The BLTS Archive- Soaked
Eighth in Scenes from A Marriage
by Julie Evans (Juli17@aol.com)

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Disclaimer:  Star Trek and its characters are the property
of Paramount/Viacom.  I am borrowing them for fun only not
profit.

Archiving:  Okay to archive to ASC, PT Collective website,
and BLTS.  All others please ask author for permission.

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Tom exited the turbolift and strode purposefully down the
corridor.  Of course, the day B'Elanna finally finished
reinstalling the warp core and got off early, he ended up
working late.  In sickbay no less, covering so the doctor
could go on some sort of holoexcursion with the captain.

Tom shook his head, still a little bemused by the lack of
punishment the doctor had received for his latest
infractions, though the doctor had voluntarily confined
himself to sickbay for the past week.  If it wasn't for
his own sickbay duties, they wouldn't have crossed paths
at all.  And he had to admit the doctor had apologized
with sincere remorse for the "misunderstanding" in
engineering when he'd been posing as B'Elanna.  The doctor
could have used that incident to get in a few jabs at Tom,
and probably would have in the past.  But the doctor was
ashamed enough of his actions that he apparently had no
intention of revisiting the incident again.

Tom dismissed that subject from his mind as he stepped
through the door to his and B'Elanna's quarters.  There
were other things he'd rather focus on at the moment.  He
pulled off his uniform jacket--always his first action
when he got home--and tossed it on the bed.  Then he
stretched appreciatively, glad to be free of that
restriction.  He turned toward the closet, noticing
without surprise the light shining from beneath the
bathroom door.  Since the lights in the rest of their
quarters were only at one-quarter illumination, he knew
B'Elanna hadn't done more than walk through on her way
there.  But then, it was her favorite place these days.

His lips twitched as he moved to the closet and kicked off
his shoes.  Right after he and B'Elanna had married the
captain had offered them these quarters, which had been
one of the original four "ambassador's" quarters usually
reserved for visiting dignitaries.  But dignitaries had
been infrequent visitors during Voyager's previous six
years in the Delta quadrant, so the captain had decided
two of her own crew might make better use of the space.
The living area actually wasn't much bigger than that in
his or B'Elanna's old quarters, though the closet was much
roomier, and there was extra shelf and storage space.  The
real difference in the design of these quarters was in the
bathroom.

Tom glanced toward the closed door again as he pulled off
his socks.  Their bathroom now was twice the size of the
one in his old quarters, or B'Elanna's, with a double
sink, more vanity space and a large linen cabinet.  The
combination sonic/water shower wasn't the usual narrow
cubicle common on starships, but a large duraglass
enclosed space with a built in bench.  And next to the
shower was a bathtub.

Besides the captain's quarters, the ambassador's quarters'
were the only other ones on the ship equipped with a
bathtub.  Anyone else on the crew who had the urge to take
a bath had to program one on the holodeck, or replicate a
portable tub in their quarters and then find a way to get
water into it--a real expenditure of replicator rations to
say the least.

Despite having a built in bathtub, neither he nor B'Elanna
had made use of it on a regular basis.  B'Elanna generally
preferred her sonic showers because they were quick and
thorough, and she was perpetually in a rush.  He used the
water setting in the shower when he had time, since he
liked the feel of water sluicing over his skin.  On the
several occasions they had used the bathtub during their
first few months of marriage, it had been strictly
for...play.

That was until B'Elanna's pregnancy had started to
advance.  She'd tried out the bathtub on the doctor's
advice, and had found that soaking in a hot bath relaxed
her, and relieved some of the minor aches the weight of
her enlarging belly put on her back.  In the past month or
so a hot bath had become an almost nightly ritual, and Tom
knew where he would find her if he arrived home after she
did.

He found her there now as the bathroom door slid open to
admit him.  The toilet, sink, and linen cabinet were to
the left, but he turned immediately to the right.
B'Elanna was reclined in the bathtub, her head just
visible above the rim.  Her eyes were closed, and there
was a contented half-smile on her face.

He saw that she'd gone all out tonight.  The candles they
kept on the small shelf above the bathtub were lit, and
their small flames flickered warmly.  A sweating glass
half filled with chilled blue liquid--juice no doubt--
rested on the wide corner edge of the tub, along with a
bowl and a datapadd B'Elanna had obviously been reading.
As he approached the tub, the scent of faljan, a Bajoran
herb that had an aroma similar to Earth's jasmine, became
stronger.  Its extract had mild muscle relaxant
properties, and the doctor had suggested adding the
concentrated oil to bath water to create a soothing
effect.

