Chapter 2
"I hope you both have learned a lesson," Janeway said while pacing in front of the two women who were standing in her ready room. "I have had enough of having to wonder when one of your fights will get us all killed. B'Elanna, can you imagine what would have happened if that spanner had hit the magnetic constrictor instead of me?!"
"The magnetic constrictor 'could' have initiated an emergency shutdown, which would have meant that we would have dropped out of warp, and that we would have lost a certain amount of antimatter that would have been jettisoned into space."
"Where it could have been retrieved quite easily," Seven added. She didn't see why the Ccaptain was making such a fuss about what 'could' have happened. She could understand the Captain being upset about what happened to her, but to come up with scenarios that 'might' have happened made no sense at all. "In fact, as you certainly know, Captain, Starfleet has designed Engineering in such a way that accidents, if they happened, would still not endanger the ship. The Lieutenant would have had to deliberately set out to sabotage the ship before she could have caused any real damage."
"Seven, shut up," Janeway walked back to her chair to sit down. "I've really had enough of having to worry about one of your fights destroying my ship. I know that I can't order you both to not fight, so instead I'm going to tell you both this; from now on, whenever something is destroyed in one of your fights, both of you will once again spend a week in the brig. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Captain," B'Elanna said, knowing that it was the only right answer she could give at that point. She saw Seven take a breath to continue her train of thought about damaging the ship, so she softly bumped against the blonde when the Captain wasn't looking.
"I... Yes Captain."
"Alright, now the two of you get out of here. You are to report for duty on your normal shift tomorrow. Dismissed."
As soon as they were in the turbolift, B'Elanna spoke up. "You need to learn when to just shut up with the Captain. By trying to make your point in a situation like just now, you only make it worse."
Seven turned to look at the Klingon. "I do not see why the Captain insisted on your altercation being dangerous. Nothing could have happened."
"It's a normal thing, Seven. If something happens that you don't like, you come up with the worst possible outcome you can think of so that you can say 'this could have happened' in order to hopefully scare the person into never doing that again." B'Elanna ordered the turbolift to her deck before asking, "So what are you planning to do now?"
Seven put her hands behind her back and stood a little straighter. "I am planning to start a regeneration cycle and start working again tomorrow."
"But you already regenerated this morning."
"I did," Seven merely agreed.
"Gee Seven, you are a real bundle of fun, aren't you? Look, it's early yet and I don't feel like doing the rounds, tomorrow is early enough to answer all those questions about how I managed to survive two weeks with you. Why don't you come to my place and we can put those ideas to PADD that we came up with in the first couple of days of our forced vacation?"
"That would be acceptable."
"See, like I said, a real bundle of fun."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Make yourself comfortable while I change into something other than this damn uniform."
"I do not understand why we were not allowed to wear different clothing while we were in the brig."
"Because the Captain went all the way with following procedure on this," B'Elanna answered loudly from her bedroom. "Regulations state that Federation officers will only have one uniform to wear while in the brig, and nothing else. And the replicators have to be set to merely recycle the uniform to clean it."
"I do not see the logic of this."
"Well, I can only guess since I never looked in to it, but I would say that this is done so that no items are smuggled into a cell by hiding them in the new clothing. I mean, what better way to hide a weapon than by putting it between some clothing?"
"It would be too obvious. Clothing will be checked."
B'Elanna came back into the living-room wearing a pair of gray exercise slacks and a white tank top that was short enough to leave enough of her middle bare to show off her bellybutton. "Sometimes the best way to hide something is in plain sight. I mean, if someone you know comes in with a pile of clothing, you might just decide not to check it because you just know that this person would never do something as obvious as hiding something in the clothing."
B'Elanna looked at Seven and lifted her hands slightly in mock irritation. "For goodness sake, I told you to make yourself comfortable. Sit your ass down."
"Yes ma'am," Seven said amused while she sat down.
"Don't go there, Miss Princess. You want something to drink before we begin?"
