A/N: Trip canceled. It's too damned hot and I might melt.
Would it make you too overcome with heat exhaustion to tap the review button? I'd like some feeeeeeedback.
Taken Chapter 8
Sheldon was released to quarters and told to 'take it easy' but Sheldon, this Sheldon, bored more easily than ever and so…
Mess Hall
Gamma shift
"It's good to see you up and around, Sheldon. We were all very worried about you. When you hit the dirt…well, I thought Seven was going to use that sword of yours and slay every Croom standing there. You scared the fire out of us."
"I don't remember much at all about that away mission, Neelix. What are you cooking there? It smells, uh, interesting." He remembered everything about the away mission, from the strange tangy air to the feel of the sword in his hand as it pierced the leather breastplate of the tribesman right up until he was eyeball to eyeball with whatever lurked in the P'ruul turf. Eidetic memory was a double-edged sword. Some things he longed to forget – he couldn't.
"It's a new recipe I'm trying…"
"Ug…gotta run, Neelix." The smell was bad but the sight of the slop he was cooking made Sheldon thank the stars that he had enough Replicator rations to avoid the mess hall for a few days.
He dashed out of the mess hall and down the corridor to the turbolift and gasped out "Deck 4, Section 8" and leaned back, breathing deeply through his mouth.
Sheldon entered his quarters and walked into his en suite bath and vomited. He hadn't been able to keep down much except oatmeal and warm tea since he was released from sickbay. Leonard had assured him that he would be fine once the last of the plague he'd caught worked its way out of his system.
Tom Paris came by to check on him and to bring him up to speed on the gossip on Voyager. For a small ship, there certainly was a lot of drama. Tom woke him up but didn't apologize. All the Old Man seemed to do was sleep and sulk since the fight.
"The Delaney twins were asking about you. I think one of them, don't ask me which, has a crush on you, Old Man. You simply must show your face at Sandrine's as soon as you're feeling better. Oh, and Harry and Seven…"
He shook his head and made a fluttering motion with his hand like a shuttle crashing in flames.
"They're toast. Apparently Harry got a bit fresh and Seven put him in his place, hard, Sheldon. She said that she was 'One of Two' and that there was no room for a 'Three'. Something you want to share with the class?"
"There's nothing to share. Seven is my friend, that's all. I'm sorry that she and Harry crashed and burned. I thought he'd be good for her. I thought those two were a couple after that moonrise thing."
"Uh, well, that never really happened. Oh yeah, Harry reserved the holosuite but Seven never showed up. She said she had to 'wash her hair' or some girly thing."
"That sounds like something Penny, ah, like Penny would have said, if she was sober." Tom noted the hesitation and the sad look on Sheldon's face.
He put his hand on Sheldon's shoulder and squeezed it in sympathy. "Tough leaving someone you loved behind, right? Well, play your cards right and you'll find love and happiness in our century," he paused for effect and then said, "even if you are the oldest man in the galaxy."
Sheldon laughed softly. He never loved Penny, not in the way Tom meant. He'd never loved anyone except his Meemaw, his mother, and his brat twin siser and didn't think he was capable of feeling 'that way' for another person. He carried too much baggage and was far too shy to ever approach a woman even if he felt that way.
That accounted for his strange relationship with Seven of Nine. He was afraid he might be in love - for the first time - and Seven of Nine had enough problems in life without him hanging around her neck, holding her down. Still, he couldn't seem to banish her from his mind as he had Penny and the others. Perhaps resistance was futile.
"Seven was at Sandrine's last night. Alone. She was wearing a dress, Sheldon, and she looked hot!" He watched his friend's face and wondered…no, he couldn't be gay, could he?
Sheldon perked up a bit and Tom smiled to himself. Okay, he's not gay…just painfully shy. I need to talk to B'elanna and see what we can do about hooking him up with one of the Delaney twins.
Tom and B'elanna's quarters
Relationships like Tom and B'elanna had were officially frowned upon but in light of the situation, ignored for the most part.
"Tom, I don't think inviting Dr. Cooper to Sandrine's is one of your better ideas. He's just getting over being sick and besides, he doesn't seem like the type to mix well with our friends."
"You're still pissed about the 'smooth forehead' comment, aren't you? You need to get over it, B'el, and let bygones be bygones."
"It was a mortal insult, Tom Paris, and he knew it!" She was still angry with the skinny man for his insult, regardless of her own fault.
"He's hurting, B'elanna, and I hate seeing him like this. He's a ghost of who he was. I think there's more going on in his head than he lets on. You didn't see the look on his face when he mentioned that 'Penny' person. He looked close to tears."
"Fine. Invite him but I'll bet you a week's ration coupons that he won't show."
Paris took advantage of an away mission to wear Sheldon down and accept an invitation to the party…eventually.
Tom was set to make a recon run of a planet that geological scans showed had deposits of raw dilithium crystals and other raw materials that were needed to keep Voyager running. He asked Sheldon to 'tag along' since his last away mission had ended so abruptly 'and besides, Shel, the experience will do you good'.
