Chapters 6 - 7 added on 21 Dec 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: NC17
Chapter 6
B'Elanna was nearly two hours into her climb feeling like life could not get any better than it was at that moment. The hike up the first part of the mountain was uneventful, but being surrounded by the undergrowth and trees she felt more alive than she had in months. The flora had started to thin out a bit as she progressed up the mountain, that was to be expected, but that meant that the trail became more challenging. At that point she had gotten to the fun part: the part where she had to scale over escarpments in order to keep going up.
Wearing a big grin on her face, she was free climbing an escarpment now. She knew that to free climb alone, even if the rock face wasn't vertical, the risks were ridiculously high. Maybe it was her Klingon side that liked to stick out its tongue at death and injury. She didn't know and at the moment she didn't care about it. She just knew that the sun felt great on her body, the air was clean, and her muscles were singing to be used so gloriously.
As she hoisted herself up the rock face she heard something out of place. She should have noticed it earlier but she had been so involved in her footing and her happiness that she wasn't surprised that she hadn't. She heard music. Maybe some of the crewmembers were up here already and had brought their own entertainment.
There was the sound of an acoustical guitar and a woman's voice. She found another handhold and lifted herself higher. She couldn't make out all the words yet but she was beginning to hear them more clearly as she got higher. The guitar accompaniment had been real soft, but suddenly sped up and got louder. At the same time the woman's voice burst through clearly. "Come on let it rain," the woman's voice pleaded "let it rain down on me. Let the rain fill my eyes, let the rain set me free. Let it rain down on me." The voice held that last note with heartbreaking sorrow. B'Elanna wondered as she pulled her self closer to the top of the ridge who would listen to such depressing music on shore leave.
The guitar had slowed down again to a simple rhythm and the voice began again after a few minutes, softer but still full of emotion. "Just inside the distance, I hear, the late September dogs. And so I beg for sleep, the child, who walked before she crawled." B'Elanna was almost to the top. The voice got stronger again, but not nearly that gut wrenching volume as before. "Damn my soul, that remembers, and clutches to this pain. The spear in your side, is me."
B'Elanna was startled when the guitar and voice went back the frenzied volume. This singer was pouring their pain completely into their song. "Come on let it rain, let it rain down on me! Let the rain touch my hands, let the rain set me free! Oh let it rain… Let the rain fill my eyes… I don't want to see! No! Let it rain down on me. Let it rain down on me." The voice held on to the last note as the guitar finished out the song.
B'Elanna pulled herself over the top to see Seven of Nine sitting the looking out over a cliff, next to a campfire, playing a guitar and humming the last few notes to the song. The Klingon froze in place, not wanting to interrupt, not knowing how she felt about seeing this. This was the woman she had regularly called an emotionless drone, a cold hearted Borg, the 'Ice Princess'. How could she have been so wrong?
B'Elanna's arms were beginning to shake from holding her in one place, so she had to raise herself over the edge. As she did a rock skittered off the edge and its sound drew the ex-drone out of her reverie. Seven's head whipped around to the sound, pinning the Klingon with a wounded gaze before she could pull back her impassive mask and turn back to face the horizon. But what B'Elanna had seen in the moment before the mask was enough. Seven's Borg mask could not hide the pain in her eyes or the flushed, tear-streaked face.
"B'Elanna Torres. Am I to assume your shore leave was so boring that you had to seek out the 'Ice Princess', to torment her?" Seven said with no inflection whatsoever, still facing away from the engineer.
B'Elanna had finished climbing over the ridge and was standing behind Seven. She stood there stunned at Seven's words. Why would Seven think she only wanted to hurt her? 'Maybe because you never gave her a chance and all you've ever done was insult her?' an inner voice growled at her. She hung her head down looking at the dirt and rocks at her feet, feeling she was worth less than the very dirt she was standing upon.
"No, Seven, I was just climbing. I didn't even know you were here," she finally answered. "And you're not an 'Ice Princess'."
