Disclaimer: You saw it on Star Trek? Then I don't own it! Simple enough? Femslash content (I like that word) so if you don't like that please don't waste your time with this story. Disclaimer, done.

Code: T/7.
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: M/R
Feedback: Click review, e-mail me, however you'd like to do it, but let me know what you thought!

Dark Dawn
Chapter 2

B'Elanna woke with a start. For a moment she was disoriented, trying to figure out where she was, then the sight of the alcove reminded her. It all came flooding back in a rush that made her dizzy. She was grateful for her Klingon physiology for once, having been spared morning sickness due to it, and now she was certain that if she didn't have it, she would be sick.

The empty alcove made her ask the computer for the time, hoping that she hadn't slept into her shift. Would Seven let her do that? But, no, the computer told her that it was only oh-six-hundred and her shift wasn't until eight-hundred hours, the same as Seven's. She wondered then, why Seven's alcove was empty. A sound in the living quarters drew her attention and she thought that perhaps, Seven had woken hungry and early and was eating breakfast.

She stood, walked silently into the living room and froze. The sound she was hearing was a not-so-soft snore, being issued from the sleeping ex-drone on the couch. B'Elanna couldn't help but think how cute it was that Seven snored. She tip-toed to crouch right in front of Seven and stared at her. Aware that someone was watching her, Seven awoke with an undignified snort.

She sat up quickly and blinked back the sleep in her eyes. "Hello, Lieu—B'Elanna."

"Morning, Seven. How did you sleep?"

"I simply closed my eyes and waited until my conscious mind shut down." Seven answered, taking the question literally, assuming that B'Elanna had not been aware that she was capable of real sleep. But B'Elanna's laugh gave her the idea that perhaps she had misinterpreted the question.

"No, Seven, I mean, did you sleep well?" B'Elanna rephrased her question with a light laugh.

"I slept deeply, untroubled by unpleasant dreams." Seven replied.

"Me, too. But why did you sleep out here? I could have moved. After all, it is your bed."

"I decided that it would be rude to wake you, or ask that I have the bed I gave you to sleep in last night. Also, due to your pregnancy, I believed it to be best if you were comfortable while you slept, especially considering the recent situation with your now ex-husband." B'Elanna was moved by Seven's consideration and she decided to tell her so.

"Thank you, Seven. That was very kind of you, I appreciate it." Seven felt a warm feeling spread throughout her body at the praise and found that she liked it.

"You are welcome." Seven stood and walked into the bedroom. B'Elanna followed, but turned around immediately, blushing, as Seven began to strip. She gave Seven privacy, wandered over to the replicator and used some of her rations to make them both breakfast. She set the breakfast out on the table: two stacks of banana pancakes, a server of syrup, scrambled eggs and two glasses of juice. She sat on the floor on one side of the short table and waited for Seven to come out.

Seven emerged in a dark red biosuit and stared at the meal sitting out before her. She raised an eyebrow at B'Elanna, who indicated that she should sit down with her. She carefully folded her long legs under the table with B'Elanna's and looked at the food.

"This was unnecessary. I am content eating nutritional supplements." She said, gesturing at the food. B'Elanna pouted and Seven was startled by the effect it had on her. Immediately she wanted to make B'Elanna stop pouting and resume smiling. "But I appreciate it." She said, repeating the words the half-Klingon had spoken to her earlier to make her feel good inside. B'Elanna immediately brightened and Seven felt better.

"Good, then dig in." B'Elanna followed her own advice and Seven tentatively reached for the syrup, poured it directly in the middle of the round stack, then replaced it on the table in the exact place it had been before. Following B'Elanna's example, she spread out the stack and cut the cakes into pieces. After making sure that she had a banana slice speared with her piece of pancake, she placed it in her mouth.

Immediately, she understood why B'Elanna had selected this particular dish. Per her challenge by the doctor, Seven had been experimenting with various foods and flavors, but she had yet to try breakfast foods. She was not as impressed with the eggs until she put syrup on them as well, then she found that she was fond of maple syrup.

B'Elanna watched as Seven covered everything in syrup and was briefly reminded of childhood. She watched Seven eat the food with obvious enjoyment and began feeling very happy herself, content for the moment to forget the previous night's disaster.

"Hey, Seven!" Seven turned at the sound of Tom Paris' voice, anger rising within her. Despite showing a previous love and protection of his offspring, he had shown a lack of respect and love for both his wife and daughter when he had chosen to copulate outside his marriage. So, he became repugnant to Seven, losing the iota of respect she had held for him.

"Lieutenant," she regretfully acknowledged.

"Hey, have you seen B'Elanna? I've been to Engineering and all over looking for her and I thought you might have seen her."

"Yes." She answered honestly, though she did not feel that Paris deserved even this knowledge.

"Where was she?"

