The BLTS Archive - Last Chance
by ILuvKate

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B'Elanna Torres felt the icy sweat of fear swathe her face and she
impatiently swiped it out of her eyes as she worked frantically to get
a lock on Captain Janeway. The captain was trapped on the Borg ship,
in grave danger of being killed and B'Elanna Torres, Chief Engineer
extraordinaire couldn't even do something as simple as get a damned
transporter lock in place. Her heart threatened to tear itself out of
her chest as her fingers flew over the gold and blue displays on her
console. She couldn't lose Kathryn Janeway. She couldn't lose her
reason for living--the only reason she got up in the morning.

It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. It's not going to
happen! Like a fierce mantra, the thought swirled constantly through
B'Elanna's mind. I will die first before I let her be lost!

---

Janeway and Tuvok materialized in Sickbay and B'Elanna felt dizzy with
relief, but rubbery-kneed as well, as she made her way down to
Engineering to deal with the problems that had cropped up there while
she was on the bridge. Her heart had twisted sickly at the sight of
Chakotay's pale face as he listened to the Doctor's recitation of the
captain's injuries, knowing her own face was bloodless as well. Her
heart ached with the need to rush down to Sickbay to see Kathryn's
beloved face, but she knew duty came first. I may have brought her
back only to die in Sickbay, she thought, but at least we have the
ghost of a chance to save her now that she's back on board.

The Engineering crew took note of their Chief's ravaged face as she
entered Engineering, but wisely said nothing to her. They knew what
she must be feeling, and the personal cost of her being down here at
her duty station.

B'Elanna moved to a console and began running diagnostics, listening
to the reports brought to her from various stations, her mind only
half on what her crew was telling her. The rest was down in Sickbay,
wondering what was happening down there. She didn't know when she
could safely leave and go check on Kathryn, but she desperately needed
to know how she was. With an effort, she brought her full attention
back to Engineering, grimly focusing on getting shields restored and
engines up to par.

---

"Lieutenant," Susan Nicolletti stood her ground firmly in the face of
B'Elanna's fierce scowl. "You've been down here eighteen hours
straight. You're going to collapse if you don't get some rest."

"I'm all right," B'Elanna growled back impatiently. "I've just got to
get this plasma regulator back--"

"Lieutenant," Nicolletti said resolutely, "don't make me go to Cmdr
Chakotay and have you relieved."

"Watch it, Nicolletti," B'Elanna snapped. "I'm still the Chei--"

"And you have re-routed plasma flow to the wrong manifold three times,
Lieutenant," Nicolletti said quietly. B'Elanna's face flooded scarlet
with embarrassment and she turned away from Nicolletti, stabbing at the
displays in front of her. "Please go to Sickbay and see about the
Captain, and then get some rest, Lieutenant," Nicolletti told her
gently. "We've got things under control here for the time being."
B'Elanna swallowed hard, stared at the young lieutenant, and sighed
deeply.

"All right," she said with grudging gratitude. "All right. You win. I
guess I'd better get out of here before I hurt somebody or destroy
something. You're in charge." Nicolletti nodded and watched the weary
figure trudge out of Engineering.


B'Elanna made her way to Sickbay, entering and standing just inside
the door. Kes, at a console across the room, turned as she entered and
B'Elanna had the feeling that the little Ocampa saw straight through
to her heart, with her kind, gentle blue gaze. For a minute, B'Elanna
met the sympathetic eyes, lowering her guard, and then turned away
toward the biobed where Janeway lay in the deep coma the Doctor had
put her in. Slowly she walked toward the bed, noting Kathryn's pallor
and distressingly still form. Oh, gods, she thought brokenly, oh,
please let me have one more chance to tell her how much she means to
me. It didn't matter that she told Kathryn that daily. She just wanted
the opportunity to tell her one more time. She looked around, and saw
that Kes had discreetly left Sickbay, and the Doctor was nowhere to be
seen--probably deactivated. She walked slowly over to the captain's
bio-bed and stood looking down at her, her heart sinking at the
grayish paleness of Kathryn Janeway's face, and the bright pink of her
skin where burns were slowly being healed. She tried not to reproach
herself for the five hundredth time about not achieving a transporter
lock sooner.

She reached out a tentative hand and with a feather touch, stroked the
cold skin of the captain's hand. "Kathryn...." Her voice trailed off
as her throat closed, despair suddenly overwhelming her. Suddenly, she
felt Kathryn Janeway's fingers close briefly over hers, almost
instantly falling away, and she nearly cried out in surprise. But her
heart lifted because the movement meant that maybe, just maybe her
lover was not dying, and that she'd recover.

---


Kathryn stared in consternation at B'Elanna's dark head, bowed, face
buried in hands, shoulders shaking. "Dear God, B'Elanna," she said,
agitated, "of all the reactions I expected, I didn't expect this....
desolation!" B'Elanna raised her tear-stained face, swiping at her
streaming eyes.