"I find it interesting you would say that considering it was you who gave me that designation," Seven replied.
B'Elanna was feeling smaller by the moment. How did Seven know she had been the one to start that nickname? More importantly, when did she become such a petaQ to judge someone so quickly and spout cruelties before looking inside the person? She had known what it felt like to be ostracized for her differences all her life. Now she realized she was no better than those who had hurt her.
"Well, I was an honorless petaQ when I did that. I hope you can forgive me one day." B'Elanna finally stated firmly staring at her back.
Seven knew that it was a tremendous gesture for a Klingon to admit a wrong. She was weary though and didn't want to go through any emotional displays with the woman.
"You are forgiven. But I would like to be alone. Will you continue your climbing now?" the sorrowful blonde asked.
B'Elanna was so confused. She knew that Seven never lied, so when she said she was forgiven, it was absolute. How easily Seven had let the whole thing go. B'Elanna knew that if someone had hurt her so badly she wouldn't be so forgiving. She wanted to reach out and help the willowy blonde through whatever was hurting her. But she had been asked to leave. B'Elanna could also understand wanting to be alone with her pain.
"Yeah. I'll just get going then," she said. She settled her pack on her shoulders a bit. Turning to leave, she stopped. "But Seven… I want you to know your forgiveness now meant a lot to me. If there's ever anything you need, please ask. It would be my honor to help you."
After that she walked through the tidy camp to the next ridge and began climbing away from the woman who had just shaken her to her core. The first two escarpment were easy and before she knew it the former Borg was out of site. She sat down atop a convenient rock when she was far enough away, ate a ration and thought about all that had just occurred.
~~~~~
Seven got up from her perch on the edge on the rock-face after B'Elanna had left. She carried her guitar to its case then went to collect a nutritional supplement. She sat down next to the campfire and drank her supplement. Collecting a carving she had been working on in her free hand, she stared into the lines of grain. After a short while she saw where she would begin carving again. Finishing her supplement, she started carving bringing her vision out of the wood.
~~~~~
B'Elanna was half a kilometer higher than Seven free-climbing a sheer face. She was sure it was only about 8 meters high. Her confidence was back and she figured she could make it halfway up the mountain before having to start repelling back down. The sun was only just reaching it's high point for the day, so she knew she had at least two more hours before she had to head down.
She reached up for the next handhold on her right, shifting her weight to the left. At that exact moment her left foothold collapsed. The rock she had chosen must have been unstable because the whole area around her foot sheered off. Since she was free-climbing, her harness was attached to nothing, she had no ropes, no carabineers. The abrupt shift was much more than she could compensate for with two weak focus points. Time seemed to slow down as she began a free-fall.
She shot her right hand forward desperately trying to find anything to hold, but all she managed to do was get her pinky nail ripped back. Her momentum was carrying her to her left and she saw the last ridge she had stood upon approaching quickly. She tried to turn so that she would fall on her back, but it was too late.
As she hit the ridge she heard the sickening crunch of her arm being broken. Pain flared through her arm and she distantly realized that she was screaming. Gently, she rolled her weight off the now limp and useless appendage. When she finally lay on her back looking up at the sky she tried to pick up her arm and found it unresponsive. Her shoulder must have gotten dislocated too.
Sweat was trickling down her face, pouring down her chest. She was heaving in breaths trying her best to get air and calm down. She was trembling with the surges of adrenaline. She finally felt up to lifting her head to look at her arm. The first thing she saw were bloody bones sticking out of her forearm. Then she noticed her elbow was already swollen to twice its normal size, it might be broken too. She had no way of finding out since she didn't even have a tricorder on her.
"Kahless on a crutch!" she fumed.
Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her comm. badge and activated it. "Torres to Voyager."
"Voyager here. What can we do for you B'Elanna?" came the all too cheery voice of Chakotay.
"I need beam out. To sickbay please." She responded.
