The BLTS Archive - Soulmates:
Unexpected Crossroads
by JanitaMB, a.k.a. Blackcat (janitamb@aol.com, blackcat66@email.com)

---

Disclaimer:  The characters are the property of Paramount. I just like
playing with them a little. I'm not making any money off of this, and
neither is Paramount.

WARNING:   This story involves intimate and sexual relationships
between couples of the same sex. If this doesn't float your boat,
don't read it. If you are under the age of 18, leave now while you
still can. Rated NC-17 for graphic sexual encounters.

Author's Notes:   I've finally finished the sequel to "Soul Mates".
Buying a home and combining two families has left little room for
writing this year. But now that my life has settled down a bit, I hope
to be writing more soon. I think my writing has improved some since
"Soul Mates" (my first slash story ever). I hope you enjoy it.
Feedback is desperately craved.

Additional Notes:  Please remember that this is an alternate universe
story. Some events and/or characters do not have canon references.
That's the joy of AU stories - you get to use your imagination more.
=0)  Also, I'm not very technically oriented, so if anything involving
the use of technology doesn't make sense, I apologize. This story has
not been beta read. I've read it, and re-read it, and I hope I caught
all the typo's, repeats, etc. If not, again, I apologize. At any rate,
I hope you enjoy it.   And constructive criticism is always welcome.

---

I was awakened from sleep by light kisses on my lips and neck. As I
slowly gained awareness, I remembered that today was my day off. It
was my intention to sleep in until... whenever I felt like getting out
of bed. B'Elanna, as always, had other plans. It had been a year and a
half since B'Elanna and I began our relationship. Our time spent on
Xavier III is where our relationship blossomed. She is so wonderful
and beautiful. I'm so thankful she is in my life.

B'Elanna has an insatiable sexual appetite, which usually reaches its
peak early in the morning. When we first began our relationship, I was
in sickbay every week getting energy boosters, until my system could
keep up with the extra exertion. You should have seen the look on the
Doc's face when I explained to him why I needed them.

"Hmmmm, you smell so good..." she murmured between inhaling deeply
around my neck. She apparently let herself into my quarters with the
intent on having her way with me. I could feel her pressing against me
and moaned in spite of myself at her touch.

"What time is it?" I asked in a rather sluggish voice.

"It's 6:30 in the morning," B'Elanna whispered, continuing to nuzzle
my neck, completely ignoring my current state of consciousness.

B'Elanna, I'm so sleepy,"

"I don't care, Jadzia. You know how I am in the mornings after pulling
an all-nighter in engineering. All I could think of last night was how
you feel, smell, taste..." she murmured against my skin, her tongue
flowing leisurely along my ear which she knew drove me crazy.

I gasped and wrapped my arms around her running my hands up and down
her bare back and hips. Her skin felt so good, soft like silk, and I
almost lost my composure completely before I replied, "but I was going
to sleep in today..."

"You can sleep later," she growled and claimed my lips on hers,
parting them with her tongue. She always did this to me and I couldn't
resist. I was hopelessly taken in as she worked her wonders on my
body, pulling away from my lips, and kissing her way down my neck, to
my breasts. She briefly nuzzled the all ready hard nipples, and then
sucked at them gently through my satin nightgown until I was writhing
beneath her.

"Ohhh B'Elanna, why do you do this to me every morning?" I asked as
coherently as I could.

She removed the straps of my gown past my shoulders, saying, "Because
I find you irresistible. Besides, you love it, don't you?"

"You know me too well.... uhhh" was my gasping reply as she sucked my
other nipple into her mouth while one hand ventured between my legs
beginning to lightly stroke the soft pink wetness. Her fingers entered
my body and my back arched at the feel of it.

"You know I can't resist you Jadzia," she whispered in my ear as she
continued her insistent caress. She sat straddle my thigh and I raised
it so it would press against the softness between her legs.

She gasped and threw her head back at the sensation and began to move
her body along my thigh in slow rocking motions, all the while never
ending the mind-blowing exploration of my center.

She leaned closer to me and I was able to reach her breasts and suck
one of her dark nipples into my mouth. I heard her moan as my tongue
caressed it. I moved from her breasts up to her neck and she pulled
back, looking deep into my eyes. They were clouded with lust as her
fingers pushed in and pulled out of my body, the palm of her hand
rubbing that part of me which ached with desire. I removed my thigh,
replacing it with my hand, my fingers entering her body. I could feel
her enlarged clitoris against my palm as she continued moving, neither
of us willing to break our gaze in the other's eyes. We were both
close now. I could feel her body responding favorably to my touch,
while mine was pulsating with every stroke she made.

"So warm," she uttered in a sultry voice, "so moist, so...mine."

That did it - drove me over the edge. "B'Elanna.... I can't...hold it,
oh please..." I cried as the waves crashed through my body.

"Yes, that's it baby, ohhhhh, yesssss" she said, finally closing her
eyes as her own orgasm rippled through her, leaving her completely
exhausted. She collapsed on top of me and I brought my hand to rest on
her hip.

As our breathing slowed, she looked at me and said "Now, you can go
back to sleep love." She kissed me one last time and settled deeper
into my embrace as I threw the covers back over us and we drifted into
a deep sleep.


A few hours later we were both jolted out of bed as the ship was being
rocked repeatedly by laser fire. "All hands, battle stations," was the
order given over the ship-wide comm. We hurried to put on our uniforms
and raced out the door, heading for our respective duty stations.

After a very shaky ride in the turbo lift, I made it to the bridge and
took my place at the science station, just as Harry announced,
"Captain, we're being hailed."

"Open a channel," she commanded. "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the
Federation starship Voyager. Why have you attacked us?"

"Leave our space at once or you will be destroyed" demanded the voice
of a very hostile sounding alien, and the comm. link was severed.

"Captain, I am picking up no life signs, no planets, not even a ship,
however..." I said checking my readings a second time, "I am picking
up highly concentrated tachyon levels directly ahead."

"A cloaking device?" asked the Captain.

"Apparently so. But the levels are so highly concentrated that it
would have to be more than one ship," I voiced.

"Captain, we have visual," said Harry.

"On screen," ordered the Captain. The screen blinked on just in time
for us to see five ships shimmer into view. They were shaped like
giant saucers, and had a faint metallic glow about them.

"Captain, the ships are powering weapons," was Tuvok's warning.

"Ready phasers and fire on my mark only," was her reply. "Mr. Kim, try
hailing them again."

"Aye Captain. They are responding."

"On screen," ordered Janeway

The screen revealed a hooded individual with its face shadowed, making
it impossible to tell what it looked like. The alien sounded feminine,
but with the different races Voyager had encountered, you couldn't
tell the gender by just the sound of a voice.

"I am Ke'Meka of the Vulklinan Empire. You have invaded our space and
will be destroyed if you do not leave immediately."

"We thought we had entered an uninhabited region of space. We didn't
mean to trespass, we were just passing through attempting to get
home," was the Captain's reply.

The sound of the alien's voice changed from hostile to scrutinizing as
it said, "Your ship is unfamiliar to us. How far away from home are
you?"

"Unfortunately, we are approximately 65 thousand light years away from
home. We will not invade your space any longer if you wish us to
leave."

The Captain of the alien ship appeared to look past Captain Janeway to
Tuvok, although due to the shadow, it was difficult to tell. The alien
confirmed my suspicions by asking, "Are you a Vulcan?"

Tuvok raised an eyebrow at this question while the captain answered,
"Why yes, he's our Chief of Security, why?"

"Our sensors indicate you also have someone with Klingon DNA on board.
Can we see him?"

"It's a *her* and may I ask the reason for this inquiry?" asked the
Captain beginning to get a little concerned.

While removing her hood, the alien moved forward out of the shadows to
reveal a humanoid female that had the remarkable resemblance of a
Klingon and Vulcan combined. Her jet-black hair was cut round across
her forehead, but came down long and wavy in the back past her
shoulders. She had light bronze skin like that of B'Elanna, ridges in
her forehead and azure eyes with dark eyebrows that peaked upward. Her
hair was pulled back on the sides to reveal pointed ears, and she was
very beautiful. Her demeanor changed from scrutinizing to diplomatic
as she said, "It is a rather lengthy story Captain Janeway. Please
accept our apologies for our hostile behavior. We have never seen a
ship like yours before and have come across very volatile situations
recently. Please, allow us to escort you to our planet so we can aid
in repairing your ship and replenishing your supplies if needed. Once
we get there, our Ambassador will explain the reasons behind our line
of questioning."

