Sequel to Perfect Misfits. B'Elanna has discovered that Seven of Nine is not just a Borg machine. Even more surprising it seems that Seven of Nine has a romantic attachment to the half-Klingon that is completely unexpected by everyone including the self-same half-Klingon.
Special warning: I'm afraid Tom Paris suffers mightily in this fic. Mightily.
Notes: This fic was originally written some years ago. It hasn't been on the net for a long time because I didn't really like some parts of it. However others disagreed, so I have decided to make it available with some editing especially in the final chapters.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
CHAPTER 8
When they arrived B'Elanna said "Computer activate holo simulation Torres 4794."
The holodeck doors skidded open and they stepped into a warm dry wind which was blowing towards them, a vista of dry grassland stretched away into the distance interrupted only by a few large leafless trees whose swollen trunks twisted away from the prevailng wind. Herds of quadrupeds that Seven could not identify grazed on the plain. A gust picked up a few handfuls of the whitish dust and threw it at them. They both moved aside and the holographically projected dust vanished as it left the still open holodeck doors.
Seven raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Kessick IV" said B'Elanna. "Where I grew up - well actually we lived in Glasgow City settlement. My dad used to bring me out here before he left. He bought some land and built a summer house in the hills over there." She gestured towards a low smudge on the horizon. That's where we are going."
"Are we going to walk?" queried the ex-drone. She had estimated the distance to the hills at 20.3 kilometres. The temperature and dust would make such a journey uncomfortable.
"No. Follow me." The small Klingon walked briskly towards a small group of trees. As they approached the clump of twisted trees Seven could see a broad white track winding away through the savannah. A gleam of something metallic caught her eye and she stared at an unfamiliar machine. Two wheels aligned in series, one wheel forming part of a manual steering mechanism, an engine mounted in the middle slung beneath what appeared to be a seat for the pilot. It leaned sideways balanced on a pedestal. Seven surmised that the pilot sat astride the vehicle and balanced the competing forces using his own body weight while the engine provided forward thrust to the wheels. A primitive vehicle.
"It belonged to my father - his antique motorbike. Miral." said B'Elanna. "That's what he called it. After my mother. All fire and fury, at least before he left. B'Elanna saw Seven's expression. "Yes I know, another big dumb blonde playing with his toys and never quite growing up."
"He and I would go up to the summer house whenever he needed a break from colony life. Took me along, riding behind him when I could barely walk, sometimes my mother would come but mostly not. When he left my mother she smashed the bike and left it to rot. I rebuilt it when I was eight. It annoyed her and I guess that was the point but it was also my first engineering project."
She nodded towards the glistening machine. "This is just a holographic projection of a similar type of 21st century bike. It lacks certain engine improvements which I designed but it will serve. Now get your gear on. We are going for a ride."
Seven was feeling relief.
"You are attempting to familiarise me with your history" she blurted out.
"What did you think I was going to do? Make you to take part in some obscure Klingon sexual practice?"
Seven looked away. She felt foolish and the experience was uncomfortable.
"I do not believe that you could 'make' me do anything B'Elanna Torres. I will leave now."
B'Elanna caught her hand.
"Seven stop. I was only kidding." The half-Klingon looked at her and Seven realised that she couldn't leave because the person she loved was holding her hand and smiling into her eyes. 'Reduced autonomy.' noted the Borg enhanced mind inexorably analysing and recording the former drone's mental and physical state.
"So that is what you thought." B'Elanna grinned and folded her arms. "No nothing like that... that comes later."
Seven pulled away.
B'Elanna mentally slapped herself. "Please Seven, get changed and come with me," she said very gently. "I promise not to tease you any further."
The ex-drone eyed her suspiciously and then placed her bundle of clothing on the ground and began to work out what went where. B'Elanna left her alone, removed her uniform jacket and trousers, whistling to herself as she pulled the leathers on over her tee-shirt.
