DISCLAIMER: I'm just having fun with the Star trek characters but the story is my own and can't be copied except for personal use. It may not be posted at another site without my permission. Edited SDerkins. ©2006.
WARNING: This is also a romance between two women and written for adults. Please feel free to read something else if this would offend you. Not much vulgarity except here and there. So don't say I didn't warn you.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Starfleet Academy Mystery
By Golden_ruhl
Part Four
Seven of Nine was pleased to finally be at the Academy and away from the Daystrom Institute. Harry Kim had been displeased at the news when she informed him that she was accepting a lecturing post
"Seven, we'll hardly see each other," he had complained.
She didn't voice that that point had been the largest appeal to the assignment. She liked Harry but his insistence had become quite annoying and she didn't want to date him.
She smiled at the closed door as she arrived, pleasantly surprised at the anticipation she felt at spending time with B'Elanna Torres. She knocked firmly on the door and waited until her former crewmate opened the door and invited her in.
"Hello Seven. It's good to see you again. Sit down," she indicated towards the bed since furniture in the Academy was almost non-existent. The room held two beds and a closet next to each of them. A small desk was shoved against the wall but the chair was missing for some reason.
"I don't have anything of value to report yet," she told Seven. "I did join the baseball team so perhaps I'll learn something there." B'Elanna couldn't stop staring at Seven who was wearing her favorite color of blue shirt and an archaic style of black jeans without pockets.
"I, too, will, as the Admiral has said, 'keep my ears and eyes open.' During my time here." Seven took on a look of puzzlement. "What is 'baseball'?" she asked.
"A game, once very popular in the twentieth century. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get to know upper classmen. Freshman cadets usually only associate with other freshmen."
"Very logical," Seven commented, admiring B'Elanna's approach to the investigation. She joined the Captain on the bed and spread several PADDs around to make it appear that they were indeed studying. She looked over at the half-Klingon woman and felt herself noticing how soft and warm B'Elanna's eyes were, like melted chocolate. She felt her breathing alter as the room became unexpectantly warmer.
B'Elanna felt it too as she looked into the sea of those incredibly blue eyes that looked at her with such vulnerability. Caught in the same trap, they were unaware of the passage of time and only became aware of their surroundings when the doorknob turned and K'Trina strolled into the dorm room. The Klingon didn't notice the embarrassed expressions on their faces as she tossed her study PADDs onto the desk.
"Hello," she said to Seven, wondering who she was. B'Elanna cleared her throat.
"Um, K'Trina, this is my tutor, Seven of Nine. Seven, this is my roommate, K'Trina."
The women nodded to one another. The Klingon cadet turned to her roomie. "It's dinnertime. Would the two of you care to join me in the mess hall?" she asked politely.
"Sorry, no. We have a lot of studying to do yet, but thanks for asking," B'Elanna answered.
"Okay, will scan you later," K'Trina told her and headed out the door. Once the tall cadet left the women turned to look at one another, wondering what the other was thinking. Their eyes met once more and the engineer found her lips mere inches away from Seven's full mouth and her hearts did double-time. The pull of those lips drew her closer and she felt the warmth and fragrance of the ex-Borg's breath. Their lips met softly as they kissed for the first time. Seven moaned and B'Elanna pulled the tall woman closer, unable to stop herself from deepening the contact. The tentative kiss quickly threatened to burn out of control until Seven broke the kiss. They looked at each other as their chests heaved with labored breathing until a look of panic crossed Seven's face. She quickly gathered the PADDs and left the room, commenting that she'd meet with her on the next scheduled session. B'Elanna could only blink and wonder what had happened.
K'Trina, meanwhile, was sitting alone at a table in the mess hall eating a plate of gagh and a glass of prune juice. Conversations flowed around her but she heard little of it until someone said in a whisper that begged to be heard.
"I heard rumors that women were being driven out of the Academy. Usually the smaller, weaker women are pushed out."
"Starfleet doesn't promote that kind of thing," another whispered back, disbelieving the first speaker.
"I heard the whispers too," another spoke up. "I don't know what's true or not but I hope someone is looking into it at least. I don't want to suddenly find myself on someone's shit list just because I'm petite." The women stood and ended the conversation.
The Klingon wondered if what they spoke of was true, thinking of her roomie. B'Elanna wasn't real small but neither was she physically aggressive. Was it possible someone might try and force her to resign? A frown appeared on K'Trina's face. On her honor, she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Admiral Kathryn Janeway walked through the halls of the Academy as she approached her office. She received several surprised glances in passing but no one stopped to question the healing scar on her cheek. No one knew about her personal life but many knew about Klingon customs and knew what the scar meant. Not that anyone was brave enough to walk up to her and ask about it.
