'Valentine's Day again?' thought B'Elanna with a shudder. That particular holiday seemed to happen several times a year, especially when you had no one to celebrate with. Grumpily, she tried to rid herself of the images of happy people sharing dinner, drinking wine and gazing into each other's eyes. Holding hands, exchanging gifts, etc. It was enough to drive a Klingon to drink. Too bad she still had several hours to go before she could indulge. So far, six people in engineering had received roses, two others chocolate and another an engagement ring, hand delivered of course. Big scene, oh's and ah's�look at how pretty my ring is. She'd smiled but then excused herself before she blew up at all of them for having the nerve to be special to someone. Naturally the Captain felt a party was in order and whenever she decided that, especially if Neelix was hosting it, it was strongly suggested that everyone attend. Just because Janeway chose to celebrate by inviting (ha!) all of the officers to a party just so she wouldn't be alone, didn't mean everyone else was happy about it.
B'Elanna sat at her desk and put her head in her hands as she leaned her elbows on the desk. Remembering back to elementary school, as she sat at her little girl's desk, bypassed by all the other kids handing out Valentine cards to their friends. No matter what she did, she never received one of the insignificant little paper hearts and God forbid the child that received one from her. They considered it a Klingon kiss of death. One year, she'd even started a fight with a boy because he had sneered at her gift and then called her a freak. She's been suspended for that, but had never fallen prey to the holiday again. Though she thought she'd toughened up, every time it rolled around, she still felt like that little girl who sat watching the day, not participating in it.
A soft knock at the door startled her back from the classroom. "Come," she called out, not really in the mood for visitors, but unable to turn them away while at work. Harry strolled in with a single yellow rose and presented it to his friend. "Happy Valentine's Day, B'Elanna," he said as he extended the hand with the rose to her. She took it gently from his fingers and thanked him. "That's very nice of you, Harry. Thanks." He straightened back up and said, "Oh, it's not from me." "No? Then who's it from? And please do not say Tom." "His name hadn't even crossed my mind." B'Elanna stared at him. "Come on, spit it out, Star Fleet. I can see you're dying to." Harry flashed his 150 watt grin at her and replied, "I'm sorry, B'Elanna. I'm not at liberty to discuss the matter with you." B'Elanna stood and placed both hands on her desk. "Listen to me, Harry. Today is not a good day to play a joke on me, or anything else. So out with it." Harry's grin faltered. "Look, I know, but I promised. I'm supposed to tell you to dress up tonight and go to the Captain's party. Your mystery admirer will meet you there." B'Elanna crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry, Harry. I don't do cloak and dagger. If you don't tell me who it is, then I'm not going." "But B'Elanna, you have to! Honestly, would I steer you wrong?" he asked. She glanced at him and knew he was telling the truth. "If anyone but you had said that to me, I'd be kicking your sweet ass out of here just for reminding me what today is." Harry's grin returned. "Tell my�secret admirer that they'd better be ready because I'll be geared up for action." There, B'Elanna thought, that should get rid of him.
An hour later as B'Elanna went over the week's reports, another knock sounded on her door. "Come," she yelled, no longer in the mood to be accommodating. When Icheb walked in, her demeanor softened. "What can I do for you, Icheb?" From behind his back, he pulled a large box of chocolates wrapped in a red ribbon. "These are for you from an�admirer." When he blushed, B'Elanna prayed that he wasn't that admirer. They'd already gone down that road before. "Thank whoever for the gifts. They're very nice." He nodded once and went to leave. "Icheb?" "Yes?" he asked turning back around. "Do you know who this person is?" "Yes, Lieutenant, but I can not tell you." She jumped from her desk and approached him before he could make good his escape. Taking his arm, she leaned against him and said, "Are you sure you can't tell me? It would be our little secret." Icheb stepped back from her closeness and tried to remain focused. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I can not." She let him go and said, "Oh very well. You can go now." He smiled in relief as soon as he stepped out the door.
When an hour went by and no one else had arrived, she settled down and finished her work. Now she needed to go home and decide on an outfit that would stun her would-be suitor. Banging around her quarters, B'Elanna had three glasses of blood wine before thinking about what to wear. It was right in the middle of this tough decision, when the door chime sounded. Feeling hardly any pain, she walked over to her door and opened it. Captain Janeway stood in the door grinning. "Starting early?" she asked as B'Elanna invited her in. "Can I get you anything Captain?" she asked as she eyed her suspiciously. "No, I'm fine. Thank you. I wondered what your plans were for this evening," Janeway said by way of explanation for her presence. "Well, I was going to blow off your party, but now it seems I have a reason to go after all," stated B'Elanna as she walked toward her living area and slid into a chair. "Have a seat," she offered. Kathryn walked over and sat down on the couch across from her. "Oh? Have you patched things up with Tom then?" "Hell, no!" B'Elanna replied sharply. Janeway held up a hand to halt any more outbursts. "I apologize for my error. I wondered if you would accompany me this evening, but since you have other plans, I shall ask Chakotay." "Why didn't you ask him in the first place? He'd give his left arm to take you out," replied Torres. Kathryn stood and tried not to grin, but only half managed it. "Perhaps you should allow yourself to sober somewhat before you come to the party," Janeway suggested. B'Elanna couldn't believe she'd said what she had about her friend. "Perhaps you're right."
