Chapter 21

Minefield

Voyager had the unfortunate luck to wander into an old mine field left behind by warring alien states that barely even existed anymore. That meant round the clock repairs while the bridge crew eased the ship back out of it. No time to sleep and even less time to think. B'Elanna dropped her head to the frame of the station she was at. She hadn't even seen more than a glimpse of Seras since the cargo bay kiss several days ago, let alone talked with her. Yawning, too tired to even complain inside her head, she went back to trying to recalibrate the antimatter injectors.

Out of the minefield, the Doctor rejoiced in being able to ask the chief of engineering for help in designing holodeck exercises to precisely test Seras' powers. For once, B'Elanna dove into the project with quiet zeal instead of putting him off for days. Well, after he had explained that he had been giving Seras treatments for her neurological disorder and needed to be able to safely test it. That was when she'd stopped arguing about other projects having priority.

The Doctor supervised Seras' final holodeck exercises with a puffed chest. She had passed every test that he and B'Elanna had designed with flying colors. Two weeks ago, he had finished treatment of her neurological disorder and began careful tests to ensure its success. There were absolutely no signs of her former affliction. In fact, she had informed him that she'd never felt more sure of her power. To prove her point, she had rearranged the photonic energy of a hologram while jogging an obstacle course. It shattered into a glittering cloud and swirled gently. When she relinquished control, the hologram reverted.

Yellow alert froze the program, and the commander's voice was heard ship-wide. "All hands to duty stations."

"Computer, end program," huffed the Doctor. Seras was already at the exit. "Transfer EMH program to sickbay."

B'Elanna felt more than saw Seras enter engineering and take position at a console. They still hadn't had a chance to talk, and it was killing her. She wanted to talk about their relationship, to hear about the Doctor's treatment and tests, and simply be in her company again. Life without a constant dose of Seras was...

Seras glanced over her shoulder, their gazes instantly meeting. A smile perked on B'Elanna and was slowly mirrored. Voyager shuddering under an attack cut their staring short, Seras twisting to study her console. B'Elanna couldn't help it, she watched the woman instead of turning to her own duties. It took shouts from around her to pull her to her own job. Some sort of pulse had already disabled the weapons and navigation systems, and it was starting to drain the shields.

On the viewscreen, the ship captain who was behind system-draining pulse grinned greedily. "We heard that you escaped the sipu plant slave farms. You will give us the technology that allowed you to do that. And anything else you have in your cargo bays."

Janeway kept her inner snarling from showing on her face. Seras was the 'technology' that had helped them escape. There wasn't even half a thought of giving the young woman away, and there was no way she was going to give up their fresh resources without a fight. Or, that's what she wanted to say. Without shields, Voyager would be defenseless. Another barrage like that would finish draining power. She swallowed a thousand emotions and prepared to negotiate their surrender.

"Captain!" Harry was excited. "Captain, the shields are at one hundred and fifty percent!"

The alien on the viewscreen scowled and raged at them. "Lower your shields now, or I will sell you all back to the sipu growers!"

Giving Harry a questioning look, Janeway allowed a little hope to blossom inside.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," he shrugged.

A deep scowl came from the viewscreen.

"Captain, they're firing again." Harry stared at his displays.

The alien captain's scowl had morphed to complete rage. Janeway shifted. "Ensign?"

Several breaths passed, and the would-be mugger had begun yelling things that the translator couldn't keep up with. Janeway hadn't noticed a single buffet or anything that felt like an attack at all. "Report, ensign!"

"The shields are remaining stable at one-fifty, captain. Their attacks are," he gave their attacker a very satisfied expression, "Completely ineffective."

Janeway smiled. She didn't know what or why or how, but she would damn well use it. "Tuvok, weapons?"

"Aye, captain. I have restored power to the forward phaser banks."

Deadly intent took over the captain's face as she leveled her best force-ten glare on her enemy. "Fire."

An explosion rocked the cockpit on the viewscreen. The alien squeaked and began giving orders to retreat. Janeway was glared at, then the viewscreen went black.

"Get us out of here, warp six." Sitting around after a fight was never a good idea. Besides a counterattack, scavengers could show up. Janeway had had her fill of both.

Seconds later, Harry reported on the shields. "Captain, whatever was powering our shields is gone."

"Engineering to the bridge." B'Elanna's voice cut off Janeway's questions.

"Go ahead, lieutenant."

"Captain, Seras' enthusiasm disrupted some of the induction stabilizers in the deflector array as well as some secondary systems. We should drop out of warp as soon as possible."