He liked the gawky prehistoric man and felt bad for him. They talked about B'elanna's upcoming birthday party and Sheldon said, "I don't think I'm up for a party, Tom but I'll see how I feel then."
They flew low over the trace signal but Tom couldn't land the shuttle due to the heavy forests. It reminded Sheldon of the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Tom put the shuttle down in a clearing about 5km from the trace site and the trio set off to recover whatever crystals they could find. It was early in the planet's day so they strolled through the forest, gawking and talking.
They were about half a click from the ore deposit and just starting to climb up the timbered ridgeline when a group of black six-legged apes came running down the slope hurling rocks and spears. They ran on four thick hind legs and used their 'arms' to throw rocks and their crude spears.
Only Tom and Harry carried phasers. Sheldon was not 'approved' for hand weapons yet and he really didn't care if he was or not. The two Star Fleet men started firing their phasers on stun, trying to discourage their attackers but all it did was piss them off and earn the trio another barrage of rocks and spears.
"Hey, these spear points – they're raw dilithium. Gather them up and let's get out of here. A dozen of these will power Voyager's warp drive for months." Harry had scanned the slope out of habit and spotted their good fortune.
"Good. Gather up what you can and let's get out of here. Sheldon, take point and run back to the shuttle. Trust me, we're right behind you." Tom gathered up three spears and Harry grabbed two and they back-pedaled down the slope.
This really hacked off the ape things and they ran after them, howling like banshees and hurling rocks at the 'intruders'. Sheldon was about 20 meters ahead of them and saw that another group of the ape things was running across the slope of the ridge, parallel to their path, probably trying to get ahead of them and cut them off.
'Well, crap on a cracker, Batman, this really sucks.' He stopped and waited for Tom and Harry to catch up with him so he could explain what he saw and they could plot another course back to the shuttle. Tom came back followed by a badly limping Harry. He'd been hit in the knee by a rock and he was barely able to walk let alone run.
"Tom, Harry, we're in deep doo-doo here. Some of the apes have run ahead of us and are probably waiting to ambush us somewhere up the line. We need to plot another course back to the shuttle."
"More bad news. These crystals aren't nearly as pure as we'll need. We can use them but we'll need a dozen or more. I dropped my two spears when I got hit with a rock. Man, those things can throw!" Tom worked on harnessing Harry's knee in a crude brace made from sticks while Sheldon looked over the satellite map that was totally useless in this terrain.
"Look, we need the dilithium and we need at least a dozen more spears. Harry, you're screwed and Tom, you'll need to help him kinda run to the shuttlecraft. Y'know, this reminds me of paintball only instead of 'capture the flag', we're playing 'don't get killed'."
"Are you nuts, Cooper? These beasts shake off phasers on stun and we can't kill sentient creatures – "
"I know, Harry, I know. The precious Prime Directive. Well, I'll bet the idiots who came up with it never had their balls in a sling like we do! Tom, leave me your phaser and help Harry back to the shuttlecraft. I'm going to run ahead and fuck up their day a bit. We'll leapfrog ahead from there."
Sheldon poured water from his flask onto the forest floor and shuddered as he smeared the muddy detritus over his face and the backs of his hands as crude camouflage. "Tom, if I get cooties or something from this crap, I'm going to kick your ass for talking me into coming along with you."
"Sheldon, what the hell are you doing?" Tom had a feeling he didn't want to know. Janeway was going to have his guts for garters if they screwed up another away mission.
"I'm going to go play 'capture the spearheads', that's what. You two wait a couple of minutes and then take off. Harry, sorry, but I'm taking your phaser, too. You can't break your precious PD but I can. Take care and get back to the shuttle. I'll be along directly."
"Oh, wait." He fumbled around in his ever-present messenger bag and took out an iPad and his journal. "If anything happens, give this to the Captain and the journal to Seven. She'll get a kick out of it."
Tom watched Sheldon disappear from sight into the forest obliquely to their path. He shook his head and cursed Star Fleet and the gods of misfortune for allowing Sheldon Cooper to appear in his century. The man clearly had a death wish.
"Janeway's going to skin us alive, Harry. Dilithium or no dilithium, we are so screwed. Okay, let's get you on your feet and," they heard the sound of phasers firing ahead and roars and growls from the ape things, "and get moving."
"Cooper's got a death wish, Tom. I just hope he doesn't take us down with him. I was kinda hoping that Seven and I – "
"Forget it! Seven and Sheldon are One and Two of Two. He just doesn't know how to handle it, that's all. He's shy and," more phaser fire and Sheldon's maniacal laughter interrupted him, "doesn't know how to deal with Seven - yet. Man, that laugh…makes me want to pee, y'know?" He stood Harry up and they hobbled down the track towards the shuttlecraft.
Katheryn Janeway was torn between hugging the away team and spanking them. The spear points they collected would yield enough dilithium to keep her ship moving for almost a year once they were properly refined and shaped. The way they got them was why she wanted to hug them. She almost lost three of her most promising crewmen and their tale was unbelievable. The risks they took…well, they were too big to paddle.
