The BLTS Archive - Happy Valentine's Day, B'Elanna
by Diane Klepper (DIANEKLEPPER@aol.com)

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"The time is now 0700 hours," the computer voice stated.

B'Elanna Torres opened her bleary eyes and felt the other
side of her bed with her right hand.. At first she was
disappointed to find the other side of her bed empty.
B'Elanna then remembered Tom had an early shift on the
bridge this morning before he spent the afternoon assisting
the E.M.H. with some experiments.

"The time is now 0703 hours", the computer stated."

B'Elanna sat up." Computer shut off alarm." B'Elanna stood
up and walked towards the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later B'Elanna came out of the bathroom
dressed in a blue bathrobe that Tom had left in her
bathroom. B'Elanna had her own robe but she loved to wear
Tom's because it had the musty smell of his aftershave that
she found so sexy. She walked over to her closet and took
out her uniform and smiled when she saw several of Tom's
uniforms and off duty clothes in her closest. Both her and
Tom had agreed to keep some clothes and other items in each
other cabins so when they spent the night together they
didn't have to run back to their own cabin early in the
morning to be on time for their duty shifts.

B'Elanna put her uniform on her bed and was about to change
when something on the coffee table caught her eye. She
walked over to the table and noticed a bouquet of roses were
sitting in her favorite vase and a heart shaped box full
chocolates was next to it Next to the chocolates was a Padd.
Smiling B'Elanna picked up the padd and turned it on.


//B'Elanna

Happy Valentine's Day Meet me at holodeck 2 at 1900.

Tom//


B'Elanna frowned. She didn't realize that today was February
14. She never really followed the old Earth calendar that
Tom liked so much. The last time she received a Valentine
was right before her father left. Her father gave her a
small box of chocolates and told her all about the holiday.

Even after she finished the candy she kept the heart shaped
box in a special small chest along with her special
treasures that she kept. After John Torres left, all the
treasures her father had given had to kept hidden because
her Mother didn't want anything left in the house to remind
of that dishonorable human who had abandoned her and her
daughter. After John Torres left, Miral refused to celebrate
any human holidays even though most of the people who lived
on the colony were human and her daughter was half human.
The chest went with her with when she left for the Academy
and it also went with her when she joined the Maquis.
Unfortunately the chest was lost with most of her other
belongings when the Crazy Horse was destroyed.

When she was in high school and at the Academy she grew to
hate Valentine's Day because even though boys were
interested in her she knew that they were more interested in
get her into bed than getting to know her as a person.
Klingon woman were known throughout the Federation as being
very sexual and most of these boys were more interested in
having sex with a Klingon then to get to know her as a
person. The few boys she did date never gave her flowers or
candy. When her roommate showed her the flowers and candy
her boyfriend got her for Valentine's Day, B'Elanna was very
jealous. Her one serious boyfriend at the Academy, Max Burke
did lend her his sweater when she got cold during one of
those dates but his nickname for her "BLT" really annoyed
her.

B'Elanna realized that if she didn't hurry up she would be
late for her shift so she put the padd down and started to
get ready for work. Ten minutes later she was dressed and
out the door hoping to meet Harry for breakfast before her
shift started. Maybe she could get Harry to tell her what
Tom had planned for her on the holodeck.

B'Elanna entered the messhall and quickly grabbed a tray and
walked over to the table that Harry Kim was sitting at.
Harry was his breakfast. B'Elanna put down her tray and sat
across from Harry and smiled. "Okay Starfleet... spill it."

Giving her is most innocent ensign expression Harry said,
"Spill what Maquis?"

B'Elanna smiled. "Give up the innocent act... No man who has
hung around Tom Paris for four years can be that green... I
just want to know what Tom has planned for tonight."

Harry just smiled. "Sorry B'Elanna... I don't know what Tom
has planned?"

"Tom tells you everything."

Finishing off the leola root pancake on his plate, Harry
said, "Well he didn't give me any details... Tom just hoped
you liked what he has planned for you... He has spent the
last two weeks trying to make his program perfect."

