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Disclaimer: You all know it, the characters and background story don't belong to me but to Paramount, unfortunately. No copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be made.
A/N: This is the third story of my "My Captain, My Mistress…"-series posted on Archive of Our Own. You don't need to read the first two to understand this one. There's just a few basics that might be helpful to know: B'Elanna Torres and Kathryn Janeway have taken the Oath. They happily live a D/s relationship in which B'Elanna is Kathryn's slave.
Written for the dogged-by-muses Fragments of Sappho Challenge-a-thon 2011 and the 2006 prompt: "StarTrek: Voyager: Seven/Torres - Prompts: Challenge, Klingon; Squicks: Bondage, S Rating: Whatever you'd like; Spoilers: Don't worry, requested by dariclone." So, be prepared for a bit of kink and violence, still: nothing non-consensual will happen. - Revised Version. The first one stopped when B'Elanna and Seven beam to the Captain's quarters.
Summary: B'Elanna finds more than she bargained for when tries to vent her frustration at her wife's and Mistress' absence on the holodeck – will she end up gaining a new friend?
Fragment of Sappho #1:
For if she flees, soon she will pursue.
If she refuses gifts, rather will she give them.
If she does not love, soon she will love
even unwilling.
My Captain, My Mistress, My Love III: Interlude with Seven
by
romansilence
Prologue I
My name is Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, daughter of Miral of the House of Katal, chief engineer on board of the Federation Starship USS Voyager, intrepid class, stranded in the Delta Quadrant under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. This is my story.
My name is B'El. I am a slave and Kathryn Janeway is my Mistress. Mistress Kathryn is kind and firm, stern and loving. She knows how to keep me in line and how to give me untold pleasure. She owns me, body, heart and soul. This is her story.
My name is B'Elanna and Kathryn is my lover and my wife. She is the love of my life and should there be a life after death I will love her in all eternity. This is our story.
Prologue II
Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, Chief Engineer of the Federation Starship Voyager, was bored. They were in a not only calm but also friendly part of the Delta Quadrant. The engines were running at peek efficiency. Since the inauguration of the Astrometrics Lab Seven of Nine's appearances in Engineering had become few and far between. To make things worse her wife and Mistress was on a diplomatic away mission with two security guards and was not expected to return for at least the next three days. That's why two hours after the end of Alpha shift B'Elanna was still doing busy work in Engineering instead of going home to her empty quarters.
Her people knew to stay out of her way. She had been in an extremely bad mood ever since Captain Janeway had decided that she would not take her wife with her. The Iakaner, though basically a friendly space-faring race had rather peculiar notions about sexuality in general. They had no sexes themselves and disapproved of even light forms of sexual attraction. With their highly developed olfactory organs they could smell it from afar, and Captain Janeway had not wanted to offend them by subjecting them to B'Elanna's and her very palatable attraction. So, B'Elanna had had to stay on Voyager, and she was bored. She decided to call it a day and get rid of some frustration with a battle field simulation on the holodeck.
Rationally she understood the Captain's decision, her presence would only have unnecessarily alienated their Hosts. Emotionally she missed her wife's love and attention and her Mistress' control.
She checked the holodeck reservations and found to her surprise that Holodeck 2 was empty and would be for the next two hours. So, she hurried to her quarters, changed into her Klingon armour and took the turbolift to deck six. She let go of a round of expletives when she not only found the holodeck in use but also the safeties off and the door locked with an encryption code, a Borg encryption code. There also was no indication what type of program was running.
Despite her continued cursing a smile crept on B'Elanna's face. That was exactly the challenge she had been looking for. Exchanging verbal barbs with Seven of Nine was certainly more fun than beating up holographic Klingons. So, she leaned her bat'leth against the wall and started to deactivate the Borg encryption.
Part I: Initiation I
The holodeck doors opened with a hiss that appeared too loud to B'Elanna's sensitive Klingon hearing. She looked down a dark corridor, just high and wide enough to accommodate a tall Klingon warrior in full battle gear, a man-made corridor roughly hewn through the hard rock of Qo'nos. The corridor every Klingon child had to walk through to become a real warrior in preparation for their nentay cha'DIch, the second Rite of Ascension. It was one of her holo programs.
A sudden feeling of dread filled B'Elanna's heart and she began to run. The corridor ended in front of a double door, fifteen feet high and broad enough to let five armed warrior pass through abreast easily. It was meant to make the young warrior-to-be feel small and in awe of Klingon greatness, but B'Elanna had no eyes for the exquisitely carved door panels or for the over life-sized embossed depictions of famous Klingon battles at the walls.
She skidded to a halt about ten feet inside of the big hall when her gaze fell on the pale figure lying towards the end of a long raised walkway that went almost through the whole length of the room. The one and a half foot high walkway was lined with Klingon warriors in full battle armour carrying painsticks, and those in reach of the prone figure used theirs liberally.
"Computer, end program!" B'Elanna ordered but nothing happened.
"Computer, freeze program!"
"Computer, delete all holographic characters!"
"Computer, show the arch!"
Nothing worked.
B'Elanna closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath as she would to prepare for a strenuous play scene or a battle. She once again checked out the room and the set-up.
As per tradition at the end of the long hall a Klingon armour was propped up on a stand but the place where the representative of the House of the ghojwl', the initiate should stand was empty. Her feeling of dread intensified. She knew all too well what that would mean on the Klingon home world, and she knew that the program was considered an adequate replacement for warriors who could not come to the home world for the ceremony. In the eyes of Klingon Law it was just as binding as the real deal When she heard Seven's low moan over the whining of the painsticks B'Elanna acted on instinct.
"Stop it!" She shouted. "yImev, yap!"
"Who dares to interrupt this sacred ritual?" A white-haired Klingon asked. He seemed to be as old as the stone carvings around him.
"I am B'Elanna Torres, daughter of Miral of the House of Katal, chief engineer on board of the Federation Starship USS Voyager. And who are you that you dare to question me?" B'Elanna demanded to know.
"I am Kar, High Priest of Kahless, the Unforgettable. You claim the name of a noble and respected House, B'Elanna Torres. Can you prove your claim?"
"You have my word as a Klingon warrior, but I also will prove my claim with my blade against anyone who would dare to doubt my word of honour."
B'Elanna shifted to a battle ready stance knowing full well that she would not stand a chance should the two dozen warriors lining the walkway decide to attack her at once.
"I will accept your word, B'Elanna, daughter of Miral, for now. What gives you the right to speak for your House? You look too young to have earned that right," Kar asked.
"We are in the Delta Quadrant. My Lady and I are the only representatives of my House and the Klingon Empire in this quadrant. That gives me the right to speak for my House. I demand that you stop the nentay cha'DIch. Seven of Nine did not know what she was getting herself into. She does not deserve to die like this."
