Playing the Long Game

Disclaimer: I don't know if anyone reads the disclaimers, but I had read that writers started adding disclaimers to their fanfiction after some sort of misinterpretation of the copyright law. Writers had apparently believed that by stating that they didn't own the characters or settings they were writing about that they couldn't be sued, but apparently the copyright law had more to do with the actual owners of these characters losing money because of the work of fanfiction. Either way I guess I'll write one because it's my first piece of fanfiction on this account. I don't own the characters, settings or anything linked to the Star Trek brand referred to within this piece of fiction.

B'elanna's POV

It was hard to pinpoint where it all began. Where the feelings of hostility morphed into something completely different. Into feelings that she wasn't sure she was ready address yet.

She didn't know what to make of what she felt for him. Even worse, she didn't know what he really felt for her. He was a friend. Despite her trying to push him away, he was around, whether she wanted him there or not.

She had watched him chase after different women over their time on Voyager. He'd spend time with Megan Delaney every so often and hang around Engineering to pester Sue Nicoletti every couple of months. She'd heard how he'd pursue alien species when they had leave and even had a holographic female or two on the side. He never seemed to have any hesitation to take them up on an offer for company. She knew he wasn't too serious about them, but she wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

What was a little unsettling was knowing for a fact that he at one point had feelings for Kes. Unfortunately, a perk of having a mutual friend in Harry Kim made her "one of the guys" and privy to that sort of information. For some reason, knowing that he had REAL feelings for Kes made her a little bit disappointed and a little bit jealous if she was truly honest with herself.

Sometimes she thought she should start pursuing safer options, maybe it would help with these uncharacteristic feelings she had towards him. Maybe she'd been alone for a little too long and lacking an outlet for romantic interest.

It wasn't like she'd never been asked out during her time on Voyager. She just hadn't taken anyone up a private invitation.

Maybe she'd just take Freddy up on that offer for a game of Parrises Squares.

He'd asked her to go sailing. It was an invitation free from innuendo, but it was clear that he was trying to change the rules of their fragile friendship. At this point she could easily admit that he was a friend and a good one at that. He wasn't afraid to challenge her or support her if she needed it. If only she knew what this new game was. Was he sincerely interested in her or trying to have a convenient friend/lover without the commitment? If that was his goal then she wasn't interested. It would be dangerous to cross that line. She wouldn't want to cross that line with him.

As much as she was loath to admit it, he had the potential to hurt her. On top of that, his history with women wasn't the best and he was never one to talk about exclusivity or monogamy. He still chased around women, maybe not with the gusto he did when they first arrived, but he still did. It would be in her best interest to reject the offer, write it off as outlandish and proceed with caution. The timing on his invitation was also suspect. Did he think that because she went on one date with Freddy that she'd opened her mind to dating around?

—

If she ever goes out with Freddy Bristow again, she's not going to play Parrises Squares with him. It wasn't a challenge at all. The entire evening was like hanging out with a third year academy cadet and not an ensign on a starship.

He'd been stopping by Engineering more often. Tom. Asking her to have dinner, knowing very well that Harry wouldn't be able to join them. Picking programs that could potentially be considered "romantic", but refraining from using the word date. He always worded his invitations so carefully. He could be a hard man to read, his easy smile and genial personality made it rather difficult to take him seriously. As much as she hated to admit it, he was a nice guy. Maybe he was just trying to get her to try eating somewhere new, trying to get her to break out of her routine and maybe he wasn't interested in her like that at all. Maybe.

But, it felt like once or twice a week he was encouraging her to have dinner with him and it seemed like he was trying to have dinner with her alone. Not that she was surprised, he was very persistent. Last week was an invitation to dinner in Tuscany at sunset, this week an offer for coffee in Rio de Janeiro and an oceanfront dinner in Maldives. Sometimes the offers were kind of hard to resist. She really loved the beach and warm weather.

Maybe she'd agree to a platonic, non-romantic lunch in the Mess Hall.

—

Harry was kind of a gossip. He was quick to tell her that Tom had kissed a girl back in the 20th century.

"Tom said she was a beautiful scientist with similar interests and a great sense of humor." Harry was one of her favorite people on the ship, but if he didn't stop soon, then she was going to get up and leave.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. Fly boys never change." She mentally chastised herself, she should have known he would lose interest in her.

She could feel the prickling sensation of being watched. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him looking in her direction as she reclined on the beach chair. She'd been noticing him watching her lately. Briefly and every so often, not excessively, but he watched her and definitely more than he did others.

He was always a little too far away for her to see what emotion lay behind his gaze. It was a little bit maddening.

The first time she noticed him staring at her she had turned to ask him what he was looking at, but he had looked away before she could ask. He was always a little too quick and nonchalant when he looked away and she was too much of a coward to ask why he stared.