She waited for the dematierlization, but it never came.
"B'Elanna, we can't get a lock on you. There's interference from the minerals around you. Can you come a little closer?" He asked.
"No," she growled back. "I was rock climbing. I fell and broke my arm. I can't climb back down with one arm!"
"Okay B'Elanna. Calm down. We'll get you out of there. Let me check if there's anyone near you and if not we'll beam a team in as close as possible to come get you."
'Kahless' she thought. 'He's going to ask Seven.' She closed her eyes with the frustration of the situation.
"B'Elanna, you're in luck. Seven's not too far from you and she knows where the closest beam out point is. She's coming up to get you now."
"Wonderful. Great. Thanks." She responded dripping with sarcasm. He couldn't know that what she was feeling was guilt for having to disturb the blonde again.
"B'Elanna, be nice. She is helping you after all. Voyager out." He cut off communications leaving her with her own thoughts and pain.
~~~~~
"Voyager to Seven" the comm. badge announced inside Seven's tent.
Seven had just finished her last carving and was once again sitting on the edge of the mountain. She turned her head when she heard her badge chirp. She got up and strode towards her tent when she heard Chakotay's voice. As she entered her tent and reached down for her badge it came to life again.
"Voyager to Seven, please respond."
"Seven here Commander. I apologize for the delay. How may I assist you?" she said into the little badge. She exited her tent with the badge in hand so that she could stand up fully. She was still in her casual clothes and had been enjoying the sun on her body. If she was needed back at Voyager she would need to return to her biosuit, so she was soaking up as much sun and wind as she could while waiting for him to respond. Her shorts were short, not even reaching mid-thigh, and she was wearing a Starfleet issue tank top. After getting sun for the last four days she was sure that she had the first tan-lines of her entire life.
"B'Elanna has injured herself a half kilometer from you. We can't get a transport lock on her on that mountain. She needs to be brought within transporter range. Would you be willing to go help her?" Chakotay was a little timid of the response even though he knew that Seven would always do whatever she could to help any of her crewmates.
"I am aware that transporters cannot lock here. It is interference from the magnetite in the mountain. I will retrieve her, but I am not sure we can make it to the nearest transporter range by nightfall. What are her injuries?" she asked him.
"She said she had a broken arm," he replied.
"In that case I know we will not be able to make it to range by nightfall. But I have an emergency medical kit here at my camp. If she is agreeable, and her injuries allow, we can stay at my camp through the night and then I will bring her the rest of the way in the morning," she told him. "I can sedate her through the night if necessary."
"Thanks Seven. It seems like you are well prepared and have everything covered. Call us if you need a team to come get you. We can send a crew with emergency lighting if needed."
"I will 'call' if we need you, Commander," She replied. "Nevertheless I think we will not need it. I will leave now to retrieve the Lieutenant."
*"OK. Thanks again Seven. Voyager out."
Seven placed the comm. badge over her left breast on the tank top. Leaning into her tent she withdrew her back pack. Reaching into the pack she withdrew everything she thought would be necessary for the climb. She stepped into her harness and adjusted it tightly around her waist and thighs. Her harness belt had two straps that came over her shoulders like suspenders where she could store carabineers and other things.
She pulled a hypospray and two vials out of the med kit and stored them in the pouches on the front right side. She strapped her tricorder to a spot in the small of her back on the left and her phaser in the corresponding spot on the right. Finally she retrieved all of her rope, storing some on her belt and the rest over her shoulder. Her supplies all gathered, she set off in the direction that B'Elanna had left hours earlier.
Chapter 7
B'Elanna lay on her back trying not to think about the throbbing pain in her arm. At first when Chakotay had told her Seven was the one coming to her rescue, she had felt ashamed. Not only was she uncertain about wanting to be touched by the beautiful ex-drone, but she still felt bad for the misery she had brought to the surface. She was embarrassed, too. Of all the people to see her so vulnerable, why did it have to be Seven?