"It is honourable to die in the pursuit of honour," Kar said thoughtfully, "but it also is not necessary. No one since Kahless, the Great himself has ever endured the full nentay, unclaimed by a House. All who have tried have died, as will this woman, despite her undeniable strength. She held out longer than anyone in recorded history since Kahless thr Unforgettable himself."
"As the highest representative of a Klingon House here you can now claim her for your House, B'Elanna of the House of Katal. All you have to do is to put down your weapons and armour step on the walkway and take her place in the Walk of Pain. As soon as you have reached her you can defend her and yourself against the painsticks while you carry her the rest of the way.
"Should you both survive I will witness her initiation into the House of Katal. I have heard of numerous cases in which the contender of the nentay failed to meet the challenge and I witnessed only one where he succeeded. The contender then was a strong young man with the blood fire in his veins."
B'Elanna didn't comment on Kar's barely veiled insult. Instead she whirled her batleth around and rammed one end in the stone floor. It was a testament of her strength, speed and the quality of her blade. She draped her armour over the batleth and undressed down to her snug boy-shorts and tank-top.
"I, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, daughter of Miral, of the House of Katal, wife of Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship USS Voyager, voluntary slave of Mistress Kathryn, chief engineer on board of the Federation Starship USS Voyager claim this woman, Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One, née Annika Hansen, daughter of Erin, of the United Federation of Planets, formerly of the Borg Collective and head of the Astrometrics department on board of the USS Voyager as a member of my House."
B'Elanna stepped onto the walkway and took a first tentative step. Two painsticks were thrust into her side. For a moment the pain took her breath away but she quickly adapted. Her wife did not have the reputation of being one of the best Mistresses ever for nothing and her teachers and former Mistresses, Mistress Deanna Troi and Mistress Tasha Yar, had trained her with all the rigours of times long gone and forgotten. She knew how to deal with pain.
She stepped away from the first two painsticks but was hit by two more before the others were gone. This time she only flinched but walked steadily forward. The intensity of the pain inflicted by the 'oy'naQ, the pain sticks, rose steadily, but B'Elanna relied on her training.
Her heart rate picked up. She could literally feel the endorphins kicking in and the pain stopped feeling entirely unpleasant, though it was still not perceived as pleasure. B'Elanna felt herself getting slightly wet but one look on Seven being an apparently helpless victim under the assault of the pain sticks made her arousal disappear completely. This was not a play session and pain she was supposed or expected to enjoy. This was about Klingon Tradition and Seven of Nine though under different circumstances and without her Mistress clear order not allow herself an orgasm she might have slipped into subspace.
The moment B'Elanna reached Seven one of the 'oy'naQ hit the nipple ring hidden under her tank-top. The sudden pain forced her down on a knee but she camouflaged the sudden weakness by checking on Seven. Seven's pulse was irregular and weak, electricity seemed to be emanating from her implants; and if the implants were as good a conductor for the pain sticks as her nipple ring then Seven had been in a lot more pain than her. There was no time to check now but B'Elanna was also sure that Seven had deactivated her nanoprobes otherwise they would have started to heal her already.
Ignoring the pain sticks now seemingly raining down on her B'Elanna hoisted Seven over her shoulders, used her right hand to hold her steady by grabbing one ankle and one wrist and stood up. She held Seven in a holds that once had been called a fireman's carry and had been used to transport unconscious people out of burning buildings. She walked on and batted the pain sticks away from Seven as best as she could. B'Elanna reached the end of the line and put Seven back down on the ground as gently as possible.
B'Elanna barely had time to turn around when one of the warriors attacked her with a roared "No!"
She ducked his pain stick at the last second and instead of hitting her square in the chest it only grazed her shoulder, numbing it instantly. He had put his 'oy'naQ on the highest setting, a setting only used to execute traitors. Had it hit its intended target her hearts would have stopped immediately and irrevocably; as it was she could rely on her extensive training. With a swift feint she got into his personal space, kneed him in the groin and wrenched the pain stick from his grasp. She brought him down with a simple MoQ'bara move and threw the pain stick away with an expression of disgust.
"Your ridges are soft. You're a Kahless be damned mongrel. Your kind should not even be allowed in these sacred halls," her attacker said while he got back on his feet and drew a metleth from behind his back.
B'Elanna laughed. Her whole body was tingling with pain, her centre was throbbing in arousal. All of her senses were in overdrive; even more than six feet away she could hear Seven's slowly steadying heartbeat. She heard the shuffling footsteps of the other warriors forming a half-circle around them. She heard her opponent's breathing. She felt as alive as she had not in a long time.
The Klingon attacked again. B'Elanna used his momentum against him and kicked him in the backside for good measure. He whirled around, brandishing his blade. She ducked under his badly executed swipe and tripped him up. He tried the same move again and again, pitching his seemingly superior strength against her agility and speed. After his sixth or seventh attack she put a bit of her own strength in her throw and she heard bones break, underlined by the appreciative murmurs of the on-looking warriors.
Her attacker grunted when he got on his knees, his left arm hanging awkwardly down. He moved, but not towards B'Elanna. He turned his blade on Seven. B'Elanna jumped and threw him off of his prey before he had even the chance to touch Seven's skin. Her momentum carried them a few feet away, B'Elanna's right arm closed around his throat, her left around his forehead. She broke his neck with a single twist before they hit the ground.
B'Elanna took his metleth and faced the other warriors, "Does anyone else object to my claim?"
"B'Elanna, Miral pugbe' Katal tug [daughter of Miralof the House of Katal], you fought honourably, not only in the challenge put before you but also by defending the honour of your House and your blood against a coward whose name will never again be spoken, may he rot in Grethor. It now is time for the initiation ritual, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna nodded and walked over to Seven who was just now regaining consciousness. Two of the warriors offered B'Elanna her armour and weapons but she only took her daqh'taq, her ceremonial knife with the sigil of the House of Katal embossed on top of the hilt.
Another warrior handed her a bronze goblet that looked suspiciously like the one Mistress Tasha had used for B'Elanna's own nentay cha'DIch. She cut her palm open with the dagh'tag and let a copious amount of blood drip into the goblet. Seven looked anything but her usual alert self but she understood what was expected of her and took the weapon from B'Elanna. Her blood joined B'Elanna's in the goblet, crimson and lavender mixing in intricate patterns.
High Priest Kar gave them two white stripes of cloth to bind their bleeding hand. He took the goblet from B'Elanna and raised it high over their heads.
"For the glory and the honour of the House of Katal and the Klingon Empire. Seven of Nine, daughter of Erin, drink as a sign that you now are a member of the House of Katal and will fight for its honour."
