It had been two days already since she and Harry had returned to Voyager, and the repairs of Delta Flyer had kept her busy. B'Elanna had insisted to take part of the repairs, even though Janeway had tried to encourage both her and Harry to take some time off. But she had been so happy to be back, to see Tom and her engineering staff again (and warp core working almost in peak efficiency), that she hadn't felt the need to stay still and rest.
But despite of their work with the shuttle repairs, B'Elanna was able to find the time to think back her unique experience of being stranded on a pre-industrial planet. What she remembered most vividly was being in the open-air theatre and watching the play Kelis had written about the Voyager Eternals. She had had difficulties to concentrate at first, since she had very well known that she shouldn't had been in contact with those people. But Kelis had been persistent. His endless curiosity had annoyed her at first, but being in his company had made her finally see the honest and kind-hearted person that he was. He was a good man and being his source of inspiration had been very flattering. She had good memories of him. But after her return, there was one moment in particular that she had started to contemplate. It was her first time watching one of those early versions of Kelis' play.
"Chakotay, why must I be denied what every other female officer on this ship can have?" the female alien actress had asked. That line alone – especially the way the actress had recited it - had made her instantly forget all the unfinished repairs she had left behind.
"Captain?" the male actor had asked.
"The privilege of your touch…"
Her first reaction to that particular scene had been utmost astonishment. How had Kelis even succeeded to make up something so outlandish from their logs? But now that she was back on Voyager, she had started to wonder. Apparently Kelis had succeeded to impress her with his creative writing more than she had thought was possible. But since he had, for the first time she had started to pay more attention to them, to watch them more closely. She knew it was ridiculous, because it wasn't any of her business what was going on between them. But Kelis' writings had made her a little curious. Okay, quite curious, if she was honest to herself. And now she couldn't help but wonder how far-fetched was Kelis' interpretation of their relationship after all...
Of course they weren't involved, that much B'Elanna knew for certain, but on the other hand… Chakotay was usually smiling while being with her. That, of course, didn't have to mean a thing, but… they did have those weekly dinners together and Chakotay did call her by her first name sometimes. They did seem to be quite close on the personal level, perhaps a little bit closer than she had ever realized before. So could there really be something between them?
B'Elanna smiled and shook her head slightly. She was most likely trying too hard to see something out of nothing.
Or was she?