Countdown
Authors: Christina and Sara
Sarexa sat on the stool with a humpf. Neelix glanced behind him and smiled, but quickly returned his attention to the Srii stew. "Give me two minutes," he said. "This is the critical moment. I can't let it boil."
"I understand." He noted the puzzled tone of her voice.
"What happened?" he asked while he stirred.
"I am trying to understand the humans. Lieutenants Paris and Torres often show their affection in public, but I do not understand why Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay feel they must keep theirs hidden."
"Their what?"
"Their relationship. I have often watched them together, and on the bridge when we went to transwarp, she held his hand. I have often see Lieutenant Paris take his wife's hand like that."
"Captain Janeway is not involved with the Commander," Neelix said as he watched the isrii tuber rise to the surface. "Though there have been rumors."
"I don't understand. It's not like she tugged on his whiskers, but isn't touching like that in public a sign of affection?"
"Not always. Humans are an odd species." He pulled the stew off the heat and stirred it several times. The warm blue color slowly started to leech out of the gorp fruit. "Even after six years, I still don't understand them completely. Sometimes it is a sign of close friendship. Pass me the salt, please."
"Salt? With the gorp fruit?"
"It enhances the flavor..." She picked up the salt and shook her head. "Neelix, I know you really prefer the stronger flavors..." She tried to think of kind way of critiquing him. "Anyway the srii tuber has a high salt content. Perhaps let the crew add salt to their own tastes?" She put the salt back on the shelf as he agreed with her.
"Hey, Joe!" Carey turned at the sound Tom's voice.
"Tom, you have a deathwish or something?" Tom glanced at the office door, quickly wondering just how bad his wife's mood was today. Her mood sometimes seemed to change every hour-or even every minute. "Everything's running fine. Your wife is in her office. She and Icheb are going over the analysis of our first two days at transwarp."
"I haven't noticed any problems, outside that our scans are pretty skimpy."
"That's to be expected." Joe laughed. "We are traveling at a high velocity."
"I know. It's fun. But I do miss the view."
"I wouldn't know about the view outside the ship, Unlike the big-jock pilots, I spend most of my times in the bowels of the ship." Joe sighed. "I miss the stars outside the viewport-but the warped star trails are a definite improvement over the nothingness of the void."
"That was depressing, but those warped stars are a sure sign we're going home." Tom smiled as they both looked at the transwarp coil glowing in shades of a psychedelic rainbow. "And the new color scheme is a definite improvement." Vorik waved from the catwalk, then called for Joe. Tom watched Joe leave then started walking toward his wife's office. He wondered what her mood was at this moment. Fortunately they only had less than two months to go in her pregnancy. He smiled at the thought of he, Tom Paris, being a father.
"So, have you heard?" Crewman Edwin Carlson asked just as Tom was about to open B'Elanna's office door.
"Thanks, but Joe warned me she's been on the warpath all morning."
Carlson laughed as he shook his head. "Have you heard anything about Janeway's letter?"
Tom shook his head. "What letter?"
Carlson frowned. "I've heard from several sources that the Captain received a letter saying that the Maquis won't be pardoned. They want our skins, don't they?"
"I've not heard anything," Tom again shook his head. "And I don't think the Captain would let the Maquis spend any time in prison." He placed a hand on Carlson's shoulder. "We beat the Borg. We're heroes." He liked the sound of that. He'd never expected a second chance-let alone a chance to be a hero.
Carlson backed away. "Tom, your dad's an admiral. You'll get some cushy job teaching at the academy. The rest of us will be tossed out. I even heard that they won't be paying us for our time out here."
"That's bullshit."
"I think we need to find out more," Carlson marched away when B'Elanna stepped out of her office.
"Ignore him," B'Elanna said as she kissed him on the cheek. "He's been grouchy all day. Why are you here?"
"We did agree to dinner." He smiled at her. The quickness of her mood swings was still surprising to him.
"We did?" She behind her. "Icheb and I are going over the data from the transwarp coil sensors."
"B'Elanna," Tom said with exaggerated patience. "You have to eat. And perhaps it's time for you to talk to the Captain about taking a medical leave."
"I am NOT going to take a leave of absence. The Doctor says it is not necessary. Should the situation change, I'm sure he will tell me-and everyone else." She took his hand. "But, I am hungry...We are hungry." She dragged him toward the lift. Tom was astounded at how quickly she could move, despite her advancing pregnancy.
"What rumor is Edwin griping about?" Tom asked as the lift doors closed behind them. She kissed him then pulled away.
"You can't be the Tom Paris I know and love. That Tom would definitely know about the rumors." She kissed him quickly again, then again much more slowly.
"I definitely feel like I'm that Tom Paris. I'm definitely reacting like your husband." He wrapped his arms around her as he returned her kiss. "There must be another reason I haven't paid attention to any rumors."
She stepped back. "I wonder what that might be? You are usually on top of all the rumors." She frowned. "The rumor involves a letter the captain received. Something about how she shouldn't be so confident that the Maquis would be pardoned." B'Elanna shrugged. "But then there's also a rumor that Harry received a court summons."
"Harry? Mr. Straight Arrow? He's probably never even had an overdue
library book, let alone done something that would get him arrested."
He leaned over and kissed her. She playfully shoved him away as the door opened. "By the way, after our daughter is born, I'm thinking about becoming celibate." She walked out. Tom stared after her. The door closed before he could follow.
Jenny Delaney smiled as Sarexa poured her a cup of tea. She couldn't remember what Sarexa had called it, other than it was real Talaxian tea. "Lieutenant?"
"Is there a problem?" Jenny took a sip of her tea. "The tea is excellent by the way."
"Thank you. I am puzzled by human behavior."
"That's all right, we're sometimes puzzled by it ourselves. Have a seat, Sarexa." Jenny motioned with her free hand for the Talaxian to sit down. "What's puzzling you?"
"Would you say the Captain and Commander are lovers, or merely friends?"
Jenny swallowed her tea too quickly, and started coughing. Sarexa stood with a quick glance about the messhall.
"Should I contact the Doctor?"
"No, I'm fine." She took another sip of tea, wondering just how she would explain this. She just knew that Megan would find this hysterical. "Well, let's put it this way, it's not something that can be easily defined," Jenny said after she stopped coughing. "Early on, they used to flirt a lot, and then they spent those months alone on New Earth, which made everyone assume that *something* happened, but then they got back and nothing further occurred. Really, other than a few rumors, there's been no evidence one way or the other, and in fact each of them have had brief flings with others..." Jenny halted, perhaps she'd said too much? "Why the interest?"
"She was holding his hand on the bridge the other day."
Jenny pondered this piece of information as she finished her tea. For the most part, all the betting pools on those two had dried up years ago. Which was too bad. Deep down Jenny was a romantic. She'd spent seven years looking on Voyager-but by all calculations they would be home by Christmas. There would be more choices in the Alpha Quadrant.
But as Tom and B'Elanna had proven, romance could find it's way to Delta Quadrant.
"I wouldn't read too much into whatever you saw, Sarexa. I'm sure there's a reasonable, and totally unromantic explanation." She sighed as she stood. "Although, if it was something, it's about time."