New story: THE EIGER SANCTION TRILOGY Veronica Jane Williams xkhoi@iafrica.com DISCLAIMER: The characters belong to Paramount. So does Sandrine's and Romulan Ale. I took them for a quick jaunt on the holodeck. They will be returned. Rating: G This trilogy was written as a response to complaints about the overload of angst we've been subjecting out favourite pair to of late. Why can't they just have some good, clean fun and enjoy each other's company. Set after Extreme Risk, and Tom feeling a little shut out of B'Elanna's life. These stories do not form part of my canon of stories. *I liked the Clint Eastwood film which featured climbing the difficult North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. I thought I'd pay tribute by naming my story likewise. THE EIGER SANCTION "This is madness. I must be crazy. I'm certain I'm crazy," B'Elanna complained as Tom fitted her with the harness. She was already wearing a pair of cumbersome mountaineering boots, fitted with crampons. They were standing at the foot of the Eiger, ready to make their ascent up the difficult North Face. She should have known. Tom's idea of fun was ice-climbing in the Alps. And he did nothing by half. "I look stupid!" "Nonsense. You look beautiful. Now smile," Tom demanded as he held the waist section of the harness and jerked her toward him. "How can I smile? I'm freezing my merry butt off here." "Well, you can always agree to kiss me. I guarantee it'll keep you warm for hours, my sweet." He look at her innocently, blue eyes warm and smiling. "Why, you pig! I'd as soon kiss a - " But he had already closed in, his mouth almost touching hers, then he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She struggled to break free, but he held on, until he could feel her melting into him, then he broke off the kiss, leaving her hot and flushed. And not a bit amused. "Tom, you b-" "Watch your mouth, B'Elanna." "Am I supposed to enjoy myself?" she asked as he got into his own harness. Damn, he looked good just fitting that harness on. I'd prefer to see him with nothing on... "Here," he said, holding a helmet to her. "For protection." "You know it would have been so much easier, using *this* century's climbing gear?" "I know. Where's the challenge? Come on. The Eiger awaits." "I should have known. I choose a boyfriend who can't resist a challenge. She realised she walked right into that one as he gave a mocking look and said: "Yeah, I chose you, didn't I?" Her eyes blazed this time, and she looked speculatively at the ice-pick she held in her hand. "Don't even think about it" he said as he fitted the carabiners, pulling the rope through the carabiners attached to her harness. "Is this necessary?" she sighed. "I need you tied to me at all times. And take that any way you like, B'Elanna." He looked at her, saw the unwilling smile that only recently started to reach her eyes. "Hey, it will be okay. I'd rather see you flash some anger, or smile than see some of that apathy you've treated me to lately." He kissed her again, this time tenderly brushing her lips over her closed eyelids. "Ready?" She nodded. He was leading. With her much lighter weight, it was easy following him. He was teaching her everything from knocking in twentieth century pitons, to some real rappelling. It was rather exhilarating, she had to admit. "You okay down there?" came Tom's voice just above her. "Remember, it's only a short section of the North Face. We'll be on the ledge in an hour. There's a small cave there." "Oh, really. I thought you said this is fun." "Then I won't tell you what's in the cave, sweetheart." "Wait! Do you have to go so fast?" She hardly had time to adjust to the new pace, the crampons becoming unwieldy and slowing her down. "You don't want me to pull you up here, do you?" he said just knowing he'll get her hackles up. It was good, he decided. She needed some diversion. For a while there it seemed she was shutting him out of her life. It hurt like hell. At least she agreed to come with him today. She always did like his holodeck adventures, except of course those holodeck hussies in Sandrine's and Neelix's Resort. "Not on your life, flyboy." Good, he thought. She was calling him names. He was breathing hard by the time they were halfway. He knocked the ice-pick deep into the ice, hauled himself up, gave B'Elanna some scope, using the belays, moving the rope to a sufficient length to allow her to hang, then she dug in her crampons, and waited. She was beginning to like this. It was one of the outdoor activities he was really good at. She looked up at him, and watched how his hands and feet moved with such great agility, given his weight and size. He was busy securing himself, with carabiners clinking. She was getting cold, Klingon cold. But she wasn't going to admit that to him. "Hey, are you going to keep me hanging? And what's in the cave?" "When we get there, you'll see. Right, are you ready?" "Yes!" she shouted. Then she started pulling herself up the rope, hand over hand, until she reached him. "Are the safeties on?" "A fine time to ask," he said as she came face to face with him, then suddenly he lost his footing, tumbling down some thirty metres down the cliff. She let out an agonising scream, then noticed he was hanging down there tied to the rope. He had the nerve to smile! "You pig! You did that deliberately!" She couldn't remain angry, besides, she wanted to get to the cave. Out of the cold. She waited till he reached her again. She had her crampons dug firmly into the ice, was holding on to the pitons he had secured earlier before taking the dive. When he did, she surprised him by pulling him closer and kissing him hard on his mouth. He was panting by the time she let him go. Literally. And enjoyed the look of total surprise on his face just before he took that thirty metre dive again. She smiled diabolically at him. "That's for giving me a fright. You'll have to climb all the way up again. And no kiss this time," she warned him." She waited till he reached her again, then proceeded from there in some companionable silence. "Tom..." she said at length. "Yeah..." She could hear how hard he was breathing. "I'll be fine. I promise you." "I love you, B'Elanna." "I know, Tom..." A few minutes later they were both on the ledge, peering into the small cave. "There, sweetheart. Just what the Doctor ordered." THE END Veronica Jane Williams xkhoi@iafrica.com Some feedback would be appreciated. Really.