"That's very generous of you Captain. Thank you." and the links were
closed.

I could tell by the look on the Captain's face that this presented a
most intriguing situation. Here we are in the middle of the Delta
quadrant and these people know what a Vulcan and a Klingon are? And on
top of all this, the way this woman looked? This was turning out to be
a very interesting day indeed. *So much for my day off* I thought as
the Captain called a meeting of the senior officers.

We all entered the briefing room and took our seats. B'Elanna, coming
from engineering, was the last to enter and she took a seat next to
me. The Captain began to bring B'Elanna up to speed as to the recent
conversation with our possible new ally.

"She knew I was Klingon?"

"Apparently so, Lieutenant," answered the Captain, "and she knew
Commander Tuvok was Vulcan just by looking at him."

"Captain, once she began making her observations, I ran a DNA scan of
her and her ship's compliment. She and her crew all have both Klingon
and Vulcan DNA." I confirmed.

Incredulous looks spread across everyone's face. "Well, it would seem
that we weren't the only ones from the Alpha Quadrant stranded out
here." Janeway noted.

"Wait Captain, could this possibly be some sort of elaborate trick?"
asked Chakotay "We've seen stranger things happen to us out here. You
know some alien races have ulterior motives. They could be planning to
commandeer our ship."

"I doubt that, Chakotay," I replied. "If they wanted our ship, they
wouldn't have demanded we leave their space."

"I agree," Harry said. "According to the scans I ran of their ship,
except for very minute difference, their technology is on the same
level as ours."

"Captain, I think the Commander has a point," said Tom. "We could be
entering into a potentially dangerous situation."

"Agreed," replied the Captain. "I'll request that their Ambassador be
transported here so we can get acquainted. If they comply and if their
story corresponds with our theory, I'll request that they submit to a
full medical scan to determine on a deeper molecular level that they
are in fact Vulcan and/or Klingon. We'll see where it goes from
there."

We all nodded and Janeway dismissed us from the briefing room.

---

About an hour later we arrived at a beautiful M-Class planet. It
looked very much like earth, with green patches indicating land and
blue indicating large bodies of water. It made many of the crew more
homesick than ever. Shortly after our arrival Captain Ke'Meka was
beamed aboard, accompanied by another female, Ambassador T'Ipana. Both
looked similar in appearance, except the Ambassador's complexion was
darker and she was older, more refined. Her hair was the same texture
but was a silvery-gray. At the request of the Captain, all of the
senior officers filed into the briefing room once more. B'Elanna was
last to enter, and her arrival, like Tuvok's, prompted a visual
response from both visitors. However, the look from Captain Ke'Meka
was slightly more intense. Before I had a chance to further explore my
thoughts about her, the Captain introduced us all, and in less than an
hour all of our questions were answered.

"I know you have many questions about my people Captain," began the
Ambassador, "I will try to answer your questions by telling you our
story - a story that has been passed down by our people for many
generations."

"Our people, like you and your crew Captain, came from the Alpha
quadrant. Our Vulcan ancestors were on a scouting mission when they
encountered some sort of spatial anomaly that threw them and another
ship, a Klingon vessel, here. You can imagine their surprise at
meeting each other. This happened sometime during the Vulcan year
2063."

"An anomaly, what kind of anomaly?" B'Elanna asked.

"They discovered that the anomaly was actually a worm hole, but
different from any one they had encountered at the time. Most
wormholes discovered would allow you to get close to the opening and
make a choice whether to go in or not - but not this one. Once their
ship was within a certain range, the gravitational pull of it locked
onto both ships. There was nothing either crew could do to break the
stronghold the wormhole had on them, and they were literally pulled
into it. Once through, they realized they were deposited in the Delta
Quadrant. Both ships attempted to enter the phenomenon again, but to
no avail. It turned out both ends of the wormhole were unstable.

The Klingon vessel had been deposited in the Delta Quadrant two weeks
before the Vulcans were, from a different area of the Alpha Quadrant.

"That's amazing," said the Captain. "The Federation didn't make first
contact with the Klingons until the year 2218. And ironically, 2063
was the year that the Vulcans made first contact with Earth."

"The Vulcans discovered that the Klingon's had sent a probe through
only to find that not only did the probe land somewhere else in the
Delta Quadrant, but that the wormhole on this end moved out of this
area completely. That is until it deposited the Vulcan ship here."

I listened adamantly as the Ambassador told her incredible story. "How
did you end up on this planet?" I asked, noting how the Klingon/Vulcan
captain seemed almost fascinated by B'Elanna.

"Well, the situation didn't give them many options," the Ambassador
continued, "the only one at that time was to get home any way they
could. So the Vulcan's along with the Klingons came to an agreement
that it would be illogical to work against one another, so they,
working together, set a course for the Alpha quadrant.

About 20 years into their journey, they came across this planet. Both
ships were having population problems. Babies were being born at an
alarming rate, even for the Vulcans. Each ship was beginning to run
out of space. There was also the problem of finding suitable supplies
for both ships as well. So, through mutual agreement of both crews, we
settled on this planet."

"I bet that wasn't easy," said B'Elanna. "Klingons of that era were
just as hostile as they are now."

"Oh no, not easy by any means," answered Captain Ke'Meka. "We went
through centuries of hardships and prejudice against one another. For
many years we lived on this planet separated from one another,
fighting hopeless wars in order to take possession of the other race's
land. And then one day, several hundred years ago, after our 2nd
planetary war, the leaders of our people decided that it was pointless
for us to continue fighting against each other. They signed a peace
treaty and even though some were against it, we combined forces and
became one government. We intermingled and as a result, we've become a
prosperous new world. Our leaders changed our name to Vulklinan as a
symbol of who we are, and how far our people have come." She
concluded.

"Are their still pure Vulcans and Klingons on your planet?" inquired
Tuvok

"Yes, our elders," replied the Ambassador.

"And they don't have a problem with you being a combined race?" asked
B'Elanna.

"There may be a few who have found it difficult to revolutionize the
old ways of thinking, but the majority of our planet's population have
adjusted. As Ke'Meka said before, it was deemed pointless to have such
prejudices against one another.

We've lived in peace and harmony for many decades now. We are a much
better and prosperous people as a result," the Ambassador replied. She
looked at B'Elanna closely and inquired, "You are not full Klingon,
are you?"

"No. My mother was Klingon, my father was human," B'Elanna replied
nervously.

"So your people have learned to work and live together as well?"

"Yes," Janeway answered, "although, like your people, it wasn't easy.
The Federation was at war with the Klingons for years before we began
working together."

"Interesting," she said. "Captain, please accept our apologies for the
earlier attack made on your ship. As promised, we will help you with
any repairs you may need, and replenish your supplies if necessary."

"That is very generous of you, Ambassador," the Captain replied. "I do
have one request of you. Would you and Captain Ke'Meka be willing to
undergo a medical scan so we can verify your story? I don't mean to
sound as if we don't believe you, but you must understand that our
ship has run into hostile situations as well on our journey home. It
would put us at ease if..."

"Say no more, Captain. We will be happy to submit to a medical scan."

"Thank you. I will escort you to our Sickbay, and then I'll give you a
tour of our ship." The Captain gestured for both visitors to exit the
briefing room and dismissed us.


B'Elanna and I went back to her quarters, while the rest of the senior
staff returned to their duty stations.

Even though the ride in the turbo-lift was brief, it seemed to last an
eternity. B'Elanna was in deep thought - no doubt trying to assimilate
all of the information we just learned. It posed an interesting
situation for her and possibly a chance to meet with more of her
people.

It also seemed to come with the added problem of a rival for me.
Captain Ke'Meka's reaction to B'Elanna had me more than a little
concerned, and B'Elanna's silence now was unsettling. Finally we
arrived at our deck and proceeded to B'Elanna's cabin.

"That was an incredible story," I said, still trying to comprehend it
all.

"Yes it was. I've never known of any Vulcans and Klingons becoming
mates in the Alpha quadrant."

"One thing's for sure," I said, "as far as physical appearance, they
are beautiful people. Captain Ke'Meka is very attractive."