She felt uncomfortably overdressed in the desert air but knew that wouldn't last when they were at last riding the bike. She sneaked a glance at Seven. The tall blonde had successfully negotiated herself into the leathers. Not surprising given the skin tight body suits she was used to. The bike leathers suited the drone's perfect figure. B'Elanna smirked to herself. She was dating every boy's wet dream. And then her mouth became drier than the desert sand, as fear swept through her. Perhaps I can't do this. What if she changes her mind? What if I am not good enough for her. B'Elanna's inner Klingon angrily rejected that thought and she mounted the bike with renewed determination.
"This clothing is not comfortable Lieutenant."
She grinned. "It's not meant to be. It is protection and will keep you warm."
"I am already warm and the holodeck safeties will protect us."
"What safeties?" B'Elanna's grin became evil. "Are you afraid Seven of Nine?"
"You promised not to tease me."
"I'm not teasing. We don't need the safeties, they diminish the experience. Come on we only have three more hours." She gestured behind her. Seven gingerly lifted her leg over the shining metal frame and settled into the pillion seat.
"Put your arms around me, follow my lead."
Seven wrapped her arms around the small Klingon and for the first time since they had entered the holodeck she began to see a point to this. Even through the thick leather she could feel the small frame of the half Klingon pressed against her and her heart beat picked up. B'Elanna leaned back against her.
"Ready?"
Seven nodded and B'Elanna kicked the engine into life. It roared approval. She revved the engine slightly and then released the bike accelerating through the automatic gears noting the unrealistically smooth shifts that you only ever found on a hololdeck simulation. She settled for cruising at about 80 kilometres per hour, fast enough on dirt and she didn't want the ride to be over too soon.
Seven hung onto B'Elanna trying to lean into bends with her as they skimmed over the dirt track towards the hills. The ride seemed surprisingly smooth given the nature of the track and the speed of the vehicle. Presumably B'Elanna had adjusted the holodeck parameters. After a nervous few minutes she realised that B'Elanna was adequately skilled to balance and control the vehicle. She began to enjoy the sensation of speed. She relaxed as the bike cut a line through the still desert air. The air temperature was relentlessly high and the white dust kicked up in a thick cloud behind them.
The rapid cooling effect of the wind was very welcome. Seven's bio-suit was designed for space travel and the temperature controlled environment on Voyager. The suit provided some measure of temperature control but was insufficient in the heat of the desert and the Borg had no alternative means of losing heat. The half Klingon by contrast perspired freely, her Klingon physiology enjoyed the heat.
The bike was soon winding up a narrow road through the low brown forrested hills that Seven had seen in the distance. After a few more minutes the travellers arrived in a small clearing beneath pinkish cliffs. The clearing, being at a somewhat higher altitude, was thankfully a little cooler than the desert savannah they had left behind.
A small single story house, constructed from weather-board and painted white, backed into the pink cliffs and sheltered from the relentless sunlight between two broad-leaved deciduous trees. The house had a broad veranda jutting out over a small rock overhang beneath which a lake of clear water gathered, fed by a small waterfall that bubbled from a spring and stream beside the house.
B'Elanna braked to a halt on the road a few yards below the house. She held the bike upright while Seven dismounted and then got off the bike and leaned it against a tree. Follow me, she gestured to Seven. And then ran up the slope to the bank of the small lake.
The water ran slightly alkaline because of the minerals leached from the stones but it was perfectly safe. She plunged her face into the water and then yelped as ice cold water collided with over-heated flesh. She pulled back and lay gasping beside the clear water.
"Lieutenant Torres are you damaged."
Seven of Nine leaned over her.
She was aware of the ex-Borg's very hot pink skin and blue eyes just inches from her own, peering at her worriedly.
"No it's nothing just the .... "
A sudden impulse overcame her, she cupped some of the freezing water in her hand and threw it over the blonde. Seven squealed very satisfactorily, lurched back and lost her balance falling into the shallow water.
For a few seconds Seven sat in the water unable to speak.
B'Elanna sat up and gazed at her, torn between remorse, Klingon humour and disbelief at how sexy the ex-Borg looked in the circumstances. The sense of humour won out and B'Elanna lay back and laughed until it hurt.
