Blood Fever
by Kristina Shelley

Summary:  What might have happened if Vorik *hadn't* interfered--and the 
week afterwards, beginning from "Be quiet".  B'Elanna's point-of-view.

Author's note:  For those who have seen "Blood Fever" and know what it 
entails, this is rated NC-17.  If you're under 17, don't read this.  
You've been warned and I'm not responsible for anyone who does if 
they're not 17.

      "B'Elanna, I know this is a pretty weird situation," Tom Paris 
began, "and this probably isn't what either of us had in mind, but...."
      "Tom," I said softly.
      "What?"
      "Be quiet."
      Taking his hand, I led him into the dark seclusion of the forest.

      Once I figured we were far enough away from Chakotay and Tuvok, 
far enough away for us to be alone, I turned to Tom.  He looked at me, 
probably not knowing what to do.
      Before now, I had never really noticed him.  But he was handsome, 
in a sort of way.  He was tall, broad-shouldered, and strong.  His 
blondish-brown hair was, as always, unruly.  His eyes, that deep 
cerulean, seemed to penetrate my soul.
        I reached out with my hands to cup his face, but he caught my 
wrists, and held me still, so that I had to look into his eyes.  I did, 
and drowned in them.  Overwhelmed by both his soul-searching gaze and 
the building of the pon-farr surging through my blood, I closed my eyes.  
My head fell back and seconds later, I felt his kiss, the touch of his 
lips cool and soothing against my fevered skin.
      "Tom," I whispered.
      Gently, he lowered me to the ground, cradling me in his arms.  He 
paused only to strip away our clothes before pulling me close again.
      "B'Elanna," he breathed.  "You're so beautiful...."
      *Me, beautiful?  He can't possibly mean that.*
      Lightly, he caressed my shoulders, his touch drifting downward 
until reaching my breasts.  I let out a gasp of shock as he bent down 
and began to suckle.  I dug my nails into his shoulders, drawing blood.  
Still, he continued, switching sides occasionally, then his kiss 
continued on downward, across my stomach.  Then he parted my legs.  Now, 
he would finally come to me, release the longing that was even now 
building in intensity.
       His eyes locked with mine as he cupped my hips.
       *No, he wouldn't......*
       But he did.  Leaning down, he buried his face against me.  I 
cried out, my hands reaching to entangle in his hair, holding him there.  
Oh, the shock, the sweet rapture of it.  I could feel his tongue, 
seeking, searching, accompanied by soft, scattered kisses.  The intense 
pressure was building in the pit of my stomach, twisting, 
tightening......
      "Tom," I moaned.  "Tom, oh please......"
      Hearing me, he moved up to look into my eyes even as he came to 
me.  He began, moving his hips in a slow, deliberate thrust.  It was all 
I could do not to lose my self-control.  He cupped my face in his hands, 
kissing me, whispering my name and sweet endearments.
      The pressure was beginning to build again.  But this time, he 
didn't hold back.
      And then it snapped.
      Pure shock went through me in paralyzing waves.  My scream 
shattered the night stillness.  I clung to Tom, writhing beneath him, 
letting him press me close.  Then the shock overcame him.  He cried out, 
froze for a minute, then collapsed on top of me, still holding me close.
      When I finally floated back down to earth, I lay dazed and 
trembling in Tom's arms.  He was holding me close, unmoving, the soft 
sound of his voice the only thing disturbing the silence.
      "'Lanna, my beautiful B'Elanna, I love you."  Tenderly, he touched 
a kiss to my brow ridges.  "B'Elanna, my B'Elanna."
      Tears stung my eyes.  Even in this awkward situation, he was, in 
his own way, telling me that he cared about me--something that no one 
else had ever done.
      We lay there for several minutes more.  I was silent.  He 
continued to whisper endearments and gently stroke my hair.  I had to 
struggle to hold back my tears.
      "Come on," he said softly after a while had passed.  "We'd better 
get back."
      After getting dressed himself and helping me, I got to my feet, 
only to find that my legs refused to support me.  So Tom lifted me in 
his arms and carried me back to the transport site.