B'Elanna, for a brief instant, looked at me as if I was insane. "Well,
everyone has an opinion" she said with a sarcastic undertone. It was
enough to ease my fears about B'Elanna's reaction to Captain Ke'Meka.
As far as I was concerned, B'Elanna was my mate, and as much as I
tried, it seemed that I couldn't avoid the cloud of jealously and
possessiveness that threatened to engulf me. Lucky for me, B'Elanna
was totally unaware of how I felt.

I didn't want B'Elanna anywhere near the Klingon/Vulcan Captain.
However, I did want her to learn more and have pride about her
heritage. "B'Elanna, if we are granted shore leave on this planet,
would you like to go down and meet some of your people?"

"I don't know, Jadzia. You know how I feel about Klingons."

"But you're half Klingon. It's part of you whether you want to
acknowledge it or not. I thought it might be a good time for you to
gain knowledge of your people. Besides, they are part Vulcan as well.
You may learn a lot from them," I replied. "I would like to see if
they practice the same teachings and culture as their counterparts in
the alpha quadrant."

"Look Jadzia, I know you are fascinated by Klingons, but I'm not," she
stated with mild irritation. "One of the things I've hated about being
Klingon is that I have such a hard time controlling my emotions. I
don't want to be around other Klingons and be reminded even more of
how inferior I am."

"B'Elanna, what are you talking about? You are not inferior to anyone,
least of all those on the planet. The majority of them aren't even
full Klingon."

"No, their half Vulcan, which means that they probably have the
ability to control their emotions 10 times better than I do."

B'Elanna paused for a moment as if thinking about my suggestion.
Finally she said, "Jadzia, can't we just drop it for now? Is this a
decision I have to make right this minute?"

"No it isn't," I said sounding somewhat defeated. "But I want you to
think about it, ok?"

"Ok, I will," she conceded, however, I knew it was going to be like
participating in a cat fight to get her to go down to the surface. I'd
have to think of something to pique her interest enough to go down
there, even though I didn't have a clue as to how I would do it.
B'Elanna was still tired from working all night in Engineering, and I
was up and wide awake as a result of our new first contact. I was also
very hungry. It was time for lunch so I suggested to B'Elanna that she
get some sleep while I got some food. I left her sleeping in her
quarters, and headed for the Mess Hall.

I entered the mess hall, selected some food from the assorted choices,
and joined Chakotay and Tom at their table. "Hey Jadzia," Tom said,
"Are we still on for bat'leth training?"

"Sure," I replied. "At 1630, holodeck 2."

"I'll be there." Tom said with a smile.

"I didn't know you were taking bat'leth training, Tom," said Chakotay.

"I just decided too. Since Jadzia got permission from the Captain to
start the class, I've been meaning to sign up, just never had the
time," Tom said. "So what did you think of the Ambassador's story?"

"I thought it was incredible," I admitted.  Tom and Chakotay both
nodded in agreement.  "I'm extremely intrigued by the fact that
Klingons and Vulcans have worked together so well."

"I know what you mean," said Chakotay. "Of the many races in the
entire galaxy, who would have thought opposites such as Klingons and
Vulcans could combine and live in harmony?"

"I wish I could talk B'Elanna into going down to the surface with me."

"Why won't she go?" Tom asked.

"Well you know B'Elanna. She runs from anything that comes even
remotely close to her Klingon heritage," I said. "I've got to find a
way to peak her interests. Any ideas guys?"

"Why don't you ask her to teach one of your bat'leth classes?" Chakotay
said. "As I recall she's pretty good with the weapon. It may even help
to build her confidence."

"That's a good idea. I'll ask her," I said, sounding resolute, even
though I knew her first reaction would be something along the lines of
"hell no". I knew I would have to do something to convince her to
teach a class, but before I could formulate a plan, the Captain's
voice could be heard over the ship-wide comm. requesting the senior
staff to report to the briefing room in 20 minutes.

The meeting was short. We were to accompany her down to the planet at
0800 the next day for a diplomatic away mission. The Elders were
especially interested in meeting Tuvok and B'Elanna.

---

At 0800 B'Elanna and I entered the transporter room and beamed down
with the rest of the away team. Ambassador T'lpana, Captain Ke'Meka,
and another female greeted us. As the Ambassador began the
introductions, I noticed how intensely Ke'Meka looked at B'Elanna. She
appeared to be silently making note of her looks, skimming her up and
down with her eyes and a slight smirk on her lips. Even though it
never showed on my face, I didn't like the way she kept eyeing
B'Elanna. My defenses went up immediately and I unconsciously moved
closer to my lover. Only my experience as a Starfleet officer kept me
from possessively wrapping my arm around her waist. My thoughts,
however, were interrupted by the Ambassador's introductions.

"Captain Janeway, you've met Captain Ke'Meka, this is her first
officer, Commander E'Vonna.

The Captain greeted her, and then introduced us to the Commander. She
was beautiful. Her skin was slightly darker than B'Elanna's, and her
Klingon side was definitely more distinct than her Vulcan, physically.
She wore her hair long in back, and cut round her forehead, but her
ridges were more obvious than the other two officers. Her hair was jet
black with deep waves, and her eyes were brown, with the most exotic
shape I'd ever seen on a Klingon or Vulcan. Although her looks were
startling, she did no more for me than anyone else. I only had eyes
for B'Elanna. I didn't know it at the time, however, that Commander
E'Vonna had eyes for me. I couldn't see past the fact that the Captain
of this planet's flagship was visually coming on to B'Elanna.

I never considered myself the jealous type. I'd always been very sure
of myself - even talked myself into believing that I didn't need
anyone in my life at one time - that my life was full enough without
the added stress of a romance. But I had been wrong. Life gets lonely
at times. And B'Elanna was more than just a diversion. She had become
my soul mate, and the thought of anyone trying to take her from me
ignited a rage within that I hadn't felt before in my entire
existence.

The day's events consisted of a light breakfast, followed by a tour of
their Historical Museum, which included holographic images of their
earlier time on the planet. Vulcans hadn't changed much over the
years, but Klingons did. I smiled at how B'Elanna marveled at her
ancestors. She noticed how similar to humans they appeared back then,
and more than once I caught her placing her hand over her forehead
silently comparing herself with them.

After the tour, B'Elanna and Harry were led away by Captain Ke'Meka
and introduced to the engineering team that would help repair Voyager.
Commander E'Vonna took Tom and me on a tour of the planet's shipyard.
Since we were the two senior pilots on Voyager, Captain Janeway felt
it beneficial that we see the shipyard and maybe discover improvements
for our shuttles. Since our technology was so similar to that of
Vulklinan, we were given the go ahead to share ideas and/or
technology.

It seemed like forever before we rejoined the rest of the away team.
Tom kept me amused with his light banter, and the tour was really
quite interesting. We even learned of ways to improve our shuttles.
But my thoughts kept returning to the fact that B'Elanna was alone
with Captain Ke'Meka. Well, not really alone...Harry was with them,
but still, I didn't like it. I was relieved when we returned. The look
on B'Elanna's face at first glance appeared annoyed, however she
quickly changed her expression when she saw me. Her face visibly lit
up, which gave me an unexplainable rush of joy.

I walked over to her, wanting to touch her so badly, and I saw in her
eyes the need to do the same to me. But, like good officers, we
refrained. As the Ambassador spoke to Janeway about dinner
arrangements for the crew, I could hear B'Elanna's light growling next
to me. It was low enough so only I could hear it, but it made me
painfully aware of something - B'Elanna was in full Klingon arousal
mode. I couldn't contain the smile that escaped my ordinarily
controlled features, as I glanced at her, anticipating the time
between now and dinner.

We were to beam down to the planet and attend a diplomatic banquet in
our honor later on that evening. Once the away team returned to
Voyager, we were on our own time until then. B'Elanna had to check in
on her staff in engineering. Then, she would meet me in my quarters
before we had to go back to the surface. I entered my quarters,
heading straight for the shower when the beep of the computer console
caught my attention. Commander E'Vonna was trying to contact me.

Intrigued by this, I answered. "Lieutenant Dax here,"

The face of the striking Klingon appeared on the screen. "Lieutenant,
I'm glad you're there. I trust you remember me."

"Of course, Commander," I replied. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to know if you will be attending the function this
evening. Please don't disappoint me and tell me you won't be."

I took that statement for what it was, flirting. Smiling in spite of
myself, I said, "Yes, I'll be attending."

"Excellent," she answered. "And in case your Captain didn't inform
you, the attire is informal. No uniforms." As I nodded, she said, "I'm
looking forward to this evening. I want to hear all about you and the
Trill species."

