Inspired by a
challenge issued by Voyooho in Voq Je Bang, the rules of which are displayed
just prior to the start of Part I, I must therefore dedicated this to Voyooho
and thank her for firing my muse.
I also need to
thank my betas Arcanum and Anaglyph, without whom, all this would be far poorer
and quite littered with mistakes – thanks for the support.
Disclaimers:- The
characters belong to Paramount unfortunately – wasted opportunities!
Rating: PG-13
(just in case) for f/f. If this isn’t
your thing – don’t read it.
Pairing:
B’Elanna/Seven
Feedback: Yes please – I wouldn’t post it if I didn’t
want it. [email protected]
Archive: Perfect
Misfits is a given, anyone else, please ask.
Complete Part IX
For a moment,
Seven was mesmerised by the caress. She
felt the gentlest touch on her lips and almost responded to the feather-light
contact when her brain registered that it was the captain and not B’Elanna.
The effect was
immediate. Seven leapt back and out of
the Captain’s embrace, springing off the couch to the centre of the room, her
eyes blazing with fury.
“How dare you?”
she demanded wrathfully, scarcely able to articulate. She clenched her fists untill she could feel her fingernails biting
into her palms and asked again. “How
*dare* you play with my emotions at this moment?” Her rage was making her whole body shake and her voice quivered
with the ire that burned through her.
Janeway sat back
in alarm at the reaction and realised how foolish she had been. “I’m sorry Seven, I..”
“Get out of here!
NOW!” screamed the younger woman, her words laced with vitriol.
The Captain stood
up and tried to placate the raging ex-drone.
“Seven, truly I am sorry,” she started, holding her hands up and splayed
out, taking a tentative step towards the trembling woman.
Seven had managed
to get a grip on her anger and now controlled herself with icy calm. “If you do not leave immediately, I will not
be responsible for my actions,” she told the Captain in a dangerously low
voice.
Janeway reacted
the only way she knew how, by going on the offensive. “Are you threatening me Seven?” she asked in a similar tone.
“No Captain, I am
informing you. I do not make threats,”
the ex-drone’s blue eyes had darkened considerably as she projected the barely
contained wrath that was seeping through her every fibre.
Janeway
considered her options in a fraction of a second. She could leave and try and sort out this mess once Seven had
calmed down, or stay and risk an altercation that could well end up involving
Security at the very least or her own death as the worst case scenario. She was in no mood to explain her actions to
Tuvok or a member of his team. “I’ll go
Seven, but I must explain,”
Seven stepped toward
the older woman. The movement was the
only spur Janeway needed and she retreated hurriedly.
As they hissed
together, Seven stared at the doors rigidly for a long moment before allowing
her body to react. Her legs buckled and
she collapsed onto the floor in the centre of the room, feeling her chest heave
as she started to cry again. The hot
tears burnt down her cheeks whilst she fumed at the Captain’s treatment of her
and her feelings. They continued to
fall, as she understood that the only person she wanted to talk to about this
was lying in Sick Bay, stymied from helping by her current condition.
Hugging her knees
close, she rolled into a foetal position as her body continued to shudder. Her throat felt raw and she had difficulty
controlling her breathing, at the mercy of her wracking sobs.
Eventually, the
crying subsided and slowly, Seven managed to draw more even breaths, punctuated
occasionally by sharp staccato intakes as her emotions stubbornly refused to
calm completely. She felt physically
exhausted and was reluctant to move from her spot in the centre of B’Elanna’s
quarters.
At last, the hard
floor bothered her enough to encourage her to sit up. Seven pulled the thick black robe protectively around her and
wiped her face on a sleeve before she struggled to her feet and retreated to
B’Elanna’s bedroom. Once there, the
young woman wrapped herself into the sheets and curled in the middle of the
bed, lying there unblinking for a short while the sensation of the Captain’s
lips played through her again and again.
Finally her eyelids flickered shut and Seven succumbed to sleep, her
last cognisant thought a hope for a dreamless slumber.
* * *
B’Elanna
recognised the beeps and chirps she could hear as an integral part of Sick
Bay. She opened one eye sleepily and
then elongated her body, pulling her arms as high above her head as possible as
she simultaneously pointed her toes, revelling in the sensations the stretch
stimulated even as she registered mild discomfort from her aching body. Recoiling with a satisfied grunt, B’Elanna
sat up and surveyed the area. A quick
perusal informed her that she was alone in Sick Bay before her stomachs
notified her that there was a pressing need to get food.
Scratching her
head roughly, she swung her legs round and vaulted off the bed, wincing
slightly as her joints protested at the sudden movement. Her whole body ached and felt heavy. ‘Probably an after-effect from the seizure,’
she surmised.
She padded over
to the replicator and considered her options for breakfast. Settling on an old favourite, she picked up
the plate of banana pancakes and steaming mug of tea and made her way over to
one of the medical consoles. Making
herself comfortable on one of the stools, B’Elanna idly flicked through the data
displayed on the monitors as she tucked in deciding to finish her breakfast in
peace before activating the EMH.
The engineer
raised her eyes hopefully towards the doors as they hissed open. Hiding her disappointment well, she hailed
her visitor. “Morning Captain.”
The Captain
turned and adjusted her trajectory to approach B’Elanna, smiling
cautiously. “Good morning. I take it you slept well?” she asked,
nervously wondering if Seven had contacted B’Elanna during the night. She had checked the computer for Seven’s
movements and breathed a sigh of relief to discover that she had remained in
the Chief Engineer’s quarters all night, but there was no guarantee that they
hadn’t used the comm system.
