A Drabble
(By Penny A. Proctor. A drabble. Paramount owns Voyager and all the characters presented thereon, but apparently can't keep track of them all. This is a companion piece to season 7's "Imperfection").
Moments after the Borg children departed Voyager, Janeway stopped just outside the transporter room. "Why didn't they take the baby, too?"
Neelix swallowed hard. "Captain?"
"The Borg baby we rescued -" She frowned. "You know, I haven't seen that baby for months."
"That's because…" Neelix hesitated. "I traded it."
"What?"
"It never stopped crying and no one wanted it, so I traded it for six coffee bushes."
"You traded a BABY for BUSHES?"
"Six coffee bushes. We harvested yesterday, and the beans are slow roasting. Next week, you'll have freshly ground coffee."
Kathryn smiled, slowly. "Good trade, Neelix. Good trade."