Seven could not understand the half-Klingon's reaction. There appeared to be nothing amusing in her current predicament. She was sure that some of her external implants had overloaded at the sudden change in temperature. On the other hand she was no longer over-heated.
Remorse returned to B'Elanna as the ex-drone continued to sit there, a comically puzzled expression on her face but no trace of anger.
"I'm sorry Seven, I couldn't resist. Falling in the water was an added bonus." She started laughing again.
"You consider this to be amusing?" The tall Borg rose to her feet and stood there dripping.
B'Elanna nodded helplessly and laughed harder only to find herself being roughly hauled to her feet, lifted off the ground and dumped head first in the water.
She swallowed a mouthful of water and surfaced choking. The cold seemed to have driven all the air from her lungs.
"Was that amusing?" asked the ex-Borg very seriously, watching the spluttering engineer thrash about in the water.
B'Elanna was planning the stream of invective for when she was able to speak but as she wiped away the water streaming into her eyes she realised that the tall blonde was half smiling at her.
B'Elanna knew that for Seven of Nine that smile was equivalent to gales of laughter. It was a very sweet smile that crinkled the clear blue eyes and for the second time in as many minutes B'Elanna found she couldn't breathe. The engineer could still make no response so she just smiled back.
"You are correct Lieutenant there is humour in this situation," said Seven.
The tall blonde gently helped B'Elanna to her feet and for a moment they stood in the water holding hands, dark brown eyes gazing into blue. B'Elanna tightened her grip. A cold drip of water made its way down her spine and she shivered.
"We need to get out of these wet leathers. Just as well I don't plan on riding back. We can change in the house and let our real clothes dry in the sun."
She hauled Seven up the steps to the door of the summer house and kicked the door open gently. The door led into a large white-walled living room with wooden floors and a huge fireplace.
In answer to Seven's bewildered look she said "At night the temperatures often drop below freezing here."
B'Elanna went into the next room and began to strip off the wet leather leggings and jacket and followed them with her T-shirt and underwear. She became aware of Seven standing behind her still fully dressed and dripping, watching her strip anxiously.
"Get out of those wet things Seven."
"What will I put on?" asked the ex-drone, nervously watching the now naked Klingon with an expression somewhere between fascination, lust and terror.
"It's on the bed" B'Elanna stated a little embarrassed by the steady scrutiny and picked up her own swimming costume.
Glad for a distraction Seven picked up the only garment remaining on the bed and her mouth fell open. "What is this?" She dangled the tiny garment from one finger.
"The top half of a bikini," said B'Elanna after a quick glance and continued wriggling into her own one-piece costume. "The other half should be there somewhere."
Seven observed the bottom half on the floor and picked it up in her other hand.
"What purpose do these serve?"
"For swimming, sun-bathing and volleyball... now hurry up and get out of those wet things before you catch cold; influenza is not part of the plan."
Reluctantly Seven started to remove her soaking clothing while complaining "I do not understand why you are wearing that and I have to wear these?"
B'Elanna kept a straight face with difficulty.
"I wrote the holoprogram that way," she asserted brightly as though that settled the point. Seven was looking a little dangerous and B'Elanna decided to change the subject. She exclaimed "Hey I forgot the food. It's still out on the bike. I hadn't realised how hungry I was... back in a minute."
She left the room at a trot while Seven glared after her balefully.
'Only a human would have so little self-knowledge about the state of their own stomach and what do I do with this?'
The bikini lay on the bed like a question mark.
'She planned all of this' thought Seven darkly. She continued to ponder what other horrors the small half-Klingon might have designed while trying to figure out how to wear the swim suit. Well it was really quite obvious to her Borg enhanced brain but she kept hoping that there was a trick to it, if only she could find it.
CHAPTER 9
Tom Paris had cleaned himself up and was looking for B'Elanna determined to have it out with her. She wasn't back in her quarters so she must still be with the drone. "Computer locate Lieutenant Torres."