B'Elanna frowned. "He has?"

Harry laughed, "Yes, I've barely seen him off duty the last
two weeks... In fact, he has been trading extra shifts for
holodeck time and extra rations to finish up your surprise."
Harry stood up and picked up his tray. "B'Elanna, I hope you
like your surprise because I heard Tom has to do double
shifts for the next three weeks to pay for it... I better
get going. I want to do a diagnostic before my shifts
starts... Have a good time."

B'Elanna hesitated at the door to sickbay. She wanted to try
to get information out of Tom, but she didn't want to be too
obvious. She walked into sickbay and saw that the E.M.H
sitting in his office, working on a data padd. She walked
over to his office. "Hello Doctor, I'm here to give you your
weekly maintenance check."

The Doctor looked confused. "Today is Monday... You always
do the weekly maintenance on Wednesday."

"It's slow in engineering today... I decide to give you your
maintenance check early... Where's Tom?  I thought he was
working with you this afternoon."

"He is... Mr. Paris is just making a house call."

"A house call?"

The doctor frowned. "Yes... Naomi Wildman has a bad cold...
for some reason she prefers Mr. Paris bedside manner over
mine... Which I do not understand... I have the medical
knowledge of the best doctors in the Federation, but Naomi
prefers Tom because he tells her a story and gives her a
lolly-pop"

B'Elanna put her hand up to her mouth to cover her smile and
then said, "Since you have time now, I'll do the
diagnostic... and, if you're good, I'll give you a lolly-pop."

The doctor frowned. "Just get on with it."

B'Elanna just finished her diagnostic when Tom came into
sickbay. He saw her and smiled. "Hey, I didn't expect to see
you till tonight."

"I know... I just had some free time so I decided to give
the doctor his weekly maintenance early."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Mr. Paris ... what is the
diagnostic of the patient?"

Tom smiled. "Naomi's temperature is almost normal and her
cough is much better... I told Sam that in two days Naomi
will be running all over the place again"

The Doctor nodded. "I'll be in my office... I have to
schedule the bi-annual physicals for next month... I want
you to keep an eye on the experiment in the back... if it
works we may have finally found a cure for Mr. Chell's
allergies."

Tom smirked. "I sure the rest of the crew will appreciate
that... I heard his next door neighbor is starting a
petition to get his room changed to one of the cargo bays
because when one of his sneezing fits starts you can hear
him three decks down."

The Doctor just smirked and said, "That's not the only
section where the crew can't get any sleep some nights," and
walked into his office.

B'Elanna frowned. "We aren't that loud, are we?"

Tom laughed. "No, starships are just famous for having thin
cabin walls... Did you like your present?"

B'Elanna smiled. "Yes I did... but I prefer to wake up next
to you."

"Me too... but sometimes it can't be helped."

"Tom, about the holodeck tonight... "

Tom smiled. "Don't be late... I could only get it for two
hours tonight."

"But Tom... I don't even know what to wear... You haven't
told me anything about what you have planned."

"Dress casually... and wear comfortable shoes. " He gave her
a quick kiss on the lips and said, "If I don't check on the
experiment, it's going to be ruined and I'll have to do it
all over again... I'll see you tonight."

---

B'Elanna stood in front of the holodeck entrance. She was
dressed in a pair of simple black pants and she was wearing
a red sweater. On her feet she wore a pair of red sandals.
Before she pressed the button, the door opened to let her
in. She slowly walked in and was surprised to find herself
on top of a small mountain. From her vantage point she was
able to see San Francisco Bay. She then looked in the sky
and noticed that the sun was setting and she saw beautiful
streaks of blue and gray in the sky. B'Elanna was about to
call out Tom's name when she saw a lone figure standing by a
table. The sun was just about to go down so Tom had lit two
candles on an extravagantly set table. After blowing out an
old fashion match and throwing it out in a nearby trash -
can, Tom looked up and smiled.

