It has been seven years since we got stranded in the Delta Quadrant; it is inevitable that the crew would be paired off by now. Six years is a long time and add fifty plus years is even longer to wait. Away from home and loved ones…
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"I wonder what the Captain is talking about to Seven" B'Elanna glanced over to the table in the mess hall where Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway sat.
"I dunno , the meaning of life perhaps?" B'Elanna's husband, Lt. Tom Paris sat opposite.
He was wolfing down his hamburger and fries with great vigour. He paused only when he noticed B'Elanna was still looking in the same direction."Why are you so interested?" B'Elanna never really talked about the Captain.
"I'm not" B'Elanna said quickly and stabbed her fork into the steak on her plate.
"Then what was that about?" Tom looked at the half-Klingon who was lost in thought. She had barely touched her food and was just picking at it half heartedly. There was definitely something off.
"Nothing , just drop it!" B'Elanna snapped slamming her fork further. The plate cracked as the downward pressure fractured the surface. The contents flew everywhere causing a commotion. The hall was now enveloped in an atmosphere of silence as all eyes were now focused on them.
"Geez, sorry for asking" Tom uttered under his breath, taken back by what had just happened. B'Elanna seemed more than a little tense and people staring made it worse.
"I'm sorry Tom" B'Elanna stood up suddenly. She stormed out the mess hall leaving Tom to finish off his meal alone. He sat astounded as the noise of the mess hall grew louder.
What am I doing? B'Elanna marched at full pace I don't even know where I'm going!
"Lieutenant Torres" The authorative voice rang from her comm badge.
B'Elanna stopped and sighed. She slowly reached up and pressed the badge.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Please see me in my Quarters" Captain Janeway barked
B'Elanna felt dread dwell in the pit of her stomach, what would the Captain think, let alone say to her?
She paced to the turbo lift manoeuvring past the blur of faces. She was in no mood for small talk with the other members of Voyager. It was a small enough ship to hear the information within nano-seconds of it happening.
B'Elanna entered the turbo lift and closed her eyes, but was aware that she not alone.
"Captains Quarters" The computer beeped in recognition.
"Tom!" B'Elanna eyes snapped open. She quickly faced towards him on the other side of the lift and looked away. She didn't feel like explaining herself to him.
"B'Elanna I uh-"Tom muttered but stopped in mid sentence as the doors slid open revealing the Captain's quarters.
An awkward silence crept in, B'Elanna stared past in the distance as Tom fidgeted on the spot
"Ladies first" Tom remarked dryly as the doors to the Captain's quarters opened.
Captain Kathryn Janeway looked at the couple stumbling in like lost school children entering the principal's office. She stood by the replicator and smiled warmly at them.
"Would you like anything before we start?"
"B'Elanna and Tom glanced at each other sheepishly.
"No I'm fine" B'Elanna replied looking at the Captain who stood patiently.
"Tom?"
" I'm fine… also" he repeated sarcastically folding his arms defensively.
"Well if you two don't mind I think I will have a cup of replicator fresh coffee" Kathryn shrugged.
"Coffee…Black" She commanded with her husky voice and in seconds a cup of coffee materialised from the replicator. She held the cup as if it had always been there and sipped deeply into the bitter aroma.
"You can sit down you know" Kathryn signalled to the chairs as she made herself comfortable.
"No that's ok I'm fine like this" Tom quipped staying in his defensive stance.
"Suit yourself" Kathryn remained unchallenged.
B'Elanna sat impatiently, she could not stay quiet for long as the tension began to invade her personal space. Tom was really beginning to grate at her.
"Captain, What do wish to speak to us about?" B'Elanna could not hide the inflection of annoyance in her voice
Kathryn set her coffee down on the black and white glass table and looked up at them.
"Anything you wish to tell me, either of you?" she wasted no time to getting to point.
The tension mounted as the uncomfortable silence took hold.
"Well?" Kathryn crossed her legs, picked up her coffee and raised it to her pursed lips. Looking at them both she added to remind them" I can wait here all day"
Tom eyed B'Elanna and then the Captain, his palms moist with the perspiration because of the situation. He felt as if he was about to burst as his face went a shade of crimson.
"I don't know what I am here, I haven't done anything wrong" He looked at the Captain defiantly.
"Noted Tom, B'Elanna?" Kathryn's azure eyes met with hers.