"When?"

"When you saw her?"

"If you are referring to last night, she was in my bed. If you are referring to this morning, she was on her way to meet the captain in her ready room to legally divorce you." With that, Seven turned and finished her walk to the turbolift, leaving Tom Paris behind with his mouth hanging open.

"She left me... for her?" Tom asked the empty corridor, still in shock. He wasn't sure what he thought of B'Elanna's taste. He felt a little less hurt by the fact that it was a woman, and simultaneously, more injured. The fact that it was Seven of Nine... He shook his head, completely bewildered.

Then he asked the computer where B'Elanna was, wondering why he didn't do that in the first place. "B'Elanna Torres is in Seven of Nine's quarters," the computer informed him. 'So, it's true,' Tom thought. 'She really left me for Seven of Nine.' He shook his head sadly and began making his way to Seven of Nine's quarters, only vaguely realizing that they were B'Elanna's old quarters and not making the connection.

Tom stood outside the door, deciding whether or not this was the time and place for this. After a few minutes, he finally decided that it was either now or never and he pressed the chime. B'Elanna came to the door, still dressed in the nightgown she had left their quarters in, looking tired and ill. He almost decided to let her be until she was better, but knew that he couldn't wait.

"B'Elanna, I need to talk to you." B'Elanna blinked sleepily at Tom, wondering what he was doing there. After seeing the captain (in her nightclothes, because she refused to enter the Paris-Torres residence even for her uniform), Janeway had ordered her to take the day off. She had admitted that she felt very ill and had consented to sleep a while more. But now, the reason she was unwell was standing in front of her and she didn't even have the strength to be angry.

"Like the last time we talked, Tom? I don't think I can handle that. Please leave me alone."

"B'Elanna, wait. I can't. I was up all night, thinking about what I did. I was a jackass; I'll admit it. I violated your trust and I don't even know why or what I was thinking. All I can seem to come up with is that I don't deserve you. And I know it. I can't settle down, I never have been able to. And both you and our daughter deserve more than that. That's why I told you what I did."

"Why are you doing this, Tom?" B'Elanna asked, somewhat dazed and getting dizzier the longer she stood.

"Because I love you. And I feel you deserve the truth. I've been looking for you all morning to tell you that. But there's something you haven't told me." B'Elanna looked at him, confused. "How long has this been going on?"

"'This?'" B'Elanna repeated, not understanding.

"I mean, there must be something there, I know that you are a good judge of people, barring a few mistakes, but I just want to know what it is."

"What 'what' is?"

"Seven of Nine. The Ice Queen! I mean, if she doesn't like guys, that explains a lot, but you could have at least told me that you were replacing me with her."

"Replacing you? We're just—" B'Elanna paused, searching for a word. Were they friends? Acquaintances? What? She switched to a more forceful tactic, rather than stutter. "There is nothing 'going on' between us, except maybe a friendship."

"Really? That's not the impression she gave me," Tom said, frowning. B'Elanna matched his frown with one of her own. Seven of Nine considered them more than friends? Why? Was she just hoping that they would become more? Was Tom lying or misinterpreting something? B'Elanna's mind was plagued with questions that she was not ready to deal with... yet.

"Tom, I can't forgive you right now. Maybe in time, but we'll never be together again, not like that. Right now, I'm not even sure we could be friends." Tom nodded, noting the hurt and confusion in B'Elanna's eyes and felt angry with Seven for making him think that they were lovers. Surely the Borg woman had been around Humans long enough to understand what she had said. She had probably phrased her response to imply just what she had.

Well, he wasn't going to let her dishonor B'Elanna's name like that.

B'Elanna sat down on the bed, her mind puzzling over things that she had never before considered. She had never questioned her sexuality or even thought about taking another woman as a lover. It wasn't that she was against it, it had just never occurred to her. But as she thought over her feelings toward Seven of Nine, she realized that she had been misinterpreting them. They weren't the hostile or platonically friendly feelings she had previously believed, but rather lust and attraction.

Attraction. Yes, that was definitely it. Whenever she saw Seven of Nine, it wasn't hate that her hearts sped up with, but rather lust... Lust? Was that even right? Oh, sure enough it was in there, but...

"Oh, my god." Suddenly, the reason for her waning affection for Tom, the fights over nothing and the loss of interest became clear. She was attracted to Seven of Nine. "I'm in love with Seven of Nine." She suddenly questioned everything she had ever done around Seven, every action, every thought, right up to coming to Seven's door last night. She hadn't forgotten, at least not subconsciously. She had actually wanted to see Seven.

Harry was too close to Tom and she didn't have any really close female friends, her mind argued. But it also agreed that she had run right to Seven, when she could have run straight to the captain, who would have given her temporary quarters until she could be reassigned a permanent room.

She had known...

To be continued…