LIEUTENANT TORRES IS IN HOLODECK TWO
"Computer locate Seven of Nine."
SEVEN OF NINE IS IN HOLODECK TWO
"What the hell are they doing? Well I am going to find out, that drone is not going to muscle in on my girl without a fight."
He half-ran to the holodeck but had to double back and wait for the corridor to clear. Entering a holodeck when it was in use by someone else was very bad manners. 'But I don't have time for that now' he fumed.
After a few minutes the corridor was empty and Tom took his chance. Tom knew B'Elanna's override code for the holodeck and he was willing to bet that she wouldn't have changed it.
"Computer silent opening holodeck doors Torres 14823."
The doors opened and Tom stepped into an unfamiliar program. Very warm air wafted out from the rather pretty wooded valley. He could see the side of a small white house and then he heard B'Elanna's voice, distinctly hot and bothered.
"In Kahless' name Seven would you make up your mind."
"My mind is quite clear. If you would obey my instructions accurately we would have finished this three point four minutes ago."
The Borg sounded scarcely less irritable than the Klingon. Tom felt relief. Of course it had all been silly nonsense, they were engaged in their normal bickering. He couldn't see them but walked in the direction of the voices. There was a light fragrance of wood smoke.
"Okay how about that Miss Perfect?"
Tom peeped around the corner of the white house to where B'Elanna dressed in a swimsuit was laying down on a blanket next to a small lake of water. Seven was sitting awkwardly next to her examining something with some suspicion. A small outdoor grill was smoking gently a few metres away from the sun-bathers. The Borg was clad only in the smallest of swimsuits and despite his jealousy, Tom couldn't help but notice her beautiful body. It would be a strange kind of man that didn't notice he reasoned.
Seven started to eat whatever it was that she was holding.
"Does it taste alright?" B'Elanna was asking.
"2.3% carbon... the degree of burning is... acceptable Lieutenant."
"That's good then. I can die happy."
Seven put the food down abruptly.
"It is not acceptable for you to die," she said seriously. "Ever. Even if you are happy."
"I'll remember that," B'Elanna replied equally seriously.
Tom stopped dead as B'Elanna rolled on her side and rested her hand on the Borg's knee. Seven glanced down and covered B'Elanna's hand with hers. B'Elanna lifted the Borg's hand to her lips.
"You are very sweet person Seven of Nine. Misguided, or you wouldn't be wasting time with me, but definitely sweet." B'Elanna sat up and frowned. "And altogether too hot in all senses. Pass me that bottle of oil."
Seven picked up a small bottle lying next to the blanket and examined it curiously. She read the instructions before passing it to her companion.
"What is the purpose?"
"Sorry Seven. I'm an idiot." said B'Elanna. "We should have applied this to prevent ourselves becoming as burnt as the burgers. The sun here is strong and the safeties are off. I'll do you first. Lie down."
Seven complied and B'Elanna gently massaged the oil into Seven's back and shoulders. The ex-drone moaned in a very non-droneish manner. After a few minutes however, she turned over to try and pull B'Elanna down to her but the half-Klingon batted her away.
"I haven't finished."
"It is my turn," said Seven determinedly. A calculated heave and she flipped a very surprised half-Klingon on her back and pinned her.
Seven gazed down on B'Elanna, She raised an eyebrow. "It is my turn," she asserted. "I have calculated the exact coverage required to prevent burning and to achieve the required results."
"Sheesh... you are such a pedant... no one measures suntan oil," grumbled B'Elanna. She had given up struggling though and lay still, breathing heavily, clutching the ex-drone's forearms and looking up into her captor's face, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"The instructions are precise," Seven said smugly. She picked up the sun tan oil and trickled a precise amount of oil into the the hollow at the base of B'Elanna's throat and then began to slowly rub it over the exposed skin on B'Elanna's chest and shoulders. "It is more efficient. Do you not agree?"
"No I don't!" B'Elanna croaked. "Precision isn't everything and your head is big enough already without me causing it to swell any further."
"My cranial capacity is fixed. I do not see that acknowledging my competence would lead to any change in skull volume."
