Madam Janeway & Her Bordello of Beauties, Pt. 2
"Hey," whispered a voice from outside B'Elanna's window.
"Did you hear something?" asked Harry.
"No," said B'Elanna, looking over at her reading companion.
Harry was looking toward the window, when a small rock flew in and landed on the floor.
"Now I heard something," said B'Elanna, who watched Harry get up and cautiously approach the
window.
Harry looked down to find Tom Paris standing beneath the window, one story below, who smiled
upon seeing his shipmate.
"How did you know I was in here?" Harry whispered loudly.
"I didn't," answered Tom in similar fashion. "I just saw an open window."
"What are you doing here?" said Harry. "I thought you were sent back to the ship."
"I was," said Tom, "but I snuck back out. Now help me get up there."
"What do you mean? How am I going to get you up here? Aren't you hurt?"
"Ah," scoffed Tom, "nothing a little rum didn't fix." He smiled and pulled a flask from his
jacket, shaking it at Harry.
"Great," said Harry as he turned back to face B'Elanna.
"Who's out there?" she asked, still lying on the bed.
"The guy who got sent home for fighting," said Harry, as he looked around the room.
"What are you doing?" asked B'Elanna.
"Looking for a way to get him up here."
"Oh, no," protested B'Elanna as she got up off the bed, "I'm not getting in trouble for you
sailor boys."
Harry regarded her and then the bed, before pulling the sheets off.
"What the hell..." began B'Elanna.
"I'll make a rope out of these sheets," said Harry, as he began his plan.
"Why are you helping him? I thought you were a goody-two-shoes."
"Because," he said, moving the sheets to the window, "I know him. And if I don't help him
out, I'll pay for it the rest of my time on that ship."
"Harry?" whispered Tom. "Hey, Harry!"
"I'm here," said Harry, leaning out the window. "I'm going to drop this, and you climb it."
"Good thinking, Har," said Tom, rubbing his hands together in preparation for the climb.
Harry threw down the sheets, which were knotted together, so that it just reached Tom. Tom
grabbed the rope and began to climb, but when it came time to use his feet, that pain of his
cuts kept him from making any progress. He finally fell to the ground, and gave almost a
coughing grunt as he hit.
"What happened?" asked Harry.
"My feet." Tom held one in his hands. "I guess they do hurt."
"Now what?" asked Harry.
"Looks like you'll have to get me in the front door," said Tom looking up.
"Are you crazy?" asked Harry. "If the Madam sees you, we'll all get kicked out."
"It's not like you're doing anything, Harry," Tom smirked.
"How do you know?" the young man challenged.
"Because you still have your uniform on."
"Oh," said Harry looking at himself.
"Now let me in," Tom said as he struggled to stand again, "I wasn't finished with my evening."
~
"What are you thinking?" asked B'Elanna. She had just put her book on her nightstand, and was
now standing with her hands on her hips, looking at Harry.
Harry seemed disappointed.
"I was really having a good time," he said. "I'd like to hear more poetry, but right now I
need to figure out a way to get Tom back in."
"I still don't know why you're risking it," she said as she tucked the sheets Harry had just
replaced on the bed.
"Believe me, if you knew Tom, you'd do as much as you could to stay on his good side."
"Really," B'Elanna said evenly.
Harry then had an idea.
"Do you have any wigs, or an extra..." and he pointed at what B'Elanna was wearing.
B'Elanna stood straight. "Oh, no. Don't look at me. I'm not helping."
Harry sighed. "Well, do you know who he was supposed to be with tonight?"
"No, that's the Madam's job." B'Elanna sat back on the bed. "Besides, didn't you go see?"
"There were too many people around when I got out there." He then went to the window, to find
Tom still standing outside, finishing off his flask.
"Tom," whispered Harry. "What is the name of the woman you were with?"
"Ah," Tom reflected, "lovely Harriott." Then he creased his brow. "Or Margaret. I forget
which one."
"Great." Harry then turned to B'Elanna and asked of she knew either woman.
