kind of episode like this before?" Chakotay asked Seven, watching with interest as the typically hands-off woman practically cuddled the little girl in her arms.

"No." Seven shook her head.

"Hopefully it will be a one-off then." said the commander.

"..Seven..?" Mezoti's eyes blinked open, quickly filling with tears again as she looked fearfully around the medical bay. She clung to Seven's frame, her arms wrapping around her guardian's neck as she trembled in her lap. "Why are we here?"

"You had a panic attack, Mezoti." Chakotay said calmly beside them.

The little girl whimpered, hiding her face against Seven's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry." said Chakotay.

"You haven't done anything wrong." Seven soothed softly. "Do not be sorry."

"I.. malfunctioned." Mezoti whimpered fearfully, her voice going higher as she began to panic again. "Why did I malfunction? I am damaged! Can I be repaired?"

"There is nothing to repair, Mezoti." Chakotay reached over and pat the girl's back. "What were you thinking about when you started to feel upset?"

Mezoti tensed, turning her head from Seven's shoulder to the commander beside them. "Seven.. was gone." answered the little girl.

"I was only on the bridge, sötnos." said the blonde, her voice the same soothing tone she had used with Naomi when the girl had been younger and afraid.

The little girl in her arms hushed, pulling back from Seven's arms enough to look into her guardian's blue eyes. "Sötnos?" she repeated in near wonder, a happy grin taking over her face. "You have designated me with a.. term of endearment?" The girl cocked her head to the side. "Am I endeared to you then?"

Seven nearly scowled, her eyes ghosting to Chakotay's as she felt her cheeks pinken. "You are." confirmed the blonde with a short nod. "As are the other children."

"You have not designated the others as sötnos." Mezoti pointed out, letting her arms drop back to her lap so that she merely sat on Seven's lap without having to cling.

"Sötnos?" Chakotay grinned, amused by the idea of Seven calling anyone anything beyond their full name, and glad that the little girl seemed to be perking up. "What does that mean?"

"It is Swedish, Commander." answered Mezoti, tapping her finger on the tip of her button nose. "It means sweet nose. A common endearment for children and loved ones." She met Seven's eyes, her hand falling back into her lap. "Is that correct, Seven?" When the blonde gave her another short nod, Mezoti smiled, using the back of her arm to dry the tears from her face.

"Swedish, huh?" Chakotay asked, his eyebrows curiously raised. "My mother used to call me shíyázhí when I was little." he said, his voice soft like he was sharing a secret with the Borgling. "It means little son."

Mezoti's eyebrows raised in mimicry of his. "Is there a word for little daughter, too?"

At that question, Chakotay leaned back straight, his eyes turning up to the ceiling as he thought. After a few seconds, he frowned. "You know, I don't know if there is or not." He grinned again. "My mother certainly never called me her daughter. Honestly, the word is Navajo, but I don't think my mother had a drop of Navajo blood. She just liked the way the word sounded, so she used it. She called my sister cariño. Means sweetheart."

Mezoti's grin widened. "Spanish?"

"Sí, cariño." He chuckled at the little flare of pink on the girl's cheeks as she shyly smiled, leaning back into Seven's body. He pat her knee. "Do you feel better, Mezoti?"

"Yes, Commander." she answered with a short nod- a perfect mimicry of Seven's gesture.

"Do you wish to rejoin the other children now?" asked Seven.

After a few seconds of deliberation, the child shook her head. "Seven, can I stay in Astrometrics with you? Just for a little while?"

"I must return to the bridge, Mezoti." Seven answered with a frown. "I cannot take you with me."

Chakotay gently cut in with a relaxed wave of his hand. "She's been through an ordeal, Seven. You can finish out your shift in Astrometrics so she can stay with you."

"That's a good idea." said the Doctor. "She should have someone watching after her today." He smiled at Seven as he finished inputting his notes for the girl's file. "If she shows any signs of having a repeat.. event.. don't hesitate to bring her back by."

The Commander rolled his eyes, sliding off the biobed. "Sedation is not a solution, Doctor."

"Very well." Seven said, supporting Mezoti's weight long enough to stand before letting the eight year old support her own weight. She was unsurprised when Mezoti was quick to take possession of her hand, and for a few seconds, gave the smaller fingers a gentle squeeze. "You may sit and do your lessons while I finish mapping the Class T Cluster."

"Yes, Seven." vowed the child, turning her face up to meet her guardian's eyes. "I'll be good. Promise."

Satisfied, and willing to do what was necessary to help the smallest of her charges to feel better, Seven gave the child a nod before bidding the Doctor and Commander a good day. She tightened her hold on the small hand held in her own, then lead Mezoti out into the corridor and back towards the turbolift.

Chakotay watched the two ex-Borg leave with a small smile. Maybe Seven was finally taking his advice over the children to heart and loosening up. Though he was a little worried about Mezoti's anxiety attack, he couldn't help but smile. Not two months ago, Seven was requesting he take guardianship of the children from her to give to someone else 'more suitable' for the task. Obviously she and the children had bonded in some manner since then. In a way, it made him a little proud for having encouraged her. Really, who should be more suitable to mentor to four little ex-Borg children than an ex-Borg herself? Who else would be able to see the world through their eyes? Perhaps the next time he stepped in to give them their lessons, he-

"Commander, if you would please sign off on this?"

Chakotay's thoughts were interrupted by the Doctor at his console. "Hmm?"

The Doctor gestured to the report on the screen. "Oh, I just need you to approve this so I can file it. The Captain usually does it, but since she-"

"Yes, yes." Chakotay waved him off, not wanting to be reminded about the Captain and her three underlings being lost in the Class T Cluster. "Carry on. I'll be on the bridge." The Commander walked to the doors, pausing when they slid open and turning back to the holographic man. "If Mezoti has any more panic attacks, let me know."

"You will be notified in the event that any of the little Borglings come to sickbay."

Chakotay nodded. "Good."

XXX

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~LM