"Your culture intrigues me as well, Commander," I replied honestly,
"I'll see you tonight."

"I'm looking forward to it." And with an almost sultry grin, she ended
the transmission.

This evening would prove to be quite interesting. It was obvious now,
that Commander E'Vonna was pursuing me. But my motives for interacting
with her were different. I truly wanted to know more about her
culture. The thought of Vulcan/Klingon hybrids living in harmony was
fascinating to me and I was certain in the long run that any
information I would obtain would help B'Elanna with her self-esteem
concerning her heritage.

E'Vonna was the least of my worries. There was still the fact that
Captain Ke'Meka was after B'Elanna, and I vowed to do something about
that. I decided to take a real water shower instead of a sonic one. I
was tense and silently berated myself for it being due to, of all
things, jealousy. As I stepped in and let the hot water spray my body,
I told myself I had nothing to worry about. B'Elanna would not be
interested in that woman. I was concerned over nothing.

This helped and I could feel the tension seeping away from my body.
After several minutes went by, I squeezed some soap out of the
dispenser on the shower wall and began to lather myself. I was
attempting to clean my back when I felt a cool breeze. Mere seconds
later, I felt a warm body on my backside and familiar arms circle my
waist. A vibration against my back, almost like purring let me know
that my lover was still very much in the mood. She gently nipped my
shoulder, and then murmured, "Let me get that for you."

She took the washcloth I had and began washing my back in slow sensual
strokes. Then after a time, the washcloth disappeared and I could only
feel the silkiness of her hands as the soap rinsed off of me and down
the drain.

She once again pressed her body against my back. I could feel the soft
curves of her hips and the fullness of her breasts on my skin and,
immediately, I wanted her. I closed my eyes as she reached in front of
me, caressing my nipples with one hand, while the other slipped
between my legs. I moaned softly as she stroked me, and she said, "Do
you have any idea what you do to me?"

Smiling, I turned toward her and slowly let my hand descend down her
chest, past her stomach, until it was between her legs and my fingers
were stroking the moist, silken skin I found there. "I think I have a
pretty good idea," I answered as she gasped. Then she pulled my head
down for a deep fervent kiss.

We kissed and stroked one another for such a long time I lost all
sense of reality. Finally we pulled apart and she began kissing my
neck - marking me with her teeth as she continued her intimate caress
of my vulva. When she pushed two of her fingers inside me I cried out
at the incredible sensation.

My back arched off of the shower wall as I felt her warm tongue on my
nipples. With her wondrous mouth sucking them and the welcome invasion
of her fingers filling me while slowly pistoning my center, I reached
my climax, her name spilling from my lips as wave after wave rushed
through me.

Slowly I recovered as B'Elanna rinsed us both and turned off the
water. She grabbed a towel and dried herself first, then afterward me.
As we stepped out of the shower I heard her ask the computer for the
time.

"The time is 1700 hours," replied the computer.

"Perfect." B'Elanna pulled me into the bedroom saying, "We have almost
two hours before we have go down to the planet."

By now I had recovered from the incredible orgasm. With a grin on my
face, I semi-roughly pulled her close to me and began kissing her
neck. Grabbing the hair on the back of her head and pulling back
gently, I asked, "Have any ideas as to what we could do with all this
extra time?"

"Oh yesss," she hissed.

I maneuvered her to the bed and lay on top of her, kissing and
touching her beautiful brown skin. I sucked on her breasts, enjoying
the sensation of the nipples hardening in my mouth as I pushed her
legs apart and began lightly stroking the outer lips, going deeper
until my fingers found the soft pink wetness I longed to feel. This
fueled the fire building within her even more and she tried to take
control and roll me over on my back.

Her attempt was futile. Pinning her to the bed, I said huskily, "Not
before I have my way."

"Before you have your way? Then have it!" she growled, glaring at me
with hunger in her eyes.

Returning my hand between her legs, I pushed two fingers inside her
and watched her face contort in ecstasy as her back arched and she
cried out. "Look at me," I ordered. Breathing heavily, she did as I
asked.

"What?" she asked her voice throaty and insistent.

I slowly pushed my fingers in and pulled them out once. "Who do you
belong to?"

"You" she sighed as I duplicated the stroke my fingers made.

"Say it again," I demanded, pushing them in deeply once more.

"You!" she growled as she pushed against my invading fingers. "I'm
yours!"

"Yes, mine," and as I repeatedly plunged in and out of her, I latched
on to one of her nipples, alternating between biting and sucking which
I knew always drove her crazy.

"Yesss" she hissed as she felt my thumb began to rub her swollen
clitoris. Her hips began a sensual rhythm, gyrating to the strokes of
my thumb and I knew her climax was nearing. I felt her inner walls
begin to tense and tighten around my fingers, as I kissed her mouth,
plunging my tongue deep inside.

She moaned in spite of my assault on her mouth then pulled away,
shouting as her orgasm claimed her. I continued massaging her until
she was completely spent and fell limp on the bed beneath me.

Reluctantly I withdrew my fingers, and settled next to her on the bed.
She was immediately in my arms and I could feel her breath on my
breast as she whispered endearments.

"What did you say, B'Ela?"

"I was just thanking Kahless that you're in my life," she replied
softly.

I hugged her tighter and said, "Me to, love, because if we weren't
together, I'd still adore you from afar. And I'd be in agony -
especially now that were here orbiting this planet."

B'Elanna looked at me with concern in her eyes. "What does this planet
have to do with anything?"

"Lots of competition. All these beautiful Klingon/Vulcan women."

She lifted herself up and stared at me in disbelief. "You can't be
serious. Believe me, I have absolutely no interest in any of them."

"I wish I could say the same about them toward you." I turned away
from her slightly, not wanting to look into her eyes. But she wasn't
having any of that.

"Jadzia, look at me." As I turned she said, "Exactly whom are we
talking about here? Are you jealous of someone on the planet?"

"No! No, of course not!" I said as I sat up, flushing out of
embarrassment. Then looking into her eyes, I couldn't lie to her any
longer. "Well, okay, yeah. There is someone on the planet who's been
looking a little too hard at you, and it's driving me nuts."

"Who?"

"Captain Ke'Meka."

"You're joking, right?" she asked with skepticism. She looked into my
eyes and knew I wasn't. "Jadzia, you have nothing to worry about. I
have absolutely no interest in her - in anyone but you."

I pulled her close to me and nuzzled her hair as she settled deeper in
my embrace. I felt so stupid being jealous of someone who hadn't so
much as made a pass at her.

"Maybe I'm being ridiculous," I said, trying to save face.

"Maybe," she agreed, "but love makes the ridiculous seem rational. If
it were reversed, I know I'd feel the same way. Only I wouldn't waste
time analyzing the feeling. I'd just punch their brains out and that
would be the end of it."

I laughed out loud at that statement and I could feel her chuckling
softly against me. "Everything is going to be fine isn't it," I
stated.

"Of course." Then she sat up and looked deeply into my eyes. "You're
the one I want," she stated meaningfully. "Nothing will ever change
that, baby. Nothing."

I felt such overwhelming love for her at that moment, I rolled over on
top of her and kissed her softly for a long time, attempting to
portray all that I felt for her in that one kiss as we tenderly
embraced one another.

---

The time passed too quickly. Later that evening, we dressed and went
down to the planet. I wore a suit that I replicated from an old 20th
century design I found in the database. It was a white satin jump suit
with an elastic waist. The legs of the pants were baggy at the thighs
and were sewn close around the ankle. The top was sleeveless with a
high neckline and a plunging v-cut in the back. It was an outfit that
B'Elanna dubbed as her favorite. I wore my hair down, and pulled back
away from my face, instead of my usual ponytail.

B'Elanna wore a simple black dress that came just above her knees,
with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline in front. She was
absolutely beautiful.

We walked in and immediately headed toward our familiar group. They
were all seated at a large table with the ambassador.

Tuvok was in conversation with one of the officials - Commander Sugot
of a ship called the Delvon. He was very handsome. Like the others, he
was a Klingon/Vulcan mixture and seemed fascinated with Tuvok being
pure Vulcan. Ensign Kim sat close to Tuvok as he conversed with the
Commander. He and Tuvok began their relationship shortly before
Chakotay and Janeway had to be left on New Earth. From the look on
Harry's face, he seemed slightly uncomfortable with Tuvok talking to
the Commander. Maybe I wasn't the only one with insecurities about
being on a planet filled with Klingon/Vulcan hybrids.