Seven took the goblet and drank. Her eyes still widened in slight confusion when she gave the goblet back.
"For the glory and the honour of the House of Katal and the Klingon Empire. B'Elanna, daughter of Miral, drink as a sign that you accept Seven of Nine, daughter of Erin as a member of the House of Katal and will fight for her honour."
B'Elanna took the vessel from Kar and drank. There still was blood left and tradition demanded that sacrificial blood should never be wasted. So, she offered the goblet to Seven who took another sip and then B'Elanna finished it off, only stopping when she was sure that not a single drop would be left. The warriors had already left and the High Priest gave them a parting look before he disappeared through a side door. B'Elanna, Seven and the dead body were the only ones left.
"Computer, end program," B'Elanna ordered.
The walls around them began to flicker and moments later they were kneeling in the empty holo grid. B'Elanna's armour and weapons were lying on the floor. Seven tried to get up but instead collapsed in B'Elanna's arms with a groan. Her eyes were still unfocused.
"Seven, I need you to do something for me. You have to reactivate your nanoprobes, now." Seven weakly shock her head. "Do it, or I will call the doctor, and you'll never hear the end of that. Your body needs the nanoprobes to heal and soon you will have to regenerate."
"But I… What happened?"
"I'll tell you later. For now, just let those little technical marvels do their job. Rest while I get us to someplace more comfortable. Computer, activate program Eternity D&T, put us on the bed."
Part II: Initiation II
B'Elanna observed how the angry red blotches created by the painsticks disappeared one by one. Seven's breath evened out, and B'Elanna's face blossomed into an unconscious smile at the relaxed, innocent expression on Seven's face. Her long blonde hair spread over the pillow, there was a slight, enigmatic smile on her face, and except for the implants bared by the sleeveless top and shorts she was wearing instead of her usual bio-suit no one would have ever believed that only a few short months ago she had been a member of the feared Borg collective. She was beautiful.
B'Elanna shock herself out of her musings and observations and forced herself back to reality and the things that now had to be done. Her first order of business was to make sure that they would not be interrupted for the time being. She reinitiated the Borg encryption and then checked the reservation log. B'Elanna grinned when she saw a two hour slot reserved by Tom Paris and the following hour by Harry Kim. She didn't even have to threaten them to get them to give up their time for her. She suspected that reports of her bad mood had made it even to the bridge and that they thought that she was engaged in some battle simulation or the other. At the moment she didn't care. She would make it up to them.
Seven's breathing was now low and steady and her skin once again was creamy white and unblemished. So, B'Elanna had the ship's computer log the initiation of Seven of Nine, née Annika Hansen into the House of Katal in the personnel files, and only then did she order the holodeck to replicate a medical tricorder. She called up Seven's baseline readings and slowly released the breath she had been holding unconsciously when she saw that there was nothing seriously wrong. B'Elanna did really not want to set herself up for one of the Doctor's lectures on holodecks and safety procedures and the dangers of that, as he called it, irresponsible, hedonist life style.
When B'Elanna checked the status of Seven's nanoprobes she found out that though they had repaired the damage done by the painsticks they were still not working at their normal levels. She tried to kick them into gear. Suddenly a beeping sound filled the holodeck and a hologram of Seven of Nine wearing her maroon bio-suit appeared right next to the bed.
"If you see this I am either dead or in critical condition and my experiment to explore the connection between pain and pleasure I have seen so convincingly presented by Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Torres has failed. They did not know about my endeavour and would certainly have tried to dissuade me. I will now describe the experiment and my reasoning, if only to give the doctor some closure."
The longer B'Elanna listened to Seven's extremely logical and well thought out, yet completely irrational and insane reasoning the more she knew that talking alone would not help her.
When B'Elanna had asked Seven to witness her punishment at the hands of her Mistress, of Captain Janeway about a month ago she had done so to alleviate her own feelings of guilt. Now, it seemed that she also had awakened or at least accelerated Seven's sexual awakening and her search for a sexual identity; and Seven was at a point where she needed a more hands-on approach than the databases or even the more or less educational holodeck programs could give her.
For a few minutes B'Elanna considered to just ignore what she had learned so far and wait until Captain Janeway was back, or rather until Mistress Kathryn was back from the away-mission and let her deal with the curious ex-Borg. She discarded the idea for more than one reason.
A tiny, still insecure part of her heart feared that Seven's innocence would endear her so much to Kathryn that she would take B'Elanna's place. It was highly irrational; not even the deepest bond between Mistress and slave could ever be stronger than the bond forged by the 'Oath' Kathryn and her had taken. She also rationalised her decision by telling herself that if she did not act now Seven could very easily get herself in a similarly dangerous situation without anyone to help in time nearby.
The main reason, however, and B'Elanna was well aware that this was something she would have to confess to her Mistress, the main reason was that ever since working closely together to get the Astrometrics lab built B'Elanna had wanted to see Seven writhing in passion under her ministrations – and now she had the chance.
But how to get started? In her holographic message Seven had mentioned that she had gathered over four terra-quad of data about her and Captain Janeway. B'Elanna decided that this was as good a point as any to get started; and since the data was about her it wasn't even a breach of privacy. While skimming over Seven's research B'Elanna time and again checked to make sure that Seven was still fast asleep and when she skimmed over the end and Seven's conclusions she knew precisely what she wanted and probably needed to do.
Regaining consciousness Seven of Nine was fully aware of her situation before she had moved a muscle or opened her eyes. She knew she was on the holodeck. She knew the program running was not the one she had activated earlier. She knew her legs and arms were spread. She knew there were cuffs around her wrists and ankles, holding her immobile – and she knew that she was not alone. Even without her eidetic memory she would have recognised that subtle smell everywhere.
"Go ahead, Seven, test the shackles and the chains. I instructed the computer to make them strong enough to withstand the combined strength of two Borg tactical drones."
Seven opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror wall she was facing, spread eagled, cuffed, and the colour of the cuffs and chains matched the silvery gleam of her implants. It made them look as if they were an extension of her. It took Seven three point eight seconds, in other words from her perspective an eternity, to become aware of the rest of the room.
The mirror wall reflected not only her image but also a bed big enough for at least four or five people. Leaning against the headboard was Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, Voyager's mercurial chief engineer. She was wearing a simple, mid-thigh length white tunic and seemed rather relaxed, like a predator at rest. Her smile and her eyes, however, showed Seven that she was merely waiting for her prey to catch up to the game; and Seven was sure that she was said prey. Despite herself she swallowed hard.
"Go on, Seven, try to free yourself," B'Elanna said smugly.