B'Elanna hadn't reacted to his presence, and he wondered
if she was asleep.  She was stretched out comfortably
enough along the length of the sea green tub, and the
outline of her body shimmered a little with the slight
movement of the water.  She liked her baths hot, and her
face and arms were slicked with a fine sheen of moisture.
He was starting to perspire too from the steam in the
room.  Her hair was gathered haphazardly in some sort of
clip on top of her head, though tendrils of it had escaped
and clung damply to her neck and cheeks.  It was a
practical measure designed to keep her hair out of her
face, but he wouldn't be sorry if she wore it that way all
the time.  It was disheveled, but it was also sexy--

"Hey."

B'Elanna's eyes opened slowly a moment after her voice
broke the silence, and she smiled.  She patted the edge of
the tub where her hand had been resting.

"Hey," Tom echoed as he sat carefully on the edge, feeling
the dampness there seep into his pants a little.  He
glanced at the bowl and saw the remains of potato salad,
B'Elanna's passion since she'd become pregnant--besides
him.

B'Elanna followed his gaze.  "I was still a little hungry
after dinner."

He knew she'd eaten in the mess hall earlier, while he'd
been stuck replicating a sandwich in sickbay once again.
"I take it you're feeling better tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"This morning you seemed a little irritated when you woke
me."

B'Elanna frowned.  "I wasn't irritated this morning.
Maybe a little anxious to finish the warp core
installation.  And when did I wake you?"

"When you hit me."  He'd been in a sound sleep when
something--someone--had punched him in the arm.  Not hard,
but it had certainly been enough to startle him awake,
somewhere before 0500 hours.

"Oh."  B'Elanna shrugged.  "That was an accident.  My hand
slipped."

More like her fist.  He looked at her skeptically.  "You
also called me a big lug."  He'd heard her say that under
her breath before she'd told him to go back to sleep.

"I meant it affectionately."

Tom cleared his throat.  "I see."

She glowered at him.  "It really isn't fair that you get
to sleep all night while I have to wake up every two hours
to pee."

"I did trade sides of the bed with you so you wouldn't
have to walk so far."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes.  "Right.  That was a very noble
gesture on your part."

"Well, if you want me to go with you and hold your hand--"

B'Elanna snorted.  "No, thanks.  But like I said before,
*you* can carry the next baby."

Tom smiled.  "Yes, dear."

B'Elanna's eyes narrowed, and he knew his tone had been a
little too placating.  "I wouldn't be so smug, Tom.  That
possibility is not completely out of the realm of medical
science.  If the doctor put his mind to it, I'm sure he
could figure out a way for you to go through the pregnancy
next time.  In fact, I think I'll ask him about it."

Tom wasn't sure whether she was serious, though he
fleetingly wondered if the doctor could possibly stay on
his holodate with the captain for a few years.  "You know,
it takes a lot of work to raise children.  And they
deserve as much individual attention as possible.  Maybe
we should stop at one kid--"

"Ha!"

Tom sighed at B'Elanna's triumphant look.  "Okay, okay.  I
bow to your superior physical and mental stamina."  He
leaned forward, being careful not to unbalance himself on
his precarious perch, and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'm sure I'd be a dismal failure at pregnancy."  And
birth.  He preferred not to think too much about that
aspect until it became necessary.  It was a natural thing,
but still, he didn't exactly look forward to seeing
B'Elanna in pain.  "You're definitely my hero."

B'Elanna smiled.  "Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, maybe I won't talk to the doctor about rearranging
your internal organs.  He's been keeping himself pretty
unavailable lately anyway."

"Yeah.  Even when I've been on duty in sickbay I've barely
seen him.  I think he's said about ten words to me since
he got back."

"And after you kissed him with so much feeling."

Tom shook his head at B'Elanna's teasing gibe, though he
detected a hint of sympathy in her gaze.  "I still can't
believe that was the doctor.  I thought you were acting a
bit odd, but I just chalked it up to the fact that you
were preoccupied."  And that B'Elanna's reactions were
always a little unpredictable.  Her mercurial nature was
one of the things about her that had always charmed him.
"I guess I should have realized I was being duped."

B'Elanna's expression sobered.  "The mind just doesn't
make that kind of leap easily.  I know."

Tom understood now a little of how B'Elanna must have felt
being duped by Steth, though that was something neither of
them liked to remember.  He changed the subject.  "I
actually was a little disappointed when I found out that
was the doctor and not you."

B'Elanna stared at him, her expression bewildered and a
little reproachful.  "You were?"

"Even if I was a little taken aback by the sentiment, it
was kind of a thrill when you called me sweetheart.  Well,
I thought it was you at the time."