"Oh, Kathryn," she said in a choked voice, "if I'd been able to get a
transporter lock on you sooner, you wouldn't have---"

"Stop that!" Kathryn interrupted. "I will not sit here and listen to
you castigate yourself about something over which you had no control!
Don't you think I know that you were working like someone
demon-possessed to get us out of there? Stop it right now!" B'Elanna
shook her head stubbornly.

"I'm the Chief Engineer of this shi--" she began, but Kathryn broke in
again, roughly.

"Yes," she said, exasperated, "the Chief Engineer, not a god. Why on
earth are you blaming yourself?"

"I'm supposed to be able to fix things like that!" B'Elanna almost
yelled right in Kathryn's face. "Something as simple as getting a
transporter lock, and I couldn't even manage that! You and Tuvok were
almost killed!" Her voice rose shrilly. Kathryn held onto her temper
with an effort, searching for words, trying not to rail back in
similar tone. That wouldn't make B'Elanna feel any better. She thought
a minute, her face suddenly shadowing at a memory.

"B'Elanna," she said quietly, and something in her tone caused the
younger woman to look up. "I've been where you are, I suppose,"
Kathryn said thoughtfully, her voice distant. "When Justin and
Daddy--" She flinched away from the painful memory for just a minute,
and then turned to face it bravely as she'd had to do so many times
over the years. B'Elanna reached out a quick compassionate hand to
cover Kathryn's tightly clasped ones that were resting on one knee.
Kathryn's smile was shaky as she took B'Elanna's hand, finding comfort
in her lover's touch. "When Justin and Daddy died in that shuttle on
that ice floe on that godforsaken planet, I thought my life had
ended," she continued, her voice growing stronger. "I blamed myself
for not being able to get the transporter functioning in time to beam
them out..." She lowered her head, staring unseeingly at her hands
covered by B'Elanna's, and then looked up to catch B'Elanna's gaze
with her own. "So, I guess I know what you are going through right
now, my love, but you must know, if you look at it rationally, that
you were no more at fault in failing to get a lock on us sooner, than
I was with Justin and Daddy." B'Elanna sat, with her head bowed, her
own eyes on their clasped hands. After a few minutes, she blew out her
breath, shaking her head.

"I don't know, Kathryn," she said slowly. "I still feel that if I had
just thought a little harder..."

"Oh!" Kathryn gave B'Elanna's hand a sharp shake. "What am I going to
do with you?" she said, shaking her head. B'Elanna grinned.

"Well, I've got a few ideas," she said slyly. Kathryn laughed and
leaned over to kiss her. The kiss deepened as they drank of each other
gratefully.

"Gods," B'Elanna said shakily, as they parted, breathing hard. "That
was one idea... "

"Come here," Kathryn said softly, drawing B'Elanna toward her, and
B'Elanna moved over to curl, with an overwhelming sense of
contentment, comfort, and satisfaction, into her lover's strong,
welcoming embrace. She felt tears tickle the back of her throat, but
pressed them back down.

Their lips met again, almost of their own volition and B'Elanna opened
her mouth hungrily to accept the captain's questing one. She savored
the taste of Kathryn Janeway, her tongue sliding sensuously over
Kathryn's.

They drew apart and gazed at each other. B'Elanna's heart swelled with
emotion.

Kathryn drew her close again, drawing the dark head down to her
shoulder. She felt her body tingle as soft lips nuzzled aside the top
of her grey turtleneck and pressed themselves to the soft skin of her
throat. Her arms tightened around B'Elanna and her hands stroked
B'Elanna's back, feeling the play of powerful muscles beneath the
crisp fabric of her uniform. Her own lips found B'Elanna's strong
jawline and traced a line of kisses from chin to earlobe. She smiled
as she heard B'Elanna catch her breath raggedly. They kissed again,
lingeringly, deeply, and with great pleasure. B'Elanna sucked hungrily
at Kathryn's full lower lip, tracing its contours with her tongue. Her
hands wandered to the nape of Kathryn's neck, fumbling with the hair
clasp and freed Kathryn's hair, tangling her fingers in it. Kathryn
kissed her more deeply and B'Elanna felt the heat begin deep within
her core. Kathryn's hands roamed her body, leaving fire in their wake,
even through the heavy uniform fabric. As Kathryn's hands slid across
her breasts, her body jerked in response.

"I was so afraid I'd lose you," B'Elanna said hoarsely, breathlessly,
holding Kathryn's face in her hands and looking deep into her eyes.
Kathryn smiled.

"But you didn't, my dear," she said softly, running her thumb across
B'Elanna's soft lips. "However, we've got a lot o catching up to do."
They kissed again, briefly, hands caressing and stroking. B'Elanna
felt as if she would melt under Kathryn's touch, the breath driven
from her lungs as heat blossomed more intensely inside her. Her hands
sought Kathryn, fumbling with the zipper to her uniform jacket. Her
hands cupped Kathryn's breasts through the turtleneck, and she was
gratified to hear a soft groan at the touch. She kneaded them gently,
eliciting more soft sounds from Kathryn, and found her mouth covered
hotly, a strong tongue thrusting into it and she welcomed it with
delicious hunger.