B'Elanna's tone of voice let Seven revert to her most arrogant Borg monotone, "I know that you're competent enough to give simple instructions to the computer on the holodeck, Lieutenant."
But instead of reacting with her usual anger B'Elanna just laughed and rose from the bed. She stepped behind her and from Seven's point of view only her lower legs and feet now were visible. Seven shivered and stiffened when she felt a featherlike touch running down her spine.
"You are very beautiful, Seven of Nine."
"What do you think you're doing, Lieutenant?" Seven asked with a suppressed gasp. She never would have thought that such a simple touch could send such a storm of emotions through her body.
"Relax, Seven. I did some light reading while you were still out. So, I have at least an inkling of what you wanted to accomplish, but let me tell you, Ice Princess, you went about it all wrong."
The touch was gone and Seven felt it like a personal loss. To cover that up she said with a touch of anger, "You read my research? That was private. It was none of your business."
"You made it my business when you used one of my private holoprograms to conduct your experiment, one I never entered into Voyager's public library, by the way. And the padd I read, the one with your research, you brought it with you to the holodeck. It was not encrypted. It was not even password protected." B'Elanna had walked around Seven's bound body and was now standing right in front of her, concern in her deep brown eyes.
"But the holodeck was, Lieutenant. You had no right to stop or interfere with the program."
"I could argue that as a member of the senior staff I even am duty-bound to interfere when a member of the crew acts irresponsible enough to endanger his or her life. Seven, if I had not interfered and redirected the program you would be dead by now and the doctor would have a hard time to revive you again with the nanoprobes turned off and the energy from the painsticks wreaking havoc with your systems." B'Elanna had her fists stemmed in her waist but her voice reflected more exasperation than anger.
"I apologise for having used your program without your permission, but it still is none of your business, Lieutenant," Seven said defensively.
"It is my business, Seven. Your research was prompted by what you learned about my Mistress and me. Come on, level with me."
"In my current position you would have to spread my legs beyond the point anatomically advisable to equalize the three point five inches I am physically taller than you, Lieutenant," Seven answered with a provocative glint in her eyes.
And to her consternation B'Elanna just laughed. "Another nice try, Seven, especially the underhanded hint that your intellectual superiority far exceeds three point five inches. I need to know why you chose that program before I can start you on the way to learn what you really want to know."
"How could you know what I want?" Seven asked, anger and curiosity balancing each other in her voice.
"You want to learn about pleasure, passion, abandon and trust, and maybe obedience. You want to learn about what makes me look at Mistress Kathryn the way I do. You can't learn that by undergoing the Klingon rite of ascension, Seven," B'Elanna said calmly.
"It was just a program, Lieutenant, a simulacrum of reality."
"Not quite, Seven, and please call me B'Elanna, after all you are now a member of my house, the House of Katal. Let me explain. The program you used is recognised by the Klingon High Command, the Chancellor and the Emperor as a substitute for everyone not able to journey to the monastery of Boreth for the rite of ascension and since you entered there without being sponsored by a House different rules apply."
B'Elanna explained the situation in which she had found Seven and what would likely have happened without her interference.
The chains creaked when Seven tried to move. "You made me a member of your House without my consent?"
"It was either that or let you be killed by the continuous application of painsticks. Once started there are only a limited number of ways this program can end. Seven, with your nanoprobes active you might have stood a chance but your implants interacted with the energy from the 'oy'naQs. It intensified the pain. You would have died, Seven, and though I readily admit that you have a talent to get on my nerves more than anyone else, this is not the way I wanted to get rid of your annoying presence, Ice Princess."
Seven studied B'Elanna's expression and posture. There was no sign of the belligerent woman defending her territory in Engineering. The Klingon-Human Hybrid even sounded genuinely worried.
"Use that eidetic memory of yours, Seven."
And Seven did just that but she kept her eyes on B'Elanna, waiting for the other woman to become impatient. She did not. She waited patiently for Seven to come to a decision, seemingly as relaxed as one could be.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Torres. I owe you my life. You can let me go now."
"B'Elanna, Seven. You're not talking to Voyager's chief engineer now. See me as a friend if you can, or if that's too much of a stretch considering the way said chief engineer is treating you, see me as a teacher, a guide of sorts.
"When I checked you out the message you recorded activated. You want to learn about the connection between pain and pleasure but simply going off to experience pain will not help you. It did not help you. So, let me try. If that is not what you want you can end this by simply ending the program. It's your decision, Seven."
"Why are you doing this?" Seven asked genuinely puzzled.
"Your smile won me over.
"So, what will it be? End it or tell me why you chose the nentay cha'DIch program?"
"You read the padd. You should know," Seven answered.
B'Elanna hid her amusement at the obvious scintillating between confusion, curiosity and defensiveness Seven displayed, probably without really being aware of it.
"I had about half an hour to look at the terra-quad of data you accumulated, Seven. Please, tell me."
'Please', that simple word broke Seven's resistance. Only a precious few people ever used it in her presence and hearing it from B'E… Lieutenant Torres…
So, she explained that she had researched pain thresholds and found the Ascension program the adequate tool to equal what she had witnessed B'Elanna endure that one evening in her and Captain Janeway's quarters. She also admitted that it had not worked, that she had not felt even a slight percentage of arousal when the pain sticks had hit her. In a small voice she offered her conclusion that her time with the Borg had simply made her unable to feel arousal, after all sexual gratification was irrelevant to the Collective.
"Sometimes, Seven, pain is just pain. Every person reacts in their own way," B'Elanna said and slowly stepped closer. "Now, why don't we start with testing your theory that as a former Borg drone you can't be aroused? Did you know that the skin is the biggest organ of the Human body and that it also is one of the most erogenous zones of the Humanoid body?"
B'Elanna was now standing right in front of Seven and had lowered her voice to an almost whisper. "Of course you know that, but academic knowledge is not enough. Let me show it to you."
B'Elanna reached up and let the back of her fingers glide down the inside of Seven's left arm. She had deliberately chosen the artificial arm and hand, not only because she knew that the skin was at least as sensitive as normal human skin but also to make it clear to the bound woman that she did not shy away from her Borg enhancements. When B'Elanna reached the shoulder she turned her hand around and let it slide back up, barely touching.
She heard Seven's sharp intake of breath and hid her smile. "Close your eyes and focus on your sense of touch, Seven."
B'Elanna let her hand glide down again and this time she made sure to just brush over the starburst implant at the side of Seven's upper arm. Evidently the implants were even more sensitive than the skin. She let the fingers slide down the side of Seven's torso, making sure not to touch the side of her breast.
B'Elanna also took great care not to even come close to the bands of the abdominal implant, surmising that they too would be extremely responsive. Her slightly calloused fingertips coasted over the smooth skin of Seven's waist line. She ducked under Seven's arm and smiled at the visible tension in her captive's shoulders.