"N... Yes, some ice water please."
"Oh, she actually said please. I'm swooning," B'Elanna joked, putting the back of her hand against her forehead in an exaggerated gesture.
Seven used the opportunity to let her eyes follow B'Elanna around the room. Another reason why Seven really couldn't blame the people who looked at her body was because she had done the very same on several occasions with the Klingon. The lithe compact body that nevertheless held so much strength fascinated Seven to no end.
But it was more than just the body, it was the person. B'Elanna had a personality that appealed very much to Seven. She felt alive when she was around the Klingon. Seven had told B'Elanna the truth in the cell; it had been because of the Klingon that Seven had decided to stay on Voyager. She loved every minute she could spend with the volatile woman. She just wished that she could spend more time with her.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
B'Elanna sat back down beside Seven on the couch where they had sat side by side going over ideas for the last couple of hours. "Alright, that's pretty much all that we can do for now. Mind you, we still have to test those different options in the holodeck; I still don't agree with some of your projections."
"The holodeck simulation will prove that I am correct," Seven said totally self-assured.
"It will prove that you are totally wrong, you mean," B'Elanna grinned.
"Doubtful."
"Well, be that as it may, I really want to take that shower that I was talking about earlier."
"Certainly, B'Elanna. I will see you tomorrow."
Seven had already reached the door when B'Elanna's voice stopped her.
"Hey Seven. So you are going to regenerate now?"
"Yes."
"It is still fourteen hours before our shift begins tomorrow."
"I know."
B'Elanna sighed. "Will you get back here already?"
"Yes?" Seven asked when she was standing in front of B'Elanna.
"The fact that I need a really long shower doesn't mean that I'm going to sleep after that. Why don't you stick around for a while longer?"
"Thank you, I would like that."
"Wow, first a 'please' and now a 'thank you'? What's wrong with you?" B'Elanna teased.
"Nothing. I have merely decided to cease annoying you on purpose, for the moment. There is time enough for that once we are both on duty and you are coming up with totally illogical repair schedules."
"I'm not going to react to that," B'Elanna said, thus still reacting. "When you sleep in sickbay, what do your wear?"
"The doctor created some 'nightwear' for me. It is made of the same material as my bio suits, to keep my body temperature at the correct level, but the material is thinner and does not contain the electronics that my normal biosuits do."
"Yeah? Replicate it, I want to see this."
Seven lifted her eyebrow but did walk to the replicator and replicated the clothing.
B'Elanna took the clothing out of Seven's hands. "Hey, these are two parts!"
"Yes, the doctor thought that one full piece would be too uncomfortable when I move in my sleep. Therefore he created a pair of pants and a shirt."
B'Elanna nodded while she handed the blue silk-like material back to Seven. "Well, now that you replicated them, you might as well use them. Why don't you change into them while I take my shower? You're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"I am?" Seven asked bewildered.
"You are," B'Elanna stated firmly. "That couch is really comfy; I spent many a night on it. Don't you think that you would have a little more privacy here than in the Cargo bay?"
"I would," Seven agreed, "but I do not want to intrude on your privacy."
"You aren't intruding. I'm inviting you. I wouldn't do that if I had a problem with you being here. So either you say 'thank you,' or you come up with some BS like you 'needing' to regenerate now."
"Thank you."
B'Elanna felt like she had made the right choice when she saw the smile the blonde was giving her. "Don't you go thanking me too fast, Princess; I'm not doing this for free. You can sleep on the couch, but in return you're the one making breakfast tomorrow morning."
"I do not know how to make breakfast."
"No? Well, then I suggest that the first thing you do after changing into your hi-tech jammies, is to dive into the computer and research how to make the universe's best banana pancakes. My comp unit is over there, feel free to use it. I'll be gone for at least fifteen minutes. I'am in the mood for a long, hot shower."
"Very well. Enjoy your shower."
