Laugh With Me pt7 END

STAR TREK VOYAGER-fanfic. The end part, a little shorter than the others, but still. Research is good, but not quite the same as practical application.
(Seven/B'Elanna)

Read Laugh With Me pt7 END

For disclaimers see pt1.




Laugh With Me pt7 END
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by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson





By rights B’Elanna thought it should have been awkward once she and Seven had reached her quarters. Instead they stumbled in all smiles and slightly giggly, the atmosphere between them relaxed and at ease.

B’Elanna looked away as she put the shoes down, and when she turned back Seven had closed the small distance between them. When she found herself wrapped up in long arms she was only to happy to return that embrace, and smiled up at the one that had laid a more solid claim to her heart than B’Elanna had ever thought possible. It was with joy rather than embarrassment that she acknowledged to herself that for someone who had resisted her feelings for Seven so persistently and for so long, she had ended up surrendering not only alarmingly fast but oh so very willingly.

Warm blue eyes sparkled at her and B’Elanna was quite willing to stay like that, simply holding Seven close, for the rest of the night.

“I did research.” Seven admitted quietly, her eyes caressing B’Elanna’s face. “Extensively, on all manner of dating and mating protocols. I...” Long lashes fluttered in a touch of shyness at the admission. “examined the instructions and descriptions of the act itself repeatedly.”

“And yet I find that knowing the theory...” She trailed off somewhat helplessly, but B’Elanna understood.

“It is not the same thing as putting things into practice, is it?” She asked gently, touching Seven’s face. The blonde closed her eyes in silent acknowledgement and leaned into the touch. “Don’t worry about it, Seven. I won’t ever ask you to do anything you don’t feel ready for.”

“I assure you, my readiness or willingness is not the issue.” Seven smiled wryly. “My lack of experience in how to initiate and perform is.”

B’Elanna couldn’t help but grin at that. “I think that maybe we should ignore the research and instructions for now, and go with what you feel, what you want.” B’Elanna’s voice turned huskier and slightly breathless as she looked deep into Seven’s eyes, her fingers painting tiny patterns on the back of Seven’s neck. “What do you want, Seven?”

The reply was very soft, barely more than a breath. “I want to kiss you.”

With a hitch in her breath B’Elanna leaned in to meet Seven’s lips with her own, gently urging Seven towards her with the hands that found themselves already wrapped around the taller woman’s neck. It was soft and sweet and emotional, and made B’Elanna whimper softly from how perfect it all was.

A moment later her eyes threatened to roll into the back of her head as Seven, whether by conscious application of extensive research or by unbelievable natural talent, proceeded to kiss B’Elanna out of her mind. Every hungry, needy, possessive and passionate instinct in B’Elanna awoke to howl at the heavens, and yet it was not enough. Klingon strength and passion was not enough, as Seven kissed B’Elanna until her knees buckled and gave in.

Seven swooped her up, and without faltering or easing up on their kissing in the slightest, carried B’Elanna to bed.

When her back hit the bed B’Elanna’s mind cleared just enough that she, in between desperate gulps for breath, realized that they were moving fast, perhaps too fast for Seven. With gigantic effort she got herself to where she was able to speak, albeit somewhat weakly.

“Seven, don’t you think we, we need to, to slow down?” She tried desperately to remember the reason why. She did have a reason, didn’t she? “I don’t want you to do something you might, um... regret.”

The last word came out a whisper, her protests already forgotten as Seven, with eyes gone dark with desire, reached back and swiftly removed her dress. Once again B’Elanna found herself whimpering slightly, this time at the sight of Seven in delicate blue underwear.

“I will have no regrets, nor do I have doubts.” The timbre of Seven’s voice had reached a depth B’Elanna had never heard from her before, and it made her shiver. “Do you?”

Whatever answer B’Elanna might have mustered was instantly forgotten as Seven got onto the bed on hands and knees and crawled up B’Elanna’s body, the intense and dark blue eyes boring unwaveringly into B’Elanna’s own. With a groan need and instinct won out, and B’Elanna reached out to pull Seven that last bit closer until their lips could meet.

The kiss was brief and then Seven pulled back again, although only as far as needed to look into B’Elanna’s eyes.

“I love you.”

B’Elanna’s immediate and heartfelt reply was swallowed up by the return of Seven’s lips. The burgundy dress soon joined the one already on the floor, and before too long B’Elanna found herself howling to the heavens in more ways than one.

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Several days later the new relationship was the hottest gossip of the rumour mill onboard, but even though she heard the whispers and the mumbled speculations, nothing was going to spoil B’Elanna’s deliriously happy mood. The only cloud on her Seven-blue skies were the time that Seven still needed to regenerate and therefore forcing her to actually leave B’Elanna’s quarters.

But B’Elanna was not one to give up that easily, especially if it meant more mornings waking up to Seven’s languorous and toe-curling kisses, or even more languid lovemaking. She hadn’t figured out how to make a small, portable regeneration unit yet, although she felt confident that between them, she and Seven would eventually make that happen as well. Instead, during bouts of insomnia caused by a general lack of Seven and a few free hours here and there, B’Elanna had worked out a rough plan to take apart one of the spare alcoves and reassemble the pieces into the base of a bed. She’d need Seven’s help to make it work, and her consent of course, but she had a good feeling about it.