Still…
"Dr. Cooper, go get that foul-smelling crud off your face and hands and report to sickbay for an examination. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time. Mr. Paris, take Mr. Kim to sickbay and then drop off the crystals with B'elanna in Engineering. I'll want your reports by tomorrow. Well done."
Sheldon liked the sonic shower but he longed for one with hot water pounding on him, relaxing him, banishing the soreness from muscles he'd either used for the first time or overused. Still, it was convenient, quick and he did feel clean.
He stepped out of the shower stall and over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face and dried it and then applied the depilatory crème that he'd really learned to appreciate. No nicks, no missed spots, just a clean and smooth face. Except for the worry lines that seemed to grow deeper almost daily, he didn't look a day over 32, certainly not 5 centuries.
He took his filthy mission coveralls and recycled them and got a clean set from the small closet.
"Don't get dressed on my account, Dr. Cooper." Seven's soft voice startled him and he wrapped the coveralls around his waist.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing here, Seven?" He was embarrassed at being naked. He'd always had a thing about his body. It was scrawny and underdeveloped.
"I'm here to make sure you are still functional and then," she stepped towards him, "you will accompany me to Sandrine's and", another step closer, "we will finally hold hands," another step, "and let everyone know that we are together." She took another step and was almost touching him. "I trust that is acceptable, Dr. Cooper?"
"Y-yes, I suppose so. Your hair…" It was down around her shoulders and it was soft and wavy and he had to stop himself from running his fingertips through it. Seven would probably kill him if he did.
"I've been told that it is acceptable to 'let one's hair down' when out for the evening with one's significant other. You are definitely significant to me, Sheldon."
"I am?" He felt her breath on his cheek as she kissed it, lingering just a bit. "Yes, Sheldon, you are. We are One and Two of Two, although you may still call me 'Seven', of course." She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Now get dressed, Sheldon, and let's go. It's B'elanna's birthday party and she was nice enough to invite us."
"Both of us? Are you sure? I don't think she's over the 'smooth forehead' comment yet."
Still whispering, she said, "I'll protect you, Sheldon. Don't be afraid." She was surprised at her boldness and encouraged by his response. His pupils had dilated and his nostrils flared just a bit when he first saw her. The database had been very explicit in those key markers of arousal.
Sheldon walked into Sandrine's holding Seven's hand. They held hands since leaving his quarters and he found that when he rubbed the pad of his thumb gently over the Borg implant on the back of her hand that it trembled and her breathing seemed to hitch. She glanced over and smiled shyly at him.
The clamor of noise and the crowd of people seemed to fade away and the couple walked over to where Tom and B'elanna were sitting and drinking – B'elanna more than Tom.
"Happy Birthday, B'elanna." Sheldon waited for her crappy response but she just smiled and pointed to a chair and said, "Sit, Old Man, and tell me the truth about the away mission. Tom keeps muttering about hairy apes and rocks and spears and poor Harry's stumbling around on crutches and confined to quarters for the next two days."
"Um, Seven, please sit. I'll find another chair." He started to turn away but was surprised when Seven pushed him into the chair and then arranged herself on his lap, putting one arm around his shoulders.
She was wearing slacks and a hooded t-shirt that she'd borrowed from B'elanna and her usual heels and so sitting on his lap was not a problem for her. He, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised but 'went with it' and wrapped one arm around her waist 'to stabilize her,' or so he told himself.
Seven mouthed a 'thank you' to B'elanna who nodded conspiratorially, and then motioned for Sheldon to start talking.
There was soon a crowd standing around, listening to Tom tell the tale since Sheldon's version only took about 15 seconds.
"…so then he kneels down and pours water on the dirt and starts painting his face with stripes of mud and threatens me with a horrible fate if he succumbed to 'cooties', whatever the hell they are."
Seven asked what 'cooties' were and Sheldon gave one of his rare 'real laughs' and explained that they were mythical bugs that young boys got from girls. When she still looked uncertain, he whispered boldly, "I'll tell you later, sweetie."
"Then he runs off into the trees and we start hearing phaser fire and this madman's laugh. Like I told Harry, it made me want to pee my pants. Scary."
"I did not violate your Prime Directive, Tom. I discovered that a double-tap put them to sleep. Just hit them twice on stun and they were in ape-thing dreamland. Besides, the laughter covered the sound of my teeth chattering. Those buggers were huge and they had canines like 8 inches long and they definitely weren't herbivorous!"
Seven had changed her regeneration cycle and was not a bit tired but she saw how Sheldon suppressed several yawns and whispered, "Let's get you back to your quarters and to bed, Sheldon. You've had a long day by the sound of it."
Sheldon started walking towards Seven's cargo bay to make sure she got 'home safely'. She pulled him by the hand towards his quarters.
"I read your journal. Tom gave it to me. He said I was supposed to have it. Did you mean what you wrote, Sheldon?"
"You read my journal? But I gave that to Tom in case – "
"Yes, I know. In case you did not return. But I am pleased he gave it to me. It explains so much and answers so many questions. So, did you mean what you wrote?"
A/N: What did Sheldon write and why does Seven want to know if he meant what he wrote?