B’Elanna finished
her mouthful before answering. “Dead to
the world, but I ache today. I’m not
convinced those bio-beds are the best place to get rest you know.” She grinned as she stabbed another morsel of
food.
“I know what
you’re angling at Lieutenant. It’s down
to the Doctor to relieve you from Sick Bay – I’m not going to overrule him,”
Janeway returned, relaxing as she realised that B’Elanna was unaware of last
night’s events.
As if on cue, the
EMH materialised. “You’re awake,” he
stated, staring at B’Elanna.
“I hope so Doc,
otherwise this is the most vivid dream I’ve had since the Enarans were on
board,” the Klingon replied, her voice slightly muffled by her mouth’s
contents. She pulled a face as the EMH
waved a tricorder around her but refrained from commenting.
“B’Elanna, I had
to make a difficult decision once the Doctor told me about your condition,”
Janeway leaned into the console as she spoke to the engineer. “I have to relieve you of your position as
Chief Engineer.”
“Captain,”
B’Elanna protested, her voice more a growl.
Janeway held up a
hand to stem the protest. “You know the
reasons why. I can’t allow you to continually endanger your life and the stress
of being in charge during an emergency in Engineering could kill you.”
“Captain, even if
I’m not in charge, I’m going to feel those emotions,” B’Elanna retorted. “Probably even more so as I won’t have the
authority to act,” she continued reasonably.
“If that’s the
case then I may have to consider relieving you from duty altogether,” rejoined
the Captain.
“Unfortunately, I
concur Captain,” interjected the Doctor to the half-Klingon’s horror. “Even on the side-lines, B’Elanna is likely
to experience extreme stress should a situation arise.”
B’Elanna stared
at the Captain sullenly, wanting to voice the hundreds of objections she had to
this course of action, yet realising that both Janeway and the Doctor were
right. She discovered to her own
surprise that it was not quite the shock it could have been, somewhere in her
sub-conscious, she must have come to a similar conclusion.
“It’s a moot
point anyway,” the EMH continued, uncomfortable with the silence that had
lengthened. “I cannot return you to
duty yet, in any position. Hopefully, I
can find an answer to this problem before the Captain has to assign you a new
role.”
“You’re owed more
leave than any other crew member, including me,” remarked Janeway dryly. “Consider your absence as time off and get
some R and R,” she suggested.
B’Elanna’s face
gave enough indication to how she felt about *that* idea. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted to take a vacation
in Sick Bay.”
The Doctor’s
eyebrows shot up in horror and then realised that the engineer thought that she
was still confined. “I’m going to
release you from Sick Bay today. The
adjustments Seven made to the medical monitoring equipment seems to be
adequate. I need to run a series of
diagnostics this morning and then you’re free to go. Just don’t get the cortical monitor wet this time,” he told her. B’Elanna nodded as she rubbed the back of
her neck absently, a dread feeling creeping over her at what to do with all the
free time that had just been dumped on her.
“Doctor, I’d like
a private word with B’Elanna,” Janeway told the EMH. He looked slightly affronted that he was not to be included in
all communiqués but he retreated back to his office, grabbing some diagnostic
tools on the way so he could continue his work.
Janeway sighed
before looking at B’Elanna. Her action
raised suspicion in the raven-haired hybrid.
The Captain rarely hesitated before broaching subjects. “What’s the problem Captain?” she prompted.
“I need you to
consider your ‘relationship’ with Seven,” Janeway began.
“That is none of
your damned business,” reacted B’Elanna instantly, bristling at the intrusion
into her private life.
“It is when your
life could be in danger,” retorted the Captain coldly. “Now listen while I explain my
interference,” she continued before the smaller woman could interrupt
again. “You both have feelings for each
other, that much is obvious. I’m asking
you to consider how those emotions could affect you *and* Seven.”
Janeway sighed
once more before carrying on. “It’s
well documented now what happens to you when your body has to deal with extreme
emotional stress. Seven is new to her
feelings. She has only just experienced
the true intensity of them. Imagine
what she’ll go through if she feels responsible for harming you when you’re
together.”
B’Elanna closed
her eyes at the thought. She had only
considered the situation from her own perspective. She was quite willing to continue to build their relationship,
despite the personal risk, but it was quite another matter to hurt Seven by
putting her in an untenable position.
She opened her eyes again and watched as the Captain moved away from
her, hands on hips, obviously contemplating something.
Janeway turned
and brought one hand up to hold her chin, looking steadily at the engineer for
a long moment, her face troubled.
“This is
*difficult* to put into the right words,” she began.
B’Elanna’s
breathing quickened and she felt her stomachs lurch. “Go on,” she encouraged.
“I went to see
Seven last night, to see how she was coping,” Janeway started and then paused
once more, her eyes darting around the room to focus on something other than
the half-Klingon. “B’Elanna there is
no easy way to say this,” she hedged once more, stepping forward slightly and
gesturing with the hand that had previously held her chin.
“Captain, if
there’s no easy way just tell it as it is,” B’Elanna demanded, feeling an icy
tingling rise up her back.
Janeway took a
deep breath and halted in front of B’Elanna once more. “Seven kissed me last night,” she told her
gently.
“She did what?!”
exploded the dark engineer.
The Captain
backed away, holding up a hand placatingly.
“We were talking about emotions and about how the procedure had affected
her. She wanted to explore her feelings
more thoroughly. I sat next to her on
the couch and gave her a hug when she told me she felt so miserable about
hurting you when the next thing I knew she…”
“Enough,”
interrupted B’Elanna, her voice low and almost too controlled. She looked at her hands, fascinated by the
taut white skin over her knuckles. She
noted that the fork she had been holding had been bent completely in half – she
hadn’t even realised that she had clenched her fists. Suddenly, a thought struck her.
