"Are you alright?" Tevi asked.
B'Elanna walked up the gangway of Tevi's ship, keeping her head down and trying to hold back the tears that had welled in her eyes for the last hour. "Not really."
"Why aren't you at your grandfather's funeral?" Tevi reached out to grab B'Elanna's arm as she tried to pass into the freighter. "Why do you have a bag? What happened?"
"She kicked me out. After the funeral, my mom…" B'Elanna swallowed. "She told me to get out." Tevi released her arm, and B'Elanna walked away, dropping her bag near a bulkhead. "I didn't know what to do; where else to go… so I messaged you."
B'Elanna could hear Tevi's footsteps approaching from behind. "I'm so sorry. You can stay here tonight, if you like. Maybe she'll have cooled down in the morning. She's probably upset about her father-"
"No." B'Elanna cut in. "My mom and I have always fought, but this was different. She meant it when she told me to leave. She won't want me back tomorrow." B'Elanna crossed her arms, trying to smash down the urge to cry. "I don't even want to be on the same planet as her right now."
There was a pause, then Tevi's eyes widened as she realized what B'Elanna was getting at. "Oh, no… B'Elanna, you can't come with me."
"Why not?" B'Elanna walked away from Tevi - it was easier to control her emotions if she didn't look directly at her. "I want to get back to the Federation… you're going to the Federation."
"Because I have to cross the border with a hold full of illegal weapons! If I'm caught, you'll go to jail, too!"
"I don't care."
"You should care!" Tevi grabbed B'Elanna by the shoulder to stop her pacing. "You're upset; don't do anything rash."
B'Elanna closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to compose her voice as much as possible. "This was a long time in coming. VavnI' was the only thing holding us together, and now…" She stopped short, letting out a wry laugh. "You know, this has been the story of my life. First my father leaves me. Then I can't make it at the Academy, and now…" she paused, taking a breath. "And now the last person I could depend on kicks me out." B'Elanna closed her eyes and let out a long breath, before whispering, "Please, Tevi."
Silence filled the room for a long moment. She's going to say no. B'Elanna started to think: where else can I go? What am I going to do?
"Okay." Tevi's voice broke through B'Elanna's internal panic. "I just hope you don't regret this."
A smile tugged at B'Elanna's mouth, even as her eyes filled with tears. She wrapped her arms around Tevi, hugging her tightly.
"I won't."
The next day, B'Elanna stared out the viewport, watching as Qo'noS became just another point of light in the inky blackness of space.
=/\=