A/N: So thanks to Ensanguine's imaginary chocolate and booze, I was able to finally get this chapter to a point I was happy with and off to my beta who did another excellent job ;) Another big thanks to AlexisBlade, Swishla, ScOut4It, Guyana Rose, Lenn.n.n and the crowd for taking the time to read and review, alert or favorite. You all rock and inspire me to do my best. I will admit that sometimes I get big blinders on and am incredibly critical of my own work. I got to a point where I wasn't looking at my story notes and I still have to go back over the story and make a 'cheat sheet' detailing all of the things that I kind of set in stone already.
In my original notes, the Vor'Tin were to be a proud 'Warrior-like' race and the Prince was going to enact an ancient law that allowed the Prince to claim one 'resource' from a ship traveling through their space. That 'resource' was to be B'Elanna after he witnessed her working in Engineering... my how things change- now the Vor'Tin are more like Hobbits/Dwarves and their part in the story has become more comedic I think... alas. I'm having fun, anyone else? To be honest, if you're looking for angst, this probably isn't the place. There are plenty of angsty B/7 stories already I figure.
**Edit: "A bit to cocky"? Damn. Fixed. Oh and because I have never actually practiced Pushing Hands, I kind of probably went beyond its intent, but I think this works well enough.
Chapter 21- Competition
"Why 'Blue'?"
"Huh?" That caught B'Elanna off guard. She'd dismissed the holographic 'instructor' about 30 seconds after Myles left the Holodeck. The wicked facial hair on the ancient Asian master was just far too distracting. 'You just wanted to be alone with Seven.' She wouldn't lie to herself, the truth was easy enough to admit… to herself. However, this 'Pushing Hands' business had still struck a competitive nerve in the hybrid and she was pacing back and forth sizing up her opponent. Seven had reach, but B'Elanna had flexibility- at least she hoped so. Seven had the edge in strength, but B'Elanna was quicker and more agile and again- at least she hoped so. She'd been deciding on her plan of attack when the beautiful blonde object of the bulk of B'Elanna's free thoughts asked her question, causing the sweat-soaked brunette to pause.
Seven was genuinely interested in the answer but that wasn't her only intent with the question. She saw the look in B'Elanna's eyes. This 'training session' had turned, like most activities involving the ex-Borg and the hybrid, into an unspoken competition. It would have been a fool's errand to try and convince herself that she never felt the competitive edge as inspired by Voyager's Chief Engineer, so Seven didn't. Instead, Seven relished in it. It coaxed intense instinctual feeling in the blonde and a true sense of being 'alive' that she only truly experienced around B'Elanna. She knew on some level that both she and B'Elanna loved that they unconsciously pushed each other to excel. Besides, B'Elanna was looking just a bit too cocky and it was time to knock her down a peg. Internally, Seven grinned.
Her plan having worked, and with a mischievous quirk escaping from her unconscious mind to her full lips, Seven moved in quickly on her prey in an attempt to push her over striking out with her left palm towards B'Elanna's chest. Being alone with B'Elanna in this setting had sparked something feral deep within Seven that was aching to be satisfied.
"Tricky, Blue" was all B'Elanna said with a smirk having recovered the second Seven had moved, her newly instinctual 'battle sense' having kicked in speeding up her perceptions. Seven was taking advantage of her reach but B'Elanna did have the flexibility and turned her torso as Seven's palm connected with her skin. For the briefest of moments, B'Elanna savoured the feeling of Seven's enhanced palm on her skin as she felt the transfer of kinetic energy to her torso and redirected it appropriately. She spun to her left and as she turned towards Seven, she grabbed her extended arm at the forearm with her left hand using her right hand to push Seven's shoulder down in an attempt to force her to the mat.
"But not tricky enough." She smirked in triumph as her standing arm-bar forced Seven to bend at the waist. Seven was not without her wiles however and simply rolled with the applied force coming to stand behind B'Elanna as she used her right hand to grab B'Elanna's right shoulder and pull her backward to the mat.
"Does this 'tricky' attribute have a quantifiable measurement? If so, it would seem that I do indeed have 'enough'." She smiled down at B'Elanna who looked somehow stunned, frustrated and aroused.