“Captain, there aren’t any couches in Cargo Bay Two.”
Janeway blinked
at the statement, the only indication of emotion to flit across her face. “I found Seven in your quarters,” she
answered honestly.
B’Elanna dropped
the misshapen fork and held her head in her hands; confused by the information
she had just been given. Something
wasn’t right about the whole situation and she wasn’t about to make her usual
mistake of jumping to assumptions and possibly ruin the most important
relationship she had ever had without getting all the facts. She raised her head and looked at the
Captain steadily. “I need to talk to
Seven about this. I have to find out
why she did what she did.”
Janeway was taken
aback. It was not the reaction she was
hoping for. If B’Elanna went calmly in
to see Seven, things might get a whole lot more complicated. “Are you sure approaching Seven now would be
a good idea, given the current circumstances?”
B’Elanna narrowed
her eyes in confusion.
“You could
trigger another seizure if tempers flare,” the Captain explained bluntly.
“Then lets hope
we sort things out amicably then,” returned the half-Klingon as she moved to
leave Sick Bay.
“Not so fast,
Lieutenant,” the Doctor called from his office. “I haven’t finished yet,” he qualified as B’Elanna ground her
teeth in frustration and headed towards him.
“Besides,” he continued, “I’m sure you’d rather leave Sick Bay in your
uniform as opposed to an examination robe.”
“Let the Doctor
complete his tests and then do what you have to do,” Janeway told the
frustrated woman. “I’ll leave you in
peace, but please consider what I’ve said.”
Janeway put a hand on Torres’ shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze
before turning and exiting Sick Bay. If
she was quick, she would have enough time to smooth things over with Seven and
perhaps even turn the screw a bit further.
As she hurried
down the corridor towards Torres’ quarters, Janeway found her mind racing over
events and, more importantly, her own actions.
Things had got out-of-hand very rapidly. Suddenly the distance to her destination felt a lot longer and
she tried to put perspective on what had occurred. She halted in front of the door as her mind whirled. Her behaviour had been motivated by her own
selfish desires to establish an intimate relationship with Seven.
She reached down
to press the entry chime but pulled her hand away suddenly, as if the control
could burn her fingers. If she truly
loved Seven, surely she would not wish to harm her or jeopardise her happiness,
yet Janeway had been prepared to do just that to promote her own goal. Her conduct was certainly not worthy of a
captain of Starfleet, let alone her own moral standards. Unfortunately, she had said and done things
that would now take a great deal of explanation to restore the good faith and
trust of both B’Elanna and Seven.
Thinking over her recent actions, Janeway began to feel guilty and
ashamed. Her behaviour had been
deplorable. However, was the damage she
had caused irreparable? No one had ever
accused her of lacking courage.
Squaring her shoulders and steeling herself for the task she was about
to undertake, she glanced down to press the chime once again when the door
hissed open and her resolve faltered.
Seven, dressed in
an electric-blue bio-suit, raised her eyebrows in surprise as she came face to
face with Janeway and halted her stride to avoid walking straight into
her. The younger woman felt her stomach
flip as she recalled the previous night’s events but she clamped down on her
temper and acknowledged the Captain’s presence with a curt nod.
“Seven, I know
you’re angry with me and you have every right to be angry but I really do need
to explain,” Janeway rushed her words out but tried to keep her tone neutral
and undemanding.
“I am on my way
to visit B’Elanna in Sick Bay, I do not have time to listen to your
explanation,” retorted Seven coldly.
“Please, it won’t
take too much of your time. It’s
important.” Janeway asked again.
Seven stared at
the Captain while she considered. She
so desperately wanted to see B’Elanna but felt vulnerable and, for some
inexplicable reason, guilty over what had happened. If B’Elanna picked up on her mood, she could end up revealing
last night’s occurrence and trigger another seizure. She certainly did not want that to happen. Stepping to one side, she allowed Janeway to
enter the Chief Engineer’s quarters and followed her back into the living area.
Once the doors
closed, Janeway spoke again. “What I
did last night was unforgivable so I’m not asking you for absolution. I want to explain my actions, if I can, and
maybe repair some of the damage I caused,” she told the tall blonde woman. The captain began to pace as she searched
her mind for the right words. This was
more difficult than she thought it would be.
Sighing, she
stopped and faced the Astrometrics officer once again, one hand resting on her
hip as she used the other to gesture, animating her words. “Seven, I love you…”
“Captain,” Seven
interjected, her voice harsh with shock.
“Please, let me
finish,” retorted Janeway forcefully.
Rocked by the
bluntness of her revelation, Seven complied and continued to listen, standing
straight with her hands clasped behind her back in a familiar pose.
“I have loved you
for a long time, Seven,” Janeway started again. “I always believed it to be a maternal love. I’ve watched you develop and mature, find
your humanity again and I hope that I’ve had some influence in that
development. Somewhere along the way,
my love turned into something altogether different. I wanted so much for you to return that love, so that we could
build a relationship together as a couple.”
Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose as her mind raced to phrase the
next part of her monologue. “When you
entered into a relationship with Tom, I realised that you were starting to
experience real feelings and wanted to explore your emotions. Your predicament with the cortical inhibitor
made me understand how much more you had to unleash and, I thought selfishly,
that I could be the person to guide you through your new feelings.” Janeway began pacing again, her nerves returning. “When I discovered that B’Elanna had beaten
me to it…”
“There was no
race,” objected Seven indignantly.