He also seemed to be a little bit irritated with the male additions to the holoprogram. She might have overdid it just a little, not that any of the crew were complaining about it.

Watching Tom interact with the male additions, he wasn't just irritated, he was jealous... particularly with the muscular masseuse she programmed in.

The thought alone brought a smile to her face.

Tom's POV

She was fiery. He didn't know when he started to feel interested in her. Probably day 1... definitely day 1, but he was interested by a lot of different women throughout their journey thus far. Something about her was different. She was captivating. That thought in itself was unsettling. He was young and on an adventure that would last 70 years. There was a whole universe of different beautiful women to get to know and a whole lot of them were a lot less prickly than her.

She was quick to anger, downright hostile at times and difficult to get within 10 feet of. Why put tons of effort, when there were plenty of women around who were ready and willing. Over half the Voyager crew was female, why get stuck on one.

But something about her, the strength she had, ingenuity, intelligence, beauty and that huge chip on her shoulder made her absolutely fascinating to him. There was no way she'd ever be interested in a guy like him. He would never come close to deserving someone like her. She was a one man kind of woman and the kind who would be loyal to the end.

There was a time he was interested in Kes, but who wouldn't be. She was approachable, beautiful, smart and friendly. Always ready with a kind word. She had this kind of energy that made you feel special whenever she talked to you. She was a calming presence. It was what drew him towards her in the beginning. She was like the warm light of a candle.

But her, B'elanna, she was like the brightest sun.

And that knowledge (because this was fact and not a belief) was absolutely frightening. She was the brightest sun and he didn't know if he'd ever find one like her.

"I guess she finally gave the guy a chance." Harry smirked and nodded across the Mess Hall.

"What?" He asked as he saw her settling at a table with Ensign Bristow. He'd been hanging in her vicinity lately, not that he'd noticed or anything, but Bristow was the quickest to volunteer to work in Engineering or bring a PADD down to B'elanna.

"She told me he'd asked her out earlier this week and they played Parrises Squares yesterday."

To say he was surprised was an understatement. He didn't think she would accept an invitation from anyone really. He thought if he had ever worked up the nerve to pursue her that his main competition would be Chakotay and Harry.

One of her rare genuine smiles focused on the ensign and rattled him a little bit. Bristow was just eating it up. He casually perused the Mess Hall. Of course he wasn't the only one draw to her. Sure enough he saw plenty of eyes stray towards her and each set saw the side of her that few saw. The good humored and pleasant to be around engineer with the beautiful smile and laugh.

Great. Now that everyone knew that it existed, he had competition. He wasn't planning on pursuing her at this point. He had planned on taking his time, proving that he was a friend and wasn't such a bad guy. Then maybe work in a couple of private dinners then progress to holodeck programs and then to actual dates.

He had a plan. He was going to do the right thing for once. He was going to take his time and really try to build something real with her because she deserved it and she was worth it.

He could see the interest in the other male eyes in the room. If she was willing to have dinner with Ensign Bristow, it meant she wouldn't necessarily rebuff other invitations. They all knew it now.

It seemed that the race for her was on.

She turned him down, but there was a hesitation with it and an amused smile behind it. It was the hesitation and smile that gave him hope. Maybe he should have picked somewhere other than Lake Como. She liked the beach, maybe he should have suggested Australia.

Also he probably should have approached the whole invitation a little bit better. When they went out looking for energy signatures, he knew that it was the perfect opportunity for him to ask her to go sailing. But the 5 hours that they spent alone in the shuttle had made him kind of edgy about asking her and her increasing impatience didn't lend to the mood.

Then he asked her and kind of insulted her at the same time, but it could have gone worse.

There's always next time.

He kissed Rain at the end of the mission.

It was fine.

Nothing spectacular, but it wasn't terrible. He thought maybe it'd take his mind off of her. If anything, it felt a little wrong to have done it, but he needed to know if she's ruined him.

He might have his answer.. He didn't know how he felt about the answer.

He was never a jealous guy, if anything he was confident in his looks and that he had the wits and personality to make him a good catch. He never cared deeply enough to have feelings of jealousy. But.. the fact that she added her own characters to the simulation rubbed him the wrong way.

Something about her programming in a character that she considered attractive bothered the hell out of him. He was watching her now, lounging in that one piece with her holographic meathead approaching the bar to get her a drink.

He knew he didn't have a reason to feel this way. Hell, he kissed another woman last week. They weren't dating. She even turned every private dinner invitation into a meal in the Mess Hall, but still... Watching her smile at someone who was starting to give her a back rub, hologram or not, was making him feel something akin to jealousy.

END