However, that was at least an hour and two lapses of consciousness ago. Now, she was just wishing Seven would hurry up. She was currently thinking about their earlier encounter. Everything about the meeting had been eye opening. While finding Seven on the mountain had been a surprise, the professional camp site had been a bigger surprise. She wondered how long Seven had been there.
Then there was the music. Sure she had heard Seven sing outside of Voyager, but that was just a happy work song. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she had been surprised then. In truth, she thought the blonde had one of the most beautiful voices she had ever heard.
The song she was singing today, however, was totally different. It was heartbreaking and sung much lower. After hearing the two songs she figured the blonde must have an awesome range. B'Elanna realized today's song was also different because of the guitar. Where had Seven learned to play guitar? Certainly not on the Cube. And why would she? Obviously, partly to accompany herself. And that thought brought B'Elanna back to Seven's heartache. What had hurt her so badly?
Two weeks ago, B'Elanna would not have believed Seven had a life outside of equations and efficiency. Now, she realized how much of an ass she had been for thinking like that. She vowed to improve her thinking. She would get to know the person inside of Seven, if given a chance.
She turned her head again to give a different side of her face a chance to sweat and fry like the other had been doing. She had long since closed her eyes because the sun was too bright, but, when she faced this way, she would open them now and then to look out at the mountain range.
She supposed it was the same view that Seven had been drinking in all this time. She wondered how long she had been up on the mountain. 'You certainly can't tell by looking her camp' B'Elanna thought. It was clean, like it had just been set up. She knew though that Seven had started her leave a few days before her. Seven was nothing if not neat.
That was one of the other surprises this morning. Seeing the tall woman's hair cascading down freely. Kahless it was long and glorious. Why does she wear it in a bun? B'Elanna was sure it was a crime to keep that hair up in such a rigid style. On top of that she was wearing casual civilian clothes. B'Elanna had been so dumbfounded by the whole situation that she had not taken a real good look. However she knew that the blonde only wore a tank top. She had never seen Seven in anything but one of those damned form fitting biosuits, and the difference was amazing. Seven had looked remarkably comfortable; so much more Human.
B'Elanna was fading again. She could feel it creeping up on her this time. The last time she had fought it by biting her lip. Hard. She still had passed out, so she decided to just let it happen this time.
~~~~~
Seven was on a ridge just below B'Elanna. She had called out for the Lieutenant moments before and had gotten no response. Concerned, she scaled the last escarpment very quickly without any equipment. She was a 'natural' she supposed, but having a Borg-enhanced left hand came in handy sometimes. She could always drive her fingers into any surface if there wasn't a handhold.
The ridge was very narrow so she had to stand straddling the Klingon as she reached back for her tricorder. It showed a slightly elevated heart rate, which she could already hear, but it would appear the woman was just passed out. She ran the tricorder over the obviously injured arm and frowned at the readings. Broken arm indeed. The Lieutenant's shoulder was dislocated, her elbow was fractured in at least three places, her ulna was broken, and the radius was broken and protruding through the skin. It looked like clotting had set in and she wasn't losing more blood. Unfortunately, the loss was already making her weak, and she would lose more when Seven set the break .
Seven had brought two medicines and was now glad for her foresight. She had planned on giving the Klingon just the analgesic for the trip back. Now, it appeared the sedative would be in order as well. She administered half of the analgesic and began planning how to fix the major injuries before climbing back down to camp. All without the caramel-skinned beauty's assistance.
Five meters away to her right was another ridge with a small tree growing out of it. That would be a good start.
~~~~~
The blonde was almost through with her preparations when B'Elanna started coming around. She had built a small, modified litter that she could strap the Lieutenant to and then carry on her back. It would mean that B'Elanna would have to be completely immobilized, with her knees bent so that her legs weren't hanging too far down. It would not be comfortable, but the Klingon wouldn't be awake for it anyway.