On the other side of the table Commander E'Vonna sat and once she
sighted us, motioned for us to sit in two empty seats next to her. Her
beauty was startling as she wore a Vulcan style turquoise robe trimmed
in gold. "I'm so glad you came, Lieutenant Dax."

"I'm glad I could make it as well. You remember B'Elanna Torres, she's
my..." but before I could finish my introduction, Captain Ke'Meka
appeared at the table.

"I certainly remember your Chief Engineer." The Captain was almost
regal in her appearance, wearing a cross between a Vulcan robe of
black and gold, with black, finger-less, arm-length gloves adorned in
gold spikes similar to that part of a Klingon warriors uniform. Her
hair was pulled back, revealing pointed ears, and her mild ridges were
covered slightly by the jet-black hair cut around her forehead. She
was truly a beautiful woman and had a commanding air about her. And,
in spite of myself, I felt her to be formidable competition. She
smiled warmly at all of us, but her gaze lingered on B'Elanna. It made
my blood burn.

"So, B'Elanna," she began, since you are a Klingon/Human hybrid, do
you find it difficult to control your Klingon side as I do?"

"Well, to be honest, all the time," B'Elanna answered, intrigued that
she actually had something in common with the Klingons on the planet.
"I would think that because you're part Vulcan, you could control your
emotions easier."

"On the contrary. Sometimes it's more difficult. Vulcans weren't
always able to control their feelings. It's a constant battle with
some of us to be able to do so. Especially when the mating season is
near."

I didn't like where Ke'Meka was going with this and was about to
interrupt her when E'Vonna captured my attention.

"Lieutenant...may I call you Jadzia?"

"Of course."

"Jadzia, I must be honest with you. When I called you on your ship, my
intentions weren't purely diplomatic. Actually, I find you extremely
fascinating. You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. It's
rare for our people to have such blue eyes."

Against my will, I blushed - my spots involuntarily darkened at her
praise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you," she said.

"No, on the contrary, I find what you said very flattering. Thank
you," I replied, B'Elanna's conversation with Ke'Meka almost
forgotten.

"I've done some reading in your database about your species. You're
the only one of your kind here?"

"Yes, unfortunately. My people are in the Alpha quadrant."

"It must be difficult for you to find a mate."

"Actually, no it's not. My people have intermingled among different
humanoid species for centuries."

"Fascinating," she replied with interest. "Unfortunately, I haven't
found anyone I'd was interested in among my people or otherwise. That
is...until now." She smiled sweetly and rested her hand on mine.

I knew if B'Elanna saw that, there would be hell to pay. But before I
could say anything, her expression changed. She appeared almost
disappointed as she stated, "You have a mate, don't you?"

I was taken aback. "Why, yes. I was about to tell you. How did you
know?"

"I could sense it when I touched you. It's B'Elanna, isn't it?"

"Sensed it? How...Oh, a trait you picked up from your Vulcan side, I
gather?"

"Yes. And I find no honor in breaking up a couple." She removed her
hand from mine and stared into her lap for a long moment.

"I'm sorry, E'Vonna." I felt morose for her. She seemed so nice. It
would be a shame if she couldn't find someone. "Maybe in another time,
I would have been able to accept you as a mate. But under the
circumstances..." I trailed off.

"I sense that you are a good person, Jadzia, and extremely loving to
B'Elanna. It's an honorable quality, and I would never come between
the two of you." She paused briefly, considering her words carefully,
and said, "But perhaps we could be friends?"

Warmly, I replied, "Of course. And besides, there's still a lot about
your culture I would like to learn. Maybe you could tell me."

E'Vonna regarded me with gratitude in her eyes. "So, what would you
like to know first?"

Before I could answer her, I heard B'Elanna state, with obvious
irritation "With all due respect, Captain Ke'Meka, that is absolutely
none of your business."

"What's the problem?" I asked, adrenalin beginning to race through my
veins.

"Captain Ke'Meka was coming on to me.  I told her I wasn't interested,
but apparently she can't take 'no' for an answer!" B'Elanna was taking
it quite well under the circumstances, however I wasn't. I still
didn't know what was said to B'Elanna that caused her to make that
earlier statement, but at that point, I didn't care. I was ready for a
fight now.

"All right, that's it." I stood up and gave Ke'Meka an icy glare.
"I've watched you eyeing B'Elanna for two days and, suffice it to say,
you're beginning to piss me off. Now, I warning you, back off!"

Ke'Meka regarded me with barely concealed contempt. "Whether or not
you're angry is irrelevant to me. You have no right to speak to me in
such a fashion. I clearly out-rank you, Lieutenant."

"Your rank has nothing to do with it," I replied as we both stood and
faced one another. "You propositioned her, and she's with me. So, like
I said before - back off!"

Before anything else could be voiced, Captain Janeway rushed over.
"Lieutenant, what the hell is going on here?"

Commander E'Vonna immediately tried to pacify the spiraling issue by
attempted to make her Captain see reason. "Sir, they are not of our
species. Their customs are different than ours."

"It should not matter!" Ke'Meka shouted. "She is Klingon, and my
decision is made."

"What decision?" Captain Janeway demanded. By now, the entire room was
quiet, and everyone from Voyager was standing - ready for a possible
fight. "Captain Ke'Meka, I think you'd better explain."

E'Vonna, obviously the more clearer thinking of the two said, "Captain
Janeway, among my people, we have a time when the urge to bond with
another is extremely powerful.

"Would you be referring to the Ponn Farr?" Tuvok asked.

"It is referred as that by our Vulcan elders, yes. And during the Ponn
Farr, like Vulcans we must take a mate. Thankfully, it does not
overpower us at onset as it does with pure Vulcans, but the need to
find someone grows and grows as the days pass. Captain Ke'Meka saw a
potential mate with your chief engineer."

"But she is already mated with Lieutenant Dax," Janeway assumingly
stated.

"Yes, however, in our culture, if a high standing individual, such as
a captain or admiral, or even someone from a powerful house has chosen
a mate, even if that person is already mated, the individual with
higher status has the right to sever that relationship if they
choose."

"That's insane!" I said outraged, "There is no way in hell I'm giving
up B'Elanna so this woman can have her!"

"No one makes that decision for me, but me!" B'Elanna shouted with
barely kept rage. "I don't care who you think you are - I'm not
interested in so much as a friendship with you now. I wouldn't waste
my time with such a dishonorable person." B'Elanna placed the
institution of marriage very highly. I didn't know it at the time, but
as far as she was concerned, when she uttered 'jIhdok' to me almost a
year ago, and I answered, we were together forever. I had mistakenly
thought that she said those words out of passion, but to her, she had
committed herself fully to me. She couldn't believe that these people
would actually accept a practice that would force a family apart
because of someone having a higher rank. The very thought was
appalling in her eyes.

Captain Ke'Meka's Klingon cockiness was in full view now as she turned
to B'Elanna, pulled her close to her by her arm, and said, "I like
you, young one. You are feisty and I'll bet your blood tastes sweet."

I thought I was going to explode. I reached over and brutally wrenched
her hand off of B'Elanna's arm. "Take your hands off her, you
p'taq!"

She glared at me with murder in her eyes and stated, "If you were one
of my people, I'd kill you where you stand for touching me like that!"

"Just try it!" I threatened through gritted teeth.

"Now calm down, everyone," Janeway demanded. "Captain Ke'Meka, surely
you realize we are not a part of your culture. Even Vulcans and
Klingons in the Alpha quadrant would not settle for such an unusual
cultural practice. Only under extreme circumstances would they sever
their ties with a current mate to be with someone else. The thought of
doing so is absolutely deplorable!"

"No! She is a Klingon in lower standing. Her mate is also of a lesser
rank. My decision is made. She will be mine." She made a slight
gesture and some of her crewman roughly grabbed B'Elanna and attempted
to take her away. She resisted them, and Voyager crewmembers, Paris,
Chakotay, Kim, Tuvok and Seven all stood in their way, blocking their
exit.

"When hell freezes over!" I shouted. This was turning out to be the
craziest thing I had ever been privy to. She was totally demented if
she thought that I would give B'Elanna up just because she was a
higher rank than I. "I don't give a fuck what you think or decide!
She's mine. And your cultural practices mean nothing to me!"