She stretched a bit and whispered in Seven's ear, "You are very beautiful, Seven of Nine."
B'Elanna's right hand now rested on Seven's right hip and B'Elanna put her left hand on the left hip. She drew small circles with her thumbs.
"So beautiful. Try to relax, Seven, and remember that you can stop this by ending the holoprogram," she said, knowing full well that in all probability Seven already was beyond the point of stopping. Though Seven kept her breathing regular B'Elanna's Klingon senses had picked up on her slightly accelerated heartbeat.
Skimming over the silver bands of the abdominal implant B'Elanna let her fingers glide upwards again; her right and left hand working in perfect synchronicity. Seven gasped when B'Elanna retraced the uppermost band with a featherlike touch, and B'Elanna felt a bolt of arousal flash right to her own centre. She stroked the soft skin of Seven's breasts with her thumbs, turned her hands slightly upwards and squeezed the perfect globes softly. She was rewarded with a languid moan that stopped abruptly, but continued with her ministrations.
"It's alright, Seven, stop thinking. Just follow your instincts. Let your body lead the way," B'Elanna said softly and observed in the mirror how Seven's nipples got even harder than they had been before.
B'Elanna created a slow rhythm, never increasing and never decreasing the intensity of her touch though Seven's heartbeat now really started to pick up. Seven strained in her bonds and pressed her chest out for further contact.
"Do you want me to stop, Seven?" B'Elanna asked.
Seven didn't answer with words. She just moaned, a throaty moan that seemed to come from deep inside and caused a gush of wetness between B'Elanna's thighs. She could practically feel her clits pulsing in arousal at Seven's extreme responsiveness to her relatively simple and almost innocent touches. Suddenly, aside from having her own release B'Elanna wanted nothing more than to bring Seven to completion, and fast. Instead she forced herself to keep it slow.
B'Elanna returned her attention to the abdominal bands and the inch of human flesh between them. She allowed her hands to roam free, seemingly at random but still following a plan. B'Elanna stretched forward and put a flurry of butterfly kisses on the base of Seven's neck and along her spine until she had reached the height of the shoulder blades. She kissed around the three and a half inch long implant which once, B'Elanna knew, had held the better part of Seven's Borg armour. As far as she knew it no longer served a purpose but the Doctor had deemed it too deeply embedded in the spine to be removed without considerable danger.
Seven squirmed under the incessant kisses and when B'Elanna began to lick the length of the implant she shouted indiscernibly. She arched her back and rattled her chains. B'Elanna could hear Seven's heart beating faster than she had ever heard it. She smelled Seven's arousal, felt the heat of the other woman's skin under her fingers, felt her trembling and found herself at the brink of her own orgasm. Only her training and her Mistress stern order not to allow herself sexual release while she was gone kept B'Elanna from going over the edge. Seven, however, was under no such limitations.
B'Elanna reluctantly abandoned the implant and resumed her course down. Seven moaned in frustration and tensed up when she felt B'Elanna go down on her knees behind her. B'Elanna's hands kept roaming over the front of the abdominal implant while her lips and tongue slid over the bands and flesh on her back.
Seven's moans and groans changed to a single drawn-out "Please". Without stopping her ministrations B'Elanna closed her eyes to centre herself, now, more than before at the brink of losing control.
She now had reached the fist-sized starburst implant that connected Seven to her alcove. She retraced every single ray from the outer edge to almost the centre with the tip of her tongue, leaving the obsidian centre untouched for now. Seven's chains creaked in their sockets at the stress she exerted on her restraints. B'Elanna suckled and licked around the centre of the implant.
Seven cried out again, an onomatopoetic series of vowels and consonants that raced right through B'Elanna's hearts. She once again had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to get herself back under control; and immediately regretted her decision. The scent of Seven's arousal had intensified and it had slightly changed. It now held an extra note B'Elanna couldn't quite identify but found dangerously addictive.
Following her instincts, B'Elanna stretched as best as she could and let her right hand snake upwards until she reached Seven's nipple. She pinched the rock-hard pebble between her index finger and thumb and pressed down making sure to use her short fingernails to their best advantage. Seven emitted a sudden squeal at the unexpected pain, but it also sent her into a second wave of orgasm, now that the first was ebbing down.
By Kahless' beard, will I have a story to tell to my Mistress when she returns from the away mission. Who would have thought that the Ice Princess had the potential to be such a volcano.
B'Elanna snapped out of her arousal induced haze when Seven's body slumped in her chains. B'Elanna quickly got up and found her unconscious. The intense feelings must have knocked the blonde out. So, B'Elanna ordered the computer to remove Seven's chains and transport her to the bed. To make sure that she really was merely overwhelmed she checked her with the medical tricorder.
Seven's heart rate was returning to normal, her breathing was steady, her brainwaves almost normal. There was increased nanoprobe activity but as far as B'Elanna could tell not alarmingly increased. The tricorder also indicated slight dehydration but that could be easily remedied with a glass of mineralised water or two. B'Elanna replicated a pitcher of water and started to wash down Seven's sweat slicked body with a warm cloth. Seven moved languorously when B'Elanna reached the apex of her thighs and for a moment she thought that she had awakened again but a short glance upwards told her that the blonde was still out.
B'Elanna smiled at that and finished her ministrations. She then waited for the first signs that her charge was about to regain consciousness. When she saw the eyelids flutter she said, "Welcome back in the land of living, Ice Princess. How are you feeling?"
"I am functioning within normal parameters," Seven answered automatically but with a slightly raspy voice. "What happened?"
"Here, drink, Seven. It's only water but it should help clear the cobwebs away."
"I passed out. Borg do not pass out," Seven said with consternation. "I experienced sexual release, without pain. How is that possible?"
Seven fell silent but B'Elanna decided to let her come to her own conclusions.
"Sexual gratification is not irrelevant."
B'Elanna smiled at the wonder permeating from Seven's voice.
"How did you do it and why? Why was there no pain?"
"Just as there can be pain without pleasure as you have learned in the Ascension program, pleasure does not need pain. Sometimes it can go hand in hand but it does not have to."
"So, my research was wrong."
"Not wrong, Seven, just a bit one-sided. The relationship I have with my Mistress is not for everyone, and only time will tell if it one day will be the right thing for you. It's not something that can be forced."
Your holodeck time will expire in two minutes. Please, prepare to leave holodeck two now.
"Already? Well, would you like to adjourn to my quarters. I guess you have a few more questions and I could use something to eat," B'Elanna proposed.
"I can smell your arousal, Lieu… B'Elanna. Should I help you to achieve sexual gratification?"