B'Elanna grunted and her eyes opened. Her first vision was of Seven's beautiful face looking down upon her, the sun behind her head creating a halo, azure eyes staring into her own. 'Kahless, an angel' was her first thought. In her pained, dehydrated, and semi-conscious state, it was an easy mistake. Only when she noticed the implant did she start to conceive that it was Seven standing above her.
"Seven. Glad you could make it to my little party," she croaked out. Her throat and mouth were really dry.
"Party indeed," Seven responded. She reached around her belt and pulled out a small canteen. Kneeling astraddle the woman, she lifted B'Elanna's head gently and brought the water to her mouth. B'Elanna lustily drank every bit she was offered, but the blonde seemed to be doling it out in small amounts.
"Thanks," the Klingon said as Seven lowered her head softly back onto the rock. "What's the plan?"
"I will reset your shoulder in a moment if you think you can take that. I will also need a few strips of your shorts as bandages when I set your arm temporarily. Then, I will immobilize your arm, tie you to this litter, and carry you down to the camp," Seven responded plainly.
B'Elanna blinked at Seven's response. "Litter? Carry me? I… Seven, I just don't see how you can do that."
"I assure you Lieutenant, I am capable of bearing your weight. My Borg armor plating massed more than you," Seven replied with her eyebrow lifted high onto her forehead. "Now may I have your permission to rip you shorts? I would choose my own, but as you can see, yours are much longer and the material more suitable for bandages."
B'Elanna was just too tired to argue with the blonde over her ridiculous plan. And the bandages were a necessity so she responded, "Sure. Rip away, oh tall one."
Seven smirked at the strange interaction and proceeded to precisely cut away strips from the bottom of each short leg using a modification of her left hand. Once she was done she laid them to the side. It was time to start.
"I believe we should start with your arm. I have some more analgesic and a sedative. Would you prefer I sedate you now or later?" Seven asked.
"You're not going to need the sedative. I can take the pain. Just give me the analgesic," B'Elanna growled and glared at the woman straddling her.
"Very well, Lieutenant." Seven leaned down and pushed the hypospray against the fallen woman's neck, releasing the last of the analgesic. She looked squarely into B'Elanna's eyes and said, "I apologize Lieutenant. This will hurt."
"Just do it," B'Elanna growled.
Quickly, she reached out, tenderly grasping the broken arm. With both her hands, she grabbed the wrist and just above the elbow. She pulled firmly until the bone slid back into the skin and she could feel it click into place. At first B'Elanna was screaming. Then, curiously, she fell silent. Seven looked at her face when she had a second, B'Elanna had passed out. Putting her right hand in place over the wound to hold it secure, she retrieved the other hypospray and administered the sedative.
~~~~~
When B'Elanna awoke, she was in a tent and it was night. Temporarily, she couldn't remember how she got there, or even where 'there' was. She inhaled deeply and felt pain radiate through her arm, starting at the elbow. That jarred her memory of the fall, but she still couldn't figure out how she got in the tent.
She lifted her head to look around. She was under a Starfleet emergency blanket. Using her right hand, she lifted the blanket off to see if she could get a look her arm. Underneath the blanket, she was dressed and the arm was covered. She could feel that it was in a sling and the sling was somehow wrapped tightly against her chest. However, she couldn't see it under the oversized white chamois shirt she was wearing. Even the empty shirt sleeve was tucked in absurdly neatly.
She sat up on the mattress. She looked around realizing that she must be in Seven's camp. Which would mean she was in Seven's tent and bed. But where's Seven? She could smell the light scent of vanilla somewhere and wondered if the blonde was cooking. So she trained her gaze in the direction of the fire, and finally saw the back of the willowy woman sitting next to it.
She took a moment to just study Seven undisturbed. She wasn't sitting in that painfully erect position she normally took. Instead, she was cross-legged and was rather slouched. Her platinum hair was down again and blowing freely in the breeze. 'She really should wear it down' B'Elanna thought. 'It's beautiful.' The woman didn't appear to be doing anything other than staring off into the night.