“No, I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean it like that,” Janeway back-pedalled. She sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. “It felt like a race to me, despite the fact
B’Elanna was oblivious to it. You and
B’Elanna have developed a relationship and I was jealous of it,” she continued
simply. “What I should be doing is supporting
it, knowing how happy it’s making you.”
Seven nodded, not
trusting herself to speak just yet.
Janeway steeled
herself and faced Seven squarely.
“However, as your captain *and* as your friend, I feel it’s my duty to
voice my concerns too,” she continued.
Seven’s eyes
darkened as she answered. “I will brook
no interference from you, Captain,” she told her flatly.
“I don’t intend
to interfere. I’m being honest with
you. That’s what friends are for. It’s why I told you straight away that I
love you. I am not trying to deceive or
coerce you. I’m just trying to offer some
guidance,” Janeway explained earnestly, pacing again absently as she spoke.
Seven raised an
eyebrow, the borg implant quirking high onto her forehead.
Janeway took it
as a signal to continue. “All I want
you to do is consider how this relationship developed. Up until a short while ago, you could barely
tolerate each other’s presence.
B’Elanna’s generosity in assisting you with the cortical inhibitor
problem meant that you had no choice but to spend time together. Then, when things went wrong for B’Elanna,
you felt guilty about the procedure affecting her that way. She would not be in this predicament if she
had not volunteered to help you.”
Janeway paused before delivering the final punch. “I just don’t want you mistaking your
feelings of friendship and obligation for anything else.”
“You told me to
search my feelings last night, Captain,” Seven reminded her curtly. “Right before you took advantage of my
emotional state and kissed me.”
Janeway flinched
at the reminder but was determined to continue. “So have you considered your feelings?”
Seven paused, her
eyes losing their focus momentarily before she answered. “I was somewhat distracted last night after
our meeting. I slept for most of the
night. However, I do not doubt my
feelings.” She pinned Janeway with her
eyes. “I love her,” she said
simply. “I cannot put condition or
qualification on it.”
“And you’re sure
that she feels the same way about you?” continued the Captain, already reeling
at the revelation.
“I know she
does.” Even as Seven stated her answer,
she realised that it was the plain truth.
Janeway felt a
crushing sensation in her chest but she stood up to the inner
disappointment. She had lost Seven to
B’Elanna but, when eventually the pain eased, she knew that she would feel glad
for them both. “For some reason, I
needed to hear that, Seven. Please
believe me when I say that I am truly happy for you,” Janeway smiled with
genuine warmth toward her protégé.
Seven suddenly
felt a weight being lifted from her.
She had always wanted the respect of the Captain and despite last
night’s proceedings, sought her friendship.
She had thought that it would be in serious jeopardy and had been
disturbed by that. Now that her mentor
had expressed approval of her relationship with B’Elanna, Seven felt that they
could re-establish the trust they once shared and continue their amity. “Captain, I cannot forget what happened last
night but I accept your explanation *and* apology,” she pulled her lips into a
rare smile. “I hope that our friendship
can continue,” she stated hesitantly.
“It will,”
assured Janeway. “And I hope that you
can trust me enough to come to me if you have any problems at all, about
anything,” the Captain continued, qualifying her final statement lest Seven think
that she was wishing her relationship with B’Elanna to fail.
Instinctively,
the older woman closed the distance between them and enveloped Seven in a
platonic hug. Relieved to have resolved
this one problem, Seven returned the embrace somewhat awkwardly but was
grateful nevertheless of its sentiment.
She looked up as
the door opened and her smile intensified as she recognised B’Elanna at the
entrance.
* * *
B’Elanna never
made it over the threshold. The door
had hissed open to reveal Seven in an embrace with the Captain. Even more alarming was the smile that was
radiating from her. She had seen that
smile before during some of their most intimate moments. Now, Seven was directing that same smile at
Janeway.
Somehow, her mind
told her not to react instantly as she would be in danger from another
seizure. Instead, she turned abruptly
and raced down the corridor, determined to get as much distance as possible
from the scene before trying to come to terms with it. She headed for the only other safe haven she
knew on Voyager; Engineering.
* * *
Seven was
confused by the action and released herself from Janeway’s grasp. She looked down the corridor but there was
no sign of the engineer. She turned as
she heard Janeway groan.
“Why did she behave
like that, Kathryn?” Total bewilderment
clouded the ex-drone’s features.
“I told her about
the kiss,” Janeway explained, unwilling to reveal the whole truth concerning
her behaviour.
Seven
stiffened. “And now she has jumped to
an incorrect assumption,” she completed.
“I must find her. She could
suffer another seizure.”
The Captain
reacted instantly. “Computer, locate
Lieutenant Torres,” she barked.
“Lieutenant
Torres is in Main Engineering.”
“Let’s go,”
Janeway stated and the two women strode purposely toward the nearest turbolift.
* * *
B’Elanna worked
furiously at the console in her rarely used office. She needed to be alone to think things through, and if she knew
Janeway and Seven, they wouldn’t allow her that luxury. Fortunately, the task at hand was
complicated enough to keep her mind from wandering back to the scene she had
just witnessed. Part of her was
fighting to suppress the emotions that threatened to consume her.
Her task
finished, she wiped the evidence of her work from the computer before locking
the console down with one of her toughest encryption codes. Satisfied with her handiwork, she left her
office and headed towards an access panel.
Once inside the
Jeffries tube, she sealed the hatch behind her. She knew that there were a number of staff in main Engineering
that had seen her enter but she didn’t care now. She knew every nook and cranny of the Jeffries tube system and
was satisfied that she could hide herself away for as long as it needed and
allow her mind to go over recent events.