Seras? Of course. What else? Janeway mirrored Harry's incredulous smile and turned to her pilot. "You heard her, Mr. Paris. Find us a nice rest stop."

Before the chance could be squandered, B'Elanna stole up to Seras' side. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Want to have dinner at my place tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

Nerves getting the best of her, she shrugged. "I want to say today, but I'll probably get caught up in repairs and work past dinner. Tomorrow though, barring any fresh hostile attacks, I can delegate and..." Her eyes cut back up from the floor.

Seras wasn't smiling like she'd hoped. She deflated.

"Does this mean you haven't been avoiding me?"

"Avoiding? No! It's been one emergency after another, and then all of your free hours were suddenly with the Doctor." B'Elanna argued. "Granted, maybe I could have sent you a comm, but, okay, maybe I've been a little scared and let excuses come up." She huffed and realized that most of engineering was surreptitiously staring at them. Growling, she shoved away the urge to yell at someone or to leave the situation. She stood her ground and waited for Seras to answer. "So, dinner tomorrow?"

Seras stopped rubbing her arm, and her shoulders drew back. "Only if it's a date."

A flush of heat gathered on B'Elanna's neck and cheeks. The softly aggressive demand was unanticipated, bringing on a rush of desire and embarrassment at the same time. Hating that she could practically feel the ears listening in on their conversation, she held back another growl. "Only if you bring wine."

Slowly, a delighted smile lit Seras' eyes, the blue ribbons in them standing out vividly. "It's a date."

The next morning, in order to be able to get anything done on her shift, B'Elanna chose a physically demanding project instead of a mental challenge. Stringing together two thoughts was difficult. Her mind kept jumping to think about her date. Hours of manual labor in, her brain finally slowed to the quiet pace of it. She was hip-deep in sludge when Vorik appeared. "Chief, it is after sixteen-hundred hours."

"Thanks, Vorik." Dismissively, she went on with her task.

A couple of moments later, Vorik was still there, and he prodded her again. "Chief, your shift ended an hour ago."

That wasn't anything new. She worked into Gamma shift regularly. "After I finish this I-"

Highly uncharacteristically of the ever-polite Vulcan, he interrupted her. "I believe that you're now seventeen minutes late for your date with Seras."

Swearing in Klingon, because once she'd started studying the language she found that its curses were incredibly more satisfying than Universal's, flew out of her. "Vorik, can you..." She gestured weakly at the mess.

"I will see it is completed, ma'am." He responded. "You may want to hail Seras. She might be perturbed by your tardiness."

"Right." She breathed. "Torres to Seras."

"Go ahead." Her voice was suspiciously calm. B'Elanna groaned. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm on my way now!"

Before she pelted away, she gave Vorik a desperate thank you. "I owe you."

Shipmates leapt out of her way as she ran full-out through the corridors. Flustered squeaks, angry mutters, and laughter followed B'Elanna. Her boots slipped at the corner before her quarters, and she slammed into the bulkhead with a resounding crack. She was busy cursing its hardness when a soft chuckle drew her attention to Seras standing in her open door.

Giving a sheepish grin, B'Elanna greeted her. "Why is my door open?"

"I let myself in after waiting for five minutes. I was getting up to leave when you hailed me." Her vision swept over B'Elanna. "I was angry about you standing me up, but watching you brake your run with that bulkhead totally made up for it."

B'Elanna peeled herself from the bulkhead and made to enter her quarters. Seras pulled away quickly.

"What have you been crawling in? You reek!"

"The engines. I'll be quick in the shower." She paused, belatedly noticing how attractively Seras was dressed. Tightly fitted white trousers and a flowing blue top showed off every line and curve, which had filled out delightfully since her early days on Voyager. Good food and training with Tuvok's security force had done wonders. Her muscles were becoming toned, and her hips and breasts were soft and full with health. The hollows in her cheeks were gone, replaced by an almost-plumpness. Seras' skin and hair practically glowed from proper care, and her eyes...

B'Elanna's breath stalled in her lungs. They looked more like folded steel than ever in the intense way Seras was staring back at her. Kissing her warped to the top of the list of things B'Elanna wanted to do that night. She took a step forward.

And another, but Seras backed off. "Nuh-uh. Not until you've showered."

Frustrated at the denial, B'Elanna yanked off her boots and jacket. A teasing idea took root, and she peeled out of her pants as well. Seras' eyes went wide. Pleased, B'Elanna pulled the undershirt up and off, then turned her back and removed her bra. Giving Seras a glance over her shoulder, she strutted to the shower. Inside, she ripped off her panties and tossed them into the room.