Seven had moved her attention to B'Elanna's legs. As she stroked and massaged the smooth skin with total concentration, efficiency seemed to have moved down her agenda.
"I know all about blondes with big egos," B'Elanna gasped as Seven's fingers grazed her inner thigh.
Seven stopped, her fingers resting on a quivering muscle. She stared at B'Elanna disapprovingly.
"I hope Lieutenant that you are not comparing me with Mr Paris."
Tom was horrified. His girlfriend was cavorting with someone else and making dismissive jokes about him. He felt himself turn red with fury and he was about to confront them both when B'Elanna spoke again. She sounded really angry this time.
"I can't believe Tom trying to provoke me like that," she said. The small engineer grimaced at the memory. "I should have torn his fair head from his fair body."
"If he tries to attack you again then I will assist in the dismemberment," Seven said calmly though that apparent state of mind was belied by her Borg hand which had grasped the steel barbecue tongs lying on the grass beside them and mangled them as though they were made of plasticine. Tom had a sudden vision of that hand around his throat and, suddenly revealing himself didn't seem like such a good idea.
"Spoken like a true warrior - my mother would have loved you."
B'Elanna picked up a glass of white wine to toast Seven. She looked at the nearly empty glass. "We need another bottle." Seven released her and B'Elanna sprang to her feet and started to walk towards Tom's hiding place.
Panicked, he crawled backwards into the bushes and then realised with relief that there was an air space under the house. 'I can hide here until she goes back.' He backed himself under the floor of the house and watched B'Elanna's feet walk past. 'Somehow I don't think this is the best time to tackle B'Elanna. I'll need to wait until the Borg is elsewhere.' As he lay there he became aware of a strong smell floating towards him and then felt a chill of fear as a low growling noise began. He looked around and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he could just make out a pair of eyes reflecting the light filtering through the bushes from outside the house.
'Oh shit' Tom backed away as quickly as possible but the eyes didn't move. The growling increased. He was about to make a dash for the outside world when he saw B'Elanna's feet making the return journey. The snarling beast moved closer and Tom shuffled further back under the house. The beast charged. Tom hurled himself backward and stifled a yelp as sharp little teeth grabbed his ankle and bit hard penetrating the thick material of his uniform boots.
'Bloody Klingon' he squealed furiously, 'she hasn't got the damned safeties on.' He kicked the beast hard with his other boot and it let go with a grunt. Tom continued to back away and was surprised to find the low ceiling disappear, and he stood up in some sort of cave. It was dimly illuminated by light filtering from above him. He realised that the cliffs at the back of the house were slightly hollowed out and he was standing in the space between the back wall of the house and the cliff face. A steady snarling alerted him to the return of the beast from under the house and Tom searched about him for an escape route. He clambered up the cliff onto a small ledge some eight feet above the floor of the narrow chamber and prayed that the beast couldn't climb. It seemed that it couldn't but he could hear it snuffling around below. Peering over the edge, he was dismayed to see, despite the poor light, that there were actually two of the beasts prowling about beneath him. Quite bulky and very unprepossessing like wild hogs only uglier.
Examining his surroundings it didn't look as though he would be able to get out by climbing any higher either. 'I'll just have to wait until the little buggers get bored.' The ledge was narrow and wet but he was just able to lie on his side. He settled down to wait cursing his ill fortune and B'Elanna for getting him into this.
Half an hour passed and he realised that it was getting darker. The temperature in the cave was definitely dropping and the damned animals were very persistent; he could still hear them. An unpleasant thought then occurred to him. Perhaps the beasts lived under the house permanently. 'Hell that means I am stuck here until B'Elanna ends the program.' Tom gritted his now chattering teeth and tried to ignore the pain in his bitten ankle.
*****
Seven and B'Elanna retreated indoors as the temperature fell outside and now sat together in front of the open fire each with a blanket around their shoulders, their still-damp clothes hung up to dry. The only other light was provided by an old oil lamp which hung on the back wall. B'Elanna was drinking red wine that Seven had declined.
