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It was nearly three in the morning, and Raffi and Seven were curled up in each other as they slept. It was a wonder Seven hadn’t woken Raffi; she was mumbling and moving about. “Papa? Help me,” Seven mumbled as she slept, shaking her head. Her movements soon became fitful as her body desperately tried to move her away from the threat her mind was showing her. “No,” she shouted, feet kicking in an effort to move backwards.
Raffi jolted awake at the sound of Seven’s shout. “Seven?” She said, turning on the lamp on her bedside table. “Seven, honey, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” Raffi hesitated before reaching to shake Seven awake. She wasn’t sure if she should touch her, but speaking to her didn’t always wake her up when she had nightmares, and she needed to wake up. Unbeknownst to Raffi, the aftermath of this nightmare would be different.
Raffi shook Seven gently and she woke with a start. Seven’s eyes were wide with fear, only taking a short moment to look at Raffi before her legs took her out of the bed. Seven curled up in a ball on the floor next to her bedside table, cradling herself as she trembled. Her voice cracked as she sobbed and cried out, “Papa, help me.” Raffi’s heart broke for Seven. She made quick work of getting out of bed and crouching down in front of her.
“Seven,” Raffi started, reaching out her hand for Seven to take. She was still hugging herself tightly, as if she was subconsciously holding herself together. But the sight of Raffi seemed to ground her slightly. Seven sniffled, staring at her for a moment. “Raf?” She said softly, eyes still wide and darting around the room. Raffi noted her fear and hypervigilance. “Yes, darling, it’s me, it’s Raffi. You’re safe here, they can’t get to you.”
Seven looked back at Raffi, fear painted across her every feature. “Promise?” She said in a voice that Raffi had never heard her use before. “I promise,” Raffi said. She took her outstretched hand and tucked Seven’s hair behind her ear, cupping her face in her hand. Seven leaned into the touch, closing her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, Raffi pulled her hand back and held it out for Seven to grab once more. Seven slowly unwrapped her arms from around her form, taking hold of Raffi’s hand. Hand in hand, the pair made their way back into their bed.
Raffi crawled across the bed to her side so she didn’t have to let go of Seven’s hand. Seven followed suit, her body language nervous. This didn’t go unnoticed by Raffi, who opened her arms for Seven. Seven practically threw herself into Raffi’s embrace, curling her legs and arms around her and laying her head on top of her.
“Don’t wanna go to sleep,” Seven mumbled into Raffi’s chest. “Why not, love?” Seven shook her head. “Scary,” she whispered. “They take mama and papa away when I sleep.” Seven said, unsure of how to refer to the nightmare she’d had.
Raffi noticed Seven was acting differently, but she’d never seen her like this after a nightmare. Her fear, behavior, and speech were almost childlike in nature. She was somewhat familiar with this, having seen it a couple times during her time with Starfleet. But it was different when it was Seven, when she was watching the woman she loved sob and cower with fear.
Raffi wrapped her arms around Seven, holding her close as Seven clung to her. “I promise I’ll keep you safe from the bad guys, okay, honey?” Seven looked up at Raffi, who was running her fingers up and down her arms. She nodded, satisfied with that answer despite her fear. Seven curled up against her, and Raffi could feel her body relax as she fell back asleep.
There was no way Raffi was falling back asleep after that, so she laid back and watched Seven sleep on her. She figured she’d keep watch in case she had another nightmare, and she was glad she did. Not very long after she fell asleep, Seven began to whimper. At first Raffi wasn’t sure if she should wake her, but the sound grew louder and Raffi gently shook her awake once more. Seven’s wide eyes fixed onto Raffi’s and she clung onto her even tighter. “You’re safe, honey. Promise,” Raffi said, stroking her hair.
They laid that way until the sun was up and Seven looked up at Raffi, tugging her shirt to get her attention. “What’s up?” Raffi said. “Hungry,” she said softly, looking up at Raffi with doe eyes. Raffi thought for a moment. What would little Seven want to eat?
“Do pancakes sound good?” She asked, and Seven nodded, smiling. Raffi sat up and Seven followed suit, Raffi taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen. Seven clung onto Raffi’s hand, trailing behind her as they made their way.
Once they were in the kitchen, Raffi pulled out the ingredients and Seven watched as she prepared the pancake mix. As she mixed the ingredients, Seven watched, and she had an idea. “Raf?” Seven said softly. “Yes, angel?” She said, stopping what she was doing to look at her. “Can… can we put strawberries in the pancakes?” Raffi smiled. Seven had always had a fondness for strawberries ever since she was young, so it made sense that she’d ask. Raffi nodded, and Seven clapped, saying a soft thank you.
Raffi pulled out fresh strawberries from the fridge, knowing Seven liked them to be perfectly ripe. Seven watched happily as Raffi cut up the strawberries and put them into the pancake mix.
A few minutes later, the pancakes were done and Raffi plated them, cutting Seven’s pancakes into squares and adding some extra cut up strawberries to Seven’s plate, making her grin. Raffi felt her heart swell. At least she seemed to be in better spirits after the rough night she’d had. The two sat down and ate quietly, Seven happily eating the strawberries after she finished her pancakes.
When they were finished, Raffi took their plates and washed them. She checked the time, noticing it was nearly time to water her plants. “Seven, honey, I’m gonna water the plants, do you want to help me?” Seven nodded, hopping up from her seat so quickly it was a wonder the chair didn’t fly backwards.
They made their way over to the plants, Raffi holding measuring tools so Seven could help. Raffi poured out the water for one plant into a jar and handed it to Seven, who took it with both hands. She carefully poured the water onto the dirt, making sure to move around so all the dirt was watered. “Good job!” Raffi praised, making Seven smile. They repeated this process until all the plants were watered, though Raffi noticed halfway through that Seven was holding the jar with one hand and avoiding eye contact when she handed her the refilled jar.
“Raf?” Seven said in a voice that was more her own. “Yeah Seven?” Raffi replied, having a feeling where this was going. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“
Raffi held up her hand. “No. You don’t have to apologize for struggling. I’m always going to be here to take care of you and make sure you’re safe. I don’t care if you wake me up with nightmares or if you need to regress for a little while. I love you. Through the good times and the bad. Okay?” She finished, gently tilting Seven’s head up to make eye contact with her. Seven nodded, moving to hug Raffi. “Thank you,” she mumbled into Raffi’s shoulder. “Anytime, sunshine.”