© September 10, 2000
Disclaimer: Voyager belongs to Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
"I don't care HOW you do it, just GET that reindeer out of sight! The Captain is going to be here any moment," she pushed Ensign Vorik toward where the plastic reindeer sat with its red nose blinking cheerfully away. How had she convinced Vorik to help her again? Oh yes . . . logic . . . logic that she would keep Tom Paris away from him while he was on duty shift.
Vorik, with the ever-cool, ever-calm Vulcan lifestyle, picked up the reindeer and stepped onto the engineering lift, that took him to the second level above the core, right as Janeway stepped into Engineering.
"Captain," B'Elanna greeted and held back a sigh of relief. "Thank you-- for coming . ."
"My pleasure, Lieutenant," she gave one of those rare smiles that seemed to push the crew to work harder and faster at a minute's notice. "It's not every day a former science officer can return to her science," she said lightly. "Now, let me see those calculations."
B'Elanna handed over the PADD, wondering if it would work. She winced as Kathryn looked up for a second, slightly surprised but catching herself and returning to fixing the mathematical problem that Torres had deliberately miscalculated.
"Captain--" she started and felt herself wringing her hands tightly together, behind her back as though they were Tom's neck, "have you started your Christmas replicating yet?"
"No," Kathryn didn't pause once in her work, "don't believe I have. I haven't had time."
"Of course," B'Elanna stated. "I'm hoping," she spoke up quickly, "that Tom will think to get me something we could share. You--" she paused, ignoring the single thought of how idiotic she sounded to even herself, before continuing, "wouldn't happen to have any suggestions of what would make a good male/ female joint-gift?"
"Tom Paris?" she asked, missing the mark. Since when had those two become interested in one another? Kathryn stowed the knowledge away, admitting to herself she would deal with them only if a rather serious, further development . . . or complication . . . presented itself with the two crewmembers. "Well--" she was thoughtful, "I'm not sure!" she admitted, smiling.
"What would you want? I mean, if you had to pick a gift for, say, Chakotay and yourself . ." she winced, hoping she wasn't pushing things and giving it all away, "any ideas?"
"I don't know Chakotay well enough on a personal level to--" Kathryn started.
"Sure you do--" B'Elanna said quietly, but rather seriously, shocking even herself. "Captain-- I'm sorry-- I--"
Kathryn held up her hands, "It's alright. It's normal to regard your Commanding Officers as a set team." She handed over the PADD to B'Elanna's resistant hand, "Here you go, Lieutenant. I was rather surprised you had problems with that . . ."
"Must be the stress . . . I haven't slept much," B'Elanna lied. "Thank you," she added as the Captain left.