Janeway kept her head held high and eyes forward, thinking about how going to Phoebe's art show had brought such upheaval into her life.
She had been chatting with Phoebe at the gallery when a startlingly beautiful Klingon woman had walked up to them. Janeway had looked closer and realized this woman was a hybrid and not pure Klingon. She was nearly 5'-11" with flowing black hair with amber colored eyes. Her face wasn't as chiseled as most Klingon women but it was still wonderfully strong along the jaw line. Her ridges were only a slightly stronger version of B'Elanna's, swooping down her brow elegantly.
Kathryn tried not to stare but her eyes wouldn't leave the woman's features. Her sister made introductions, grinning as she spotted the slack-jawed expression on her older sister's face.
"L'Hur, it's so nice that you could make my show. This is my sister, Kathryn Janeway. Kathryn, this is L'Hur, an artist with the Cultural Exchange Program."
The admiral nodded and gave her a weak smile; her normal skills at small talk absent. Phoebe had informed them that she needed to mingle and wandered off, leaving them alone. They stood silently for a bit until L'Hur spoke.
"You stare at me. Is my appearance so frightful?" she asked. Janeway didn't hear the sparkle of humor behind the words.
"No, not at all. Quite the contrary actually. You have a face that makes me wish I were an artist myself. Such wonderful lines," she said to herself softly although the Klingon heard them.
After that night they spent every available moment together, going out for meals and taking long walks. The Klingon woman was indeed of mixed heritage, half human to be exact. Her younger sister had once been involved with the security chief of the Enterprise many years ago until her death after the birth of her son. Her nephew also lived in San Francisco.
The Klingon had thought the relationship between herself and her sister odd. She, the serious one, had become an artist while her jokester sister had become a diplomat. Janeway had grinned at the childhood tales told to her from the tall Klingon.
They spoke of everything. Well, nearly everything. They never spoke of the attraction between them nor acted on it. They also avoided speaking of when L'Hur would leave Earth, which would be the next day. The idea had settled in Kathryn's chest like a hunk of lead, making her miserable.
They walked side by side slowly along the street, heading back to Kathryn's home. The tall artist looked down at her companion, who was quiet and lost in thought, her features forlorn. She didn't know what to think. They had a nice evening together and she thought Kathryn had enjoyed her company, yet now she was silent, her arms crossed across her chest as they strolled down the sidewalk. Lost, L'Hur remained silent as well until they reached the softly lit abode.
They entered the living room and the Admiral placed her evening bag onto the entryway table with a sad sigh.
L'Hur gritted her teeth, unsure of human behavior but she had to do something because that sadness was breaking her hearts.
"Kathryn? What is troubling you tonight?" her rich voice asked softly.
Kathryn Janeway was forcing a weak smile onto her lips. ""It's nothing, really."
The artist knew that wasn't true. She took a step closer to the smaller woman and looked into her eyes, telling her that her words were not believed. Kathryn sighed once more and shook her head, embarrassed at her feelings.
"Well, it's just that I…that I will miss you when you leave tomorrow. I think we've become good friends these last few weeks. I'm sorry that I couldn't hide that well tonight, L'Hur."
"You think that having someone care for me would make me feel bad?" The Klingon woman stepped closer yet and placed a finger under Kathryn's chin, lifting it gently. "I too have come to value our friendship," she dipped her face close to the smaller woman's, "and more."
Kathryn felt her heart stop beating for a long second before it began beating at a frantic pace. Was L'Hur going to kiss her? Torn between praying for her to do so and fear of where it would lead them kept her hesitant but the Klingon didn't pause.
Her full lips took possession softly, brushing hers ever so gently. Kathryn melted into the warm embrace as the taller woman wrapped her arms around her possessively.
L'Hur felt Kathryn's surrender and lifted her into her arms and carried her into the nearby bedroom. Tonight she would make this woman hers. She placed her reverently onto the center of the large pillow bed and joined her.
L'Hur gently held Kathryn's arms above her on the bed, and as she looked into Kathryn's eyes she knew that this woman held her hearts. "jIH do,k" L'Hur declared (my blood).
Kathryn knew the response and said it without stopping to think."maj dok"(our blood). Then together "Tlinghan jIH." (I am a Klingon). In the back of Kathryn's mind a little voice was screaming "You just got married?" Just as L'Hur's teeth gently bit into her cheek. The woman above her offered her cheek in return, sealing the vow between them as Kathryn bit her.
Neither noticed the mild pain as their lips met in a kiss that threatened to melt them into puddles. Clothing disappeared piece by piece and the lovers lost themselves into each other hearts.