'She said with smug satisfaction… funny how that used to drive me nuts- gotta be her smile.'
Having Seven kneeling above her and as scantly clad as they both were, and unconscious growl slowly began deep in the brunette's chest. B'Elanna didn't even hear it, her focus amped up another level. ~Control. Focus. Fire tempered by determination. Fear conquered by courage.~
With speed and agility that astonished Seven, B'Elanna broke her hold and rolled out of Seven's reach and back to her feet. Her face seemed to melt into a calm mask as her eyes briefly closed before she opened them again, stepping into an opening stance. Seven noticed that the dark brown of her eyes seemed to burn an even richer colour.
"Do you really want the answer, or was it actually just a clever ploy? I'm impressed regardless, I must say." Both women settled into opening stances mere feet apart.
"I suspect both, in truth." Seven again moved first, stepping in and reaching for B'Elanna's arm. B'Elanna responded by connecting with Seven's wrist and re-directing the energy away from her body as Seven attempted to strike with her other hand and the training began in earnest. Step. Move. Push. Absorb. Spin. Lean. Push. Sway. As they moved, each step, push, action and reaction became more fluid, both women becoming more attuned to each other; discovering an instinctual understanding of their intentions before they became evident through action.
"Your eyes." It was the truth. B'Elanna wouldn't deny it for there was no reason to. No preconceived notion of 'maintaining an image' or a concern for what another might think. Somehow, with regards to Seven, those insecurities seemed so insignificant to B'Elanna now. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.
Seven momentarily paused at the revelation. It was enough, and B'Elanna was able to upset her balance and Seven found herself on the mat. B'Elanna backed up a step allowing Seven to return to her feet. Despite her centre-of-mass altering abdominal implant, Seven put her palms behind her shoulders, kicked up her legs and snapped to her feet in a forward flip-up with the quickness and grace of a practiced gymnast.
Brown eyes widened slightly. 'That was damn impressive- gotta get her to teach me that.'
"My eyes?" Seven queried as B'Elanna moved back in to start the dance over once more. Internally, both women were of course keeping 'score' and had it one-one. B'Elanna rolled with another of Seven's attempted pushes and tried one of her own. Seven coiled her arm around B'Elanna's like a snake, seeking out her shoulder in an attempt to push the smaller woman back. Strength was inconsequential in this contest as both women had taken to the idea of redirection the energy of an opponent readily.
"I never understood how they had so clearly shown your emotions before- I never looked. Now that I've looked… I can't stop. These days when I get frustrated, I close my eyes and all I can see is blue- your blue eyes. Things just become calmer and clearer." She would have suspected that such and admission would have been accompanied by anxiety at worst, or at best, the feeling of a weight off her shoulders, but B'Elanna was finding that it was more like shackles were being removed from her heart; from her soul. Her awareness continued to grow and become more defined; her energy levels grew and each time she and Seven touched, internal sparks would erupt from the point of contact energizing both women. The low purr deep within B'Elanna's chest remained steady, its owner oblivious to its presence.
Seven had been paid a compliment before. She was not unaware of social graces. However, in the past, compliments always seemed to either be an attempt to placate her as if they were a reward for her actions and it was a 'kindness' being bestowed upon her or they were self-serving; the person who had paid the compliment did so in an attempt to garner favour with her. She had rarely 'felt' anything in response and always had to think about social protocol and form an appropriate response. This was different.
She felt… she didn't know what she felt. She'd never felt THIS before. She'd felt a lot of things before, but not THIS. Even with her emotional 'inhibitor' she felt emotions. Seven had raged against a force field when Janeway had first severed her from the Collective; she'd silently cried when she lost One and when the children were taken away from her. A part of her never really forgave the Captain for that even if she understood that the Captain simply did not truly understand what she was doing to Seven emotionally. Knowing that Janeway's 'intentions' were good, Seven had not let herself descend into anger or resentment. But she felt; she had felt it all.
Because of all this, Seven wondered at the Doctor's assessment of her 'emotional inhibitor'- clearly she could- and always had, full use of her emotions. It was more likely a Borg device, not made aware to drones, that was part of the single-cell procreation back-up protocols used to determine the worth of a mate. The fact that it had nearly killed her when she had 'attempted' to date a holographic Chakotay only cemented her belief- she knew she should have known better.