"God!" Kathryn gasped, throwing her head back, her hands gripping
B'Elanna's arms tightly as waves of pleasure ebbed upward from her
center. "Oh, God, B'Elanna!" B'Elanna pressed her lips to the pounding
pulse in Kathryn's exposed throat, tonguing the soft silky flesh.
Kathryn shuddered.

"You like that," B'Elanna said, smiling, trailing her fingers along
Kathryn's jawline and down the side of her throat. Kathryn gulped in
air, trying to regain her breath and stared at her grinning Chief
Engineer.

"You seem to know just which buttons of mine to push, young lady," she
said. "You always do." B'Elanna laughed. She barely managed to swallow
a yelp of surprise as Kathryn suddenly lay back on the couch, pulling
her on top of her. Kathryn kissed her hungrily again and they lost
themselves in the wonder of each other's mouths. B'Elanna drew back a
scant inch, unzipping Kathryn's jacket the rest of the way down. Her
hand circled Kathryn's breast, squeezing gently, making Kathryn groan
again. Then she wriggled down a little, and slid the bottom of the
turtleneck up, exposing warm, bare skin. She swirled her tongue in
soft, teasing strokes over Kathryn's skin and Kathryn arched her back,
pressing herself into that voracious mouth. Her fingers were locked
now in B'Elanna's dark hair as B'Elanna moved over the skin of her
midriff.

Piece by piece, uniform jackets, boots, trousers, socks and
turtlenecks landed on the floor as they slowly and provocatively
undressed each other. Naked except for their underwear, they explored
each other, savoring sight, taste, and texture of each other. One by
one, bra and panties joined the helter-skelter uniforms on the floor
and at last they were naked, bare flesh pressed to bare flesh, and
they were both consumed with the heat suffusing their bodies. They
drew the pleasure out, heightening the anticipation of delight to come.
B'Elanna sucked hungrily at Kathryn's breasts, stiffening the soft
nipples to hard, aching points with her lips and tongue. She caressed
the soft, warm, firm flesh, making Kathryn murmur softly with
pleasure. Kathryn rolled her over on her back and trailed kisses from
corner of mouth down the throat and over breasts. B'Elanna's hands
stroked and caressed all the parts of Kathryn she could reach as
Kathryn kissed her way across her body, sending shivers of delight up
and down her spine.

When at last Kathryn, aching with desire, felt B'Elanna's fingers
enter her, she cried aloud, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
B'Elanna stroked slowly, tantalizingly, her touch almost teasing in
its lightness. Kathryn strained to get more of the elusive fingers,
lifting her body off the couch in an effort to get the full touch,
hearing B'Elanna's low laugh. Her own fingers sought B'Elanna's sex
and she grinned herself when she heard B'Elanna's low grunt as her
fingers began to massage the hot, swollen clitoris. When B'Elanna
found her hot, swollen clitoris with her thumb, Kathryn had to
physically stop herself from begging for relief, gritting her teeth as
the aching need inside her strained to be let out. Hoping she was
torturing B'Elanna just as much as she herself was being tortured, she
eased up on B'Elanna and was rewarded with an angry growl. But she
could hardly keep her mind on anything except the tormenting fingers
inside her. However, B'Elanna seemed to be in no hurry at all to grant
her release and Kathryn thought she would howl her need, but at long
last, B'Elanna increased pace and pressure and the blessed relief of
orgasm surged upward through her body, leaving her as it receded, limp
and replete. At the same time, she brought B'Elanna to climax, holding
the damp, spasming body tightly as their pleasure peaked at the same
moment. They lay in each other's arms, letting their breathing slow,
sweat drying on their bodies in the pleasant aftermath. At last, long
minutes later, Kathryn sat up, pushing her damp hair back off her
face. B'Elanna sat up, too. Kathryn smiled. "Feel better now?"
B'Elanna chuckled.

"You can always make me feel good," B'Elanna murmured, picking up
Kathryn's hand and turning it palm up to press her lips into it. "I
wasn't sure you'd want to make love to me again,"

"Goodness," Kathryn said, rolling her eyes. "I must not have made
myself clear just now." She reached for her Chief Engineer. "Perhaps I
need to show you again. I--"

"Tuvok to Captain Janeway," Janeway's commbadge chirped with Tuvok's
hail and Janeway grimaced.

"Sometimes," she muttered, "I think he must have this place bugged. He
always calls at the worst moment." B'Elanna laughed, already reaching
for her clothes, and Janeway followed suit. "Janeway here, Mr. Tuvok,"
she said, finding her commbadge and tapping it. "What can I do for
you?" She and B'Elanna looked at each other, rolling their eyes, and
began to don their clothes.

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Copyright 1997 ILuvKate

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The End