"They're the last two doors at the end of the hall," said B'Elanna, as she pointed in which
direction.
Harry called out to Tom, "Stay there. I've got an idea."
~
Harry lightly knocked on one of the doors B'Elanna pointed out. He had just sneaked quietly
down the hall, even though there were plenty of noises coming from each room he passed.
A blonde opened the door slightly, and smiled upon seeing Harry.
"Well, hello sailor," she said. "How can I be of," she looked him up and down, "assistance."
"I was wondering if I could borrow some clothes," he said.
"Ooh," the blonde's eyes brightened. "You're a wild one, aren't you?"
"Oh, no," said Harry, a little flushed, "I'm just trying to help my friend get back in, and I
could use your help."
"Your friend? Where is he?"
"Outside," said Harry, pointing toward her window through the crack in the door. "You may be
able to see him from here."
"Let's go look," she said, opening the door for Harry and leading him to the window. "Well,
I'll be damned," she said upon seeing Tom in the distance. "There's my date." She turned
toward Harry. "And I thought I had to miss out this evening."
"Will you help?" asked Harry.
"Well, now, he's been a bad boy, and needs his punishment. And I'm just the girl to give it.
What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"I thought maybe we could sneak him in, making him look like he worked here," said Harry.
The blonde courtesan laughed, and looked out the window again.
"This should be fun," she said, before heading toward her closet.
~
"Psst!"
Harry was trying to get Tom's attention, but Tom was singing to himself incoherently.
"Psst!!" Harry tried a little louder, but there was too much distance for Tom to hear him.
"Damn," he said as he stood next to the blonde. "How do I get his attention?"
"Here honey, hold on to me," she said. She then placed one leg outside the window, and
stretched it as far as she could, with Harry holding her steady.
As Tom practiced his song, he looked around, and finally saw something shaking in the air.
After a moment of focusing on what he was seeing, he smiled and stammered toward the window.
"Hey, be careful up there. It's a long way down," he slurred looking up.
Harry pulled the woman back into the room, and then leaned out the window. Tom appeared
shocked to see him, and then looked down to where he had stood beneath B'Elanna's window.
He stared back and forth at B'Elanna's window and at Harry, before raising his brow and
shaking his flask.
"It's me," said Harry. "I moved."
"Oh," said Tom, "of course, of course."
"Catch," said Harry. He threw down a wig and robe. "Put these on."
The robe fell on Tom's head, covering his face, while the wig landed beside his feet.
"Nice catch," Harry said to himself.
Tom laughed as he pulled the robe off his face. "What's this?"
"Your way back in," said Harry.
~
"Now, how is this supposed to work?" asked the blonde.
"We've got to somehow go downstairs and let him in the front door," said Harry. He looked
back outside to see Tom's robed figure, adjusting his wig.
"You may want to leave the pants and shoes," said Harry, since both could be seen clearly
beneath the robe.
Tom did as Harry instructed, inadvertently removing his bandages with his socks. He didn't
notice.
"OK," said Harry to the blonde, "I'm going to need your help getting him in. Do you know if
the front door is locked?"
"Yes," said the blonde. "That way everyone can work. There's a doorbell to alert the Madam
if a guest is waiting."
"Then there's usually no one in the lobby," pressed Harry.
"You got it, handsome," said the blonde.
"Perfect. We'll just go get him," said Harry, "quietly."
Harry leaned out the window and told Tom to meet him at the front door. He and the courtesan
then walked lightly down the stairs to the lobby, where they saw Tom's figure, swaying
drunkenly back and forth, outside the curtained door.
As Harry opened the door, he saw Tom slip and reach for the doorframe as support, to keep him
from falling. Noticing a strange knob, Tom began to turn what everyone soon discovered was
the doorbell.
Harry and his partner then hurriedly reached and pulled Tom into the house, shutting the door
gently behind him, and rushed him toward the staircase, trying to beat the Madam's arrival to
the door. No one realized Tom's foot was bleeding again.