B'Elanna threw off the blanket to find her legs covered in a comically long pair of sweat pants. 'At least I had my own underwear and socks' she thought with a grin. She could now see her shorts neatly folded in the other corner next to her shoes and backpack. 'Camping is NOT supposed to be so clean' she mused. She rolled off the mattress and exited the tent. Seven didn't stir at the noise, merely saying "Good evening, Lieutenant."
"Kahless Seven! We're on shore leave, you rescue my butt off a mountain, fix me up, dress me in your clothes, and you're still calling me 'Lieutenant'." She laughed at the woman's formality. "Please call me 'B'Elanna'."
Seven turned her head and examined the Klingon to see if she was being mocked. Surprisingly, the woman seemed sincerely jovial and was walking up to sit beside her. "As you wish B'Elanna."
"So… Thanks for fixing me up and getting me down. I owe you one Seven."
"You are welcome, B'Elanna. No doubt you have noticed I could not 'fix' your elbow. I am afraid the Doctor needs to heal that wound. However your shoulder and forearm should be fine." Seven said all this quietly before looking at B'Elanna. "I apologize for having to undress you while you were unconscious. I was afraid that the temperatures were getting too low especially for your physiology. I do hope my clothes are satisfactory."
"Uh, yeah. They're actually kinda comfy, if not way too big. And I'm glad you gave them to me. It is a bit cold out here." The subject matter was vaguely embarrassing for both of them. B'Elanna wasn't used to being taken care of by anyone and Seven had felt an all too familiar sense of arousal while dressing the lithe warrior.
"So," B'Elanna decided to change the subject. "I didn't know you liked climbing and camping. Have you been up here for your whole leave?"
"Yes," Seven replied. "I felt a need to get away from Voyager and some of its inhabitants. I thought that a place like this could give me the solitude I needed to work out some 'issues.'"
"Damn. I'm sorry, Seven. And here I come and interrupt you twice in one day. But I can always get someone else to come up and get me tomorrow if you just want to stay." B'Elanna didn't know what to say or do. Even her accident had been a slap in the blonde's face it seemed.
"It is 'all right.' I was planning on leaving the day after tomorrow anyway. One less day will not ruin my time. I believe I have been away long enough anyway." Seven was uncomfortable even vaguely talking about why she was up here. It reminded her of the fact that she had been used so thoroughly by the Captain. "I believe you should partake of a nutritional supplement now that you are awake, B'Elanna."
The Klingon made a face before she could stop herself. Then, she peeked at Seven. She had seen the liquid lunch the Doctor had programmed for the former drone and it didn't look very appetizing at all.
"Do not worry, B'Elanna. They are not as bad as you might think. In fact with your sweet tooth I think you will like my version." Seven was telling her this as she retrieved a pouch with a pre-measured supplement. She sat back down and handed the drink to B'Elanna. The Klingon eyed the pouch, then Seven, suspiciously. She shrugged and took a small sip. As the thick drink hit her tongue, her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"It tastes like a chocolate milkshake!" B'Elanna exclaimed staring at Seven in disbelief. "You mean all this time I thought you were suffering through one of the Doctor's bad brews, and you were drinking this?"
"No. It was 98 days after the Doctor designed that supplement that I discovered milkshakes. Their consistencies were similar enough that after some careful research I was able to alter his original supplement to taste better. He has yet to discover my reprogramming though, so I would appreciate you not letting him know. Or telling Mr. Paris as that would accomplish the same thing." Seven grinned knowingly at the Klingon. "I do not wish to hurt his feelings."
B'Elanna laughed out loud. "Good point, Seven. And nice trick." She smiled at Seven and went back to the supplement. She realized that now was as good a time as any to start with her promise. "So, did you manage to work out your issues then?"