B'Elanna looked at him curiously.  "Do you really want me
to call you sweetheart, Tom?"  She trailed a damp hand
lightly over his thigh.  "What's wrong with hotshot?  Or
flyboy?  Or...pig?"

Tom grinned at the way she seductively drawled out that
last word.  "Nothing at all," he admitted.  "As long as
you say it just like that."

B'Elanna smiled, satisfied, and let her hand drop away.
"Besides, I thought we decided that the mushy stuff was
your--"

Tom tensed as she stopped abruptly and winced, and then
touched the side of her belly.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing.  Just a twinge.  The doctor said I'd start
feeling them during the last few weeks."

"Maybe I should call him--"

"No!  I'm fine."  B'Elanna's tone was adamant.  "I have an
appointment tomorrow morning anyway."  She put her hand
back on his thigh before he could rise, and this time her
fingers gripped him tightly.  "Don't even think about
getting out the scanner."

He kept a medical scanner handy in their quarters just in
case, but he'd only used it a couple of times.  Both times
she'd accused him of being over-protective and had
practically thrown it back at him.  "I just want to be
sure you and the baby are safe, B'Elanna."

B'Elanna's expression softened a little.  "I know.  But
the doctor said to expect this.  Nothing's wrong, except
that my time is getting closer."

Tom relaxed a little.  Their baby would be born in a
couple more weeks, maybe three, according to the doctor's
most recent estimate.  "It won't be very long now."

"I'm glad of that."

B'Elanna's soft sigh was nearly inaudible, but Tom heard
it. Though she'd never admit it, he knew the past few
weeks had worn her down a little.  She'd handled her
pregnancy without complaint or difficulty, and even now
she wasn't slowing down at all, but there was more fatigue
in her eyes at the end of the day, and more willingness to
let him take care of everything outside her work.  He
squeezed her hand that was still resting on his thigh.
"I'm getting pretty anxious myself."

"You're nervous?"

Tom shook his head.  "Not at all.  I'm just anxious to see
her, and to hold her."

B'Elanna smiled.  "I thought I'd be nervous when the time
got closer, but I just feel...impatient.  I'm ready to
bring our daughter into the universe."

"I think we're both as ready as we're going to be," Tom
said.

They'd certainly collected every item they could possibly
need, from a carrier, to diapers, to feeding utensils, to
dozens of baby outfits.  Even in here, the dressing table
they'd replicated was loaded with lotions and oils,
washcloths and fluffy baby towels.  The table was just
within his reach, and he stretched so he could unhook the
small hooded towel from the nearest leg post.  As he did
he glanced at the pink duraplastic bath basin tucked under
the table.  It was occupied right now by a yellow duck and
a cetacean-like Talaxian water creature Neelix had called
a sepheta.  At least he thought that was what Neelix had
called it--

"You're doing it again."

B'Elanna's voice was low and amused.  Tom met her gaze and
looked down at his hands.  He was holding the towel as if
he was holding a baby.  He'd done that a few times
recently with some of the other baby clothes when B'Elanna
and he had arranged them in drawers.  Maybe that reaction
was instinctual--imagining his daughter clothed in these
tiny garments, as if she was already here cradled in his
hands.  And he was hardly alone.

Tom looked at B'Elanna and smirked.  "Don't think I
haven't seen you do it too."

B'Elanna shrugged, unperturbed.  "I'm just practicing for
when she gets here.  It's like an exercise drill."

Tom smiled at the way she made it sound so pragmatic.  "If
you say so."  He hung the towel back on the post, then
leaned down and plucked the rubber duck from the bath
basin.  He squeezed it, and it let out a short quack.
"Miral's going to love this."

B'Elanna smiled faintly.  "I'm sure she will."  She stared
at the duck for several moments, her expression wistful.
"I wish Neelix could have stayed long enough to see
Miral."

Tom wished that too.  "Neelix was really disappointed that
he wouldn't get to see her."  When they'd spoken briefly
in the mess hall, Neelix had told Tom that was one of the
things he regretted most about leaving Voyager.  By then
Neelix had already been packed and ready to go, but he'd
insisted on cooking one last breakfast--fava eggs, hot
oatmeal liberally flavored with leola root, and banana
pancakes.  Tom knew the last dish had been a telling
choice.

After breakfast, Neelix had made the rounds to deliver
some personal farewells.  They'd exchanged a few words
with him, then Neelix had gripped Tom's hand tightly, and
he'd hugged B'Elanna.  Finally, he'd touched B'Elanna's
belly gently and had wished Miral a happy life.

B'Elanna spoke quietly, "Don't forget we promised to send
Neelix a birth announcement."