~
Madam Janeway opened the front door, to find no one standing there. She stepped outside and
looked around, but saw nothing, and decided the kids in the area were up to no good again.
She then closed her eyes to the breeze that was blowing, thinking about...
After a moment she turned to go back into the house, and began to lock the door, when she
noticed something odd on the floor beneath one of her feet. When she moved her foot, she saw
what looked to be a stain on the floor. Upon further inspection, it looked like blood. She
opened the door again to find patches of blood on the front porch, and even on the stairs
leading to the porch. She then turned around to find patches, some that even looked like
footprints, leading to the staircase. She knew of only two pairs of feet that could cause
this trail tonight, and neither should be in this house, she thought.
~
"Great, Tom," said Harry, as he noticed the trail of blood behind them on the floor. "Your
foot's bleeding."
"Oh, is it?" asked Tom, looking at his feet. "But, I'm ok. It doesn't hurt."
"That's not the point," said Harry, leading the woman and Paris into what looked to be a
curtained-off closet off the hallway. He knew they wouldn't make it up the stairs like this.
"The blood is creating a trail on the floor straight to us."
"Oh," said Paris.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked the woman. "The Madam is sure to see the mess,
especially if she goes to the door."
"I've got an idea," Harry said as he ripped a portion of Tom's robe off the bottom.
"Hey, that's my robe," said the woman.
"Not now Harry, I haven't been paid," Paris said in a weak attempt at a joke.
"This will buy us some time," said Harry to them both. He patted the piece of cloth on Tom's
foot, until the cloth was soaked. He then wrapped the cloth around one of his feet. "I'll be
back," he said, as he left their bunker.
~
Madam Janeway followed what looked to be the way to the renegade sailor. She saw the
footprints led up the hallway, and seemed to double-back and go up the stairs.
As she climbed the stairs, she noticed the footprints stopped midway down the corridor. She
stopped in confusion, realizing the sailor must have finally noticed his bleeding foot. Madam
Janeway looked around to try and figure out which way he went, and realized she was near
Seven's room. Knowing he wasn't likely in there, she decided to check anyway.
Seven answered the door after a few knocks from Janeway, and almost seemed to flush upon
seeing her.
"Hello, Seven" said the Madam. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to check your room."
"What is the problem," said Seven as she opened the door for Janeway to enter.
"Someone snuck back into the house who isn't supposed to be here," she said, looking around
the room lazily, knowing there was nothing to find.
"And you think they are here," said Seven matter-of-factly.
"No," Janeway turned to face her, "Not really." She smiled at Seven, who remained emotionless
by the door.
"So, I assume everyone is taken care of," Seven said.
"Yes, you're done for this evening." Janeway then began to walk out.
"Madam," Seven stood in front of the door to keep the Madam from leaving, "about earlier..."
"No need to say anything," said Janeway, trying to fight off her sudden increase in heart rate. She also didn't want to hear Seven admit regret in asking the Madam to come to her room. Janeway was already having a hard time ignoring her disappointment in Seven's reaction thus far. But she couldn't walk away.
"And to answer your question from yesterday," Janeway continued, " I got into this profession because there was nothing else I could do. Women have two roles to choose from in life, virgin or whore, and
I'm not one to wear white. When I got older I took over this place, in order to take care of
women like me. You're safe here. That's why I keep track of all the callers who come in and
out of this place. That's why I don't serve alcohol here." She paused. "That's why I'll
find the man running loose here tonight, making sure he doesn't get out of line with one of my
girls."
"I shall help you," said Seven.
Janeway nodded at her before the two left the room to continue the search.
~
"Just look at all the pretty colors," said Tom, as he fumbled through the clothing that hung
in the closet."
"Yeah, pretty colors," said the blonde, peeping into the hallway, wishing Harry would hurry up.
"Hey, what's this?" asked Tom, perking up. "There's something back here."
He continued to fumble through the wardrobe until he found what it was.
"Well, lookie here," said Tom, as he looked toward the blonde. "Did you know this was here?"
