A/N I think we all felt there was an episode missing between "Renaissance Man" and "Endgame". This is my take on what it would have been :) This is my first story for this site, so please be gentle.

Seven stiffened, the hairs at the back of her neck prickled in a way that she'd come to associate with something being out of place. She heard it before she saw it. A hoverball came whistling through the air towards her.

It would have hit her square in the face had her reflexes not been so sharp. As it was she moved her head aside barely in time. The ball bounded off her regeneration station harmlessly. She reached up a hand automatically and snatched it on its return trajectory. She blinked at the ball in her hand and then turned slowly, eyebrow arched, to address the originator, responsible for ending her regeneration cycle so abruptly.

"Naomi Wildman."

The girl was standing with her hands over her mouth directly in front of Seven's alcove, her expression mortified.

"Explain."

"It was my fault, Seven." Icheb stepped out of the shadows. Seven clearly wasn't alert as she'd thought, for she hadn't even seen him there.

"I requested Naomi demonstrate the rules of the game…"

"Inside the cargo bay?" Seven raised both eyebrows quizzically.

"All the holodecks are booked," Naomi said, recovering slightly.

"You should have been more careful." Seven said, "Were you not aware that I was here?"

"Well yes but…"

"I told her it wouldn't be a problem," Icheb said. "You were deep in your regeneration cycle already."

Seven saw uncertainty pass over his features.

"Indeed," she said.

She was all for him discovering his humanity. She did not wish to discourage him. Still…

"Still," she said, stepping down from the alcove, "someone could have been hurt."

That the someone she referred to was herself was painfully clear. She handed the ball back to Icheb.

"You should refrain from playing with projectiles indoors," she said.

"Yes, Seven," said Naomi.

"It won't happen again," said Icheb.

Seven left them without being quite certain where she was going. She was feeling annoyed, she analysed. But also somewhat out of sorts. She knew her cycle had ended prematurely and that might provide a possible explanation. Still, there was something more. She had the vague feeling she'd been somewhere… doing something… she stopped in her tracks. Had she been dreaming? She blinked. That was an intriguing idea. The Doctor had told her she was capable of it. But that had been when they'd mistaken her experience with Unimatrix Zero for a dream. A mere dream. She frowned slightly.

"Seven?"

She turned to find B'Elanna Torres standing behind her, eyeing her quizzically. No doubt she had seemed a strange sight, halted in the middle of the corridor as she had been. B'Elanna wrapped her arms around her swollen belly. The lieutenant looked strangely akin to the hoverball. Moreso daily.

"Is everything alright?" B'Elanna asked.

"Fine, Lieutenant."

Seven realised she was still standing in the middle of the corridor aimlessly. Now would be the time for some of that small talk she so detested.

"How is the 'parasite'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

B'Elanna looked startled, then smirked, remembering Icheb's initial diagnosis of her pregnancy. She tapped her stomach.

"Stubborn," she resumed her movement down the corridor and Seven fell into step beside her.

A humorous retort would be appropriate, Seven knew, but she rejected the ones that occurred to her, fearing impropriety. Instead she simply raised her eyebrows.

"The due date was a few days ago," B'Elanna elaborated, "but the doctor thinks my human physiology is interfering and it could be another month before she's ready to show her face to the world."

"That must be… difficult," Seven said, guessing at the emotion behind B'Elanna's tone.

"You have no idea."

They stepped into a turbolift. It was only then that Seven realised she still wasn't certain where she was heading. It was still a few hours before her duty shift started. B'Elanna requested the mess hall. Seven nodded. She may as well. She would require nutrition in a few hours, it would be efficient to get it out of the way while she had the time.

B'Elanna leaned against the lift wall, "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we're starting a family. I love my daughter. But this pregnancy thing? Over-rated. I'd strongly recommend against it."

When Seven failed to say anything B'Elanna eyed her warily.

"It was a joke," she said.

Seven hadn't found it humorous. She fought down a surge of panic, searching for a correct response.

"I am sorry you are uncomfortable," she said.

B'Elanna inclined her head.

The turbolift stopped and, seemingly relieved, B'Elanna shuffled out. It seemed to Seven that she was putting an incredible amount of effort into walking with dignity. Pregnancy did indeed not seem at all pleasant. She reassured herself with the thought that it was unlikely to ever be a predicament she would find herself in. The thought brought less comfort than she'd initially anticipated however. Instead of examining the thought further she pushed it aside. She replicated her daily supplement and found an empty, out of the way, table to dine at.

She noticed B'Elanna had joined her husband and Ensign Kim and they were laughing easily. She pushed away the thought that the subject of their humorous interchange might be her, Seven. She hadn't said or done anything to warrant that. At least as far as she was aware. Not this time.