She scooted through quickly but halted when she heard her communicator
pin chirp.
“Seven of Nine to
Lieutenant Torres.”
She ignored the
hail and carried on, twisting through the junctions before scaling a ladder to
change decks.
“Seven of Nine to
Lieutenant Torres, please respond.”
Seven’s voice sounded almost desperate but B’Elanna was determined to do
her thinking in her own time. She
wasn’t ready to analyse her feelings yet and she certainly wasn’t ready to deal
with Seven. She took the brooch from
her jacket and held it in her hand as she approached a junction.
“Computer, open
all hatchways in Jeffries Tube 8,” she ordered. She looked down as each hatch hissed open. Once satisfied that they were all open, she
opened her hand and watched the gold pin cartwheel down the decks, hearing a
faint clink as the metal finally hit the bottom of the shaft.
* * *
Seven frowned in
frustration at the lack of response.
She turned to Janeway who had finished questioning the engineering staff.
“Computer, locate
Lieutenant Torres,” the older woman requested again.
“Lieutenant
Torres is in Jeffries Tube 8,” was the unemotional reply.
Seven grabbed a
tricorder and made a series of adjustments before speaking to Janeway. “I’ve configured this tricorder to locate
her,” she told the Captain. Janeway
nodded and then indicated an access panel.
“Let’s go,” she
told her.
* * *
After another
series of twists and turns, B’Elanna finally made herself comfortable in one of
the least used tubes. She had
positioned herself right in the middle of the tube, equidistant from any access
panel. Leaning back against the wall,
she allowed herself to remember the events that she had witnessed in her
quarters. With her memories came her
feelings, amplified by Janeway’s words spoken to her earlier in Sick Bay. The worst feeling was betrayal. She had laid her heart open to Seven but had
been treated as another experiment for the drone who wanted to expand her
humanity. The hurt she felt escalated
as she tortured herself with the images and her own version of events.
* * *
Janeway stared at
the gold communicator pin and swore under her breath. Seven reached out and palmed the device, squeezing it gently as
if to somehow get closer to B’Elanna.
“She really
doesn’t want to be found, does she?” the Captain asked rhetorically.
“We have to find
her, she could be in danger,” protested the blonde woman.
Janeway nodded
concurrence before tapping her own badge.
“Janeway to Chakotay,” she called.
“Chakotay here,”
came the disembodied reply.
Looking carefully
at Seven, Janeway continued. “Chakotay,
I need to locate B’Elanna. She’s
discarded her communicator badge. Can
you do an internal sensor sweep for her?” she asked guardedly.
On the bridge,
Chakotay opened his eyes slightly in surprise before nodding at Kim. The young Asian ensign hurriedly punched in
a series of commands at the Ops console before looking up in confusion. “Commander, internal sensors are off-line,”
he informed the Native American.
“Well get them
back on-line,” retorted Chakotay. In
his mind’s eye, he could picture the Captain pacing agitatedly, wondering about
the delay.
“I can’t
sir. A block has been put on them. The source originates from Engineering,”
Harry informed him.
Growling in
frustration, Chakotay looked up instinctively as he raised the captain
again. “Captain, there’s a fault with
the internal sensors. There’s going to
be a delay.”
Janeway rolled
her eyes at the news before looking at Seven.
Seeing how distraught the former drone appeared, she spoke gently. “Come on Seven. Let’s get back to Engineering.
Maybe we can help repair the sensors,” she suggested.
“I would rather
continue to search the Jeffries tubes,” protested the younger woman.
“There are miles
of Jeffries tubes. It will take a long
time to search them all thoroughly. At
least look at the sensors and approximate how much time it’s going to take to
fix them. Then you can decide how best
to spend your time,” Janeway reasoned.
Seven nodded
miserably, her hand clenched tightly round the comm. badge. She could feel it cutting into her skin but
didn’t care. The captain’s argument was
logical but she felt as though she was abandoning B’Elanna by delaying the
search. Blinking back the water that
was building up in her eyes, she followed Janeway back disconsolately.
* * *
B’Elanna watched
her hands. She could see them tremor
slightly through the wracking sobs she was shedding. The raven-haired woman instinctively knew that it was a sign. She was going into seizure. Bizarrely, she realised that she had no form
of communication. No one would locate
her. She was going to die alone one day
after discovering the love of her life.
She felt her body keel over from its sitting position but then oblivion
washed over her as she went into paroxysm, her eyes fixed open in a visionless
stare.
Part 11
“Sick Bay to the
Captain,” the EMH hailed Janeway, a sense of frantic urgency tainting his
voice.
“Go ahead,”
prompted the disembodied reply.
The Doctor paused
for a fraction of a second after detecting the irritation from the comm
link. “Lieutenant Torres’ cortical
monitor indicates that she’s having a seizure.
I tried contacting her before they became too advanced but I haven’t
been able to raise her.”
Janeway and Seven
looked at each other from across the console in main Engineering, wide-eyed. “The monitor!” they exclaimed in unison.
“Doctor, can you
get a fix on the monitor and pinpoint where B’Elanna is?” asked Janeway
hurriedly. The comm link was silent for
a few moments. Janeway felt herself
getting tenser by the second and wondered how Seven was coping. A slight glance with her peripheral vision
indicated that the ex-drone was feeling the strain just as much, her normally
composed visage replaced by a concerned frown.
“Captain, I’m
having difficulty locating exactly where B’Elanna is, but I can give you an
approximation,” the EMH eventually responded.