"Thanks, I will."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
B'Elanna slipped out of her clothing and put it on the small bathroom closet. She had worn the clothes for two hours, and it wasn't as if she had been dirty when putting them on, so she didn't see any use in wasting replicator rations for replicating a new set of clothing again. After all, only the uniforms could be replicated for free. She looked up into the mirror, taking a moment to look at herself. She grinned at the whole situation. Who would have thought just a few weeks ago that she would invite the Ice Princess into her quarters, even invite her to sleep on the couch?
She was glad for the time that she had spent with Seven. She had gotten to know the woman better than she could have in years of dancing around each other on normal shifts. She had found out that Seven had a dry sense of humor that appealed to her very much. One just needed to take the time to actually talk to the woman. Who would have thought? She actually liked the Borg; she actually wanted to spend more time with her.
But she knew that the next night Seven would probably go back to regenerating every night. Which was a good thing, right? Surely B'Elanna didn't want to have her around too much. One night was alright, but longer than that and the blonde would really begin to intrude on her privacy. Right? Right. So why then didn't she want Seven to leave?
B'Elanna sighed and turned to the shower. No, she knew that she would end up asking Seven if she wanted to stay more often. Shrugging her shoulders mentally, she turned the shower on and quickly slipped out of her underwear. She stepped under the water and made quick work of scrubbing herself down with her favorite kind of soap; surrounding herself with the sweet scent of the Bajoran nectar flower.
For a moment she just stood under the water to rinse the soap off, but soon her hands started to move slowly over her body. She cupped her breasts and squeezed them softly before tugging playfully on her nipples. She sighed happily, she needed this badly.
She moved one of her hands lower, playing for a moment with the neatly trimmed triangle of dark curls before she moved her hand a little lower still until she brushed over her hypersensitive clit.
"Oh, yeah. I really need this. Going two weeks without is too damn long."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"... Two weeks without is too damn long."
Seven's head shot up when she heard those words. She wasn't trying to listen, but she did have Borg enhanced hearing and there was nothing she could do against that.
Seven didn't know what she should do. There was no doubt about what B'Elanna was doing under that shower, and she knew that she really should give the woman her privacy. But Seven couldn't shut down her hearing, and she knew that now that she had agreed to stay, B'Elanna would be hurt if she suddenly left. So Seven did the only thing she could do; she covered her ears with her hands and started humming. It helped... a little, but she could still clearly hear the sweet noises that were coming from the bathroom.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
When B'Elanna stepped back into her living room she was feeling a lot better. She faltered in her steps when she saw Seven sitting on the couch. The blonde was still in her biosuit and she was looking straight in front of her while her face had a very nice pink shade to it.
"Hey Seven, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Seven said, her voice higher than normal. B'Elanna had heard that tone before; when she asked Seven in the cell if she masturbated. B'Elanna looked to the bathroom and then back to Seven, putting two and two together. "Oh shit! You heard me!"
"B'Elanna I..." Seven stopped, not really knowing what she should say, what she could say.
"Get out!" B'Elanna shouted, her human modesty asserting itself.
Seven reacted immediately. She bolted for the door and was through it within a second.
B'Elanna only needed a second to realize how stupidly she had reacted. "Shit!" She ran to the door and saw that Seven was already at the end of the corridor waiting for the turbolift.
"Seven, get back here!" B'Elanna shouted, but Seven didn't react. B'Elanna sighed before speaking on a volume level that she would have used if Seven had been standing in front of her. "Seven, please come back here."
Seven turned around and looked at B'Elanna while behind her the doors of the turbolift opened.
"Come on; let's talk before we confuse matters to the point where it sure isn't funny." B'Elanna knew that a normal human could never hear her words since they were spoken on a normal level while Seven was standing a full corridor length away, yet she saw the blonde slowly coming closer.
B'Elanna walked back into her quarters and sat down on the couch. A moment later she saw Seven hesitantly poking her head around the corner. "Come in Seven."
B'Elanna waited until the door had closed behind the blonde before giving her a small smile. "Please sit down."
