by Anonymous
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For Amirin, who wanted to know what happened next. This is the sequel to "Erudition", and before you wonder. . . no, the story isn't complete. I hadn't really planned on exploring this further, but here we go. . . blame Amirin.

Warning: Still no sex. The anti-smut virus still has me in its grip. Not even proofed (just like Erudition wasn't. . . and I wish I had, but oh well. . .)

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B'Elanna woke up in her chair, cramped and uncomfortable.

"Computer, what time is it?"

She listened to the computer, groaning when she heard it was shortly after 6am. She'd only been asleep for a few hours. She got up out of the chair, stretching her back and rolling her head in slow circles to loosen up her neck.

"Well, this as good a time as any to get this back." She picked up the data chip.

After hours of crying, hours of trying to figure out what to do, she had reached her decision. She'd do nothing. Her other choice didn't appeal to her.

She could confront Tom with it, and then he'd know that she had violated his privacy. That wasn't the problem so much, they could probably work through that. The real problem was that if they acknowledged the pretense, that would be the end of their relationship. How could either of them continue with it out in the open?

Of course, she didn't know how she would continue with it anyway, but she refused to give Tom up. There was a chance that if she held on long enough, Tom would fall in love with her. He might lose his feelings for Harry, especially if Harry hooked up with someone else, Seven for example. A chance at love with Tom, a chance her love would be returned, was better than no chance at all.

She stepped into her sonic shower and cleaned off the night's tears from her face. Minutes later, she left her quarters, dressed in a clean uniform, fresh make-up applied.

She took a turbolift down to the shuttle bay, where the damaged Delta Flyer lay waiting for repair. Taking a cautious look around the bay and finding no one, she entered the shuttle.

She didn't even bother to take a seat at the Flyer's comm console, she didn't plan to be there long enough. She popped the access panel open and bent to reinsert the data chip.

"I wondered if you would bring it back."

B'Elanna spun around, not fully realizing whose voice it was until she saw him - Harry.

"Wha? Bring what back?"

"I think the time for games is over, don't you?"

B'Elanna was taken aback by Harry's direct attitude. It was so unlike the Harry she knew.

"I don't know what you mean," she lied.

"Come on, B'Elanna. Did you think you were the only one who wanted to know what Tom's final words were, or what they almost were?"

"I? I?" She was flustered, not knowing what to say, what to do.

"Don't bother to lie to me, B'Elanna, you don't do it very well."

"I don't lie."

Harry cut her off. "Oh, and you didn't lie to me when you sought me out to tell me to stay away? It wasn't a lie when you said Tom felt as you did? I could see the lie all over your face." Harry spit out, moving closer towards her, and more specifically, the data chip.

"But then why? Why didn't you say anything?" she demanded.

"Because," Harry paused for a moment. "Because if what I felt for Tom was returned, I thought he might come to me anyway, some day. A day when he realized he didn't love you."

"He does love me!" she fumed, clutching the chip tightly in her hand.

"Then prove it. Give me the chip."

"Never!" She backed up against the console.

"Why? Afraid I'll find out something?" He advanced on her.

"I'll break it first." She mimed snapping it with her fingers.

"And how will you explain that to Tom? As a matter of fact, how will you explain any of this to Tom? This horrible invasion of his privacy," Harry sneered.

"You plan on doing the same thing! What will he think of you?"

Harry chuckled. "Let's see? Tom finds out. If he's in love with you, I don't lose anything. If he is in love with me, like I hope is, like I hope he finally admits, I have everything to gain."

B'Elanna saw a way out. "But if I break it, you'll never know. I can tell Tom I came down to take care of it for him and you'll never know one way or another." B'Elanna tried not to think about the fact she was revealing everything by denying him access.

"Oh sure, Tom will believe that," Harry said sarcastically.

"I'll believe what?" Tom asked, entering the Flyer.

"Oh shit," B'Elanna and Harry said at the same time.

B'Elanna watched Tom's eyes turn towards her, noticed them widen when we saw the data chip in her hands.

"Oh shit," he said.

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End