Now I stood face to face with a ponn farr consumed Klingon/Vulcan
hybrid and didn't have the sense to be even the slightest bit
concerned. I was in a full-blown jealous rage and was ready to kill in
order to protect what I considered mine.

"Wait!" E'Vonna shouted. "There is a way out of this."

"How?" I asked, never removing my eyes from my newfound enemy.

"If the lower ranking individual decides not to give up his or her
mate, they can participate in the ritual Ke'tal challenge. Whomever
triumphs will win the right to choose," she replied, hoping that her
Captain would see reason.

"Fine. You want a fight? You've got one! Just name the place and
time!" I shouted defiantly, "Because the only way you get B'Elanna is
if you kill me!"

"Jadzia! Are you insane?" B'Elanna shouted. "You can't fight her; it
would be an unfair match! Let me fight her!" She was so angry the
ridges on her forehead were flushed.

"No. Unfair or not, it's my fight," I replied.

Surprised by my bravado, Ke'Meka stated, "You dare to challenge me?
You?" she answered, looking at me as if I were nothing less than a
piece of lint on her uniform.

I moved toward her until we were nearly nose-to-nose. "I dare!" I
growled.

After a few moments of silence, Ke'Meka backed away from me and said
"Very well. The fight will take place two days from now. Until then,
neither you nor B'Elanna will be allowed to leave this planet."

Turning to one of the servants, she said, "Arrange quarters for them."
And with that she boldly left the banquet hall.

Afterward, the banquet resumed as if the previous interruption were an
everyday occurrence. I turned to E'Vonna and said, "I thought you said
that there was no honor in taking someone's mate."

"Unfortunately, I'm only one of a few of our people who feel this
way," she replied sadly, "And all that is reasonable is completely
forgotten when the ponn farr is involved. I'm really sorry, Jadzia."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." As I turned, preparing myself to be dressed
down by Janeway, I heard E'Vonna order the servants to find us
quarters where we could stay together and to allow us free rein of
the grounds. As far as she was concerned, we were to be treated as if
we were diplomats.

"Captain Janeway, I..." I began when she cut me off.

"Lieutenant, fortunately for us, this little incident will not harm
our diplomatic relations with this planet unless I forbid you from
participating in this challenge - and I'm not going to do that.
According to the Ambassador, this is a private matter between two
houses, so to speak." At my sigh of relief she continued with, "I do
understand what was involved, so you won't be getting a formal
reprimand from me. I myself would be just as adamant if someone were
to attempt to take my mate. Rest assured, however, that if you decide
not to do this we would immediately leave this planet without a
backward glance - B'Elanna included."

Surprised by her show of support, I replied, "Thank you, Captain, but
I not backing out of this challenge."

"Understood, Lieutenant. I just hope you know what you're doing." She
laid a sympathetic hand on my shoulder before walking toward the
Ambassador and resuming her conversation.

B'Elanna was released immediately, and she moved toward me with
concern in her eyes as everyone continued on with the banquet as if
nothing had happened. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just annoyed. The nerve of that woman."

"I agree. I feel so helpless!" she stated as she began to pace. "You
know, at first, I was warming to the idea of learning more about these
people. So far, what I've found out, I don't like."

I couldn't disagree with her there. "Well, things will get quite
interesting before this is over."

"Jadzia, how can you possibly fight this woman? And in a Ke'tal
challenge at that? She has the strength of a Klingon and a Vulcan
combined!"

"B'Elanna, don't worry. I'll be fine." I assured her. The jealousy
that I felt coupled with the fact that I can swing a bat'leth with the
best Klingon warrior would give me all the edge I'd need for this
challenge.

The rest of the evening went by without a hitch. There was an
abundance of Vulklinan delicacies to choose from and it seemed
everyone was eager to try one of each. Afterward there was further
socialization and dancing. Ke'Meka never bothered to return to the
festivities and, with the exception of the pending challenge in the
back of our minds, even B'Elanna and I managed to enjoy the event
along with everyone else.

After talking with E'Vonna once more, I discovered that there were
Vulklinans that were telepathic, and those that were not. Those that
were not telepathic appeared to carry more Klingon attributes in their
personalities. They were not very reasonable and were borderline
hostile at best. Captain Ke'Meka was such an individual. She was head
strong and fearless, which helped her achieve her standing as Captain
of this world's flagship. Commander E'Vonna was placed with her so
there would be a balance. Captain Ke'Meka needed a voice of reason at
times and E'Vonna provided that voice. Sometimes it worked, sometimes
it didn't, but, for the most part, there was harmony on her ship.

E'Vonna also confided in us during our second night on the planet,
while we were in our quarters. She had a deep desire to visit both the
Klingon and Vulcan home worlds.

"I would love to see them. To actually walk on the soils of my
ancestors is one of my life long dreams. And it would be wonderful to
learn from a pure Vulcan how to fine-tune my telepathic abilities. But
I never saw a way to do this. Until now, the stories regarding the
home worlds were regarded as myths told by our elders."

"E'Vonna, wouldn't your officials allow you to take a ship and travel
there?" I asked, trying to be optimistic.

"They won't grant me the personnel I would need. It's so far away, and
I'm sure you already know the dangers out there. I wouldn't survive
the trip alone."

"Then come with us!" B'Elanna exclaimed. "I'm sure Captain Janeway
would grant you passage on Voyager."

"I don't know if I can do that," she replied sadly. Changing the
subject, she checked the time. "It's getting late. You should rest.
The challenge takes place early tomorrow morning, and I want very much
for you to triumph."

"I find it odd that you would want Jadzia to win over your Captain,"
B'Elanna stated.

"Don't get me wrong, B'Elanna. I am loyal to Ke'Meka. She is my
Captain, and I will follow her orders when we are on assignment and in
battle. But I also provide that much needed voice of reason if I see
her doing something that could be fatal." She paused briefly,
continuing with, "This situation, however, has nothing to do with
loyalty to my Captain. This has to do with family values. You and
Jadzia are a family and nothing my Captain can say to me will justify
her breaking up such a union."

B'Elanna laid a gentle hand on E'Vonna's and said, "You are such a
good person. I hope you get whatever your heart desires."

I smiled in agreement as she stood to leave. "I wish you good fortune
in tomorrow's battle, Jadzia Dax."

"Thank you, E'Vonna. And please, think about what we said about coming
with us to the Alpha Quadrant."

Nodding, she turned and left our quarters. Then, B'Elanna and I began
to undress and prepare for bed. When our evening rituals were done
B'Elanna and I snuggled together under the thick blankets on the bed.
We lay awake for a few minutes, sleep coming slowly for both of us.

"What do you think it will be like for E'Vonna if she ever did make it
to the Klingon home world?" B'Elanna asked.

"I don't know. She'll probably be accepted, only because she's Klingon
and Vulcan. If she were Romulan, you could forget it," I replied,
remembering the deep-seated hatred that Klingons carry for Romulans.

"What about Vulcan?"

"I don't know, B'Elanna. You'd have to ask Tuvok about that one." I
smiled at the thought of B'Elanna trying to have a conversation about
Vulcan heritage with Tuvok.

"I don't know if I want to know that badly," she admitted. "But I
could always ask Harry. He could find out for me. That is, if I make
it off of this planet."

I pulled her close to me, and said "B'Elanna, don't worry. I'm going
to win this battle. And even if I don't, there is no way that Captain
Janeway would let them have you - even if it means making a new
enemy."

"If you don't win this challenge, Jadzia, I will die inside," she
stated seriously. "I can't imagine my life without you. Damn-it, I
wish I could fight in your place!"

I sat up and peered deeply into her beautiful brown eyes. "You won't
have to love, I promise." Then I kissed her deeply, and we both
settled further on the bed.

"I learned something being on this planet, however," B'Elanna said.
"I learned its not so bad being me. I may be half Klingon, but I do
have better control of my emotions than most of the Klingons on this
planet."

"I know," I said, "It's what I've been trying to convince you of all
along. You're not inferior to anyone, B'Elanna. And I hope you
continue to believe that."  I caressed her cheek with the back of my
fingers and watched as her eyes closed at my touch. Then, kissing her
forehead, I closed my eyes and we both drifted to sleep.

---

Even though I sounded so sure of myself the night before the
challenge, the day brought about a surge of anxiety. I did my best to
hide it and was secretly glad that Ke'Meka would not sense my
apprehension, had she touched me at any time.