Seven did so, sitting down on the second, much shorter, couch.
"Sorry for telling you to get out. I didn't really mean that, that was just a knee-jerk reaction. I should have remembered the fact that you can hear Neelix's soup boiling from here."
"My hearing is not that advanced," Seven disagreed, still not looking at the Klingon. "In fact, normally I cannot hear what people say... or do... in other rooms when the door is closed. I... I do not know why now was different."
"Probably because this is a set of quarters designed for one person. Why would you have to insulate the walls in the quarters when there is only one person in them? Can you hear my neighbors?"
"No, I cannot."
"Seven, look at me."
"I am sorry."
"Don't be, you are who you are, I should have remembered that you could hear me."
"Maybe it is better if I do not stay here. It is clear that you need your privacy."
B'Elanna sighed again and leaned back. "Look, as I told you in that cell, I am a half Klingon with the sex drive of a full Klingon. If I'm not prevented by sitting in a cell, I do enjoy some quality time on almost a daily basis. So, I'll make you a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yes, a deal. Seven, as surprising as it may sound coming from me, I actually like you. I'm going to offer you this couch to sleep on, on a regular basis; namely every two out of three days, since you need to regenerate once every three days."
"I... Thank you."
"No problem. But I reserve the right to end this whenever I want. When it turns out that we shouldn't spend that much time together I want to be able to end that without having my honor prevent me from telling you to get out."
"Of course. That is your deal?"
"No, that is just an explanation for the deal I'm going to make you now. By the way, one condition to this is that whenever you sleep here, you're the one that makes breakfast. So I suggest that you research more than just how to make banana pancakes. Now, the deal is this. I will try to stem my... explorations of my body to the days that you are regenerating anyway."
"I can not ask you to give up so much of your privacy for me."
"You are not asking, I'm offering. There is a difference there, Seven. But that still isn't the deal. There are bound to be times where I don't want to wait a day. On those occasions I'll do what I want while I enjoy my shower. The deal part is that next time this happens, and I'm certain that there will be a next time, next time I just pretend that I don't know that you can actually hear me, and you just ignore that you did hear me. Sound like a deal to you?"
"Yes. I do not want to leave. The deal seems acceptable."
B'Elanna stood up and walked to the replicator. "I need a drink, you want another ice water? Or something else?"
"I think I will try the soda that you are so fond of drinking."
B'Elanna replicated the two drinks and offered one to Seven. While Seven was reaching for the drink a thought hit B'Elanna, and this time it was clear to her that this thought was fully driven by her Klingon side.
She had come to really like the blonde, and she was hoping that Seven was open to a little playing. The kind of playing one didn't do with many people.
B'Elanna sat back down across from the blonde and after a moment of silence finally asked, "Seven may I ask you a personal question?"
"You have asked me several personal questions while we were in the brig, why do you start asking now if you may ask me such a question?"
"Because this question will be more personal than any of the ones I asked before."
"I... See. You may ask."
"What is your sexual preference, male or female?"
"You mean with what gender would I prefer to have sexual intercourse?"
"Yes. I mean, I know you dated Harry for a while, but do you solely prefer men?"
"I see. Dating Harry did show me that I could have a fulfilling sexual relationship with a man. But if I had to choose between a man and a woman, I would choose a woman. I felt something... missing while dating Harry."
"Is the fact that you prefer women why you were blushing so hard before? I mean, the fact that you heard me must have affected you in some way. If it hadn't you would have just sat here and not mentioned it, or would have actually teased me about not being quiet enough."
"I,"
"You know what I think," B'Elanna interrupted, "I think that you were blushing so hard because you were getting aroused by listening to me."
"I,"
"You don't have to tell me if you were," B'Elanna interrupted once more, giving the blonde a mischievous grin. "But let me tell you, I personally find hearing the soft moans of a woman while she is enjoying her body one of the most erotic things there is to hear."
"You would know this... how?" Seven finally asked.