Tom picked up two glasses of champagne off the table and
walked over to B'Elanna and handed her a glass. He smiled at
her. "Happy Valentine's Day, B'Elanna."

"Thank you, Tom." B'Elanna took a sip of her drink and
looked around. "Where are we?"

Tom smiled. "This is a mountain about ten miles from my
parents' house in San Francisco... .I used to come here when
I had a fight with my Dad or I just wanted to be alone to
think... I found this place when I was rock climbing when I
was fourteen." Tom gave a little laugh. "I can't remember
the amount of times my Dad restricted me to the house
because I came home late from this place.".

Looking surprised, B'Elanna asked, "You always came here
alone?"

"Yes, why?"

B'Elanna frowned. "This place is very beautiful... and
romantic... I thought maybe you took some of your
girlfriends here."

Tom laughed. "Most of the girls I dated were daughters of
captains and admirals... they wanted to be wined and
dined... .They would never go on a date on a mountain top."

"What about Odile?"

"Odile was different... but we spend most of our dates in
colder climates so we could go skiing... .B'Elanna, you are
the first person I ever took to this place."

"But I know you dated a lot before me... You dated half the
woman on Voyager before we started dating."

Looking confused, Tom asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Angrily, B'Elanna said, "Look Tom... I know you had a lot of
girlfriends before me... I just want to know why you are
trying to make today seem so special... Valentine's Day is
just another day... I'm sure you gave many girls flowers and
candy before me... .I'm kind of tired... Why don't we just
call it a night and I'll see you tomorrow... "

"B'Elanna... what's wrong?"

"Damn it, Tom Paris... stop trying to make me feel so
special."

Tom grabbed B'Elanna by her right arm and said, "B'Elanna
you are special."

"Yeah, for a night of fun maybe... but I'm not the type of
girl you take home to mother."

Angrily, Tom said, "I would... I take you home to meet my
mother... and my father and sisters and the whole damn Paris
clan... and I would tell them that you are the woman I want
to spend the rest of my life with."

B'Elanna looked shocked and pulled away from Tom's grasp.
"No other person I ever dated thought I was special... Sure
I was perfect for a one night stand, but after that they
seemed to forget I existed." Trying to fight the tears that
were threatening to fall, B'Elanna said, "You were the first
person to give me a Valentine since my father left."

"B'Elanna... I didn't know?"

B'Elanna gave him a little smile. "I know... It's not
something I like to talk about."

Gently, Tom took both of B'Elanna hands into his. "You know
what I know... those guys were idiots." He kissed her on the
forehead and said, "I don't care that you are part
Klingon... I care about you... The whole you... the you that
rejected me for three years before you agreed to have dinner
with me...  The you that is the best engineer that I have
ever seen in my life.  The you that loves reading Klingon
romance novels... B'Elanna Torres, you are the most
fascinating woman I have ever met in my life and if I have
half a brain I'm going to romance you every Valentine day
and every day for the rest of our lives."

B'Elanna smiled. "Do you half a brain?"

Tom smirked and gave her a long passionate kiss on the lips.
When they pulled away to breathe again, B'Elanna smirked
back at him. Tom laughed. "Does that answer your question?"

B'Elanna pulled in Tom for a hug. "I'll take that as a yes."

Tom gave her another long passionate kiss and then pulled
away. "I almost forget... I got you something else." He
pulled a small box from his pants and gave it to B'Elanna.

B'Elanna opened the box and pulled out a heart pendant.
"Tom, this is beautiful."

Tom kissed her on the forehead and said, "You can open it
and put photographs in it.. It's an exact copy of one my mom
always wore. She had a picture of Dad on one side and a
picture of my sisters and I on the other side."

B'Elanna smiled. "I think I can find a photograph or two to
put in there... .Is it true you have to work double shifts
for the next three weeks to pay for tonight."

Tom smiled at her, "At actually closer to four weeks... but
you worth it... Happy Valentine's Day, B'Elanna."

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The End