Part 6 added on 17 October 2000
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: PG13
B'Elanna Torres was impatiently pacing the small space behind her console, her eyes locked on the main doors to engineering. The holo-simulation she and Harry had been working on had been completed successfully fifteen minutes earlier, and the two of them were now waiting for the return of Seven, who had gone to inspect flight tactical scenarios, a return that should have occurred eight minutes ago.
"Where is she?" B'Elanna demanded, coming to a stop infront of a patiently waiting Harry.
"She's only a couple of minutes late, it probably just took longer than she thought." Harry reasoned, his concern at the moment was more to do with getting something to eat. That was always one of the risks with working for long periods with either B'Elanna or Seven, neither seemed to ever stop for the normal things, like food or rest, when there was an emergency on. He wouldn't have been surprised to walk in this morning to find a camp bed and portable regeneration unit set up, so neither woman had to waste the time of going to their own quarters for the forced rest. "She might have stopped off for something to eat." Harry added, even though it was a stupid suggestion he thought it might just remind B'Elanna that mere mortals, such as himself, needed food.
"She said she'd only be thirty minutes." The agitated half klingon restarted her pacing, she didn't know why but Seven's unusual tardiness was making her feel uncomfortable. "Computer, what is the location of Seven of Nine?"
"Seven of Nine is in Cargo Bay 2." Came the computers feminine reply.
"See, she's just popped back home for a minute." Harry reassured, smiling he thought that if she wasn't too much longer they could finish the demonstration for the Captain, and still make it to the mess-hall before all the normal food had been taken. The way his stomach was starting to rumble he didn't think he could handle one of Neelix's delicacies, especially as they would be re-heated ones he had prepared before being assigned to pilot training. "I'll just ask her how long she's going to be."
"No!" B'Elanna got in quickly as the young man started to reach for his comm. badge. "I, erm," she tried desperately to find a reason for him not to contact Seven, even while at the same time trying to understand her own reasons for thinking it would be a bad idea. Then a part of Harry's previous conversation, a part she hadn't really been listening to, registered and she smiled, "I think we should just use this opportunity to take a break, I mean I don't know about you but I could do with something to eat."
Harry did a double take, he couldn't quite believe those words had come from the same workaholic he had known and admired all these years, there was definitely something odd going on around here today. "Sure B'Elanna, that sounds good, but what about Seven? Shouldn't I tell her we're taking a break?"
"Don't worry, I erm.. I need something from Cargo Bay 2 anyway, I'll just fetch it on my way to the mess-hall and inform Seven then." Without waiting for a reply B'Elanna started to walk out of engineering, but she did take a quick peek over her shoulder to make sure Harry was following, and that he didn't try and contact Seven.
On entering the cargo bay B'Elanna didn't at first see Seven, but then as she started to move towards the container racks on the left hand side, she heard a slight noise coming from behind the borg console. Still not seeing anything B'Elanna's apprehension grew, but then as she moved a little further towards the borg alcoves she saw her. Seven was sitting on the edge of the borg regeneration unit, her arms wrapped protectively around her knees and her head buried in her lap. Her posture alone was enough to concern B'Elanna, but it was the slight tremble in Seven's shoulders that had the half klingon racing to her side.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Came B'Elanna's quiet plea, she was kneeling infront of the obviously distraught woman, trying to get a look at Seven's face, but the other woman refused to look at her. "Please Seven, tell me." This last request was accompanied by a gentle caress of Seven's borg enhanced hand as it gripped tightly to her leg.
"Nothing." Was Seven's choked response.
Using her other hand B'Elanna reached up and began to lightly stroke Seven's hair, it was an unconscious gesture, something she remembered her father once doing to take away the pain of a nightmare, before his leaving caused them to become regular events. "It must be something Seven or you wouldn't be sitting her like this."
Seven's head shot up, her eyes were puffy and red, with the tear tracks obvious against her porcelain skin. "No! It is idiotic. I am idiotic." She then used her arm to wipe the moisture from her face. "I am borg, I shouldn't be concerned with these stupid human customs. All these emotions, they just make you weak, turn you into this." Here Seven pointed to her tear ravaged face. "I am sorry Lieutenant, I shall return to duty immediately."
"No Seven." B'Elanna said, managing to grab the fleeing woman before she could make good her escape, sitting her back down, B'Elanna took a seat next to the now quiet former drone. The half klingon, turning her body to face the younger woman, gently used her right hand to pull Seven's face up to look at her. "You are not idiotic, nor are you borg." Seeing the ocular implant raised at the last part of the statement B'Elanna couldn't stop her fingers from moving up to lightly trace the edge of the implant. "You were borg, now you're just, well just you." Seeing a trace of a smile fleetingly cross Seven's face, B'Elanna felt able to continue her questions. "Seven why were you crying? Please, I need to know."