**

      Four days had passed.  I fell into my usual routine during the 
day, but during the night, I found myself longing for Tom's embrace.
      I hadn't seen him at all since we had left sickbay after being 
transported onto the ship.  I had a feeling he was avoiding me, probably 
afraid that I was angry with him.  If only he knew that it was 
completely the opposite.
      I knew that there was only one way to catch him alone.  So I set 
my plan in motion.  With Kes' help, I got her to invite Tom for a 
one-on-one three hour pool tournament at Sandrine's.  We had to let 
Neelix in on the plan as well, so that he wouldn't get upset with Kes.

      "All set," Kes told me through her commbadge.  "He's on his way 
now."
      "Thanks, Kes."
      "Anytime.  Kes out."
      I had already set up a program--a forest-type setting similar to a 
natural preserve on Kessik that had been one of my favorite spots to go 
by myself and think.  The grass was soft beneath my feet.  The tree 
branches swayed with a slight breeze.  The hushed roar of the small 
waterfall in the distance was the only sound.
      I heard the holodeck doors open and close.  Quickly, I ducked 
behind the nearest tree, looking out so that Tom couldn't see me, but I 
could see him.
      He was dressed casually, in jeans and a blue tank top, surely 
ready to whip Kes hands down in pool.
      "Hey, Kes," he called out.  "You said a pool tournament at 
Sandrine's.  So what's up with this forest?"
      When he got no answer, he walked away from my hiding place, 
pushing at the branches of the nearest tree.  "Oh, Kes.  Come out, come 
out, wherever you are."
      "Computer," I said aloud.  "Initiate privacy locks, authorization 
Torres 8954."
      There was an almost inaudible click and Tom spun around.
      "B'Elanna."
      "It's me, all right."  I stepped out from behind the tree.
      Puzzled, he glanced around.  "Where's Kes?"
      "Kes is on duty, where's she supposed to be.  She helped me with 
my plan.  There's no tournament at Sandrine's, just you and me."
      "So, this was a ruse."
      "Exactly."  I walked over to him.
      "Why did you initiate the privacy locks?  And how long are they on 
for?"
      "Three hours, because I didn't want us to be bothered."  I stepped 
closer to him.  "I want to know why you've been avoiding me."
      He stepped back, holding up his hands.  "B'Elanna, I didn't mean 
to...."
      "I'm not going to get angry," I said quietly.  "I only wanted to 
know why."
      "You're not angry?"
      "No."
      "I thought that I went too far when I admitted my feelings for 
you."  He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
      "Tom, you have no idea how much that meant--what you said."
      He jerked his head up in surprise.  "What do you mean?"
      "No one has ever looked upon me--upon these," I gestured to my 
brow ridges, "without repulsion.  No one has ever called me 
beautiful--or claimed me as theirs.  No one has ever told me they loved 
me."  Tears filled my eyes, threatening to fall.  Finally, they did.
      He stepped closer.  "No one--ever?"
      I shook my head.
      "My God, I didn't know--"  He gathered me in his arms, rocking me 
gently.  "If no one has ever done it, then I'll be the first."  He 
cupped my chin in one hand, forcing me to look into his eyes.  "I love 
you, B'Elanna.  You're beautiful, brow ridges or not.  And from this day 
on, I've made my claim.  B'Elanna Torres belongs to me--because I love 
her with all my heart and soul and because she's the most beautiful 
woman I've ever laid eyes on."  As a final note to his tribute, he 
leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
      "Really?" I asked.
      "Really," he answered.  "Let me show you how much I love you."
      Leaning forward, he kissed me tenderly.  I kissed him back, my 
arms going around his neck.  His hands began to wander, lightly, up my 
sides until reaching my chest.
      "You must be dying from the heat," he murmured.  "Let me get you 
out of that."
      Between passionate kisses and gentle caresses, he slowly undressed 
me.  After looking me up and down, causing me to blush slightly, he 
reached for me again.  In the middle of another kiss, my hands slid up 
his chest.  Impatient and empassioned, I gathered the tank top in my 
hands and ripped it open from collar to hem.  Pushing it off his 
shoulders, I embraced him, pulling him closer.
      "B'Elanna, give me a second...."
      He undressed the rest of the way.  Then he lowered me to the 
ground.  Beginning at my shoulders, his hands slid down, gently cupping 
my breasts, before leaning down.
      With a gasp, I raked my nails across his shoulders.  He suckled 