Her attention was jerked away from her analysis of their exchange by the sound of her name. She looked up and found Commander Chakotay standing over her, holding a tray with his morning meal upon it.

"Mind if I join you?"

She felt panic rising again in her chest, but pushed it down and nodded politely. He took a seat opposite her. She noticed now that all the other tables were occupied. The morning rush, which she usually managed to avoid, was in full.

"How have you been?" Chakotay asked, unfolding his napkin. "I've hardly seen you since we got back."

She nodded again. The automatic response that came to mind was that she was functioning within normal parameters. Like a piece of equipment. But she bit her tongue. She'd been alone on a planet with him. She shouldn't still feel this uneasy. It had been almost two months since her experience with the holodeck. She had to put that behind her. She swallowed as he shifted uncomfortably. She looked down at her meal, still untouched. She couldn't get away without it seeming suspicious.

"I am fine, Commander," she said.

"Good," he said.

She ate. A response wouldn't be required if her mouth was full.

"I was looking over your report about the Ventu," Chakotay said good-naturedly as he cut into his toast. "You made some astute observations."

Was this small talk? Or the real reason he'd joined her?

"How do you mean?"

"You made notes on the structure of their society and the nature of their values far beyond what was expected of you in a simple mission report."

"I wished to be thorough," she said.

He took a sip of his drink. Seven noticed the easy way he moved, with fluidity and confidence. She reined the line of thought in before her mind could drift down avenues she'd forbidden.

"I was impressed," he said.

She was still warring over what to say in response when he continued.

"Do you have an interest in anthropology?"

She considered his question carefully. She knew it was a subject he was deeply interested in. She had heard his stories, his dreams, in the holodeck. She could not confide to him now how his passion had ignited her own curiosity about the subject.

"I am uncertain," she said at length. "I find that my examination of my own humanity and my surroundings has led to a basic interest in how societies function and individuals develop. Is this what you refer to?"

He nodded, wiping his chin with the napkin. "If you like, I'd be willing to expose you to some of the core concepts. You may find you take to it. I have a couple of programs on the holo-"

Seven had stood before she'd even been aware of the intention.

"That won't be necessary," she said by way of explanation.

He seemed alarmed, "Did I say something to offend you?"

"No." She said quickly. "I am… due in Astrometrics."

She made to leave but he grabbed her arm. "I was under the impression that you had an afternoon shift today?"

She should have known better than to try and lie to the man who'd compiled the duty roster. She could hear blood rushing in her ears. It was alarming.

"I… I have some extra work I'd like to complete."

"You've been putting in a lot of extra hours," Chakotay noted, still holding on to her arm. His eyes were boring in to hers, as if he was trying to read her thoughts. She swallowed.

"I was not aware that being a dedicated worker was considered a crime," she said coolly.

A few years ago the comment would have deflected him easily. Now his expression barely changed. "There's a difference between working hard and being a drone," he said.

She knew he was aware of the effect the word would have on her. She blinked rapidly.

"Please let go of me."

He dropped his grip immediately.

"I'm sorry," he said, that familiar warmth saturating his voice. "I only meant that you should consider doing more with your time than simply working. There's more to being human than –"

"Please commander," Seven snapped despite herself. She was feeling trapped. "I am well aware of what it means to be human."

Especially after her experiences on the holodeck. The obvious venom in her words seemed to startle him.

"You're right. You've been here long enough. You're your own person."

She nodded curtly to him, and then left. She saw Tom Paris's eyes follow her as she exited the mess hall and wondered if he'd heard some of the exchange. No doubt it would give the group more fodder for conversation.

Icheb was already at his station when Seven entered Astrometrics.

"I thought you were playing with Naomi," she said by way of greeting.

He glanced up from what he was doing. "You are still upset," he stated.

She was upset, but not with him. She knew she could have, and should have, handled her conversation with the commander better. He'd only been trying to reach out to her. He'd shown concern about her. It wasn't his fault she didn't know how to react to that. It wasn't his fault she'd plastered his face all over her fantasies.

To Icheb she said, "Tell me, would you walk into Lieutenant Torres's quarters while she was sleeping and start playing a game?"

She saw him flush slightly, colour rising beneath his pale skin. She looked at him appraisingly, waiting for an answer.

"Of course not," he said.

"But you would not only come into the cargo bay where you know I'm regenerating, but encourage Naomi Wildman to do so?"

She saw him duck his head. "It was inconsiderate of me," he said softly.

"Yes." Seven said, her eyes returning to the star charts in front of her.

Edit: just changed the name of the final episode, my memory failed me first time. Chapter content remains exactly the same.