So she made a decision.
"B'Elanna, would... would you like to accompany me to dinner tomorrow after our shift in the R&D Lab?"
B'Elanna was trying to figure a way into Seven's guard, her earlier admission bolstering her current determination. "Yeah, sure Seven. I mean we eat all the time together anyway- we can work on some ideas too." Another attempted push had Seven leaning back and turning B'Elanna's energy away again. Somehow B'Elanna had missed the subtext, which Seven found... cute.
"I was referring to a romantic dinner." The instant blush that sprung forth from B'Elanna's chest all the way to her forehead told Seven that she'd gotten it this time. This is why Seven preferred directness- especially with B'Elanna- it got the job done and had entertaining side effects as an added benefit.
All of her carefully built focus crumbled and B'Elanna miss-timed one of Seven's pushes and was on her ass again.
Two-one: Seven.
She almost had to shake her head. Was Seven really asking her out? Her now thundering heartbeats and the heat burning across her face certainly indicated that her body thought so. What about the Captain? Her 'dating' plan? B'Elanna would rather be at the end of that plan than the middle.
"Bu- what about you and the Captain?" steeling herself and knowing Seven did not care for prevarication, she pushed on, "You didn't mention how it went and I didn't want to ask out of respect for you both but I won't lie, I... am... uncomfortable with it- not that I have any right to be, that is..." There, she said it... well, at least mumbled it. 'Back to your feet Torres, you're down two-to-one and I'll be dammed if I let Tall, Blond and Borgiful win this...'
Not waiting for Seven to respond, B'Elanna launched another 'attack' in an attempt to push Seven over. Seven stepped back and turned the hand away before B'Elanna snaked another to her side. Seven spun out of it and attempted to push B'Elanna over again.
"It did not go well. I had been prepared to accept another date from the Captain, however... I will no longer do so." Trying to find some traction against B'Elanna to work with was like trying to contain a wall of water with your hands. The smaller woman had clearly found her stride once again and was far more flexible than Seven would have thought. She almost let out a huff of frustration as B'Elanna managed to push her over once more.
Two-two.
"Oh? How come?" B'Elanna perked up at the admission. Internally, she'd noted the now tied 'score' and was devising new ways of pressing her attack as Seven quickly hopped back to her feet.
"Because..." Seven looked down slightly as an almost shy smile played carefully on her lips. B'Elanna spun inside her guard and pushed her onto her back. Given the heavy nature of the conversation and the emotions swirling between them, it might have been seen as taking advantage, but both women understood that this was also part of the unspoken contest- besides, in reality, you can't complain to your enemy that they cheated when you are dead and the Voyager crew had to face that reality far too regularly. Seven managed to grab B'Elanna's arm and take her down with her- at least to her knee.
Three-two: B'Elanna.
Seven's nanoprobes worked overtime and yet could not stop the rapid beating of her strong heart when she looked back into the brown eyes of the beautiful woman hovering mere centimetres above her.
"...I now believe I know what love is." B'Elanna's hearts stopped. The purr got louder. She was now aware of it and its meaning. Before she could process more and fall deeper into the beautiful pools of blue beneath her, Seven flipped her over and stood after sweeping B'Elanna's feet out from beneath her. In this contest, turnabout was indeed fair play.
Three-three.
B'Elanna suddenly became very self-conscious. Did she hear that right? Had Seven practically admitted that she loved her? Was it possible? Did she want it? 'Hell yes.' That much was certain, but did Seven really know what she was getting into? They had a connection, that much was sure and B'Elanna was certainly finding herself feeling more and more like having Seven constantly in her life simply made sense. But was Seven ready for that kind of thing? B'Elanna knew- knew that Seven would be it for her. She knew it. There would be no other. Would Seven feel the same way? Could she? She had to believe that Seven could. To doubt now, to allow fear to find its way into her hearts was no longer an option as far as B'Elanna was concerned.
B'Elanna hadn't realized that she'd been lying there staring at Seven for at least a minute. She did realize that she was a sweating, dishevelled mess. In front of Seven. Seven of Nine, who had just- almost, sort of told her that she loved her. This would not do, not do at all. Seven was standing at the ready with a very confident expression adorning her beautiful features. Her eyes matched B'Elanna's intense gaze and never faltered. B'Elanna scrambled back to her feet and quickly tried to do something with her mess of hair.