one first, then the other, then kissed me again.
      He showered soft kisses across my stomach moving slowly downward.  
Then he parted my legs.
      "Tom, you wouldn't dare," I whispered.
      He grinned.  "Oh, but I do dare."  With that, he leaned down.
      I heard a keening cry that I belatedly recognized as my own as he 
began the intimate caress.  I reached down, intending to clutch his hair 
and hold him there, but his hands caught my wrists, pinning them down.  
With nothing to hold onto, the sensation was twice what it had been the 
first time.  I tried to break free, but his passionate assault had 
weakened me so that I could do no more than struggle and writhe beneath 
him.
      "Thomas--Eugene--Paris," I gasped.  "When--I get--free,--I swear 
I'm--going to--ohhh....."  My tirade was cut short as the shock wave 
poured through me.  I was certain that my scream could be heard 
throughout the whole ship.
      When the last small aftershocks faded, I opened my eyes to find 
him grinning at me.  "Had enough?"
      Surprising myself, I rose up, pushing him onto his back.  "Not 
yet."
      His grin faded to a soft smile.  He pulled me atop him, slowly 
bringing me down onto him.  It felt like being impaled--but such a sweet 
feeling it was.
      My eyes locked with his.  His hands cupped my hips, bringing me 
down as he thrust up.  I locked my fingers around his arms, never 
wanting him to let go.  From far away, I could hear him whispering my 
name.
      "B'Elanna....B'Elanna...."
      A knot was slowly twining in the pit of my stomach, as before, but 
this time, it was much slower.  I moaned softly as he brought me down 
yet again.  Each thrust tightened the knot, until it was impossibly 
twisted, to the point where I thought I would die if it wouldn't let go.
      Then suddenly the world came apart.
      It began as soft flutters, starting from that knot in my stomach, 
to a warm feeling flowing through me, to a shattering shock wave that 
engulfed me.  I screamed again, hardly able to hold myself up.
      "B'Elanna--dear God!" I heard Tom cry.  He clasped my hips and 
brought me down one final time as we came together in a mindless, joyful 
release.
      His scream echoed my own as we held each other, the shock holding 
us both immobile.  Then I collapsed, my head falling on his shoulder, 
still clinging to him, trembling violently.
      His arms encircled my waist, cradling me close.  I could feel his 
heart pounding against mine, the quick rise and fall of his chest as he 
struggled to regain normal breathing.
      After a while, I slowly floated back down to earth.
      "B'Elanna," he said softly.  "I never dreamed....that I would find 
someone like you."
      "I never thought I would ever be loved," I answered, gently 
caressing his face.
      Tom caught my hand in his and fixed his cerulean eyes on me.  "You 
don't ever have to worry about that anymore.  I love you--every part of 
you."  He lightly kissed my fingertips, then leaned up to brush a kiss 
across my brow ridges.
      Only a little while ago, I would have been fighting to hold back 
tears.  But no longer did I feel rejected--hated.  Tom Paris loved me.
      "Computer," I said aloud.  "How much time is left?"
      "Two hours and thirty minutes."
      I looked down at Tom.  "Want to go for a swim?"
      In answer, he lifted me in his arms and carried me to the pond.
      And the next two and a half hours were spent in glorious rapture.

      Later that night, we lay together on the bed in Tom's quarters.  
Both pillows were on the floor, and somehow the top sheet had wound 
around us, making it impossible to move.  Not that I wanted to move from 
my present position.  I was perfectly content nestled in Tom's arms, my 
cheek resting against his chest, his hand drifting across my back and 
shoulders in a feather-light caress.
      "Do you know," he said huskily, "how much I love you, B'Elanna 
Torres?"
      I raised my head to look into his blue eyes.  "I do.  And I love 
you, Tom Paris, more than you will ever know."
      He tenderly kissed me, then drew me closer.  "Computer, lights 
out."
        The room darkened, the only light coming from the stars 
streaking outside the window.  I snuggled close to Tom, feeling him 
press a soft kiss to my forehead before drifting into blissful sleep.

Legal nonsense.  Paris and Torres and the episode "Blood Fever" are 
owned lock, stock and barrel by Paramount (shudder), but the story and 
scenario that they didn't write belongs to me.  It's okay to post this, 
but keep my name at the top.  No copyright infringement is intended.  
Comments can be sent to krissyshell@hotmail.com