Carey was waiting eagerly for her in Engineering when she arrived fifteen minutes later, showered and feeling focused. The morning workout had done her a world of good, and had even left her a little sore. She hid a smile as she watched Ensign Vorik lean stiffly over a console—of the two of them, she had definitely come out with fewer bruises. And to her pleasure, the three of them managed to shave almost five seconds off the power-up of the warp coils in the test sequence. It wasn't much, but small power-savers like this all over the ship would help them stockpile energy that they desperately needed. On long stretches between planets and bases, Captain Janeway always came up with interesting and useful ways to keep them all occupied, their skills finely honed, and B'Elanna was grateful.
She was also pleased with the teamwork among the members of her crew. Carey was a fine engineer, if limited in courage. Vorik was limited only in experience, but his fine mind and lightning-quick ability to make ideas meet in solutions was something that B'Elanna valued greatly. She realized that she had missed that for the brief time they had been alienated, and that she hadn't realized how much she had come to rely on him as a sounding board. His steady calm and insight, Carey's bright and active intelligence, and her unique problem-solving abilities made them a solid team, one that she did not want to lose. She caught Vorik's favoring his wrist, and smiled ruefully. Unfortunately, he caught her eye at the exact same moment, and his gaze softened in embarrassment. She moved over to his station, ostensibly to check on some readings, and took his wrist in her hand. Dark brown bruises in the shape of her fingers crossed over the thin flesh that covered his strong bones. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"I am beginning to feel the effects of the morning, Lieutenant." His voice was pitched only for her ears, and his breath whispered against her cheek. She smiled, feeling perversely pleased.
"Feeling like you made a bargain with the Devil, Ensign?"
He considered her for a moment, and his dark eyes dropped to where her hand was still holding his wrist. She gently let go of his hand, but didn't let her question drop. A tiny smile quirked the corner of his mouth, adding a wry depth to his expression that she had never seen there before.
"Vulcans don't believe in the Devil, Lieutenant."
Her grin only broadened. "Brave words, Vorik." He watched her in return for a moment, the wryness not leaving his eyes, until a chirp from the board called his attention back to the process he was running. B'Elanna turned back to her boards, and Carey came up behind her, beaming.
"This went well. The captain seemed pleased." She nodded, and felt a flush of pride at the small triumph. In a passage full of terrible crisis, every victory, no matter how small, was a worthy one.
At lunch, Tom tracked her down and slid into the seat next to her, eager to hear about the morning session. "So, did you kick his ass?"
She rolled her eyes, munching on sliced liola root salad and some gingered rice. "No. Actually, I didn't. We did some rock climbing, and practiced wrestling holds."
Tom flashed her a disapproving look. "Wrestling holds? That sounds… cozy." His voice insinuated the exact feeling of discomfort that B'Elanna had felt herself, so she naturally denied it with a wave of her hand, instead leaning toward him.
"In three G's, Tom."
His sandy eyebrows shot up. "Three? As in three times Earth's gravity?" He settled his elbows on the table and scowled at his rice. "Heavy."
"Very." She poked at a slice of root. "He is a skillful rock climber. He might even be better than you, Tom." She watched her friend's light skin flush with umbrage, and his lips twitched mildly.
"If he needs a rock climbing partner, he's free to ask."
B'Elanna suddenly didn't want to escalate this competition anymore. "Tom, I'm not romantically interested in Vorik. He asked me to teach him how to fight. To do that, we have to go through some pretty intensive training. That's all."
Tom looked at her, his light blue eyes intense. "Who are you trying to convince, B'Elanna?" She pulled back, a little shocked, and he reached across and took her hand. "Look, whatever you do is fine. He came to you to make things better between you, and that's good for everyone in Engineering, which is good for the rest of us." The impish light came back into his eyes. "Besides, you've been looking for a sparring partner. And I'm sure it's satisfying to beat the crap out of him."
B'Elanna laughed out loud at this. "It is! I almost feel guilty. But he is very… durable." Tom was grinning, sharing her glee, and suddenly she felt a lot better about the whole thing. "Thank you. I was having second thoughts. I'm teaching him how to swim tomorrow, and he's really nervous." She ate the last of her food quickly and squeezed Tom on the shoulder. "See you later, Navigator."
Tom stared at his rice for a while after she left, wondering just what had happened to make the conversation turn against him so completely. Would he ever stop making things worse just by opening his mouth? And now she was teaching Vorik the Vulcan, man from the desert planet, how to swim. The thought of it made him lose what was left of his appetite.
The door to the mess hall opened, and who should walk in but the Vulcan in question. Tom was satisfied at least to see that he was limping slightly, but the thought that Vorik was carrying the injury rather than taking it to the Doctor bothered him slightly. It was something Tom would do with a war wound that he was proud of. Feeling perverse, he motioned Vorik over to his table, and the tall Vulcan sat hesitantly down with a tray full of greens. They had not actually spoken since Vorik had attempted to engage him in the ritual combat of the plak tow, and Tom was still feeling less than friendly. When Tom continued to stare at him, Vorik bowed his head over his meal and began to eat. Finally, Tom spoke, wishing he had never invited the Vulcan over in the first place.
"So, B'Elanna tells me that she's going to teach you how to swim tomorrow. That sounds interesting."
Vorik chewed his food slowly, and swallowed. "I have to admit, I am uncertain about submerging myself in water." His face was a mask, but Tom could see the nervousness in his eyes. He softened a bit. A small bit.
"You'll like it, I bet. It's a little like zero grav, but without the nausea. And if I know B'Elanna, she'll find some place that will take your mind off the water.
Vorik looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" He set his hands on the table, and Tom caught a glimpse of the bruises under the cuff of his uniform. So the limp wasn't the only injury he had kept. A brief flare of jealousy flared within him, but he tamped it down. Was he jealous about not getting the stuffing beat out of him? Certainly not—Vorik could have all the abuse that he wanted. He tried to focus back on the question, when he realized that the Vulcan was waiting patiently for his answer.
"Well, I remember when she introduced me to wind sailing, she picked a very pretty piece of tranquil coast in the Caribbean. Even when I crashed, it was into the shallows. She'll take good care of you."
Vorik flicked his eyebrows up at this, and his gaze dropped ruefully to his wrists. "Indeed." Tom realized suddenly that more was going on than met the eye. Perhaps Vorik even felt that he deserved these injuries, for what he had done to B'Elanna. Abruptly, Tom lost the taste for teasing the young man. He stood, and forced a smile.
"You'll do fine." And then, without knowing what led him, he clasped a gentle hand on Vorik's shoulder. The Vulcan nodded, and met his eyes, something unfathomable in his gaze.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Most people around here call me Tom."
"Thank you, Tom." And then the conversation was closed, and Vorik turned back to his salad, and Tom left the mess hall, his mind full of troubled thoughts. He wasn't going to betray a confidence that he only suspected. But he would watch out for the two of them. After all, what were friends for? But the haunted look in Vorik's dark eyes stayed with him long after duty shift was over.