“Do it,” ordered
Janeway tersely.
“According to my
read-out, she’s somewhere in Jeffries tube 12, sub-section 15. I’m sorry I can’t be any more specific.”
Janeway nodded
despite the fact the EMH could not see her.
“Thank you Doctor, we’ll get her to you as quickly as we can,” she
vowed. “Janeway to Chakotay,” she
hailed the bridge.
“Go ahead,
Captain,” invited the Commander.
“We’ve narrowed
down where B’Elanna could be. Jeffries
tube 12: sub-section 15. Can you get a
lock on any life-form in there and beam it directly to Sick Bay?” she made the
question seem like an order.
“Sorry
Captain. Because the internal sensors
are down, we can’t detect anything,” he told her, his annoyance evident by the
deeper timbre of his voice.
“Then we do this
the hard way,” Seven told Janeway as she strode toward the nearest access
panel. Had the situation not been so
fraught, Janeway would have drawn the ex-drone’s attention to her disregard of
the chain of command. Instead, she
followed the blonde woman quickly into the network of service tunnels.
Seven set a
demanding pace, and the older woman could hear her breathing becoming laboured
as they closed in on their destination, her body unused to the continued
crawling. Janeway could feel the sweat
building on her brow and knew that it was only a matter of time before it
started running down her face. Pausing briefly
as Seven opened the next access panel, the Captain noticed that their exertions
had not taken nearly so big a toll on the ex-borg. She barely had a hair out of place.
Sparing her
companion a glance, Seven led the way again.
They were in Jeffries tube 12 now.
Somewhere in here was B’Elanna.
The Doctor had not called to indicate that the readings from the monitor
had stopped, so Seven knew B’Elanna was still alive. But as every second passed, she knew the message might come. She had never felt like this before, on any
away mission, or whenever she had been in danger herself. Her heart was pounding in her chest, almost
trying to escape. Her throat felt raw
and constricted, her mouth dry. She
could feel her skin was slick with sweat.
Her mind’s eye flashed unbidden images of B’Elanna slumped in death,
with Seven powerless to help her. The visions spurred her into upping the
pace. Seven heard Janeway grunt as she
sped up but dismissed the Captain’s discomfort. She would recover; B’Elanna might not.
As she scooted
round the next bend, the Astrometrics officer lifted her head to see where she
was going. Halfway down the corridor
she could detect movement. A black
shape with a mustard flash told her that it was someone in a Starfleet uniform. “B’Elanna,” she called desperately, not
expecting any reply.
She raced toward
B’Elanna, absently wondering why tears were streaming down her face. Seven tugged the Klingon’s convulsing body
into her lap and hugged her, cradling the engineer’s head in her arms gently,
protecting the woman from harming herself whilst subjected to the seizure.
Janeway, slightly
less emotionally attached, tapped her communicator pin. “Janeway to Chakotay, we’ve found her. Use the transporters to lock onto our comm.
badges and transport us all to Sick Bay,” she ordered, the sentence broken
slightly as she gasped for breath.
“Transporters
can’t get a lock on you without internal sensors working,” Chakotay reminded
her. “You’ll have to carry her out.”
Seven heard the
exchange. “I’ll drag her out
Captain. Just find the quickest route
out of here,” she told her grimly, before lacing her arms around B’Elanna’s
chest and grabbing the smaller woman’s wrists.
* * *
“Seven, I know
you’re concerned but I need room to work,” admonished the Doctor brusquely as
he flew round the monitors surrounding his patient.
“Why have you not
stopped the seizure?” Seven demanded angrily, knowing that the longer B’Elanna
convulsed, the likelihood of irreparable brain damage would increase. She refused to move away from the bio-bed
and maintained her hold of the stricken engineer’s left hand.
“I need the
statistics from the monitor. The
adjustments you made have given me a great deal of information concerning
Lieutenant Torres’ condition.” With a
final punch of the console, the EMH spun and grabbed a hypospray. He ejected the contents into the prone
engineer’s neck and watched as the spasms eased, leaving the Klingon still at
last.
Seven exhaled
audibly, earning looks of surprise from both the EMH and Captain Janeway, who
had been standing at a nearby console monitoring B’Elanna’s condition.
“Now what?” asked
Seven
“Now I let her
rest and recover while I analyse all the data I’ve collated,” the Doctor
replied. His tone softened as he looked
at the blonde ex-drone. “There’s no
evidence of hypoxic damage. B’Elanna’s
exhausted. She needs time to recuperate.
However, you’re more than welcome to stay here and sit with her while I
work on these readings,” he invited, knowing that Seven would be too distracted
to do anything else.
Seven looked at
Janeway for permission. The Captain
nodded acquiescence before following the Doctor into his office, leaving the
young ex-drone alone with B’Elanna.
Gently, Seven
hooked a tendril of dark hair over the sleeping engineer’s ear. She allowed her fingers to caress the
woman’s strong jawline before she removed her hand. “I love you, B’Elanna Torres,” she whispered.
Janeway sat down
opposite the Doctor without waiting for an invitation. “How long is this going to take, Doctor?”
she enquired.
“A lot longer
than it need do if I have to put up with continual interruptions,” the EMH
responded laconically. He fidgeted
uncomfortably when he saw the glare Janeway directed at him and came up with a
response more suitable for a captain to hear.
“It will take approximately forty minutes to correlate the data. I cannot estimate anything after as it
depends on the results. Give me an hour
Captain. If it’s any sooner, I’ll update
you,” he suggested.