Seven looked up at B'Elanna with a pained look in her eyes, then looked back into the night. "No. I do not think I will be able to. I will just have to adapt." She finally responded.
"I've never seen you this sad Seven," She started slowly. "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen you before today. I think I was too busy resenting your outward perfection to notice the feeling person inside you, and, I'm sorry for that." She paused and looked at Seven. "I made a promise to myself today to get to know you better and to stop being such a targ to you. I hope you'll let me. Get to know you that is." 'There' she thought, ' I put myself out there, please don't stomp me down.'
Seven was surprised to say the least. She didn't think she would ever be able to understand this woman completely. Just when she was getting used to less fighting, the hybrid threw her off-balance again and seemed to be offering… friendship? Right now she wasn't sure if her heart could take another 'friend'. Not after the way her 'friend', the Captain, had treated her. However, she really did admire the feisty woman next to her. She was one of the few people on the ship as intelligent as herself. She also came close to being as strong. She decided that she would 'roll her dice' as Mr. Paris would say.
"I think I would like that, B'Elanna," Seven finally answered. "It would be nice to know you better as well. I have enjoyed our less adversarial relationship lately."
B'Elanna just grinned. "Yeah. It's nice to be putting the engine room in order instead going to the Doc to get us put back together." Sobering somewhat she asked, "So do you want to tell me what's bothering you? Why climb a mountain and wail heartbreaking songs? It sometimes helps to talk you know."
Seven raised her eyebrow at the Klingon. "It occurs to me that you are not usually the first one to talk about your emotions B'Elanna." The engineer had the good grace to look abashed. "However, in this case, I suppose an outside perspective would be helpful. I have never been in a situation like this before and the new emotions are… unsettling."
"What kind of situation, Seven?" B'Elanna asked.
"I recently had my first sexual experience. The emotions that came with the experience are much more difficult than I anticipated." Seven wasn't sure how much she could say without breaking down into tears again. B'Elanna on the other hand was astounded, not expecting such a revelation.
"Well, I guess I've got to ask why the emotions are so difficult. You don't look like you fell in love with the guy," B'Elanna said.
"I probably could have fallen in love with her. I felt a connection before that experience. However, it turns out she was just using me. Afterwards, she told me I was a 'one night stand' and that I could never be anything more to her." A brief flash of that conversation ran through Seven's head. She quickly relived those painful moments of the Captain explaining the fact that they could never be together again. That Seven was just a fling and the only thing the Captain really loved was her ship, her command. A single tear escaped her eye and slid down her alabaster cheek.
B'Elanna was temporarily stupefied by the revelation that Seven's 'first' had been a woman. Then she felt an overpowering sense of anger at whomever could have abused an innocent like Seven. "What kind of ghuy'cha' petaQ would take your virginity on a fling, Seven? Who did this?" She demanded.
"I should not say, B'Elanna. It does not matter now. All I want to know is what to do with all this pain, and how to deal with seeing her again, because I will." Seven said all this sadly looking into the fire.
B'Elanna felt crushed by the sorrow in the blonde's voice. Looking at her valiantly struggling to hold it all in, the engineer just wanted to reach out and hold the fragile woman. Giving in to the impulse, she scooted over as close as she could and reached her good arm around Seven's shoulder. Then, B'Elanna pulled her into a sideways hold and guided Seven's head down onto her shoulder. As if given permission, Seven finally released the tears and sobbed.
"Seven, I don't know what this slime of a woman told you, but you deserved better than this. She shouldn't have done this to you. I don't know what to tell you other than it's going to hurt for a while. But it won't always be like this. There are better experiences than that. And if you ever feel bad after seeing her, well, maybe you can come and talk to me, or we can go do something to take your mind off it. Okay?" B'Elanna was busy running her hand through the soft blonde hair when the blonde nodded. She stopped and squeezed Seven's head tight to her shoulder.
Continued in next part ....