"I'm grateful for the offer, Seven, but Mistress Kathryn gave clear orders before she left. I'm not allowed to have an orgasm while she is gone. I will be fine, nothing a sonic shower set at the highest setting can't cure. Now, are you hungry? For food or knowledge?"
B'Elanna was more relieved than she would even admit to herself when Seven answered with a nod.
"Computer two for a site to site transport to the Janeway-Torres-quarters." B'Elanna and Seven rematerialized in the living room of the Captain's quarters the moment the holo deck doors opened to let Tom and Harry in. The two men had become virtually inseparable since the inception of the new Astrometrics Lab about a month ago when they had left the inauguration party together.
There were bets and discussion groups on the lower decks talking about how long it would take Tom to fall for the first Alien female or ship and break Harry's heart. Captain Janeway and B'Elanna had anonymously bet against Tom straying, they had seen something in ihis eyes that had never been there before: love and devotion.
Part III: Dinner and breakfast conversations
About a week before the Captain had left she and B'Elanna had talked about the two men and their relationship after dinner. B'Elanna had been on her knees after having been fed by her Mistress' hand, naked except for wrist and ankle cuffs and her nipple ring, ready to go to the play room.
"You know, my B'El, it's good that we are in a rather quiet area of space at the moment. Tom was so distracted today, I'm not entirely sure that he would have been up to any kind of fancy flying." Kathryn said casually. "He jept turning around and looking back to the operations console with a goofy grin on his face."
"Something is up with the two of them but so far they have not seen fit to let their Captain know. Did they tell you anything?"
"I only know that they consider applying for joint quarters. At the moment they are still discussing which part of Tom's three and a half years of accumulated junk have to be recycled or will be kept. Tom is very attached to his collection but in the end Harry will convince him that he does not really need most of it, but I guess it will take them at least another week or two before Tom concedes defeat."
"Come closer, my B'El, I need to touch you, and give my compliments to Mister Neelix for the excellent meal. The quality of his food has much improved since he has moved in with Samantha and Naomi, especially his desserts." B'Elanna suddenly looked down at her Mistress' slipper clad feet and she assumed kneeling attention.
"I'm sorry that I could nor procure you any, Mistress, but when I placed our dinner order there already was no dessert left, not even a taste sample. Please punish me for my failure. Mistress."
"There is no need for that, my sweet B'El. I plan on having my favourite dessert tonight, and that is something Mister Neelix can not provide, and it has the advantage that it will not make me fat. And now I want you to clean up the living room, recycle our uniforms for tomorrow and then join me in the bedroom. I'm in the mood to make love to my wife tonight and make you scream my name."
"Yes, Mistress, it will be done. Thank you for your generosity. I look forward to make you scream my name in return, if I may be so bold."
"Yes, my benal. You're welcome to try."
Kathryn left her wife in the living room and when B'Elanna joined her a few minutes later, Tom, Harry and Voyager's on-going journey were forgotten for the rest of the night.
During her short walk along memory lane B'Elanna had pulled a blue silk robe from a wall compartment. It's colour complimented Seven's eyes. She then made the former Drone take a seat on the couch and asked her if she wanted something to eat.
Seven's eyes widened a bit and she answered, "The time for the intake of nutritional supplements has passed while we were on the holodeck , Lieutenant Torres."
"Call me B'Elanna when we're not in Engineering, Seven. I think we're past those formalities outside of work. The doctor told me that you can eat anything as long as it's not too greasy or spicy. And now answer my question. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, I would. Do you have something specific in mind, B'Elanna?"
"Well, we could raid Neelix' kitchen and hope that we find something edible. Or you could trust me to replicate something. I'm not as hopeless at it as the Captain."
"I rust your abilities to program and use a replicator. While you were still incarcerated in the brig, the Captain often said how much she misses her mother's cooking."
Seven sat on the couch with her back straight, looking anything but relaxed, B'Elanna, however, knew from the doctor that Seven's Borg modifications made keeping a straight posture more comfortable to her than slumping down would be for an ordinary Humanoid at the end of a long day.
"I tried to recreate Gretchen Janeway's recipes from what Kathryn could remember, but it's not the same as creating them from scratch with fresh home-grown ingredients. Would you like to have a look and decide for yourself?"
"I would like that very much, Lieu… B'Elanna." B'Elanna handed Seven a data padd that not only contained Gretchen's recipes as far as the Captain could remember them, but also copies of Phoebe's art work. Most of the entries had a single star in front of the file name; the rest sported two stars.
"The two stars stand for key ingredients which cannot be adequately replicated. Bold titles are the Captain's favourites."
A couple of minutes later Seven announced, that she would like to try chicken and rice.
B'Elanna ordered the replicator to produce two helpings of the dish and added two glasses of mineral water.
"Dinner is served, Mylady. Seven, please let me know if you'd like anything else to drink but water. I could open a bottle of wine or replicate whatever juice you like."
"My nanoprobes do not process alcohol or synthehol well. Water is acceptable," Seven answered while she studied Phoebe Janeway's work. She rose from the seat and took a place at the dinner table facing B'Elanna.
For a few minutes they ate in companionable silence and then B'Elanna asked about Seven's research in humanoid romantic interaction. "Why did you do that, Seven? You have all the relevant data in your eidetic memory. There was no need to pry into the Captain's private life."
"She can not object to what she does not know and it was her who took me into her confidence about her life and yours, as you well know, Lieutenant Torres."
"No need to get all defensive, Ice Princess. My Mistress already knows that you have been studying us. She's a very astute observer herself and does not miss much. You simply could have asked, Seven."
"You just taught me that theory can not substitute personal experience. Reading about it and activating the limited knowledge about sex the Borg deemed worthy keeping, did not prepare me for how it felt to experience an orgasm. Thank you, B'Elanna."
"You're very welcome, Seven. You know you're not half as annoying as long as you stay out of my Engine room."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Lieutenant. Before I entered the holodeck I became aware of a slight irregularity in one of the energy distribution nodes fuelling Astrometrics. A few adjustments should solve the problem in a way that should allow me to channel more energy to the long range sensors, increasing their sensitivity and accuracy by 4,46 % approximately."
"I see," B'Elanna answered, "Why don't we take care of the problem together tomorrow? That way I will not have to throw you out of Engineering for trespassing. Would you like some dessert or coffee."
"I found that I do not share the Captain's propensity for that bitter beverage and the meal was satisfying. I do not want dessert. It's late. I should go to the Astrometrics lab, to supervise Ensign Celes work; so you can get some rest."
"How does she work out, by the way?"
"She slowly gets over her fear of being assimilated at any given moment; her work has much improved over the last week."