Janeway wanted
answers now but knew that these things couldn’t be rushed. She nodded agreement. “Are you sure B’Elanna wasn’t affected by
this latest seizure?” she asked, her guilt over being the catalyst resurfacing,
now that the Klingon was in a safe environment.
“Quite certain,
though I would like to find out what it was that triggered the episode,
especially considering her location,” mused the EMH.
“Concentrate on
finding a cure for these seizures,” directed Janeway, eager to deflect away
from that line of conversation. The
Doctor raised his eyebrows at the directive but refrained from comment.
The Captain stood
and left the office quickly to join Seven at B’Elanna’s side. “How are you coping?” she asked gently.
“My ‘coping’ is
irrelevant. You should be more
concerned for B’Elanna,” the ex-drone replied miserably, not even looking at
Janeway as she spoke.
“Everyone on
board this ship is my concern,” the older woman reminded her gently. She laid her hand on Seven’s shoulder
softly. “I understand why you want to
be here. Just remember to look after
yourself as well.”
“Yes, Captain,”
concurred Seven, her voice barely a whisper.
The tall, lithe,
Astrometrics Officer was barely aware of Janeway’s departure, continuing to
gaze down at the woman she loved.
B’Elanna looked peaceful, with no sign of the stress or torment she had
endured now present on her face. Seven
felt her heart accelerate as she once again memorised the exotic features and
contours of the engineer. She had often
wondered why there was contradictory information archived on the emotion of
love. She now understood why it was so
hard to document. Seven loved B’Elanna
in a way that words could not describe.
The strength of feeling was glorious; yet sometimes it was so strong, it
hurt her. The ex-drone was certain of
one thing though. She would not give up
these new emotions for anything.
B’Elanna had been
instrumental in making her complete, on many levels. The ex-drone knew that until B’Elanna had been cured of the
seizures, she would not be safe.
Seven would not rest until a solution was found, it was the least she
could do. For the moment, however,
B’Elanna was secure in Sick Bay. Seven
was content to sit with her for a while and revel in the sensation of being
with her, even if the raven-haired woman was oblivious to her presence.
* * *
B’Elanna groaned. There was a vice-like grip around her head
and her limbs protested as she moved.
Pulling her eyelids apart, her gaze focused on the body looming over her
bio-bed. “Doc, why is it that every
time I wake up, it’s always your face I’m looking at?” she grumbled, glad at
least that she had strength enough to speak.
The EMH smiled
humourlessly. “It probably has
something to do with the season pass you have for Sick Bay,” he retorted,
waving a tricorder over her head as he spoke.
“Can I get a
refund on it?” the half-Klingon muttered as she sat up.
“Non-returnable
I’m afraid,” rejoined the EMH as he pushed her back down. “Besides,” this time the Doctor’s face held
a genuine smile, “I’d miss the banter.”
He turned to analyse the readings he had accumulated and missed the look
of astonishment on B’Elanna’s face. Her
next comment died on her lips as she realised that her situation had affected
many people on board.
She massaged her
temples as the pain in her head continued.
“What happened Doc? How come I’m
not lying in a Jeffries tube somewhere?”
“Your cortical
monitor acted like a homing beacon. The
Captain and Seven located you and dragged you out. There was a fault on the internal sensors so we couldn’t beam you
directly here.” The Doctor looked up
from his console and his face softened.
“Seven stayed by your side until I guaranteed her that I’d contact her
if there was any complications. She’s
very protective of you.”
B’Elanna snorted
dismissively. “I don’t think so,” she
demurred, recalling the image of Seven in Janeway’s embrace.
The Doctor looked
at her sharply. “I don’t know what
happened in the time you left Sick Bay and your last seizure. I do know that Seven is feeling extremely
anxious about you and in the six days you’ve been unconscious…”
“Six days?”
exploded B’Elanna, sitting bolt upright as the remark.
“Yes, six
days. But it wasn’t as a result of your
last seizure,” replied the Doctor cryptically.
B’Elanna narrowed her eyes, prompting him to continue.
“The Captain and
Seven found you quite quickly. Once I
ran a set of diagnostics, I stopped your convulsion and allowed you to
rest. I then set to work extrapolating
the results from your latest episode with comparisons from your normal brain
signature.” The EMH came closer to
stand right by B’Elanna. “With Seven’s
help, I determined exactly which sensory neurons had been altered to trigger
your seizures. As you were already
unconscious, it seemed superfluous to wake you only to sedate you again for the
procedure. Seven and I performed the
operation six days ago. I’ve kept you
in a coma for this length of time to allow your brain and essential neural
pathways to heal.”
“Wait a minute,
Doc,” B’Elanna interrupted. “Are you
telling me I’m cured?” Despite fully
understanding the explanation, B’Elanna needed a simple affirmation before
allowing her hopes to soar.
“I am just
awaiting some more test results to confirm it,” the Doctor put a slight
dampener on her emotions. “But I
believe so.”
B’Elanna allowed
herself to lie back down on the bed.
She rested a hand over her eyes as the words sunk in. She hadn’t realised how deeply this had
affected her. At least now she could
confront Seven over what she had witnessed in her quarters, though it felt like
a lifetime ago. “So, what happens now?”
she asked, dreading a protracted stay in Sick Bay.
“What happens now
is you tell me the encryption codes to get internal sensors back on-line,” the
gravelly voice of Captain Janeway projected through Sick Bay.
B’Elanna sat up
again quickly and saw Janeway approach.
“I’m sorry Captain,” the Klingon began but was forestalled by a raised
hand from her commanding officer.
“I understand why
you did it B’Elanna. We’ll talk about
disciplinary measures later. Right now,
I just want things back to normal,” the Captain instructed.