'Of all the times… of course I'm a mess. How does she still look so beautiful? Hell, even the slight sheen of sweat only makes her look more angelic.'
Curiously watching B'Elanna run her hands through her hair and the accompanying blush blooming on the tanned hybrid, Seven raised a brow. B'Elanna suddenly looked very… self-conscious? And it was cute- very cute in Seven's eyes. Apparently her admission had been received well. But that was for later, she had a competition to win. Blue eyes narrowed.
B'Elanna knew she and Seven would have a lot to talk about and when she found herself on her butt once more, now down four-three, she decided that it would wait because she'd be dammed if she let tall-blonde-and-beautiful win this little contest.
She'd woo Seven; treat her as best as she could and try not to rush things. She knew that it would be amazing and she could be patient; for creating a permanent bond between them was far more important than jumping into a physical relationship as she could see, feel and sense that both women were certainly ready for that.
"I never answered your question, did I?" B'Elanna coiled another arm around Seven's, directing force once again towards a shoulder only to be thwarted at the last second and put immediately on the defensive by her taller opponent.
"Is that a rhetorical question?" Seven teased. There seemed to be no more effective distractions between the two women. Despite whatever conversation was to follow, each woman had attained an unbreakable focus on their self-defined task: to put the other on their ass.
"Good one, your Borgness," B'Elanna drawled, "I think maybe I'll wait to give you your answer, I'm a busy woman these days after all." It was playfully spoken, so that there could be no misunderstanding between the two duelling women. Seven had gotten it; the sparkle in B'Elanna's eyes and the quirk of her smile had confirmed what her heart was telling her.
"Indeed, well as you may or may not be aware, I am not an… entirely patient woman. I shall require an answer by 0800 tomorrow so that I can make the appropriate preparations."
"Indeed?" B'Elanna chuckled as she returned with Seven's usual response and spun another of Seven's hands away from her chest. She danced in toward the equally scantily-clad blonde in another attempt to push her over. Her own attempt was again redirected as the two women continued to become more attuned to each other's movements.
Push. Pull. Sway. Twist. Lean. Push. They continued in silence for a few moments longer, neither gaining the upper hand until Seven spoke again.
"Damn right. You will accompany me to dinner, B'Elanna Torres, resistance is futile."
B'Elanna felt that being put on her ass again was worth the laugh. Seven had surprised her once again. Probably on purpose too. This Borg- no, ex-Borg was chalk full of surprises and B'Elanna was enjoying it to no end.
Five-three: Seven.
The dance resumed, both women focused; their hearts- while beating rapidly- were settled. Something had fallen into place; something wonderful- but that would get worked out later. The competition; this… exercise, training, whatever the excuse was- was bearing fruit and the two women were executing the moves taught them with flawless precision. Neither fell again for the remainder of their time on the holodeck as the connection between them had grown strong enough that they were each nearly able to predict the others movements not only from touch, but from blue eyes that were constantly locked on brown speaking in a language only they could understand.
At the height of the contest, as each movement was countered and re-countered; each touch sparking feeling and intent; both women became aware of the holodeck opening and each instinctually analyzed the potential threat and dismissed it- they had more pressing concerns.
And then Myles spoke.
"Well it's about damn time!" That broke the spell and the two women in the middle of the room burst out laughing with their two friends and toppled over.
Somehow B'Elanna had landed on top of Seven- something that she didn't mind one bit. It was also providence or fortune that when her laughter finally stopped and she inhaled, she drank in Seven's unique scent and let out a small growl. Instinctually, before she even knew what was happening, she nipped at Seven's neck and then drew back slowly, her eyes closed as she relished in the skin-on-skin contact between their cheeks before their noses touched.
The small nip and growl had in turn caused Seven to inhale deeply and she suddenly found herself drowning in the unique essence that was B'Elanna Torres. Three thundering heartbeats softened and synchronized, becoming one stronger beat. Finally, their foreheads touched and both women opened eyes that had been previously closed.
'I love you.'