Then she just had to convince Seven, in the most logical way possible, that they could store the bed in B’Elanna’s quarters until Seven got her own. Yeah, store, that could work.

What she needed first of all though was the permission from either Captain Janeway or Chakotay, before she intended to even begin to pitch the idea to Seven. She figured it was mostly a formality and didn’t foresee any objections to her plans, somewhat sketchy though they might still be, so when the computer informed her that Captain Janeway was unavailable, B’Elanna set off towards the bridge to talk to Chakotay instead.

She caught him as he headed for the turbolift, and once B’Elanna told him she needed to talk to him privately she was ushered into the briefing room. It amused B’Elanna just a tiny bit that even with the Captain not on the bridge, Chakotay would not dare to use her ready room without permission. Not while Captain Janeway was onboard the ship and still in full use of her faculties, anyway.

The permission was quickly and surprisingly eagerly granted once B’Elanna had explained her request, but as her old friend took the opportunity to chat a bit about life in general and the recent changes in B’Elanna’s life in particular, they ended up lingering for a while. After playfully teasing B’Elanna about her good mood and the rumours flying around, Chakotay finally asked a less facetious question about how things were going with Seven.

B’Elanna smacked his arm and leaned against the wall next to the door, quite unable to keep the happy grin from overtaking her features. “She’s the one, Chakotay.” She sighed a little and turned earnest eyes on her friend, whom felt himself genuinely moved by the emotions easily read in them. “I know I’ve sort of said this before, but... by Kahless, if the day comes that she’ll have me, I’ll marry that woman.”

Beside them the doors opened with their usual swoosh, and as B’Elanna and Chakotay both blinked in surprise Seven of Nine, with a smouldering look and something dangerously close to a smirk, marched in and grabbed B’Elanna by the front of her jacket. She pulled B’Elanna up onto her toes and then proceeded to give her a very heated and thorough kiss, the kind that turned B’Elanna’s knees to water and had the stunned Chakotay staring with eyes the size of saucers.

Janeway cleared her throat awkwardly, drawing attention to the fact that she had also entered the room and was now scratching her cheek and casting her eyes about in embarrassment.

“I apologize for my break of decorum, Captain, Commander,” Seven said smoothly as she stepped away from a swooning B’Elanna, not the slightest hint of embarrassment in her voice. “but as this is the third time B’Elanna has indirectly proposed, I felt a certain... amount of encouragement was required.”

Chakotay murmured his agreement and Janeway coughed to hide her sudden snort of laughter, both of them nodding dutifully in case Seven would actually look at them. She did not.

“However, B’Elanna, I believe we agreed that the next time you felt compelled to propose, you would do so in my presence rather than Commander Chakotay’s?” The playful little smirk on Seven’s lips had B’Elanna grin goofily. Seven’s voice dropped a little, entering the realm of flirtatious. “Also, I do believe I have already told you there is no further need for you to ‘practice’ proposing. Nor is there any question in what my reply will be.”

Looking at the two so obviously smitten women before her, knowing that clearing her throat again would not help and that she really did not feel up to watching them make out, Janeway addressed Chakotay with a voice that was just jarringly loud. “Right! Chakotay!” The big man jumped a little at the loudness. “What did you have for me? You know, that... thing... the thing which you wanted to... discuss with me?” A beat. “Now?”

“Right!” Chakotay blinked and caught on. “That thing! Which I wanted to talk to you about.” He cast about wildly for some inspiration. “OH! B’Elanna’s proposal, no, I mean, B’Elanna’s request regarding a Borg alcove. We need to talk about that.”

“Chakotay!” B’Elanna groaned. “That was supposed to be a surprise!” Growling she kicked him the shins.

“Alcove? Surprise?” Seven asked, looking curiously at B’Elanna.

“Well!” Janeway declared a bit more happily than she should. “Why don’t you girls go talk about that some more, while Chakotay and I discuss ship’s business?” She had her hands on Seven’s back and gently ushered her and B’Elanna out the door. “It is all very dry commanding officer stuff, no need for you two to hear that. Remember to talk to me later!”

With that she pushed them out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Chakotay to groan and grab his injured leg and Janeway herself to sag against a wall while fighting a fit of giggles.

Outside, on the way towards the turbolift and completely oblivious to their surroundings, B’Elanna stammered through an explanation for her plans regarding the alcove bed. As the turbolift doors closed behind them Seven was heard requesting a copy of B’Elanna’s preliminary ideas so that she might see if she could add to them. Between the two of them a working draft was completed by that night.

It would take a few more days, and then the new Borg bed was constructed, replacing the old bed in B’Elanna’s quarters. That would mark the day that Seven moved in with B’Elanna, although it would take several months until that was made in any way official. The next time there was festivities onboard that were decreed mandatory, the happy couple would be seen dancing the night away, lost in each other’s eyes.

In time B’Elanna would even get herself together and stammer through a fourth heartfelt proposal, this one final time in front of Seven instead of Chakotay. And Seven’s answer was, as she had promised, never in any doubt.