"Why don't you give her a chance to work on her own, you can still double check it tomorrow. Regenerate instead. Your body has been through a lot this evening."
"I do not need to regenerate tonight. I prefer to spend the night productively by working."
"Could I tempt you to spend the night with something as irrelevant as sleeping?"
"The doctor is trying to convince me that sleep is not irrelevant and regular sleep would make me less dependant on the Borg alcoves. He even offered me a bed in sickbay. He did, however, not offer to deactivate himself while I'm trying to sleep. For some reason the thought of being under his scrutiny makes me uncomfortable. And it's not that I mind being observed while regenerating. There is far too much traffic in the Cargo Bay at night for that."
"Would you like to sleep here? The couch can be turned into a decent bed. I can make it up for you. I'll stay in the bedroom to give you some privacy."
"I do not know if I even will be able to fall asleep, but I thank you for the generous offer, B'Elanna."
"Kathryn likes to read when she is alone to help her fall asleep, but when we're together my Mistress has better ways to tire herself out. You could try reading one of her books, Seven,"
"I accept your offer, B'Elanna, I will try sleeping on the couch, thank you."
"You're welcome, Seven. I'll replicate some sleep wear for you. While you get ready for bed, I'll clean up the dishes and make the bed."
Seven just nodded and smiled at B'Elanna's words and went into the bathroom after B'Elanna had handed her a pair of light blue pyjamas. B'Elanna turned the couch into a bed and selected a book from the Captain's collection in the bedroom.
She quickly decided against giving Seven one of the bodice rippers Kathryn read when she wanted to unwind and her benal was still on duty, repairing one part or the other of their ship. B'Elanna simply did not see the appeal of those books. In the end she chose something from the other extreme of the spectrum of the Captain's collection of antique paper books. Her Mistress loved it because of the beauty and Complexity of the language, B'Elanna appreciated its mathematical precision and the musicality of the verses and hoped that Seven would as well and that she would see the archaic language and metaphors at least as a small challenge, but not that riveting or engaging to keep her up all night, though the Borg modifications would probably keep her from such Human frailties.
Seven had already changed from the robe into the loose fitting pyjamas when B'Elanna returned to the living room with the book. Hey said their good-nights and B'Elanna retired to the bedroom. A few hours later alerted by Seven's sounds of distress she snuck back into the living room.
Seven was asleep. She had closed the book and put it carefully on the corner of the couch table. She was moaning and thrashing around and for a moment B'Elanna considered waking her up, but decided against it because she didn't want to embarrass the slightly younger woman, but she also did not want to abandon her to her dark dreams. So, she did what she hoped would help Seven without embarrassing her.
She joined the former Drone on the couch. At the moment Seven was curled in a tight ball. B'Elanna climbed under the cover and moulded herself against Seven's back as best as she could. The moment her arm settled over Seven's slim waist she calmed down. B'Elanna fell quickly asleep right after she had pulled the comforter back up and over them both.
B'Elanna awoke at her usual time, a few minutes before the alarm would go off. She sat up and looked around the room; there was no sign of Seven. She was about to panic when she heard the shower being activated in the bathroom. B'Elanna recycled the sheets and the pillow casings and turned Seven's bed back into a couch.
When Seven left the bathroom wearing her silver bio- suit B'Elanna had already taken a quick sonic shower in the ensuite in the play room, dressed in her uniform and started to prepare pancake patty for breakfast. Hey said their good mornings and Seven declared that she had to go to work, but avoided to make visual contact with the other woman.
"Seven, Alpha shift does not start but one and a half hour from now. Have breakfast with me. – And no, I don't want to hear that you do not need to consume a nutritional supplement at the moment. I'm making banana pancakes. You should have no problem digesting them."
Seven sat down at the dinner table, slowly but still refused to look into B'Elanna's eyes. "I apologise for having interrupted your sleep, Lieutenant."
"I thought we had agreed on B'Elanna when we're not at work, and you did not wake me. I always have a hard time sleeping when the Captain is not at my side. I heard your nightmare and didn't think it right to let you suffer through it all alone. I considered waking you up, but then I thought that joining you would be the better option. I had not expected to sleep this deeply; initially I wanted to be gone before you became even aware that I had been there. – I'm sorry it embarrassed you that's what I wanted to avoid."
"Nightmares are irrelevant, B'Elanna, but thank you for keeping them at bay."
"You're welcome, Seven."
B'Elanna put a mug with steaming hot herbal tea in front of Seven and they ate in surprisingly companionable silence When Seven had just been handed her second pancake, dripping with ahern syrup he looked up and asked, "There is one thing about yesterday evening I don't understand."
"Shoot away. I'm all ears."
"When my first orgasm began to lessen, you did something to my nipple that triggered a new wave of release. Earlier under the shower I tried the same thing on myself and it was unpleasant though my nanoprobes activated almost immediately. Why?"
"This morning you were not ready, Seven." Since that explanation seemed not sufficient to answer Seven's question, B'Elanna continued, "You said that you want to learn about the connection between pain and pleasure. You were not in the right frame of mind. That's why something that the night before had added to the experience and even triggered another release, today felt more like something you would not necessarily want to repeat. Especially in the beginning, the setting, the circumstances are very important. The bathroom was not the right setting and your body also was not prepared to feel pleasure. My Mistress will probably have a better, more eloquent explanation when she returns, but if you ever want ma assistance again, on the holodeck or outside of it, just let me know. I see it as an honour."
"Your explanation was very helpful, B'Elanna. And I might come to you with questions or to the Captain. I know now that most of the questions I had can not be answered by reading alone."
After that they fell again silent and finished breakfast, and before they went to work Seven told B'Elanna that she no longer thought that taste was irrelevant and that she had enjoyed the pancakes very much.
B'Elanna and Seven spent the first two hours of Alpha shift secluded in a Jeffries tube working on the slightly fluctuating energy distribution node. For once the malfunction came from actual wear, not from faulty material. Before the inauguration of the Astrometrics lab the node in question had only supplied energy to secondary back-up systems and had thus been rather low on B'Elanna's list of things to check up on. The priorities on her list were about to change.
Seven went to her lab when they were done and B'Elanna retired to her office where she worked on various padds, leaving the running of Engineering to her people. She skipped lunch and worked without a break, and thanks to the quiet region of space they traversed also without being interrupted by one emergency or the other. Beta shift was in full swing when she left her office with her arms full of padds and a roll of paper with blue prints of some kind on it squeezed under her left arm.
She met with Commander Tuvok in his quarters presented some of her plans and asked him to assign Chakotay's old quarters to Seven of Nine. His expected scepticism lessened considerably when he studied her plans to adapt one of the Borg alcoves to work with the energy output available in all Senior staff quarters which had been designed to handle higher energy demands than the rest of the crew quarters.