B’Elanna couldn’t
help but grin. “Six days and you still
haven’t broken it?”
Janeway quashed
the grin with a raised eyebrow. “Yes,
I’m surprised myself. Once you’re fit
for duty, part of your punishment will be instructing others on the
‘appropriate’ uses of encryption codes and how to break them.”
Suitably sobered,
B’Elanna continued. “If you give me
access to a work-station, I’ll sort it out right now,” she offered.
Janeway looked at
the Doctor to see if he had any objections.
“As long as
that’s the only thing she does today, it shouldn’t be a problem,” he
assessed. Janeway gestured to a nearby
console and B’Elanna hopped off the bed and padded over.
“B’Elanna,” began
the Captain softly, as she joined the engineer at the console.
“Hmmm?” prompted
the Klingon, her fingers flying over the console as she worked.
“What you saw in
your quarters…”
B’Elanna flew
round to face the Captain. “I’m not
sure I want to talk about that, Captain,” she ground out.
“It’s not what
you think,” retorted the captain and then belatedly realised how her words
sounded as B’Elanna snorted derisively.
She held up a hand to stop B’Elanna.
“Let me explain. What you saw
was me giving Seven a hug, a *comforting* hug, to show my support of her
relationship with you,” Janeway decided to keep the explanation as brief as
possible. Any excessive dialogue would
prompt suspicion from the chief engineer.
She waited as she watched the emotions flash across B’Elanna’s
expressive face. Doubt, understanding,
relief and joy were all there.
B’Elanna turned
suddenly and busied herself at the workstation, embarrassed by the pinprick of
tears that had formed when the Captain’s words finally sunk in. She only had one thought now and that was to
find Seven and tell her how much she loved her.
“Well, you’ll be
pleased to know that you have the all-clear, Lieutenant,” the Doctor broke
in.
“Is she free to
resume duty?” the Captain asked, eager to have her staff back to full strength.
“In two
days. After everything she’s gone
through, I feel she needs some time off,” reasoned the EMH.
“She is still
here in this room,” reminded B’Elanna, her sparkling eyes belying the mock
irritation in her voice.
“Have you fixed
the internal sensors?” Janeway enquired.
“Yes ma’am,”
somehow, B’Elanna felt the need to be more formal after the trouble she had
caused.
“Then I’ll see
you tomorrow at 11:00Hrs in my ready room to discuss your punishment, and
expect you to be back on duty in two days,” the captain told her.
B’Elanna nodded
and turned to hunt out her clothes.
“B’Elanna,”
called Janeway gently. The raven-haired
Klingon swung back round. “Glad to have
you back,” the Captain told her with an affectionate grin – one that B’Elanna
was happy to return.
* * *
B'Elanna hurried
back to her quarters. She wanted to
meet up with Seven immediately but felt the need to freshen up after her stint
in Sick Bay.
She pulled off
her uniform jacket as she entered the living area, tossing it carelessly over the
back of a chair. As she reached up to
remove her shirt, she looked up instinctively and spoke. "Computer, what is the location of
Seven of Nine?"
"Seven of
Nine is in Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres' quarters," came the reply both from
the disembodied voice of the computer and the lilting tone of the ex-drone as
she revealed her presence.
B'Elanna stared
openly at the tall blonde woman as she made her way from the bedroom to the
living area. Seven looked slightly
dishevelled with dark circles around her eyes indicating the strain she had
been under. To B'Elanna though, she
looked perfect and she smiled radiantly at the ex-drone.
Seven looked
deeply into the eyes of the older woman.
The Doctor had already informed her of B'Elanna's departure from Sick Bay
and informed her of B'Elanna's all-clear regarding the seizures. Now that she drank in the exotic beauty of
the half-Klingon, Seven could feel her throat constrict and her eyes sting as
her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.
She had come so close to losing the love of her life. Now she felt awkward and nervous, wondering
if anything had changed between them in the short few days since they had first
declared their feelings for each other and if B'Elanna was still concerned over
Seven's embrace with the Captain, unaware that Janeway had spoken with the
raven-haired woman.
"Hey,"
the engineer spoke softly, suddenly shy for some inexplicable reason.
Catching the
mood, Seven dropped her eyes slightly before looking at B'Elanna again. "Hello," she replied, the hint of
a smile tugging at her full, dark lips.
Endeared by
Seven's hesitance, B'Elanna stepped forward.
Unconsciously, Seven opened her arms out and B'Elanna continued to close
the distance between them. They crushed
themselves into each other's arms, hugging tightly and relishing the feel of
each other. B'Elanna could feel Seven's
fingers grip her back tightly, pulling her even further into the embrace and
her hearts raced as Seven gave in to her emotions.
Seven rested her
head down into B'Elanna's shoulder and delighted in the feel and smell of the
smaller woman. There was no need for words.
She could sense B'Elanna's hearts racing as well as her own increased
pulse.
Slowly, B'Elanna
lifted her head up and used a hand to pull Seven's head away from her shoulder
so that she could look into the deep azure eyes.
Seven allowed
herself to get lost in the rich, dark brown eyes that smouldered with passion,
a reflection of their owner.
"I love you,
Seven of Nine," B'Elanna declared softly, yet with absolute certainty.
"I love you,
B'Elanna Torres," affirmed Seven, moving one hand to trace the outline of
B'Elanna's jaw as she spoke.
Slowly,
inexorably, two pairs of lips grew closer together, until they brushed together
fleetingly. The intimate contact
ignited passion, and lips and hands sought out more contact as the two lovers
allowed their desire and ardour to consume them.
The End.