That morning when we woke, the servants brought in the outfit I was to
wear during the battle - a traditional Klingon warrior's uniform with
one slight difference - instead of the large bulky boots we were to
wear soft soled, flat boots that made for better agility. Strangely
enough, wearing the uniform was extremely comforting to me. When I put
it on and stepped out of the sleeping area, I said to B'Elanna, "Well,
how do I look?"

She took one look at me and a slow sultry grin crossed her lips.
"Oooh, I love a woman in warrior garb."

She rose from her seat and walked toward me. When she was within arms
reach I grabbed her around her waist, pulling her close to me and
kissed her hard on the lips. "I'll be back soon, love," I said.

"I know you will be," B'Elanna replied confidently.

I was escorted outside to a large open arena. There was a crowd of at
least 1000, all shouting and excited at the nature of the challenge.
Captain Ke'Meka was apparently from a very powerful house on
Vulklinan. So everyone who heard about the event came out of their way
to witness it. In the center of the arena was a large circle lined
with short torches. That would be where the fight would take place.
The first challenger either pushed outside the circle or killed would
win. I was led to a waiting area outside the circle and given my
instructions.

It turned out that we didn't fight while wearing the entire uniform -
which explained the extra accessories. Once it was time, I would
remove the large outer jacket to the form fitting warrior
jumpsuit-like garb underneath. It was black and adorned with both
Klingon and Vulcan combat designs. The sleeves covered my shoulders
and ran the length of my entire arm down to my hands where it turned
into the finger-less gloves traditionally worn by Klingon warriors.
Across the knuckles of the gloves were spikes to help aid in injuring
your opponent. The sleeves were attached to the underarm portion of
the suit and the neckline was low, albeit circular. It was designed to
be agile for fighting, as well as threatening.

While I was receiving additional coaching, Ke'Meka walked into the
arena. The crowd cheered her on as she made her way to the other side
of the arena, and she waved at her adoring fans. It was sickening.

 Once I was handed the bat'leth I was to use, I began to warm up with
it, refreshing myself with the use of the blade. That's when I noticed
various members of the Voyager crew in precarious places around the
arena. It seemed that Janeway had an escape plan after all. No doubt
Voyager was on full alert above orbit. I, however, secretly hoped it
wouldn't come to that. My plan was to leave this place with our
newfound allies and my body intact.

Finally we were led to the center of the ring. While the torches were
being slowly lit, Ke'Meka began what looked like a Vulcan centering
technique. Despite the fact that I was about to be in the fight of a
lifetime, these people continued to fascinate me. Then she turned and
picked up her blade.

"Today is a good day to die," she growled at me. Then she raised her
bat'leth and swung it at me. I turned and blocked her swing with my
blade.

"For you, it is," I snarled and the fight was on.

We swung and dodged, rolled and kicked one another and Ke'Meka was
genuinely surprised with my fighting skills. "Your prowess with the
blade is good," she said breathily, "but not good enough to beat me!"

Then she brought out all the tricks she could think of. It was a very
difficult battle. I was injured by the blade a few times, but not
enough to render me defenseless. I in turn inflicted many injuries to
her as well, and near the end, we were both exhausted. But I had one
edge over her. She was taller and bulkier, and it hindered her
quickness against me. Then she gave me the perfect opportunity. Out of
frustration, she came at me head on, swinging the blade at my head. I
ducked, rolled, stood up and with lightening flash movements, used my
blade to trip her up and she fell on the outside of the circle. The
adrenaline still coursing through me, along with the anger that had
built up inside for having to participate in the fight in the first
place, made me run over toward my opponent. Standing inside the
circle, I raised the blade above my head intending to bring it down on
Ke'Meka, which would kill her instantly. Instead, I brought it down
hard so it lodged itself in the soil next to her head. She gazed at me
with actual fear in her eyes as I said, so only she could hear, "I
just gave you your life. Remember that." I stepped away from her and
moved to the center of the circle. And as I stood there, breathing
heavily and resting my palms on my knees, the crowd went wild. I had
won!

This ritual fight accomplished more than I expected it too. First and
foremost, B'Elanna and I were allowed to stay together, according to
the traditions of this race. Second, it purged the blood fever within
Ke'Meka, and still left her honor and mine intact.

It also helped our diplomatic relations tremendously. The fact that
Janeway allowed me to take part in it, no matter what the outcome
would be, proved to the Vulklinans that we were an honorable people.
Repairs and shared information continued. And, despite the chance that
someone else would end up in another challenge, shore leave was
granted to the crew.

The Ambassador, at the request of Captain Janeway, granted our shore
leave on a secluded island on another part of the planet. There were
lush trees, grassy flat lands and beaches, and the Voyager crew had
the area all to themselves. It made the chances of another ritual
challenge slim to none, and gave the crew the needed downtime they
craved.

The crew went for shore leave on rotations for two weeks at a time.
After B'Elanna and I returned to Voyager from ours, we immediately
fell into our daily routines, newly refreshed and ready for action.


We were scheduled to leave orbit around Vulklinan in two days.
B'Elanna was working late in engineering overseeing the final repairs
to the ship's engines, so I headed for my quarters after my shift.
When I got there, my computer console alerted me to a message. I
opened it, and there appeared the face of an elder Klingon that I
hadn't seen in years.

"Quapla, Dax! I hope you remember me old friend! When I heard you were
here, I was as happy as two targs during mating season!"

I had to laugh out loud at that. My old and dear friend, Re'Gar was
looking back at me. I always thought he had been killed. His ship was
lost many years ago when I was Jehron Dax. The host, Jehron, didn't
live very long. Shortly after Re'Gar disappeared, his ship was
destroyed in combat and, although he got away in an escape pod, when
the pod was found, the injuries he sustained were too severe to save
him. My symbiont was immediately placed in another host. That happened
almost 100 years ago.

"These are the coordinates to my home. Please come and visit me. And
bring your mate as well. My family would love to meet her and finally
see a person who has held many a fond memory in my heart." As he
smiled warmly, the transmission ended.

I couldn't turn this down. Now all I had to do was convince B'Elanna
to come with me.

"No!" she shouted later in my quarters.

"B'Elanna, why?" I asked.

"Jadzia? Haven't you had enough of that planet? What if we go down
there and the same thing happens again?" She paced furiously, the
anger and disbelief radiating from her.

"But this is different. He's a very old, very dear friend. He wouldn't
allow anything to happen to either of us. Please, B'Elanna." I pulled
her down on the sofa with me and wrapped my arms around her. "I'm sure
you'll like him and his family. Please?"

She slowly calmed down then said, "Okay. I'll go with you. But at the
first sign of trouble, we're leaving. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I said, hugging her. "I love you, baby."

"You should," she replied playfully.

---

We beamed down at the coordinates Re'Gar provided and met him and his
family. His wife, a Klingon/Vulcan hybrid, was very beautiful and
friendly. She looked to be the same age as Re'Gar.

He introduced us to his sons, Garvon and Vorn, and to his eldest - a
woman named Vel'Dra. Vel'Dra stood proudly with her husband, and three
children. Her children were all adults and looked more like their
father with pronounced Vulcan attributes. Vel'Dra, however, looked
significantly different than her own brothers and children, but I
couldn't figure out why. B'Elanna knew instantly.

"You're half human, aren't you?" she asked knowingly.

"Yes I am. As far as I know, I'm the only one to exist on the planet,"
Vel'Dra said, "that is, until now." Smiling, she took B'Elanna's arm
and, while still talking, led her to the kitchen to get her something
to eat and drink.

I sat with Re'Gar and we talked. "Re'Gar, how did you end up on this
planet? We all thought you were killed."

"A mysterious force brought my ship to this quadrant. We had found a
new area in the Alpha quadrant that hadn't been explored. It was
surrounded by a gassy - almost fire like substance. The force overtook
my ship and when I and my crew woke up, we were in this quadrant."

"Sounds like you got here the same way we did," I replied. "So tell
me, how is it that your daughter is part human?"

"An interesting story. Some years ago, shortly after the alliance
formed between the Federation and the Klingons, through a joint
effort, we began an exchange program. A human would work aboard our
ship in exchange for a Klingon warrior working on a Federation star
ship. Her name was Amanda Vector and she worked with me in
engineering." He paused as if remembering her fondly.