B'Elanna looked downwards struggling to get the words she wanted to say.
Kathryn sighed and massaged her growing pain from her head. The coffee wasn't strong enough to prepare her for the problems of the day ahead.
"It doesn't bode well when two of my senior officers make a private matter public in front most of the crew making a fool of each other. It is a small ship and we must learn to get past our difficulties, because it's a long way home. I understand that marriages will have their hiccups so that is why I have given you both the opportunity to get things out in the open."
B'Elanna felt her blood boil, the Captain were treating them like children!
"Captain, is that why you put us here in front of you, to have marital counselling!?" she snapped with rage putting her fists to the seat.
Kathryn raised an eyebrow, standing up from where she was seated she turned around. "No, but that was only a suggestion"
B'Elanna's eyes widened, she did not know what to say back to the Captain. The Captains facial expression diminished as she faced B'Elanna and Tom.
"Actually, you're both here due to the fact that Mr. Neelix had to clean up after your...incident." She picked up a PADD from her table and guided her hand across it.
"What!? That was B'Elanna!" Tom protested.
"I'm aware of that Mr. Paris but you was nowhere to be seen 3 minutes after the incident according to this report" Kathryn glanced at him and tapped the PADD. "It states that after Lt. B'Elanna Torres-Paris left the Mess hall at 14.07 hours that Lt. Tom Eugene Paris left approximately 14.10 hours. Everything was left as it was.
"I don't believe this.." Tom put a hand to his face and groaned. What was the Captain thinking? - She knew that he had to pick up his daughter Miral in 15 minutes.
"Don't forget I was there Tom" Kathryn reminded
B'Lanna couldn't believe it either, the Captain pulling them in over something so petty. She had a warp engine to upgrade and maintain not listen to this lecture.
"Captain, may I speak off the record?" B'Elanna tried to remain semi calm but the more she thought about it the more annoyed she got.
"Yes?"
"I think this is ridiculous!" B'Elanna exclaimed
"What is?" Kathryn questioned, she saw no flaws in her own reasoning.
"This. Pulling us in over something so.. small"
Kathryn pushed the temples of her forehead and sighed heavily the coffee was running out and so was her patience.
", you're dismissed" she muttered
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Tom piped, relieved that he did not have to face Captain Janeway's wrath and pick up Miral from Harry in time. He walked out the door with a beaming smile to his wife.
Kathryn stood towering over B'Elanna silently contemplating her next move. Was she right? Had she been too strict? Was she not seeing the real issue?
In her head Kathryn thought she was right and doing the just thing. She had to listen to everyone's grievances not just the Bridge but maybe she was not being attentive enough. She was pleased with Ex-Borg Seven of Nine's progress to regain her humanity and the ship's route back home but maybe she was not giving enough attention to other issues. She thought this might the case and stepped towards the Chief engineer.
"B'Elanna what's the matter?" she finally voiced with genuine concern
B'Elanna was surprised, she not expected the Captain to ask her that at this moment. She was expecting some form of disciplinary action not pity.
"Is it the workload? Stress from trying to complete the Warp engine Slip drive calibrations?
"No, the work is fine" B'Elanna replied matter-of-factly
"I think recently has been tough, especially on you B'Elanna" Kathryn disagreed and walked slowly towards her.
"I can handle it, there is nothing wrong!" She stood and motioned towards the Captain. She saw Kathryn look in a way she could not put her finger on.
Kathryn put a solitary hand on her shoulder "I think I can forget about the 'incident' if you tell me what is really going on. I can't help otherwise" her voice cracked for an instant, her eyes looking straight at B'Elanna's.
B'Elanna gazed, she didn't know what was wrong. What were these feelings that was bottled up inside? The emotions that spurred her on, she couldn't muster into words. She felt helpless as the Captains words touched her in a way she never predicted. It was as if that she was the only person on the ship that mattered.
"Captain" a voice interrupted from Janeway's comm badge.
"Yes Chakotay, go ahead" she tapped the badge and looked up.
"We need you at the Bridge, there is something that you might want to see"
"I'll be there shortly" she firmly replied.
Kathryn put her PADD down on the table of black and white. It looked like she wasn't going to find out any time soon.
"B'Elanna I need you back in engineering, we'll continue this later" she gave a flash of a smile before a more serious look gripped her. She had put her Captain persona back on as Kathryn disappeared into submission.