Chapter 2

"The blood fever has been purged. Miss Torres should be fine. Though I want her on bed rest for a few days, just in case." The EMH said and closed his tricorder. B'Elanna smiled and fid farewell and headed back to her quarters. Captain Janeway stayed behind.

"What about Ensign Vorik?"

"Ahh yes. It seems that the holodeck program was successful. There are no signs of the pan farr."

"That's excellent Doctor, good work," Kathryn said and headed back to the bridge.


Three days later……

"I'll kill you flyboy!" B'Elanna roared, struggling against the arms that restrained her from her goal, which was to beat Tom Paris relentlessly over the head with the hyperspanner in her hand. Once again, he had aggravated her. Somehow, that man always managed to find her weak spot and dig his heel into it.

"You can try Torres, but I doubt you have the cranial ridges to do it." Paris goaded from across the corridor, he had a black eye and a small cut on his forehead. "That's enough from both of you." Chakotay forced B'Elanna to look him in the eye and more quietly added, "I know he's a pain in the ass B'Elanna, but you cant let him get to you like this." After awhile her blood began to settle, and B'Elanna shook the restraining hands off her. Tom was already leaving, storming off to get his eye looked at no doubt. B'Elanna spat a gob of blood in his direction. She had bitten her tongue.

The crowed of on lookers began to disperse and Chakotay was left with B'Elanna in the corridor.

"At least you got him good." He smiled, and B'Elanna allowed herself to do likewise, relishing the aftermath of their battle. However, it did not take long for something to dash her restored spirits.

"Janeway to Torres" the communicator rasped and B'Elanna felt her heart sink.

"Torres here." Chakotay shared her look of uneasiness.

"Would you join me in my ready room B'Elanna. I have a matter to discus with you regarding shipboard relations." Sighing B'Elanna took leave of her commander and began her way to the Captain's ready room.

Upon arriving the door slid open to reveal Paris sulking in a corner and Janeway looking irritated, sitting behind her desk with a coffee cup warm in her hands.

"So, what's this about you two fighting?"

"A mild altercation captain, nothing to be worried about." Paris answered for them both, and B'Elanna glanced smugly at him, his eye showing no evidence of their 'mild altercation' but the fact that she had not needed a trip to the doctor inflated her spirits once more.

"That's not what my officers tell me, word in the corridors informed me of a full blown fight, with a hyperspanner?" she glanced up at B'Elanna, her raised eyebrow wiping the smile of her face immediately.

"Rumors have inflated the incident." Paris cut in, "B'Elanna and I shared some friendly punches, that's all. She was very polite about the whole thing actually." The half Klingon lowered her eyes, but Tom was apparently a seasoned liar.

"Perhaps so," Janeway reasoned, "but never the less, I think the two of you need to get over your apparent differences." She stood up and motioned them towards a scamatics consol. "We're approaching an M class planet; we've picked up some traces of deuterium in some of its deeper caverns. There have been some electrical storms in the area, so a shuttle would be too risky; I've decided to transport an away mission directly into one of the shallower caves. You two will go together, collect the data we need, and track the deuterium readings to their source."

"Captain –" B'Elanna began, but Janeway cut her off with the shake of a finger. "You will do this, both of you, if you want to remain a part of this crew. You will find a way, any way, of getting along. Is that understood?"

Both Paris and B'Elanna nodded. Janeway clapped B'Elanna on the shoulder, "than I suggest you head to the transporter room and prep for you mission. Dismissed."


uh oh, looks like their going to have to be stuck with each other :) ...please review!!