He held back the clothes to show a safe.
"No. I wasn't sure exactly where she kept the money," said the blonde.
"You mean you never went snooping?" asked Tom. When the woman nodded that she had not, Tom
said, "Silly girls."
He then leaned his head up against the safe, and began fumbling with the round knob on the
front.
"You actually think you can break into that thing?" asked the blonde.
"It wouldn't hurt to try," said Tom.
"And take the money I worked for with you? You think I'd let you?" asked the woman.
"With my foot, I'd need a hand in getting this out." He kept fiddling with the knob,
listening. "Looks like you'll get all your money back, and then some."
She dismissed him as being drunk, and didn't take him seriously. Keeping a mental note of
where the safe was, she peeped back out into the hallway still looking for Harry.
~
There was a knock on B'Elanna's door.
Angrily she rose from her reading, ready to refuse Harry's request to hide his friend in her
room.
"Harry, I won't be a part of this..."
She opened the door to find the Madam, with Seven standing behind her.
"Madam?" asked B'Elanna in shock. "Yes, Madam, what is it?" She tried to regain her composure.
"What exactly won't you be a part of, B'Elanna?" asked the Madam.
"What? Oh, I thought you were someone else," she stammered.
"Even so," said the Madam, "I'm not sure that is something I want to hear my girls saying to a
client. Let us in."
B'Elanna opened the door, allowing the Madam and Seven to pass.
"I believe you were supposed to be entertaining one of our guests. Where is he?" asked the
Madam.
"He," began B'Elanna, "he left."
"Left," said Janeway. "And where precisely did he go?"
"He," began B'Elanna, "he didn't take long, you see, and left."
"Ah," said Janeway, as she went to examine B'Elanna's bed. "Neatly tucked in, looks like
these sheets were barely used this evening," she said looking at B'Elanna.
"I told you," she said, "he didn't take long. We never made it to the bed."
"Ah," said Janeway.
There was another knock on B'Elanna's door. B'Elanna's eyes widened as Janeway smiled.
"Perfect," said Janeway. "Now I wonder who that could be?" She looked at Seven, who was
still near the door. "Could you get that, please?"
Seven opened the door to reveal Harry, who was looking into the hallway.
He turned to see Seven and said, "Hey, you're not B'Elanna."
"No," said Seven. She then opened the door to show the other women in the room.
"Oh," said Harry. "Um, I'll come back."
"Excuse me," said the Madam, "But we require your presence in here."
Harry entered the room, welcomed by a glare from B'Elanna.
"Harry, is it?" asked the Madam.
"Yes, ma'am," said Harry, who tried to hide his bloody cloth behind his back.
"Harry," said the Madam politely. She began to pace toward Harry, saying, "Well, then, Harry,
I'd really like to know where you've been. You see, you paid for time with B'Elanna, but here
I find B'Elanna alone."
She tried to walk around him, but he backed up the closer she got.
"Harry," she stopped walking. "What is it you have behind your back?
"Nothing," he said.
"Then show me your hands."
Harry sighed and brought his hands to the front, revealing a bloody cloth.
"What do we have here," Janeway said as she picked up the cloth with her thumb and finger.
"My, Harry, have you cut your hand?"
"Yes," said Harry. "That's why I left, you see. I needed to get something for the cut."
"Oh, "said Janeway, looking at the cloth in disgust. "And do you walk on your hands, Mr.
Harry? Because, you see, you left a nasty trail behind you as you went searching for this
bandage." She looked at the bandage closely. "Which looks an awful lot like silk." She
looked at Harry. "I have no silk bandages."
"I, uh..." began Harry.
"No more lies, Harry," said Janeway. "Where is your friend?"
"What do you mean?"
"The one you let back in." Janeway looked at B'Elanna. "I take it that's what you wouldn't be
a part of."
"Yes, Madam." said B'Elanna.
"Well, Harry," she continued, "either you tell us his whereabouts now, or you accompany us in
our search."
Harry's silence forced him to choose the latter.
~End Part 2~