B'Elanna sat tensely in her chair, straining to hear the conversations around her to discover if she was the topic of any of them. She thought she had heard her name tossed around a few times and was determined to figure out who it was and what they said.
"B'Elanna, relax," Kathryn said from her seat across the table. "Everything's fine."
"People are talking. About us."
"People are bound to talk because it's what people do. And most of it probably isn't about us anyway."
"I don't know how you're so damn calm about being the subject of gossip," B'Elanna muttered.
"I'm the captain; I'm used to it. Besides, they don't mean any harm by it. It's just idle chatter, and they'll move on when something more interesting comes along."
"Good. I don't like being stared at."
An assault of colour out of the corner of her eye announced the arrival of Neelix at the couple's table, resplendent as usual in his brightly-patterned apron and carrying a tray of dishes.
"Captain, Lieutenant, I hope you enjoyed your dinner?"
"It was wonderful, Neelix, thank you." The cook was positively beaming at the captain's praise.
"Yes, it was very nice, Neelix, but what were those little blue, rubbery things mixed in it?" B'Elanna asked hesitantly, almost certain she didn't want to know the answer.
"Oh, it's a little delicacy I picked up a few weeks back that's traditionally eaten raw, but I thought for the somewhat weaker stomachs that the crew seem to have, it would be better boiled and served with that stew. I think the closest thing in Earth cuisine would be… calamari?"
B'Elanna suppressed a grin as she saw Kathryn suddenly gulp and reach hurriedly for her glass. "Thanks, it was… delicious."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Neelix seemed oblivious to Kathryn's sudden queasiness as he began placing the dishes from his tray onto the table before them. "I thought you might also like a small dessert – Raspberry cheesecake. It seems quite popular with the rest of the crew, though I can't say I care for it much myself. It's a little too bland for my taste. Although, if I mixed a few of my Talaxian spices in there…"
"I'm sure it will be perfect the way it is," Kathryn assured him with a smile.
"Well then, I'll let you two enjoy the rest of your evening." He turned to go, but paused before he had taken a step. "Oh, and before I forget," he placed a small fortune cookie in front of each of the women, "I found out yesterday about these lovely little things. You break it open, and it reveals your future! Wonderful, isn't it?" Still chuckling to himself about the novelty of such items, he finally left them to begin meandering his way back to the kitchen.
B'Elanna watched Kathryn examine her cheesecake carefully before digging into it, as though to ensure Neelix hadn't followed through on his threat to 'improve' it. "I never knew you had such a weak stomach."
"There are some things my digestive system simply won't learn to get along with."
"You should have seen when he first made me a blood pie for the Day of Honour. I thought I had a pretty strong stomach until then." All of a sudden, she leaned across the table and ran her thumb over the corner of Kathryn's lips. "Bit of cheesecake right there," she explained.
"I'll be more careful then." Kathryn picked up one of the fortune cookies and began turning it over in her hand. "What do you think the odds are that it's accurate in predicting my fate?"
"Depends how vaguely they word it, I guess."
Kathryn snapped the cookie open and held up the slip of paper inside. "One of your heart's desires will soon come to pass," she read.
"Does that mean you'll get Voyager home soon?"
"Must be. I already have my heart's other desire." She grinned at B'Elanna and saw her blush, then scooped up a forkful of cheesecake. "And I have you," she said as she slid the fork into her mouth.
"Tease." B'Elanna pointed her cake-filled fork at Kathryn's plate, dropping a dollop of it onto the table. "Are you going to finish that?"
"Yes. What does your cookie say?"
"It doesn't matter. It's all a bunch of superstitious nonsense anyway."
"But I want to know."
With a sigh, B'Elanna snapped open the cookie and picked out the piece of paper. She stared at it for a minute than pocketed it without a word. Kathryn waited expectantly.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"What did it say?"
"I told you I don't even like those things. I'm surprised you're so interested in fortune-predicting foodstuffs."
"I like to see when they're wrong."
They finished their dessert in comfortable silence, then after assuring Neelix that they had indeed enjoyed the cake and didn't think it needed any flavour enhancements of any kind, they made their way towards the nearest turbolift.
"Nightcap?" Kathryn offered.
"Sure."
Kathryn instructed the lift as to their destination, then said, "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it? Our first date out in the open for anybody to see." B'Elanna merely grunted in acquiescence. "The warp core didn't explode; the universe didn't fall apart," Kathryn continued, "and I don't think anyone there disapproved. Your fears were unfounded after all."
"I wasn't afraid," B'Elanna argued, "I just don't feel it's anybody's business who I'm dating or not and I'm not going to flaunt it in front of everybody."
"Oh, I'm something to flaunt, am I?"
"Definitely. No one else on the ship is lucky enough to have you."
"No one else on the ship is you."
As they neared Kathryn's door, B'Elanna began to feel inexplicably nervous. She'd been inside Kathryn's quarters before, of course; she knew them as well as she knew her own by now. As she watched Kathryn punch in the door code, she wondered if it was a sense of the evening ending that made her anxious. She hadn't exactly been relaxed in the mess hall, but she'd enjoyed herself nonetheless. She always enjoyed time spent with Kathryn.
"Are you coming in or not?" Kathryn asked. "If you're going to just daydream you'd be more comfortable on the couch." B'Elanna followed her in, grinning sheepishly. "What would you like?" Kathryn asked, heading for the replicator.
"Uh…" She watched Kathryn's hips swaying enticingly as she walked, and suddenly found it difficult to come up with an appropriate answer to the innocent question. "I don't know. What were you going to have?"
"I was going to suggest coffee, but some people have been trying to get me to cut back," Kathryn said pointedly. "Are you alright, B'Elanna? You looked distracted."
"Just a little," B'Elanna admitted.
"Am I distracting you?" Kathryn asked, sauntering slowly closer.
"I've told you before, you're very distracting."
"Let's forgo the nightcap, shall we?"
"Good idea." In one swift movement, B'Elanna pulled Kathryn flush against her and began kissing her with a passion to rival anything in the captain's beloved classic literature. She held the slim figure close against her, feeling the hands wrapped around her back and the tickle of hair as her lips traced the strong jawline and sought to claim every inch of pale skin. She felt a rush of adrenaline as teeth dug into her cheek and without thought she lifted her lover off the ground and pinned her with her body against the nearest bulkhead.
"You want to know what my fortune cookie said?" she asked breathlessly.
"You want to talk about that now?"
B'Elanna ripped off Kathryn's jacket and turtleneck in quick succession. "It said," she murmured as she began kissing her way down Kathryn's neck, "that I would kiss my true love tonight." She lifted Kathryn's tank top to reveal the lacy black bra she knew her lover would be wearing. "And who am I to stand in the way of fate?"
"I thought you didn't like fortune-predicting foodstuffs?" Kathryn teased.
"I like it when they're wrong." B'Elanna ran her hands lightly down the slim waist to hold Kathryn's hips, pulling them forward to meet hers. "I plan to do a lot more than just kiss you tonight."
"I'm glad to hear it." Kathryn pulled B'Elanna forward for another searing kiss, then B'Elanna scooped her up in her strong grasp and carried her off to the bedroom.