At 1830, B'Elanna was decked out in a sexy, form-fitting copper colored tuxedo. Her blouse was cream colored and her tie and cummerbund were black, as were her boots. She thought she looked quite striking and if all else failed, she would knock Tom on his ass with this look. Though the party didn't start before 1900 and no one, but no one showed up on time, except for the Captain, Security and Astrometric's officers, B'Elanna was anxious to get going. She'd just walked through a cloud of her favorite perfume, to only lightly scent herself, when the chime sounded again. A security officer she knew only in passing, stood nervously at her door and fidgeted. "Yes?" she asked the nervous young woman. "Lieutenant, Ma'am. Sorry to disturb you at home, but I have a package for you�Ma'am." "Oh relax crewman. Despite what you've heard, I don't bite. At least until provoked," B'Elanna told the young woman who appeared ready to jump out of her skin. "What's your name?" "Kelley Riser, Ma'am." "Well, Kelley. Let me give you some advice." B'Elanna offered the woman who just shook her head. "If I make you this nervous, perhaps you should find a different career." The woman's eyes shined but she held her own. "This is all I've ever wanted to be Ma'am. And no one, let alone you, will stop me from making my way." B'Elanna watched her silently for a few seconds before saying, "That's more like it. Be tough at all times. Don't let people bully you," she told Crewman Riser. "Now, you had something for me?" "Yes, Ma'am," nodded the young woman. "I was instructed to drop this off for you." "And I suppose you're not at liberty to discuss who sent this either?" B'Elanna replied rather sarcastically. "No, Ma'am. Have a good evening." B'Elanna allowed the doors to shut as she handled the small, oblong package. When she opened it, inside laid a gold bracelet with emeralds embedded along its length on a soft cloth. Picking it out tenderly, she examined it in the light and caught her breath as she realized how beautiful it really was. She placed it on her wrist shakily and finally understood that tonight was real. Not a game, but the real thing and she was in the eye of it all. The focus of someone's energy and time; the focus of real attention. How could she think she was prepared?
At 1900, the door chimed again and B'Elanna took a deep breath . She knew that she was suppose to attend the party and meet the person there, but her legs shook and her nerves made her jumpy. She just couldn't walk out her door, but she could walk to it, so she did. The doors slid open to reveal Harry dressed casually, but sharply. He let out a low whistle at her attire earning him a smile and a punch. "Knock it off, Harry. So, are you my Prince Charming?" He flashed his grin at her and said, "Not if I want to live. Nope, I'm just the escort service." "Harry, I can't do it. Look at this bracelet," she said holding out her right wrist. "How can anyone feel this much for me and I haven't noticed? I�I'm scared." Harry stepped in and put his arms around his friend. He felt for her, but she needed this type of romance more than anyone he knew. No, he took that back. She deserved this treatment. To be someone's Queen. To be someone's significant other. To be loved. She deserved all of this and he knew in his heart that her admirer could give her all of that and more. Tonight he would gladly play second fiddle to this Cinderella. "You'll be fine, B'Elanna. No one can touch you tonight. You're beautiful." B'Elanna drew back her head from his shoulder and said, "Are you getting soft on me, Ensign?" "Not on your life, Lieutenant."
