Look After You - Chapter Seven
A/N: Thanks again to Pepper for the beta. Would be lovely to hear if people are enjoying/ not enjoying this.
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They had been stuck on the planet for at least an hour, and B'Elanna wasn't exactly pleased. Fed up of doing nothing, she kept going over to the shuttle to see if anything could be repaired. When it was obvious that nothing could be done, she'd looked around the planet, but hadn't found anything of interest.
B'Elanna growled in frustration as she returned, and then turned to Tom, who seemed far too relaxed about being stranded.
"Paris, this is your fault!" She snapped, angrily.
He turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "My fault?"
"Yes. Your fault. You're bad luck."
"I'm bad luck?" B'Elanna was pleased that he looked mildly offended by this.
"Every time you go on an away mission something bad always happens. That time we went to Markov-Kalto, you got swept back in time. And what about that time you got accused of murdering that Banean woman's husband?" She didn't dare mention the Vidiian incident, but it was hanging in the air. "You must have desecrated a planet of Native American burial grounds en route to Voyager, because there's no way this is just coincidence."
Tom didn't look too pleased by her accusations, and some part of her registered the fact that she was probably hurting his feelings, but she was far too wound up about not being able to make the shuttle work that she was lashing out at him.
Tom didn't say anything for a while, but she could see the muscles in his jaw tightening, and instantly regretted what she had said.
"Maybe you're right," he said quietly. "Maybe I am bad luck. Maybe I did something terrible that every time I go on a mission, something bad will always happen."
B'Elanna closed her eyes at her idiocy. She really did have to learn to think before she spoke. They'd barely been stranded for long, and she had already made him think of Caldik Prime.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tom. That was unfair and uncalled for. I didn't mean it. I'm just angry at being stuck here."
He nodded, but she noted the tension didn't leave him. "Let's talk about something else, okay?"
She removed her hand from him, trying to think of something to say. "Okay, well, how did your date go last night?"
Tom couldn't seem to stop the smirk on his face from forming. "I'd say it went pretty well. We had a good time."
"I'm happy for you," she said dryly, realising what he meant. "So will you being seeing this Alison again?" she asked out of curiosity. She wasn't sure she had met her before.
Tom shook his head. "Nah."
She frowned. "Why not? I thought you said you had a good time."
He shrugged. "It was more of a one time thing."
"Well, it's good to know that that particular rumour of you is true."
"You don't seem to approve."
"I just don't understand how random hook ups can be meaningful."
"It's not meaning I'm looking for, B'Elanna. It's fun. I spent seven months in prison, so forgive me for wanting to live a little."
She scowled at him. "Have I ever told you that you're a pig?"
"Far too many times to count."
Her scowl didn't dissolve.
"Look, I may be having casual flings, but I never do anything that would hurt somebody. The women know it's just a one time thing, and they're okay with that."
The remaining look on her face told him that she didn't understand how anyone could be okay with that.
"I can't do the whole committed relationship thing," he confessed to her. "It's something I'm not good at."
Her scowl transformed into a frown. She was sure there was more to it than that, but she didn't ask what.
"Besides, you can't tell me that you haven't considered hooking up with anybody since we've been stranded."
B'Elanna raised an eyebrow at him. "I hope you're not implying that because I'm part Klingon that I feel this insatiable need to jump somebody."
"No, but you're part human. And humans have needs too."
"Male pigs such as yourself have needs, Tom. Us women are slightly more subdued."
Tom snorted. "The females onboard provide evidence to the contrary."
B'Elanna frowned again. "I'm not like them, okay? Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"
Tom held his hands up in defence. "I'm not trying to insult you or anything."
"People think that Klingon women sleep with anything remotely male to satisfy their 'uncontrollable urges.' They don't realise that they are actually quite monogamous. It's their sexual appetite towards their mate that they have trouble suppressing."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "I'll have to remember that the next time I run into a colony of Klingons." His look turned serious. "B'Elanna, you do work yourself to the ground. You are entitled to have some fun, you know."
B'Elanna shook her head. "I've done the whole casual thing before, and I hated it. I'd rather be alone."
"I'm sure there are plenty of guys on aboard who are the serious relationship types."
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow again. "Yourself included?"
He laughed. "No, I'm not the settling down type. Not by a long shot."
She wrinkled her nose. "I'm really not looking for any type of relationship right now."
"The thought hasn't even crossed your mind? No desires to interact with somebody?"
Tom noticed B'Elanna blushing, which surprised him because he didn't think she was capable of blushing, not with her DNA being back to normal anyway.
He decided it was time to make her squirm a little.
"Lieutenant, are you blushing?"
"No," she said, not looking him in the eye.
He drew his face closer to hers. "What are you thinking about?"
She refused to answer.
"Oh come on, B'Elanna! I divulged one of my secrets to you, so you should return the favour!"
"That wasn't a secret, Tom. That was common knowledge."
He raised an eyebrow, and in return she sighed. "Fine," she said. "Last night I had a dream."
"Oh really?" Tom sat back with interest. "What kind of dream?"
She looked rather reluctant to share. "A rather…steamy dream."
He gave her a look much like a cat would once it got the cream. "Are you going to tell me more?"
"I don't see why I have to."
"Oh come on! At least tell me who it was with."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. It was with Harry."
His jaw dropped. "Harry? As in Harry Kim? You had a sex dream, and it was with Harry?"
She gave him a look. "Why, who did you think it would be with? You?"
"No! I just don't think he's the ravish-women-in-their-dreams type of guy. I expected at least Chakotay."
"What makes you think I haven't dreamt of Chakotay?" Her eyes glazed over, and Tom had to wave his hand in front of her face to bring her back to reality. "You know, you shouldn't underestimate your best friend, Tom. It was a pretty good dream," she said with a smirk.
Tom didn't say anything for a while. "I didn't know you felt that way about him," he said finally.
B'Elanna laughed. "I don't 'feel that way about him.' I just dreamt about him, that's all. I had a pretty raunchy dream about Ayala once, but that doesn't mean I'm madly in love with him and want to jump his bones anytime soon."
Tom scoffed. "Anymore members of Voyager you're secretly fantasising about? Tuvok, perhaps?"
B'Elanna's mouth dropped. "I can't believe it! You're actually jealous, aren't you?"
He looked at her flatly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're jealous because I haven't 'dreamt' about you. You're so used to women falling at your feet, that it bothers you that I don't."
"That's not true!" he exclaimed. "Besides, you're my friend. I don't want you falling at my feet."
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You still think you're God's gift to women. In fact, I bet you secretly hope that Janeway fantasises about you."
Tom tried to speak but no words came out. After a while, he managed to put together some words. "That," he started, "was a mental picture that I did not need."
B'Elanna looked at the near-traumatised look on his face and started laughing until her sides hurt.