"Ensign Paris kissed me." Seven almost whispered, her eyes drawn to the floor unable to look at the other woman as she admitted to what she was sure was an idiotic reason.
"What!" It was B'Elanna's turn to jump to her feet. "Did he hurt you? Seven you have to tell me, did he touch you?" Seven was rather startled at this response, but that was nothing compared to the shock she received as the fiery klingon continued. "I'll kill him. If he thinks he can hurt you like that and get away with it, I'll rip out his heart and let Neelix serve it up as an entree."
"Lieutenant! He didn't do anything." Seven cut in, the look in the klingon's eyes made her fear she would actually carry out her threat.
"Don't worry Seven he'll never touch you again, or anyone else." The homicidal woman turned to leave the cargo bay and make good on her threats.
"B'Elanna!" Seven caught hold of the retreating woman's hand and pulled her to a stop. "He didn't do anything. It, it was all just a mistake."
"What do you mean all? What else did he do?" B'Elanna still wasn't ready to call off her plan of revenge.
"Nothing Lieutenant, he just kissed me." Seeing the deadly look return when she mentioned the kiss, Seven tried to better explain the situation, even if she was uncertain about her own reactions to the events. "I believe Mr. Paris thought I had responded positively to his romantic overture. I was distracted and he mistook my responses for a willingness to enter into a physical relationship. I mean my willingness to allow him to kiss me." Seven quickly added as she saw the dangerous look sparkle back to life at the mention of the word physical. "It was only one small kiss, I left as soon as it happened. I over reacted, I am sorry Lieutenant."
"You've nothing to feel sorry for Seven." B'Elanna retook her seat, keeping hold of Seven's hand she cupped it in both of hers, hoping to convey her feelings through the connection. "But, if it was just a misunderstanding, why were you so upset?"
"I... " Seven looked down to their joined hands, hoping to be able to say this without sounding childish, she wanted B'Elanna to see her as a capable woman, someone who perhaps she could one day have feelings for. "I've never been kissed before, I, well the doctor and holonovels and most everyone else always said that a first kiss was meant to be special, I just wanted it to be that way for me too. Then when Paris kissed me, I thought that it was just another of life's pleasures that I would never get to have, and I guess it just reminded me of all the other things I never got to experience growing up. I just wanted this one thing to go right, to be able to share it with someone special, with... " Seven's voice trailed off.
"With who?" B'Elanna managed to ask gently, even though her klingon half was at that moment seething to get its hands on Tom and make him pay for taking away what should have been a joy for the beautiful young woman, a young woman who had already been denied so much.
"With you." Seven answered honestly.
B'Elanna just stared at the beautiful young woman before her, even though she had felt the closeness and attraction that had grown up around them over the last few weeks, it was still amazing to think that Seven would want to share with her a moment that she obviously thought very precious. The anger and worry she had been feeling since entering the cargo bay left, to be replaced with a burning sense of pride and happiness that enfolded her twin hearts. How B'Elanna wished she could have been the one to offer that first kiss, how she would have felt honoured to have been allowed that privilege, but through the thoughtlessness of another they were both forever denied that. "I would have very much liked that Seven."
Tentatively Seven reached out her free hand to trace along the half klingon's jaw, her fingers moving up to vaguely comb through the dark hair, marvelling in the silky texture. Watching as B'Elanna closed her eyes and moved in to the caress, Seven wanted so much to just reach down and place her lips on those of the other woman, but still she hesitant, unused to the idea of any of her dreams coming true.
As B'Elanna opened her eyes she saw the look of want mixed with trepidation that inhabited Seven's eyes. She wanted so much to just reach out and kiss her, but held back a moment not wanting to rush in, like Tom, before she was certain this was what Seven really wanted. Ever so slowly B'Elanna leaned forward, keeping her eyes fixed on the barely breathing blonde, then when she was a mere breath away from those tempting lips she stopped. "Yes?" She asked in a voice deep with want.
"Yes." Seven breathed, her reply caressing B'Elanna's face as their lips brushed softly against one another for the first time. The contact was so fleeting and delicate that for a moment Seven thought she may have imagined it, then those precious lips returned to give her another glimpse of perfection.