"At the Academy I shared rooms with another woman. I must admit that I lay listening on more than one occasion while she thought that I was asleep. Or better said, I thought that this was the case. On the last day I saw her, she told me that she had always known that I was awake and listening."
"Why?"
"Because she got a thrill out of it. But she never wanted more from me because she was in a relationship with someone else."
"Why are you telling me this?" Seven finally asked.
"Because, I don't want to come in here and see you blushing whenever I... you know. Enjoy the sound show. Just as long as you keep to the deal and pretend you didn't hear a thing."
Seven nodded her head slightly. She looked at B'Elanna and saw that little grin. She knew that B'Elanna was challenging her, seeing how she would react. Seven decided that she liked the feeling that she got from meeting B'Elanna's challenge, and she wanted it to continue.
"Yes, hearing you was very... stimulating for me," She finally admitted. "Next time, I will enjoy the 'sound show.' But, it does seem a little unfair that I can enjoy this, while you get nothing in return."
B'Elanna got up and moved to stand beside Seven. She patted her softly on the shoulder before asking, "Seven, do you really think that while I... you know, that I can really fully forget that you can hear everything I'm doing?"
"I cannot hear everything, I could not hear your breathing while you were breathing normally, for instance," Seven disagreed. She wanted B'Elanna to know that while Seven's hearing was superior to others, she could still not hear every sound that was made.
Then the meaning of B'Elanna's words fully sank in. "Are you saying that you would get a 'thrill' out of knowing that I can hear you?"
"I 'am' part Klingon, Seven. And just so that I know, just what can you hear?"
"As I said, I cannot hear your breathing, until it rises to a certain level. When you breathe normally, I do not hear it. You have to remember that the sound of the water in the shower actually drowns out every sound that is quieter than the sound of the water itself. It is just that the aqua showers on starships do not use as much water as the ones on planets do and therefore do not make the same amount of noise. I think that I would not have heard you at all had you used a non-starship shower," Seven said. She was quiet for a moment before adding, "But I could hear you saying that two weeks without was too long."
"I didn't say that that loud."
"I know, and it is a good guideline for you. I do not think that I can hear anything that is quieter than that."
"So I must make sure that I moan loud enough, you mean?"
Seven's eyes got wide at the question and B'Elanna started to laugh.
"A joke Seven. Come on, if we don't get comfortable with this, it will never work."
"Ah, I see," Seven said, smiling up at the Klingon. "In that case, may I ask that you do not forget to moan deeply? That moan sounded very... nice."
B'Elanna laughed, blushing slightly even though she was willing herself not to. "I'll try. You know, I think I'll enjoy having you around."
B'Elanna patted Seven's shoulder once more before squeezing it softly. "Are we okay here?" She asked gently. "I mean, Seven, I got to admit that I'm playing games with you that I didn't even play with Tom. He never got to hear me, except for when we were having sex, yet here I am encouraging you to actually listen in. There is just something about you that makes me want to do things I would never do... Which reminds me, this stays totally between us. You won't tell anyone about this, not even to someone like the Doctor or the Captain as some kind of example when explaining something to them."
Seven put her own hand on B'Elanna's and nodded her head softly. "Yes, we are 'okay.' Maybe the fact that I am a woman does calculate into the fact that you want to do things you normally do not do?"
"What do you mean?"
"In general, women are more open to teasing without expecting the teasing to lead to something more. However, men do expect more. For instance, if Lieutenant Paris had heard you, it is more than likely that he would have joined you in the shower for sexual intercourse."
"Seven, if it was simply a gender issue, I would have... well, let's just say that you aren't the only woman on this ship."
"True, but that would mean that you would have had to actively search that person out and approach her to see if she was willing to 'go along.' With me that is not the case. That I heard you was an accident, and this entire agreement is the result of us trying to deal with the situation."
"And just maybe, you are analyzing things too much. Just maybe we are simply both women that happen to like a little excitement. I for one am glad that I can have this kind of fun with my friend."