"Behold the beauty of the holodeck." said B'Elanna appreciatively. "None of the actual hassle of building and lighting a fire. Just enjoy the warmth. I remember that collecting firewood was a major pain."
"Why did your father not install heating and lighting systems? This seems unnecessary."
"Some backwoods pioneer fantasy," B'Elanna gently mocked her dead father. "That was certainly my mother's opinion. Not that she disapproved of roughing it but there was no real danger up here, except the flock of wild targ that she introduced; that and a few biting bats which can be unpleasant, although not life threatening."
"It is warm in here," Seven observed. "The fire is efffective."
She let the blanket drop from her shoulders; half-naked she held her arms out to B'Elanna. The latter gasped.
Seven drew B'Elanna into her arms and tightened her hold. B'Elanna felt the soft strength of Seven's body against the length of her own, then sweet full lips tentatively touched hers. Seven gently nibbled her lower lip.
B'Elanna groaned and allowed Seven's tongue to enter her mouth. Hesitantly their tongues tasted each other and B'Elanna withdrew a little to allow Seven time to get used to the idea.
It seemed that Seven didn't need much time. The ex-drone drew B'Elanna back, kissing her open-mouthed. Their tongues vied for dominance. They had not kissed like this before now. B'Elanna's hand gently brushed against Seven's wonderfully heavy breast. The ex-drone twitched and whimpered and B'Elanna immediately withdrew her hand, scared that she was going too fast. She stopped thinking when Seven moaned into her mouth and grabbed her hand and returned it. After a few more minutes kissing and stroking, B'Elanna pulled away a little, ignoring the mumbled protest.
Half-hypnotised, B'Elanna gazed at the white skin glowing in the firelight. She laid her arm next to Seven's breast, barely touching but just enough to feel the slightly cooler flesh. "Coffee and cream" she murmured and snorted, tickled by her own joke. She dropped a gentle kiss on the end of Seven's elegant nose.
"Are we going to copulate now?" Seven asked, feeling very anxious. She had reasoned that it was better to express her concerns now.
B'Elanna cringed a little at the brutal description.
"A little more forthright and I'll think you are a Klingon. Would you like to?"
"I believe so but I am uncertain of the procedure."
B'Elanna noted the mixture of longing and fear on her would-be lover's face.
"Honestly Seven I think it's a little early in our relationship to, um, copulate?"
Seven's face fell and doubt took hold.
"But we could always make-out some more or even just cuddle," B'Elanna reassured hastily.
Seven was unfamiliar with the practice of cuddling although she knew of it. It seemed a little tame but she did not want to appear churlish.
"If that is the appropriate step. We should cuddle."
"No," B'Elanna replied. "Our holodeck time ends in ten minutes and I don't think I would enjoy being that efficient. I am on duty in four hours but you could stay with me tonight. If you like... no pressure Seven... just cuddling and sleeping... maybe a little more..." She grinned and the tension dispelled somewhat.
Seven kissed her passionately.
"That is acceptable B'Elanna Torres."
Reluctantly they stood up. They dressed without speaking, left the house and walked towards the holodeck exit. The doors opened smoothly and they exited the holodeck holding hands. As an afterthought B'Elanna remembered to close the program.
"Computer end program."
Thoroughly distracted, neither noticed the muffled thud and grunt of pain as Tom Paris dropped eight feet to the floor of the now empty holodeck. The doors closed behind them.
Tom Paris lay on the floor of the holodeck and tried to straighten his frozen limbs. His ankle had swollen inside his boot and a number of small but vicious bites adorned his face.
Opening his parched throat he gasped a few desperate words "Computer, emergency transport, sickbay, now!"
His sigh of relief as the transporter lock gripped him and whisked him from the scene of his suffering was echoed by the gasp of exasperated horror with which the Doctor greeted the gruesome sight of his errant assistant.
"Mr Paris what have you been doing?"
"Beasts... b..b..bats... B'Elanna... b..borg..." The helmsman's teeth chattered and then he fainted.
THE END