Chapter 25 added on 24 Nov 2000
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: R
Epilogue
Lt. Torres sat atop her desk, glancing around her now empty office, noticing how strange it appeared to her in the state it was in, and sighed. Next to her were boxes of personal possessions packed away neatly. She and Seven had spent nearly two days together when they discovered the Captain had given them the day off the morning after. And B'Elanna felt as though she had been on her honeymoon. Even now, she smiled in spite of herself, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
"Lieutenant," greeted Carey as he walked into the office, noting with amusement the smug expression on B'Elanna's features.
"Good morning," she returned. "You know, Carey. You don't have to move everything out. From now on, you're going to be spending a lot more time in this office as Junior Chief, when I'm not around."
"I appreciate the offer, Torres, but I'm rather fond of my belongings. Somehow, I don't think they'll survive a Klingon-Maquis-Borg romance," he teased, chuckling as she swatted him good-naturedly on the arm.
Gathering his boxes, he asked, "So when's the engagement party."
"Seven and I haven't set a date yet. We're talking with Neelix about booking the Mess Hall. But I'll let you know," B'Elanna replied happily, as she walked Carey out.
Even though the Borg told her it was unnecessary, B'Elanna insisted on observing some human customs for Seven's sake. The lieutenant had informed Janeway of their plans that morning when she had been summoned to the Ready Room at 0600 hours. Dreading some sort of confrontation, she had been prepared to discuss her and Seven's relationship with the Captain. Instead, Janeway brought up the subject that thirty days had passed, and she was waiting for B'Elanna's decision to step down from Chief of Engineering. Incoherently, B'Elanna only stuttered in surprise until she recovered, and ultimately asked to return to her position.
It had not been a difficult decision, knowing that being Chief Engineer allowed her to spend more time with Seven, even though on official ship's business. But it only took her a minute to realize that she needed to negotiate her time commitment and workload, and as a result, a new position was created for Carey. Though B'Elanna would always be head of the department and made most of the major decisions, Lt. Carey would carry more responsibilities and gain more independence. To her admiration, Captain Janeway accepted the changes graciously and supportively.
-Chirp- "Torres to Seven of Nine," she hailed as she moved over to the warp engine maintenance consoles.
"Seven of Nine here," her voice responded, after a few seconds of delay.
"You're twenty minutes late," B'Elanna reprimanded jokingly.
"It is already morning?" Seven's voice sounded slightly surprised.
"Don't tell me you don't remember what day it is?" B'Elanna asked, the humor in her tone evident.
"Perhaps, it is because I have not left your bed in two da-"
"-Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes," the lieutenant interrupted, abruptly cutting the channel.
Shaking her head, she could just see the smirk on Seven's face at her embarrassment as the majority of the morning shift overheard their conversation and snickered. But B'Elanna chuckled with them. And when former Borg finally walked through the Engineering doors, B'Elanna couldn't stop herself from grinning, vaguely aware of the fact her crew could witness the continuing banter and loving relationship between them.
Who could predict that thirty days ago, when her life was in upheaval, when she was looking for a drastic change, when she couldn't figure out her own identity, that she would end up almost right back where she started. Only now, she was at peace with herself, content with the understanding of who she was - a half-Klingon, half-Human, engineer, warrior, and a lover to the most beautiful woman she had ever known.
The End
Author's Notes
1. Minor characters reference: "Roll Call" at http://people.delphi.com/jmcquinn/RC/index.html
2. Bristow, Freddy, Ensign: Has a crush on B'Elanna Torres. Is described, by Tom Paris, as "...tall, good looking." [The Swarm]
3. Marayna, the Holodeck character, from STV episode "Alter Ego." Harry fell in love with her, and she fell in love with Tuvok, who also finds her compelling, causing problems between the two men. It turned out that an alien humanoid tapped into her character. Reference: Delta Blues Reviews.
4. The Janeway factor placed in the story for those who see J/7 subtext, even though I don't. I like to tease.
5. qoH - epithet: a fool - at the qIb HeHDaq -- http://www.gcty.com/Athens/8853/curse.html
6. Reference to Star Trek Voyager episode: Resolutions, first indication of J/C, where Chakotay tells Janeway he's in love with her through a story.
7. Klingon mating rituals, first seen in TNG, then referred to subsequently in ST: Voyager episodes: Blood Fever & Infinite Regress.