B'Elanna had also started to design a portable regeneration unit, but when she became aware that she would need Seven's assistance to finalise those plans she had stopped.
Armed with Tuvok's authorisation she went to the Astrometrics lab to talk with Seven. She told her about the possibility of moving one of the alcoves to crew quarters and asked her if she would like to move into Chakotay's empty quarters. Seven cautiously agreed though she did not show any open enthusiasm, but she also did not proclaim that privacy was irrelevant as she would have done only a couple of months earlier.
"It will take a couple of days to move and adapt the alcove and remodel the quarters but if everything goes according to plan you could be all moved in the day after tomorrow."
It took two and a half days to get everything as B'Elanna wanted it. Seven protested a bit but Neelix and Tom insisted on throwing her a house warming party which had such a good turnout; it only ended early the next morning, leaving half the crew tired or hung-over.
B'Elanna gave Seven the pyjama's she had already worn as well as two sets of casual wear and a uniform sporting the blue of the Federation Science Department, all with the circuitry of Seven's bio-suits incorporated. Before the evening drew to a close Seven had admitted that social gatherings were not as much of a chore as she had always thought and she said that the boots and sneakers B'Elanna had given to her were more comfortable than the heels incorporated in her bio-suits.
The day after the party B'Elanna worked Beta shift and when she returned home after work she found Seven waiting in front of her door. Seven was wrapped in a blanket and under which she was wearing the pyjamas B'Elanna had replicated for her. Seven looked tired and pale, so, B'Elanna asked directly, "Did you have another nightmare?"
The tall blonde gave the Engineer a curt nod.
"Come in, I'll make us some hot chocolate. Comfort food is the best thing to chase the lingering effects of a nightmare away."
Seven took a hesitant step back but B'Elanna pulled her in the quarters.
B'Elanna slipped out of her boots and uniform jacket and ordered the replicator to produce two mugs of hot chocolate and a small plate with chocolate chip cookies. Seven curled up on the couch without being told to do so. She was still wrapped in her blanket. B'Elanna handed her the mug and sat down next to her. "Do you remember your dreams?"
Seven didn't answer immediately but took a sip from her mug; her eyes widened, she obviously enjoyed the taste and then she nodded cautiously.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I do not want to impose more than I already do, B'Elanna."
"It's not an imposition, Seven, it's what friends do. You do not have to tell me about your nightmares if you don't want to, but talking about them might help, but I can understand if you'd rather talk to the Captain about them. She is a good listener."
"I would prefer not to remember the dreams. It's inefficient."
"You're right about that, Ice Princess, inefficient but not irrelevant. As much as I hate having nightmares, they tell a lot about the part of our brains the Borg want to know nothing about, the part that makes us so inefficient but that also is our strength."
Seven did not comment on B'Elanna's words and they emptied their mugs silently. B'Elanna asked Seven if she wanted another one but Seven declined the offer. A few minutes later, B'Elanna felt herself getting sleepy and asked. "Do you want to stay here for the rest of the night, Seven? I wouldn't mind."
"Thank you, B'Elanna, but I can not every time run to you and look for comfort when my past becomes uncomfortable. Your duty is with Captain Janeway. Regenerating may be easier than sleeping but I will adapt in time. Thank you for the hot chocolate. Would you like having breakfast with me tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'd love to. Is 6h30 all right?"
"Yes, B'Elanna, 6h30 is a good time."
Part V: Mistress Kathryn returns
Earlier that day but after the Lunch break the Doctor had called B'Elanna in for a check-up and she found herself less reluctant to go than she would have been under normal circumstances. She had barely managed to keep down the cereal Seven had served for breakfast and when her people had brought her lunch she had not even been able to stand the scent and had thrown up. The doctor had diagnosed her as being in the early stages of incarceration syndrome and theorised that it had been triggered by the Captain's absence.
That day an hour after the end of Alpha shift Captain Janeway returned to Voyager. B'Elanna set a new record of getting from the Engine room to the Bridge without the use of a transporter as soon as she heard that the Captain's shuttle had docked. CB'Elanna's hurried arrival hit the calm of the Bridge like a Tsunami an unprepared beach and Commander Tuvok told her that the Captain was in her Ready room, loading her away-mission-report in Voyagers data banks and getting reacquainted with the Status of the ship.
B'Elanna pressed the chime to the Ready Room door and was immediately called in. Captain Janeway stood to the right of the desk and B'Elanna fell on her knees as soon as she had passed the threshold. She bent down until her head touched the floor and practically crawled forward until she had reached her Mistress' feet. Following her instincts she started to kiss her boots but was pulled up and in Kathryn's arms.
"I missed you. my B'El. I knew I would miss you when I left, but I had not expected that I would miss you that much." Every word was punctuated by a kiss.
"I'm so glad that I'm back, here, in your arms where I belong. The Iakanian culture is fascinating and they gave me all the ore and rare metals I asked for, but they have no idea what they miss with their attitude towards intimacy, I never before had to censor my words and actions as much as I did with them, and that includes Starfleet functions with all the Admiralty in attendance I had to go to as my father's plus-one when I was still an Ensign or a Lieutenant.
"Come, my sweet B'El. I hear a scented bath calling my name. Computer, site-to-site transport to the bathroom of the Janeway-Torres-quarters."
"I missed you as well, Mistress, so much."
They rematerialized next to the bathtub, Kathryn removed B'Elanna's uniform jacket and threw it on the toilet seat. She ordered the computer to fill the tub with hot water, pulled B'Elanna's trousers and panties down and added lavender salt and sandal wood oil to the water.
B'Elanna wanted to serve and wash her Mistress but Kathryn had other ideas, "No, my love, not now; if you want to you can pamper my feet later. They definitively had to do too much sight-seeing the last few days, now I want to make love to my beautiful wife, right here in the bathtub. It's what I need after having spent all those lonely nights without you. By the way Tuvok's report said that you and Seven have been busy while I was gone and that she is our new neigh…"
B'Elanna cut Kathryn off by kissing her. She knew that with a less loving Mistress her impulsiveness could or would have earned her a punishment for having acted with presumption or for uppity. As it was their bond, the Oath let Kathryn's passions rise to the surface almost as fast as B'Elanna's did, especially since she had spent the last few days making believe that she was not passionate about anything. She had felt like she was starving. Kathryn returned the kiss with equal passion, the water sloshed over the rim of the bathtub, but she didn't pay it any attention. It could wait. She had more important things to do. And except for the moment they decided to leave the cleaning of the bathroom to the automated system and take things to the bedroom that was about the last rational thought they had that night.
THE END