The BLTS Archive - The Apprenticeship series The Obligatory Jefferies Tube Story: Nasty Habit by Bridget Cochran (bjcochran@aol.com) --- 1998 Disclaimer: I own the ideas, Paramount owns the rest. Archive at will. This is the second installment in the apprenticeship of a fanfiction writer: the Jefferies Tube story. Up until last night I had no idea what to write for a Jefferies Tube story. Certainly nothing fresh--then I received wonderful feedback on Cat Got Your Tongue. One had a suggestion, the other had inspiration. So this is dedicated to Kaki and ReAnne, bless your hearts. Remember, dear readers, feedback is how we get paid (in most cases). --- Tom crawled after the Captain through the Jefferies Tube on his hands and knees, pissed off that he was there at all. He knew the corrugated flooring was imbedding harsh ridges into his knee caps and one palm. In his other hand, he dragged an isodide spanner. "Come on, Tom, about 10 meters to the vertical tube," Janeway called over her shoulder. Terrific, Tom thought, then we climb four more decks and we'll be at our destination. This cross-training was a pain in the ass. Chakotay thought it would be a great idea: cross-training Tom in engineering. God damn Chakotay and his God damn great ideas. Tom snapped the gum he chewed to keep irritation from tensing his jaw. He snapped it a couple of times, not acknowledging the look Janeway tossed over her shoulder at the obnoxious noise. Tom kept crawling, sweat beading on his forehead. Janeway crawled along the tunnel like a Maraisian mole, butt wiggling in his face. He heaved a sigh through snapping gum. "Slow down, will ya, Captain. We have the whole shift." She slowed. "Out of shape, Tom?" she purred. He was **not** in the mood for needling, not even from the Captain. "Yes, ma'am," he clipped. Janeway flicked a frown over her shoulder. "What's the problem?" "Cross-training." "Tom, it's important that--" "Yah, yah, I know." He stored the gum between his cheek and teeth. "But I already spend a couple of shifts a week in Sick Bay. I supervise the other pilots on their Delta Certs. You give me a command shift every once in a while. Why do I need to be tracing plasma leaks in a Jefferies Tube?" They'd made it to the vertical juncture and crawled out onto their feet. Janeway was at the foot of the ladder looking up at the next level. Tom came to stand beside her, staying her with a hand on her arm when she moved a foot to the ladder. "You didn't answer my question." Janeway shook off the hand and looked up at him, face stern. "Because a good captain has a working knowledge of every aspect of ship's operations." A ship's captain? What the hell was she talking about? He chomped and snapped the gum like a boorish adolescent as he analyzed her words. He blew a bubble as he stared at the wall behind her head. "Oh." He finally got it and refocused on the woman in front of him. "A ship's captain," he acknowledged the reason for the engineering lessons with another snap of his gum. But he met a narrow, irritated look from the Captain. "Gum chewing is a nasty habit." Tom's lip curled, "I've been told that by higher ranking officers than you." Christ, he was being perverse, another snap was too hard to resist. Insolence with a capital I. Janeway's hands were now on her hips. "Your father?" "My grandmother." Another bubble. Her jaw was so tense it quivered. "I'd like to reach right into your mouth and wrench that gum out of there." Oh, you would? Tom thought. How about if I do it for you? He gripped the red shoulders of her uniform to propel her against him into a hard, angry kiss. His lips weren't gentle--at first. He did gentle, though, circling Kathryn with his arms, allowing her to pull away. But she bypassed the opportunity and stepped into his embrace, opening her mouth under his insistence to be filled by a questioning, seeking tongue that explored the tender recesses of her mouth, skimming smooth teeth as he tasted a taste better than anything he could imagine--except maybe her skin or her--whoa! Stop it now, Tom. The mere thought of the other places to attach his mouth caused Tom to rear back, scared at the emotion the thoughts released, breaking the oral contact with such speed all that was missing was the audible "fwack" of breaking suction. The two stood in mutual shock at the quick white hot burn they'd just experienced, both chests heaving. Christ, Tom could have kicked himself. She tells me she's putting me on the "captain track" one minute, the next minute I grab her and plant a hot one on her. God, I need my head examined. Kathryn was staring at him, still breathing in great gasps, her jaw rolling in an unusual way. And she was frowning. Shit. He'd done it now. Done the final, stupid, you-just-couldn't- leave-it-alone thing. He'd be cross-training down in waste recycling tomorrow. She glared at him one minute more before turning to hoist herself up on the rungs of the vertical tube. He stood at the bottom looking up after her, unsure of how to repair all the damage he had wrought. She looked down at him, a not-quite smile twisting her lips. "If you want your gum back, mister, you better get moving." --- The End