When she was done, she happily noticed how she only had a silken robe to toss on, remembering how when Seras had worn it, the effect had unhinged her own arousal. She crossed in Seras' full view, smiled at her, got a gulp from her date, and changed out of sight. A close-cut red dress showed off her best attributes, and she returned to her date. It was like walking into another bulkhead, how Seras' scent slammed into her. Instinct took over, her legs ate up the distance, and she was devouring Seras, kissing, tasting, touching. Fingers dipped below a waistband and caressed lower.

Snap!

B'Elanna growled, enticed by the pain, but another, stronger, much more painful zap was not at all pleasant. It broke through the haze. She blinked at Seras, and she saw fear. Appalled at herself, B'Elanna yanked her hands away, and turned around, cursing her aggressive Klingon side.

"B'Elanna," low and hesitant, Seras began.

"I'm sorry," came out in a cloud of self-hate.

"B'Elanna." Seras started again, her voice stronger. A hand gently tugging on her elbow surprised the half-Klingon. "Believe me when I say that I have never been so turned on in my life."

"Bu-"

The hand slid down to grab her own. "I like your aggressive side."

That time, B'Elanna lifted her gaze to look at Seras. "Then why do you seem terrified?"

"I..." Seras' thumb drew lines on the hand she was holding. "I've never been with anyone before. Before, that place, I'd been kissed twice, nothing else."

Her Klingon-powered sex drive thundered in frustration. She'd have to go slow! Taking a shuddering breath, she nodded.

"If you can handle a little wait, I'd like for you to be my first."

Lust and protectiveness warring inside, B'Elanna brushed back her hair. "Maybe I should change into somethi-"

"Don't you dare!" Seras barked.

Like a fueled flame, the desire roared high. She groaned. "If you keep saying things like that, I might not be able to control myself."

A saucy smirk shaping her lips, Seras shook her head. "Yes you can. B'Elanna 'oHbe' vaj toy'wI''a' rur 'op taHqeq Duj. ghaH guv je law' ghaH 'IH."

Swaying from the amount of Klingonese Seras' talented mouth had delivered, B'Elanna gaped at her. "I'm what?" She blinked hard. "You've learned more Klingon in a handful of weeks than I have my whole life. At least when you meet Miral, she'll be impressed by one of us."

Shoulders and spine a little straighter, Seras quirked her head. "Miral? Your mother?"

Features pinching in realization of what she'd said, B'Elanna groaned. "My mother."

"You want me to meet your mother?" She squeaked.

"We'll make it to the Alpha Quadrant eventually. What exactly did you say to me anyway?" B'Elanna detoured.

Seras made a few faces, but answered. "My B'Elanna is not a willing slave to her instincts like some taHqeq. She is as honorable as she is beautiful."

"You," she failed at words and laughed. "See, with that kind of poetry, you're going to be stuck with me, and that means you're going to be introduced to my mother."

A depth of tenderness was suddenly in front of B'Elanna, and it threatened to swallow her alive. Without any doubts, B'Elanna wanted it to. She wanted for Seras to let her in, to allow her the honor of having that coveted place in her heart. The depth of that desire shocked her, scared her more than a little, yet it wasn't enough for her to look away, to take a step back. Instead, when Seras moved close, she accepted the delicate kiss offered, enjoyed the arms circling her, and held the woman long after their lips parted.

The entire ship knew the day after the couple had consummated their relationship. B'Elanna received a summons to the captain's ready room ten days later.

"Lieutenant-commander Torres." Command mask at its most impassive, the captain formally addressed her.

Wary of the unusual attitude, B'Elanna stiffened to attention. "Captain?"

"I'm giving you access to whatever materials you need to soundproof your quarters. The complaints from your neighbors have to stop." Janeway demanded.

Flushing a deep burgundy, B'Elanna nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Is that all?"

"Yes."

The blushing woman about-faced.

"Oh, B'Elanna?"

She looked over her shoulder.

Janeway smiled and raised her mug of coffee in salute. "Congratulations to you both."

Translations:

B'Elanna 'oHbe' vaj toy'wI''a' rur 'op taHqeq Duj. ghaH guv je law' ghaH 'IH - My B'Elanna is not a willing slave to her instincts like some taHqeq. She is as honorable as she is beautiful.

taHqeq – insult. No good qualities. Dishonest/deceitful