"B'Elanna, may I ask you something without you becoming... volatile?"
B'Elanna laughed at the question before moving back to sit on the couch. "I can't promise you that I won't explode, that depends on the question. But I can promise that I won't tell you to get out again."
"Very well. I am curious. In the brig you told me that you do not want to return to being in a relationship with Lieutenant Paris because you do not want to have sex with a friend, you want more from a sexual partner. Yet here we are talking about an agreement that could be seen by many as a sexual game. Where is the difference?"
"Do you want the BS explanation, or the simple fact explanation?"
"You have a fondness for asking me what answer, or what truth, I want to hear," Seven pointed out, having heard similar questions several times in the last two weeks.
"So?"
"So, you should know that my answer will always be; both."
B'Elanna grinned. "Maybe it is simply the fact that a question can have more than one answer, and that I have discovered that you can actually appreciate more than one answer. Anyway, to answer your question, the BS answer is that this isn't a sexual game; this is simply us becoming comfortable with a situation which we have to deal with, or move you back to the cargo bay to regenerate every day. I'm sorry that I'm making decisions for you Seven, but you should not have to spend your time in the cargo bay as if you were a tool, only to be taken out when needed."
"You are not making decisions for me," Seven disagreed. "You are the first person to offer me an alternative, and I am more than happy to take that alternative. You did not give me the 'simple fact' answer yet."
"The simple fact is that I can talk until I'm blue about what I want, what I feel decides just as much. The simple fact? The simple fact is that I feel alright doing this, and so I do it. I know, no clear cut explanation, in fact it is an explanation that goes against what I told you before, but it's still a fact Seven."
"I... See." Seven put her now empty glass down. "I have come to understand that feelings are not always simple to explain. I think I understand what you mean, despite the fact that the explanation is lacking in clarity."
"Glad to hear it. Hey Seven, there is one thing I forgot to mention."
"What?"
"While my hearing is better than that of the average human, it is not anywhere as good as yours. If you are taking a shower, I sincerely doubt that I would hear whatever it is you are doing unless you start shouting. There is no need for you to, um, you know, do a rush job like in the cargo bay. You can shower as long as you like, and I certainly won't be asking you what took you so long."
"Are you saying that you would not be interested in hearing me?" Seven asked, giving the Klingon a small smile, showing her that ex-Borg drones could be just as bold and teasing as half Klingons.
"Um, no, I, um, didn't say that. All I said was that I won't be able to hear you."
"Maybe if I left the door open?" Seven asked while lifting an eyebrow.
B'Elanna's eyes got noticeably larger and her heartbeat doubled in an instance. "I, I,"
"I was teasing, B'Elanna. I would not be comfortable enough to enjoy knowing that you can hear me."
B'Elanna drained the last of her drink in one big gulp. The Borg was getting way too good at this game. B'Elanna found out how good when in the middle of her big gulp, the blonde added a word to her statement.
"Yet."
The mouthful of soda went flying over the coffee table. Just the idea that at some point the blonde would actually leave the door open sent B'Elanna's mind reeling. "You, my dear, are getting way too good at this."
"What can I say," Seven said while smiling at B'Elanna, "I am learning from the best."
B'Elanna laughed at that. "Alright, now why don't you finally change into those hi-tech jammies of yours while I go into the bedroom for a few minutes?"
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Will you give it a rest?" Harry asked when he saw how Tom kept looking over at the table where B'Elanna and Seven were sitting.
"What? I'm just wondering what's going on there. I mean, look at them. Joking around, laughing. I didn't even know that Seven could laugh."
"It's rare for her to actually laugh in public like she did just now, but you would be amazed to learn how often Seven laughs and smiles. It's just normally a lot more subtle than what we are used to," Harry explained.
Tom focused on Harry once more. "That's right, you should know, considering that you dated her. I still wonder how you were able to get Seven to go out with you in the first place."