Somehow it didn't matter at the moment that it was thought, just that it was thought by both women and each seemed to have heard the other.
"Ok, I think you two could use a break- or honeymoon? Can't quite remember how those Klingon unions go…" Lieutenant Sara Myles walked over to the holographic console to shut down the program. She tried to play off the awkwardness of witnessing two incredibly intimate and personal moments between the women for their sake- but she planned on torturing Torres with teasing whenever Seven was out of earshot- preferably on a different deck.
"Funny Myles, real funny. You workin' on an act too? You, Seven and Vorik could go on tour." B'Elanna got up and pulled Seven to her feet. Captain Janeway was now watching the two women with an expression B'Elanna had never seen on her face before: she was like a proud mother watching her daughter being given away. It was both weird and somewhat satisfying.
"Captain? Bit late even for you, isn't it?" She tried for teasing but instinct was also playing its part as B'Elanna became somewhat protective of what her soul had just claimed. She'd put herself unconsciously between Seven and the Captain. The blonde behind her had recovered and when she saw the Captain, she knew the Captain was ok with where they were. She rolled her eyes ever-so-slightly at B'Elanna's behaviour.
Janeway just shook her head with a smile and held up her hand in that friendly-disarming way only she seemed to be able to do in stark contrast to when she held it up and you knew to shut up or be levelled with a deadly glare.
'Kathy you fool, you should have pushed these two together a long time ago. They will be a force to be reckoned with.'
It was late and she was riding the emotional high of her time spent with Sara so she couldn't help but tease the half-Klingon a bit. "Well I waaas coming to ask Seven out for dinner, buuut since I didn't bring a bat'leth…" Even Captain Kathryn Janeway could drawl melodramatically with the best of them when the occasion suited her.
Janeway was a good- no great- Captain in B'Elanna's opinion, and everything her senses were telling her, along with Janeway's current teasing completely disarmed her and she couldn't help but smile and wonder at the power of the small woman. Respect of the half-Klingon was hard earned and Captain Janeway had earned it with ease over the years.
"Ha! That was a good Klingon answer Captain; sure you didn't spend some time in the Empire?" Seven had replicated towels for the two of them and they began to dry off as Myles came back to the group.
"Only long enough to acquire a distaste for gagh, Lieutenant. Now, since things seem to be under control here, I'm going to get some sleep. Some of us have a ship to run you know. Lieutenant, Seven, Sara." Janeway nodded to the three women and began to make her way out of the holodeck. She really did need the sleep, and thought wistfully that tonight, it would come soundly.
"Captain, seeing as the Lieutenants are still in one piece, I was just heading out myself if you don't mind the company." B'Elanna was grinning and mouthed "lame" at her friend as she caught up to the retreating Captain who stopped to wait just outside the doors. A short "Very well Lieutenant" was heard from their Captain as the doors closed.
B'Elanna turned back to Seven who had finished towelling off and had wrapped herself in a soft blue robe.
"So, in case I didn't make myself clear earlier, my answer is yes." It was likely a catch-all answer to anything the beautiful blonde ex-Borg would ever ask of her, but she wasn't about to tell her that. B'Elanna put on her own robe and grabbed her gym bag; ready to go.
The confident smile told B'Elanna that Seven was never in any doubt of her response. It was a radical change from her earlier shyness but not unexpected given the following events. "2100 hours tomorrow, my quarters. Casual dress. I am unsure of how my digestive system will handle it, but I am interested in trying something called 'spicy sizzling chicken fajitas'."
"Sounds good to me. If you're concerned about the spicy nature of the food, you can tone back on the spices and red peppers if you want."
"Perhaps I will prepare both and try each. Thank you for agreeing B'Elanna, you are being very gracious in defeat." She wasn't about to let her victory in their little contest go unmentioned. The blue in her eyes seemed to brighten as her mood once again became jovial.
"Huh. So, five-three, for you?" B'Elanna grinned slightly and Seven merely nodded.
"Funny. I don't feel like I lost at all."
End Chapter 21
A/N: What? Now I've got to write a date between B'Elanna and Seven? Can't I just write a "Over the next few weeks they grew closer..." Chapter? No? Ok... What have I gotten myself into? Oh my...