Neelix had told them in no uncertain terms that he
expected to be kept updated.  Voyager was just now moving
beyond direct subspace communication with the Talaxian
colony, but Neelix would be waiting eagerly to hear, even
with the slight delay.  Tom smiled.  "I'll take care of
it.  And I won't forget."

B'Elanna nodded, satisfied, and Tom stretched out his free
hand so he could pick up the sepheta from the bath basin.
"At the baby shower Neelix said he couldn't wait to see
Miral play with these.  Even if he's not here I'm sure
he'll be imagining her enjoyment."  He squeezed the soft
rubber sepheta, and it emitted a very high-pitched squeal.

To Talaxian ears it was probably pleasant, but B'Elanna
winced.  "No doubt."

Tom grinned and dropped the two toy animals in the bath
water. They landed with a soft plop.  Then he took one in
each hand and glided them purposefully across the surface
of the water, directly toward B'Elanna.  Her eyebrows rose
nearly to her hairline.

"Tom, what are you doing?"

"Just testing out their play potential."

Tom squeezed the duck again.  It opened its mouth and
quacked at B'Elanna.  She rolled her eyes in response.
"Since you already have the critical elements down, I
guess bathing Miral can be your job."

"I was thinking I'd just hold her under the shower and
rinse her off."

B'Elanna let out a small laugh.  "Tom--"

"Hey, it's a very efficient method."

"Uh, huh."  B'Elanna shook her head, her expression still
amused.  "I can just envision you standing in the shower
holding her under the spray, with the water running over
both of you."  She smiled.  "Actually, it's a charming
picture."

Tom's eyebrows rose at that.  "Really?"

"Just please wait until she's a couple of months old."

Tom had been kidding, mostly.  Now he said solemnly, "You
know I will never do anything that could harm Miral, don't
you?"

B'Elanna gave him a startled look.  "Of course I know
that.  I trust you completely, Tom.  If there's anyone I'm
worried about, it's me."

Tom smiled.  "Don't worry.  You'll do fine."  He jiggled
the rubber animals in the water.  "That is, as soon as you
get the hang of playing with these little guys, who are
sure to be Miral's favorites."

B'Elanna moved quickly and snatched both toys out of Tom's
hands.  Then she dropped them over the side of the tub.

"Hey--"

"There'll be plenty of time to play with Miral's toys,
Tom.  But I think I promised you some quality time before
she's born, didn't I?"

Tom grinned at B'Elanna's insinuative look.  "No time like
the present, I say."

"Me, too."

B'Elanna sat straight up, and before Tom could react she
pressed her hand against stomach, and pushed.  Even with
one hand she had plenty of strength, and he was
unprepared.  He slipped right into the tub, landing smack
on his butt in the warm water.

"Argh--B'Elanna!"  Tom wiped away the water that had
splashed in his face.  "I'm soaked!"

"Oops, sorry.  It was an accident."

Tom looked at his unrepentant wife and snorted.  "Right."
Then he looked down at the water pooled above his waist.
"These pants are wool, you know.  This isn't very
comfortable."

B'Elanna's smile was sultry.  "So take them off."

Tom's attention was diverted by the rivulets of water
still dripping slowly down B'Elanna's very full breasts,
and he swallowed a little.  Her breasts had become very
sensitive during pregnancy, making her more easily
aroused, though that had never been a problem for her.  Or
for himself, he thought, as he squirmed at the suddenly
tight confinement of his very wet pants.  "It'll be a
little awkward in here."

"We've managed quite well before."

Yes, they had.  "But you weren't seven months pregnant,"
he pointed out.  Recently making love had become a little
more cumbersome for her.

B'Elanna leaned forward, despite the size of her belly,
and placed a suggestive hand on a particularly sensitive
part of his anatomy, causing him to take a sharp breath.
"You're very creative, Tom.  I'm sure you can come up with
something."

Tom grinned.  "I suppose it would be a shame to waste all
those candles.  But we don't have any bubbles."

"I think we can make do without the bubbles this time.
Now...take off your pants."

Her voice brooked no argument--as if he'd put up one--and
though it was a bit of a struggle he finally managed to
remove his sodden pants and briefs, along with his t-
shirt.  Then he slipped back into the tub and wrapped his
arms around her.  "If we're going to be occupied with
child-rearing for the next eighteen years, we'd better
make this count."

B'Elanna laughed.  "Do you think we'll never have sex
again, Tom?"

He smirked.  "Well, probably not twice a day anymore."

B'Elanna smiled and pulled him closer.  "I hate to think
how we're going to suffer.  You're right, we'd better make
the most this evening."

They proceeded to do just that.  And B'Elanna was right
too--Tom was nothing if not creative.

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The End