They arrived and surveyed the room. The style of dress tonight seemed to be somewhere between what B'Elanna wore and what Harry wore. Some of the outfits were dazzling, while others looked extremely comfortable. "So, what now, Harry?" B'Elanna asked her escort. "Mingle, I guess." "That's not what I meant," B'Elanna growled. Harry grinned and replied, "I know," earning him another sharp blow to his arm from B'Elanna's fist. "Hey," he cried out, "Will ya stop that." B'Elanna flashed an evil grin at him and he decided that now would be a good time to find Tom. As he hurried away, B'Elanna picked up a drink from a passing waiter. Poor guy, she thought. Always gets to pass the food around, but never gets invited to these things. What am I thinking? I don't want to be here either. "Lieutenant, you look ravishing," said Janeway as she approached her volatile Chief Engineer. B'Elanna turned and greeted Janeway noting the dress she wore. "You look pretty good yourself, Captain," she said returning the compliment. "Why thank you, B'Elanna." As the two stood chatting about everything under the moon, B'Elanna continued to survey the crowd. There were so many people, but she didn't think very many possibilities. As the guy with the drinks passed by again, she returned her empty and grabbed another full one. She wanted to appear relaxed, as if this happened to her everyday damn day, but try as she might, her guts felt like they were twisted around her hearts and stomach. After an hour, she started getting restless and feeling betrayed. If this person wanted her here so badly, then why hadn't they bothered to reveal themselves yet? B'Elanna was about to leave, when the lights were dimmed and a song began to play. Perfect, she thought, now I can leave under cover of darkness. Through the dim light, she saw Tom approach. Oh no, she thought. I'll kill Harry for this. He approached, bent at the waist and handed her a red rose. As she took it, he straightened up and offered her his hand. Well, what the hell. Might as well get one dance out of this, she thought. When they got to the dance floor, he asked for a dance and then smiled warmly at her. "You look incredible tonight, Lanna, " he said huskily. "Thanks, Tom. Did you do all of this for me?" she asked quietly. "No, I should have, several times, because you deserve this, but I was too self-involved and I'd like to say I'm sorry." She searched his eyes and saw that he told her the truth. Instantly she softened toward him. "We were both at fault, Tom. I knew what you were like and decided I could change you. Then when you didn't change, I got angry with you. I'm sorry too." They danced silently for a minute before he said, "Lanna, all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy." "I know. I want the same for you�well, except for the time when you fooled around with that hologram," she told him. He glanced at her quickly to see if she meant to start that old fight, but then saw she was only picking on him. As the music came to an end, he leaned in and kissed her, a final time, just for old time's sake and then wished her the best.
As a slow song began to play, people who had joined them in the last dance filed off leaving B'Elanna and Tom by themselves. "Wait right here," he said as he began to walk away backwards, "You're really going to love what comes next," and with a grin, he was swallowed up by darkness as the lights dimmed. Trying not to feel self-conscious as she stood in the middle of the dance floor by herself, she listened to the song that began to play.
I sent you roses
I warned you I would
Do all that I could
To show you the way that I feel
B'Elanna enjoyed the music but wondered at its selection. Was it directed at her? Then she spotted movement at the edge of the floor and turned in that direction. Seven of Nine stepped into the light and began walking slowly toward B'Elanna.
Please don't say
I'm wasting my time
I've got nothin' but time
So I'll do all that I can
To catch that ghost of a chance
B'Elanna's hearts galloped at the sight of Seven attired in a blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. When Seven came to a stop in front of her, B'Elanna could barely breathe. Seven was beautiful. Holding out her hand, Seven waited for B'Elanna to grasp it before she began to lead her in a waltz around the floor.
The sunlight, the moonlight
Are beyond my control
And there are stars in the heavens
That I'll never hold
But if dreams give you power
Then I'm strong enough
To offer my heart and never give up
Til you love me
Til you love me
Seven pulled B'Elanna closer and whispered, "I have waited for this moment for a very long time." B'Elanna searched Seven's eyes and saw the truth. "How did you know that I felt the same way?" B'Elanna asked as she unconsciously squeezed Seven tighter in her arms. "You have many friends onboard who care a great deal about you," replied Seven. "And you too, obviously," said B'Elanna, "To help you with such an elaborate plan." Seven smiled and began to sing along with the song.
"I looked in your eyes
So bright and so blue
And that's when I knew
That you could be mine
If good things come
To those who will wait
Well, I guess I can wait
If that's what I have to do
Oh, it's worth it for you"
A tear fell down B'Elanna's cheek as she listened to Seven sing to her. She sounded like an angel. "I can't believe you did all of this for me," B'Elanna said right before Seven sang the chorus.
"The sunlight, the moonlight
Are beyond my control
And there are stars in the heavens
That I'll never hold
But if dreams give you power
Than I'm strong enough
To offer my heart and never give up
Til you love me
Til you love me."
When the song came to an end, Seven took B'Elanna's hand and led her from the dance floor amongst applause, toward a darkened corner where they wouldn't be the center of attention any more. As Seven drew B'Elanna into her arms again, she said, "Well?" B'Elanna looked at her confused. "Well what?" she asked. With a grin, Seven asked, "Will you be my valentine?" With a grin that lit up their corner, B'Elanna answered yes. As she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Seven, a voice from the crowd yelled, "Get a room!" Laughter followed the two as B'Elanna led Seven out of the room with only a raised hand in farewell to her friends.