"Simple, I asked her. Of course, it might have helped that I was the first to ask her out without hoping that it was a prelude to getting her in bed. I know that you have a hard time believing this, Tom, but I really simply wanted to get to know her better. It was exactly because of this, that I wanted nothing more than just getting to know her, that we started to interact more."
"That, and the fact that you didn't mind being an experiment," Tom noted.
Harry shrugged before reasoning, "Does it make any difference? She told me honestly that she was interested in experiencing a relationship and that she might end it once she had enough data. At least she was honest. I'll take that any time over some woman pretending to like me, taking me to bed, and then kicking me out with an 'it was fun' as soon as we're done. I for one got a good relationship out of it for as long as it lasted, and an even closer friend in the end."
"So how is she, in bed I mean?" Tom asked. "She's always so cold and distanced. Is she the same in bed? Just lying there, not making any noise, just another task to perform?"
Harry sighed. "Tom, I know that you will keep bugging me forever if I don't at least answer some of your curiosity. Know this though, this is the first and last time I'll tell you any of this. I value Seven's friendship, and my privacy. Let me assure you, she is far from cold in bed. She is a wonderful, caring, and believe it or not, sensitive, person that makes you feel special just by looking at you. Or to say it in words you understand; she rocked my world, in and out of the bed."
Tom was smarter than many people gave him credit for, and he knew that he had pushed his friend as far as he would allow. So he changed the subject slightly. Looking back at the table where B'Elanna and Seven were sitting he said thoughtfully, "In a perfect world things could be so easy. You could get back together with Seven and I could get back together with B'Elanna. All of us could be happy."
Harry laughed. "Tom, you could still have B'Elanna's friendship if you stop trying to get into her pants so hard. I still have Seven's friendship, which is far more important to me than the sex ever was. We don't live in a perfect world, so why don't you just concentrate more on getting back to being that good friend to B'Elanna that you once were. Face it, you can't have it both. So what's more important? You can always use the holodeck to screw around, but can you also make friends there? Real friends I mean?"
Tom looked at him in surprise for a moment before grinning. "Harry, don't start talking crude words now, it's not in your character."
Then he shrugged. "Maybe you are right. God knows I love having B'Elanna as my friend; she is fun to be around. I just don't get why we can't be more than that. She's single, so am I, so why not have some extra fun to go along with that friendship?"
"Because sometimes that extra fun can complicate the rest of the friendship." Harry thought about it for a moment before admitting, "I loved having sex with Seven. I admit, I sure wouldn't mind experiencing more of that. But I have to tell you, I think that our friendship benefited from us stopping our relationship. Now when Seven asks me if I want to do something with her I know that we will have some fun and don't have to worry about other things that come in by being in a relationship. There is something to be said for having a friendship where you know for sure that you really like the person, you will love your time together, and don't have to worry with silly things like what the both of you should do with the rest of your time once you are home."
Tom knew that Harry was right, but he simply couldn't see why those friends couldn't also share a bed as some of that fun activity from time to time. If one or both of them were in a relationship, alright. But single people... why not? Then, knowing that Harry would change the subject instead of answering, which was what Tom wanted to do anyway, he asked, "So is she also that hot nude, or is it just that biosuit strapping her in in all the right places?"
"Seven is damn hot, and seeing her nude never stopped affecting me," Harry answered.
Tom was surprised with the open answer, that is until he noticed that Harry was not looking at him. Looking at the table where Seven and B'Elanna were sitting, he noticed that Seven was looking at them and had just favored Harry with a small smile.
Tom frowned. "What? Did she become a telepath over night or what?"
Harry laughed. "Tom, her favorite saying is, 'I am Borg.' You don't need to be a telepath if you have enhanced hearing. I'm certain she heard every word we said here."
Tom looked at the blonde again. "Really?" Then he groaned when he saw Seven mouth the words, 'I am Borg.'
"Wonderful. So, are you done? Let's get out of here... to a place where she can't hear us."
Harry merely laughed while he continued to eat his food.
Continued...