"I want everyone, and I mean everyone, to take shore leave on this planet." Most of the senior staff looked happy but a few, three to be exact, did not. But, Kathryn Janeway encored those who would ruin the spirit of the shore leave; she would not allow them to ruin it for anyone else so when B'Elanna went to speak up she raised her hand silencing her.
Tuvok showed no emotion what so ever, but didn't argue to the illogic of taking shore leave with the rest of the crew. He knew that fighting Janeway when her mind was made up was futile.
B'Elanna shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she just knew that Tom would try to get her back now that he could see a 'romantic' possibility. There was no way she was taking him back this time, not after finding him and Chakotay making it on the couch in there quarters.
Seven looked around the room, her eyes hit on Tom Paris' gleaming face and she knew what he was planning, everyone knew what he had done. 'That man has no honor.' She thought before looking over at B'Elanna who looked as if she would scream.
"Dismissed." Captain Janeway announced.
Seven spoke, quickly cutting off Tom Paris who was moving closer to B'Elanna, "Lieutenant, may I have a word with you."
B'Elanna looked hesitant but then looked over her shoulder at Tom who was standing there looking smug, "Sure Seven."
"Would you care to spend your shore leave with me?"
B'Elanna looked surprised for a moment before her mind caught on. "I'd love to Seven."
Tom's face fell.
Seven nodded, locked her hands behind her back and as she was heading out of the room said. "Meet me in the transported room at 0800 hours tomorrow."
The next day 0750 in the transporter room, B'Elanna stood before Seven with a small backpack. "Thanks for getting me out of that Seven. So where are you going for your shore leave?"
Seven tipped her head to the side. "I do not know Lieutenant, where are we going?"
"Um, Seven, you know you don't have to spend leave with me right."
"I must Lieutenant, if I do not the Commander will wish to spend it with me and Captain Janeway will force me to except his offer just as she forced me to date him in the first place."
B'Elanna was shocked. "She did?"
Seven nodded, "She encouraged me to embrace my humanity by entering the dating scene and who better then the commander with whom to do so."
"Chakotay…" B'Elanna laughed. "Oh come on," shaking her head, "there's no way she meant it."
Seven raised a brow.
B'Elanna smiled. "I've known Chakotay for years, he's got the emotional grasp of a stump. If she meant it she picked him because she thought there was no way he could hurt you or be hurt by you. Besides he's gay."
"I have heard. What he and Mr. Paris did to you was unacceptable."
"Yeah well, let's get out of here."
The slopes of the remote mount glistened whiter then anything B'Elanna had ever seen. "Kahless it's cold."
Seven looked over to B'Elanna and her lip twitched up slightly. "I had heard that Klingons do not care for the cold. It strikes me as amusing that you would choose to ski and hike an icy mountain when that is true."
"Yeah well I'm highly illogical." B'Elanna shivered, "So shut up and give me the hot chocolate."
Seven blinked, it was still early and she could see that B'Elanna was already getting angry with her; this was not going to be good. "Very well lieutenant." She handed B'Elanna the large thermos of hot chocolate and moved on ahead.
It was starting to get dark and it had been snowing for a few hours now but B'Elanna was just starting to get the hang of skiing and she refused to stop, because even if Seven was a downer she was having fun.
"Lieutenant you are not doing that right."
"Shut up…" B'Elanna yelled as she slipped off the side of the mountain and fell more then 20 feet into a large bank of snow.
Seven tried to reach her in order to stop her from falling but was too late, so she carefully worked her way down the side of the mountain to the snow bank with the imprint of a person carved into it.
"Lieutenant Torres?"
"Mmnfde!" Was all Seven heard in answer.
Seven reached into the snow bank and pulled B'Elanna out.
B'Elanna was covered from head to toe in snow and shivering quite badly.
"Are you ready to return to the village?"
B'Elanna blew hard through her nose, "Fine."
They had left their com badges in their hotel rooms at B'Elanna's request. The snow was getting progressively stronger and the wind had picked up quite a bit.
"Lieutenant, I believe there is a blizzard on the way."
Shivering, B'Elanna yelled over the wind. "On the way, Seven, it's practically here."
A few hours later and far deeper into the heart of a full-blown blizzard, B'Elanna yelled to Seven. "No use trying to beat this storm it's already here and if this isn't full force I don't want to know what is. We're only about half way to the hotel and I can't feel my feet anymore. If we don't find some sort of shelter soon we'll freeze to death out here."
Seven nodded her head and looked around her, knowing that with her enhanced vision she would have to find shelter for the night. "Lieutenant there is a large pine tree ten yards to my left. I believe we could take shelter under its canopy."
"Sounds good to me," B'Elanna answered through cracked lips and chattering teeth.
The large pine tree had a very small canopy that was just big enough for them to fit under if they huddled together. For hours they sat under the tree side-by-side in absolute silence shivering before B'Elanna finally gave in to the cold and turned to Seven.
"I'm sorry."
"Lieutenant?"
B'Elanna stared in front of her and bit her cracked lip. "That I was such a jerk to you for so long."
"I forgive you Lieutenant."
"Don't you think if we're going to die together we should be on a first name basis?"
"As you wish, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna turned her face away from Seven to hide her smile.
An hour or so later in the pitch black of night, shivering and turning blue, B'Elanna turned to Seven and smiled weakly, "Did I mention just how much I hate the cold?"
Seven raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yes, several times."
There was a silent pause for several minutes during which only the frosty breathing of the two women could be heard.
They had both realized that they would not make it through the night in this cold.
B'Elanna, knowing this was her last chance to properly redeem her honor, swallowed hard and took a deep breath and almost chickened out, "Did I ever mention that I love you?"
Seven, weak with cold, blinked in surprise, wondering for a moment if she had heard right before smiling. "That I would recalled." She smiled softly, "I also love you."
Still breathing heavily B'Elanna smiled and turned to rest her head in the crook of Seven's neck, resting her face just under Seven's chin. "If we ever get out of here remind me to warm your heart everyday for the rest of my life, will you?"
Seven smiled and laughed so softly it almost wasn't heard through her wind cracked lips. "It would be illogical if I did not." Before laughing that beautiful but weak laugh again and resting her head gently on top of B'Elanna's and falling to sleep.
B'Elanna could hear Seven's soft snoring and smiled, "I'm glad you can sleep at a time like this." Before shifting her position further into Seven's body and falling to sleep herself.
Early the next afternoon…
Captain Janeway's voice was heard echoing through the mountains. "B'Elanna…"
"Seven…"
Followed shortly by a chorus of voices. "Lieutenant Torres…Seven Of Nine…"
Seven's blue eyes fluttered open to be blinded by light filtering in though the limbs of the pine tree. She opened her eyes again to look down at the woman curled around her and snoring softly before smiling and shaking her gently.
"Uuuunnngh." B'Elanna's face crinkled grumpily. "Oh come on just a few more hours."
Seven smiled openly before hiding the smile to shake B'Elanna again. "Lieutenant Torres, the search party is calling for us, we must find them before they leave us here."
"Whattt…" B'Elanna mumbled opening her eyes to look up at Seven who was hallowed in the light filtering through the tree. "Good morning Angel."
Seven lifted a brow and said, "Perhaps they can wait a little longer," as B'Elanna reached up and pulled her down into a kiss to warm the cold right out of their bones.
The End