Title: Stronger 3/4
Author: quew
Please see part one for disclaimers etc.
Notes:
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They materialised inches from the sickbay floor, their kinetic energy not quite dissipated despite the transporters best efforts. B'Elanna had the floor on one side, and Seven falling into her on the other, and she felt every single ounce of breath she possessed forced out of her with a desperate wheezing sound.
She gasped for breath as Seven moaned against her, rolling to the side after a few seconds to pant on the floor. Once she felt significantly recovered, B'Elanna stood and checked herself for injuries. Apart from a few minor bumps and bruises, both she and Seven were remarkably unscathed.
When she had finished with herself, she looked up to see the Doc staring at them wide-eyed. 'What on Earth have you two been doing now?!' He asked, pulling a face and fussing around them.
Helping Seven to her feet, he insisted that she sit down and gave her a thorough check while B'Elanna put her hands on her hips and scowled.
'This is unbelievable,' she said eventually to the Doc's back as he bustled around his favourite patient.
A preoccupied 'Hmmm?' was the only response she could illicit from the hologram, and she threw her hands in the air and growled. Seven watched her, the blondes' hair dishevelled and her breathing still uneven.
'Fine,' B'Elanna snapped in response to the ex-drones unwavering gaze. 'You stay here and play happy families, I'll go talk to Janeway!' And with that she whirled on her heel, almost running out of sickbay as Seven watched her and the doctor continued his pampering.
B'Elanna reached the ready-room in record time, and while the bridge crew watched she overrode the door code with a few engineering tricks and stormed inside before Tuvok or Chakotay could stop her, her face a clear indicator of her mood.
'I ought to rip you limb from limb!' She yelled, thumping a clenched fist down on the Captains desk. 'How dare you!'
'B'Elanna!' Janeway looked angered and appalled. 'You will not speak to your commanding officer that way!'
'I'll speak to you any damn way that I like after you tried to kill us! /That/ was your idea of a "bonding exercise"?! Have you lost your mind?!'
The Captain rose from her chair very slowly, her every mannerism advertising what could be in store next for her volatile chief engineer. 'Lieutenant Torres,' She said softly, her each word like a verbal ice block. 'You will not speak to your Captain in that fashion. I admit the holo-programme was a bit far fetched, but I will not have animosity rife among my crew.'
B'Elanna, beyond caring about her immediate fate, placed her knuckles on the desk and leant forward, narrowing her eyes and expelling her words with angry hisses. 'We had no idea. We thought we were going to be playing Velocity or something, and then we walked into a simulation of Voyager. We got into a turbo-lift, and since we thought we had better play along with this dumb-fuck plan of yours, when it broke down I�we tried to repair it. What happened next is something I hope I never have to do again. It was stupid, immature and potentially life threatening! What if we hadn't reacted in time and the safeties had failed? Don't you dare tell me that was for our own good! That was your own private power trip - you made that happen because you could you selfish b-'
'B'Elanna Torres!' Sevens' voice rang out, stopping the brunette mid-word. 'I believe there is a more succinct and efficient manner with which express your displeasure.'
She strode forward, coming to a halt shoulder to shoulder with the half-Klingon. 'Observe,' she commanded softly, and as Janeway was in the process of transferring her angry gaze from B'Elanna to Seven, the blonde drew one hand back and slapped the Captain so hard across the cheek that the woman's head snapped to the side, jerking with the force of the blow.
'I believe she knows I am angry now,' Seven said.
#
'I can't believe it,' B'Elanna said, some hours later. She was pacing back and forth, grinding her teeth and waving her arms as she spoke. 'I /cannot/ believe it! You slapped the Captain! You're just as bad as she is! Are you nuts? Perhaps we could plead temporary insanity!'
Seven watched her intently, leaning against the wall and relaxing out of her customary stance somewhat. 'I do not believe my mental functions were impaired. I was simply�angry.'
'So was I! But I didn't give the Captain a black eye!' B'Elanna snarled, coming to stop inches away from the taller woman and getting into her face. 'Now look at us!' She waved an arm that encompassed the cell, the cots and the force field.
'I did not mean to get us incarcerated,' Seven defended, standing tall and clasping her hands behind her back in the face of B'Elannas' anger.
B'Elanna sneered and turned her back on the woman. 'Whatever, Seven! You're so fucking superior, you're her favourite anyway. You'll be out of here before me and I didn't even assault anyone! Geez, you superior, cold-hearted-'
The blow took the half-Klingon by surprise, making her stumble. She turned when she regained her balance, her mouth hanging open and one hand rubbing the shoulder blade that had been struck.
Seven stood motionless, looking more surpised by her behaiviour than the engineer did with one hand still upraised and a snarl fading on her features. 'I�I�' She managed, before B'Elanna launched herself at the blonde with a shriek of rage.
For a moment neither had the upper hand, Seven trying to protect herself and B'Elanna swinging wildly, trying to land a blow anywhere at all. Seven appeared to get over her shock, a low snarl escaping from her own throat to match the one that B'Elanna was producing as she attacked. With several meaty thuds, hits were landed, but neither participant noticed them, as angry as they were.
They vaguely heard the guard shouting as they tussled, overbalancing and rolling onto one of the small beds, and from there onto the floor with a loud thump. The force field came down quickly, and while their fists flew, the guard took aim on a low phaser setting