B'Elanna pulled away, her eyes searching Seven's face for a clue to how she was feeling, her own hearts were racing with built up passion, the tiny kiss having released a tidal wave of emotion within her, all of it focused of the woman infront of her.
Seven opened her eyes, not sure exactly when she had closed them, her index finger reaching up to gently touch her lips. "I was wrong."
B'Elanna felt her hearts constricting with those three words, to find what she thought was a special connection with Seven only to have her denounce it. The proud and fierce klingon felt tears starting to well up in her eyes, opening her mouth she was trying to think of something to say to change what had just happened, to make things perfect again.
Seeing B'Elanna about to speak, and the look that washed over her face, Seven reached out and placed her fingers over the other woman's lips. "I was wrong in that what Mr Paris did could not have been a kiss, what he did doesn't compare to what just happened." Having explained herself Seven took her fingers away from those oh so tempting lips, but she couldn't resist the urge to caress them once more with her thumb, the softness of them was so compelling. Her breath catching in her throat a those same lips parted to engulf the tip of her thumb in a kiss. Sliding her hand around to the back of B'Elanna's neck, Seven leaned in to once more taste the delicate lips for herself.
B'Elanna could feel her desire beginning to take hold as Seven's mouth once more sought hers, as their lips touched and she felt the pressure of the hand at her neck easing her forward, she opened her mouth to allow her tongue to gently graze the full lips. Seven's sharp intake of breath was soon followed by an opening of her mouth in invitation, an invitation that B'Elanna quickly accepted.
The velvety caress drew a whimper from deep in Seven's throat, her arms instinctively trying to pull her partners body closer, her need for contact growing with each brush of B'Elanna's tongue against her own. Her body was experiencing new sensations, sensations she wanted desperately to prolong and explore, while at the same time the shear magnitude of all these new feelings was overwhelming to the inexperienced woman.
The noises Seven was making were driving B'Elanna into a frenzy of desire, her hand reached down to caress Seven's thigh, moving up to her hip to pull the other woman even closer to her. The need to feel Seven's body under her was growing increasingly strong, the feel of the biosuit becoming an obstacle to the smooth skin she wanted to reach underneath. The need to make love to her beautiful, vulnerable, inexperienced, wonderful, former borg was getting so strong that B'Elanna knew she had to stop, stop now before things went too far. She didn't want to have to hold Seven again as she cried about another first time ruined, when it did happen, and she knew it would, then she was going to make sure it was something special. So easing back she ended the kiss, Seven's whimper of loss calling her back for one final brush of lips.
Feeling the kiss come to an end Seven opened her eyes, her body felt as if it was on fire, every part crying out for attention, attention that only B'Elanna could provide. As her breathing started to return to normal Seven felt grateful that B'Elanna had ended the kiss when she had, although her body was crying out for more, she didn't know if she was ready for any more right now. The kiss had been special, more than she could have imagined, and she wanted to explore her physical relationship with B'Elanna, but she just needed time to adjust to it, and she thought smiling, plenty more kisses.
Seeing the smile that lit up Seven's face, B'Elanna couldn't keep an equally enthusiastic one from her own, but as the desire slowly started to recede she once more became aware of her surroundings. Cargo bay 2 wasn't exactly the ideal place for a romantic encounter, the thought that someone could have walked in on them was very disturbing, she would really have to talk with the captain about providing Seven with some measure of privacy. "I'm sorry Seven, this wasn't exactly the most romantic place for our first kiss." Reaching up B'Elanna replaced a blonde lock into the bun from which it had escaped. "Next time, if you want a next time, I'll try to make it somewhere more special."
"This is somewhere special, or at least it is now." Seven reassured. "But next time you may choose the location if you wish."
B'Elanna smiled at the confirmation of a future, and already started to work on the problem of where to take a former borg drone on a date, but practical matters soon started to vie for attention. "Seven, as much as I don't want to we should be getting back to work, I told Harry we'd meet him in the mess-hall, he's probably half way through his second desert by now."
"Yes of course Lieutenant, shall we go." Still smiling Seven got ready to head back to work.
"Hold on a minute Seven," getting a clean handkerchief from her pocket B'Elanna began to wipe the last traces of the tears from the normally pale face, once satisfied that although still slightly red Seven's appearance was back to normal, B'Elanna couldn't resist reaching up and placing a quick kiss on the end of the surprised woman's nose, "okay, you're all set."
Lost for words Seven started walking towards the exit.
"Hold on, you called me B'Elanna." The half klingon suddenly remembered.
Seven looked back, but instead of speaking she just smiled an enigmatic smile and left the room, soon followed by a very pleased engineer.