B'Elanna has a talk with Sam Wildman after the events of Lineage.
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
B'Elanna Torres shifted in her seat in the mess hall uncomfortably. She was tired and cranky and longing for some of her grandmother's tamales. Nobody made them quite like her and the pregnancy hormones demanded tamales. As she lifted another spoonful of Neelix's latest Leola Root concoction to her mouth a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Mind if I join you, Lieutenant?" asked the smiling face of Ensign Samantha Wildman.
"Go ahead," B'Elanna replied, gesturing to the empty chair.
She watched the Ensign take a seat and poke at the mushy orange substance next to the Leola Root stew.
"Is this any good?" Samantha asked.
"It's not as bad as it looks," offered B'Elanna.
Samantha scooped some up and tried it cautiously.
"I have to hand it to Neelix, every meal sure is an adventure," Sam joked.
"It's good today, I'm just craving some of my grandmother's tamales and leola root does little to cure that."
"Oh! When I was pregnant with Naomi I craved Oreos dipped in peanut butter all the time. And a couple times I replicated peanut butter and mayo sandwiches. All I wanted was peanut butter. And the best part? Naomi hates peanut butter."
The women laughed together. The mess hall was clearing out, B'Elanna having arrived a the later end of dinner.
"Sam, can I ask you something?"
Sam looked at the half-Klingon. She could see the inner struggle waging inside her. Sam nodded, mouth full of food.
"How do deal with Naomi being half Ktarian? How do you help her deal with being different?"
Sam paused for a moment to think. "Well, Naomi is lucky to live with a ship full of people who will accept her and love her for who she is. We're an eclectic group, from all over the place. None of us have the right or the interest to judge someone for being different. If we were back on Earth I suppose it would be different. She'd be in school with other children who would probably tease her. How do you deal with it?"
"I didn't when I was younger. I tried everything I could think of to look human, talk human, be human. I blamed my Klingon side for my father leaving. But finally, thank to Voyager and her crew, I realized that I can't separate who I am. I am a Klingon-Human hybrid. I'm not half and half but rather whole, different, but still a person."
"Well I think you've answered your own question. Teach your daughter to accept herself and love herself. Teach her that she's unique, and that's a wonderful thing. Kids can be cruel, even if you're barely different at all, hell, I was made fun of all the time in school. It's all in how you teach her to handle it."
B'Elanna smiled. "You're a very wise Ensign. It's no wonder Naomi is such a wonderful child."
"Thank you," Sam smiled, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"Now, how about some fried ice cream for dessert?" B'Elanna asked.