Work Text:
1.
Seven wishes her the best of luck as she packs for the mission; her words genuine.
B’Elanna thanks her, knowing that she has an extra motive: to see Axum stay safe.
Still, her heart breaks.
2.
They’ve bested the Borg many times, and she knows they can do it again.
She schools her face into calm determination, despite her unease in this hell.
Her family, her Voyager, is counting on her.
3.
She defends herself, but the drone overpowers her.
Borg nanoprobes flood her body and she feels her veins turning to ice.
Dimly, she wonders, is this what death feels like?
4.
Her head is defaced and exposed; her body wrapped in an oppressive metal cocoon.
She speaks in the voice of a drone, her vocal processor covering up her clear discomfort.
But all that matters is that she’s still alive.
5.
They head to the central plexus, wary but determined.
She finds herself worrying about Tuvok, knowing that he could compromise their mission.
To be in his shoes would be to perish.
6.
Tuvok strikes her and she can only watch as Captain Janeway is dragged away, equally helpless.
The other drones seem to have forgotten about her.
She can only hide for now.
7.
She monitors consoles, but there is nothing she can do.
Voyager has yet to return for them, and she’s all alone in this twisted labyrinth.
If she survives, she decides, she’s swearing off the colour green for the rest of her life.
8.
The complex is rattling, and she immediately knows that help has arrived.
She relinquishes control of a console from a nearby drone and drops the section’s shields.
The Borg really shouldn’t have left her alone.
9.
The cube is tearing itself apart, but there is nowhere left to run.
Her crewmates are still missing, and she prays that Voyager’s transporters are still functioning -
And in a blink of an eye, she’s home.
10.
Her implants and armour are removed and slowly, she starts to feel like herself again.
But her skin is mutilated, and something still feels wrong.
Sleep comes easily, and she surrenders to it.
11.
She knows she’s in a safe oasis, and on the road to recovery.
Yet she sometimes closes her eyes, and finds herself on the cube once again.
Trapped in a world of nightmares, until she finds Seven’s warm hands in hers.
12.
Seven visits often, and she feels more at ease.
They talk sometimes, but don’t discuss what happened on the mission.
Her dreams become much more pleasant.
13.
She finally asks about Axum, and Seven tells her that Axum is irrelevant; a figment of her past.
Because the two of them already had each other.
They kiss in the darkness of sickbay, finding comfort in their shared embrace.
14.
The Doctor informs her that she can return to duty in a day.
He leaves, tending to Tuvok, and she turns to Seven, smiling.
Seven kisses her in return, and B’Elanna finally feels complete.