"After spending about 3 years making our way home, we had a major run
in with the Borg, and barely made it with our lives. Luckily for us,
the Borg hadn't discovered our cloaking technology, but they inflicted
considerable damage before we were able to escape. Shortly afterward,
it was decided that we would have to find a place to land, and start a
colony of our own."

"Amazing!" I said, "So what happened?"

"We were met by the Vulklinans. Because the majority of our complement
was Klingon, they offered their assistance. We were all transported to
their ship, as ours was in total distress, with failing life support
and system damage that was beyond repair. That's how we ended up here.
And shortly afterward, Amanda and I fell in love, and were joined in a
traditional Klingon ceremony." His gaze turned sad as he continued
remembering. "She lived for about 15 years - long enough to bless this
house with our first daughter. Then she died of a fatal disease.
Without any knowledge of human anatomy back then, they couldn't save
her. She was an honorable woman, and I loved her with my whole heart."

I rested my hand on his, showing him my sympathy for his loss, and my
gratitude for sharing such a touching story with me.

We spent the whole day with Re'Gar and his family. His wife prepared a
huge Vulklinan feast and B'Elanna seemed very comfortable with
Vel'Dra. When we left, we were full, and felt that we spent the day
with long lost family members. As a favor to Re'Gar, I took with me
data chips containing letters to his family back home. It was a
fabulous day, one that we would never forget.

---

Two days later, Voyager broke orbit and resumed course to the Alpha
Quadrant. We all left with new friends, and an appreciation of a very
unique culture. That morning, when things were quiet on the bridge,
Captain Janeway turned the bridge over to Chakotay and went to work in
her ready room. About an hour passed, and she requested that I join
her. When I entered, I was surprised to see Commander E'Vonna sitting
on the sofa in her office.

"Captain Janeway?"

"At ease, Lieutenant." Grinning, she continued with, "You remember
Commander E'Vonna."

"Yes, I do. I'm surprised to see you here!" I said to her.

"I decided to take your advice. My life on Vulklinan was extremely
unsatisfying. I hope to at least live out one of my dreams - to see my
home worlds."

"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed, taking her hands in mine.

Smiling warmly, she gave my hands a gentle squeeze, then released
them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Captain. I'd like to return to my
quarters and read some more about my ancestors. I also need to read up
on the background of some of the crew. As the ship's counselor, it
helps to know about certain things. " E'Vonna then rose from the sofa
and exited the office.

Once we were alone, I asked the Captain what she wanted to see me
about, besides to let me know that E'Vonna was on board.

"Actually," she began, "I wanted to talk to you regarding your living
quarters."

"My living quarters?"

"Yes, for you and B'Elanna."

Now I was confused. "I thought we would have to be married for that."

"Well, E'Vonna informed me that according to Vulklinan laws, once you
defeated your rival for B'Elanna, you are officially married," she
noted, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I was stunned. Marriage? I mean, I loved B'Elanna with all of my
being, but I wasn't expecting this. "Captain, we're... that is,
B'Elanna and I aren't Vulklinan. How could this have anything to do
with us?"

"Well, technically, it doesn't. However, in this case, B'Elanna is
Klingon. You took part in a challenge to win her from another Klingon.
I'm sure, to her that meant a great deal."

"But, she's never even mentioned anything to me about wanting to be
married. What if..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the question.
Secretly, it was more than I could have hoped for. I had decided long
ago that I wanted B'Elanna to be with me for life. But her
insecurities at the beginning of our relationship called for patience
on my part. I did my best not to rush into anything - taking our
relationship a day at a time. Who knew I would fall so completely in
love that the thought of being without her for even a day made my
heart constrict with loss? Now I was being told that according to
Vulklinan law, a law and culture that doesn't even apply to us, that
we were married. How would she react to this information? The
Captain's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Jadzia," she began, compassion in her eyes, "I believe B'Elanna loves
you. She practically announced it in the banquet hall when Ke'Meka
made a pass at her. I really don't think she'll balk at the idea of
the two of you being married."

"I don't know, Captain," I said, still unsure about the whole
situation.

"Maybe you should talk this over with her." Janeway noted.

"I will, Captain." I replied, giving her a half-hearted smile.

"I've authorized Commander Chakotay to assign larger quarters for the
two of you." She handed me a padd with the new living quarters on
them. "They're yours, if you want them."

Taking the padd from her hands, I said, "Captain, just out of
curiosity, why didn't you allow Chakotay tell me? Isn't this something
he would normally take care of?"

Smiling broadly, she leaned in closer to me and said, "Between you and
I... Consider it gratitude for suggesting to Commander E'Vonna that
she join our crew. Besides, it's a little known fact that I'm a
hopeless romantic."

"Thank you, Captain," I said, feeling overwhelming gratitude.

"You're welcome." She stood up and said, "If, after you talk to
B'Elanna and you decide to take the larger quarters, let me know.
I'll authorize two days of leave for you. This will give you time to
move your things into your new quarters, and to take a honeymoon if
you like. You're dismissed, Lieutenant."

I went back to my station on the bridge. Chakotay gave me an inquiring
look and I smiled to reassure him that nothing was wrong. But inside,
I was feeling mild apprehension. I decided I would talk to B'Elanna
after we were off duty.

The time seemed to drag by. Finally my shift was over. I gave my post
over to my relief and practically ran to the turbolift. Once I was
inside, I contacted B'Elanna. "Dax to Torres."

"Torres here."

"Why don't we have dinner in my quarters," I said, trying not to
sound as tense as I felt.

"Sounds great," she replied, "I'll be there in about 15 minutes."

---

I knew this conversation was something that needed to be done, but my
anxiety level was rapidly rising at the thought of having it. I
arrived first, of course, and headed straight for the replicator.
After I programmed one of her favorite meals in the system, I glanced
around my quarters. There was some clutter - evidence of me rushing to
get to my shift this morning, but nothing too disastrous. I began to
straighten things up, but even doing this wasn't taking my mind off of
the pending conversation with B'Elanna.

I was quickly trying to figure out the best way to approach this when
B'Elanna walked in. She immediately embraced me, which made me feel
better, but her senses were too sharp not to notice my state of
apprehension.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked, knowingly.

"Nothing, really," I replied attempting to sound reassuring.

"Oh no. Something's wrong, I can tell. You have that *we need to talk,
and it's important* look on your face." She pulled me over to the sofa
and made me sit down next to her. "Now, spill it."

"You know me too well, don't you?" I asked, stalling for time. "Don't
you want to eat dinner first?"

"No, dinner can wait a few minutes," she replied, patiently.

"Are you sure?"

"Jadzia, stop stalling and tell me!"

"Okay, okay, B'Elanna." I said, sighing. I knew when I was treading on
thin ice, so I decided to just jump right in. "How do you feel about
marriage?"

Her expression became very serious as she contemplated my question.
Then after a few agonizing moments, she replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, because we never discussed it before and?"

"Wait a minute, does this have anything to do with what happened on
the planet?"

Surprised by her perception, I could only nod. "You're worried that
I'd have a problem with us being married, aren't you." she stated
more than asked. "Well, I can't say that I blame you. I told you in
the beginning that I wanted to take things slow."

"Yeah, you did," I confirmed, after I found my voice again. I was so
nervous - so frightened of her reaction, my stomach felt like I'd
swallowed a huge butterfly and it was trying to fight its way out of
my body.

She looked straight ahead, seemingly avoiding my eyes. "When we first
started our relationship, I was elated and terrified beyond reason.
I'd finally found someone who I really enjoyed being with, who liked
being with me. And I was afraid I'd lose it someday, like I'd lost so
many things in my life. So I purposefully kept you at bay. Call it
survival instinct."

"I know," I said, remembering earlier times. "It was hard, but I
didn't try to push you into anything."

"And I appreciated that, Jadzia. More than you know." She turned
toward me, looking directly into my eyes. "Something happened during
that time, though - I fell in love with you. And I wasn't naive. I
knew that it could and possibly would happen, but I wasn't prepared
for the intensity of my feelings toward you."

I reached over and took her hand in mine. It appeared to me that
whatever she was feeling was too intense for her to deal with. "It's
okay," I said, "I understand if you have a problem..."

"I never expected to feel this...deeply," she interrupted, "I mean...
I love everything about you, your hair, your beautiful blue eyes, your
smile, the way your spots darken when you blush."

I felt myself flush before she even said it as she traced her finger
down my spots. B'Elanna never expressed herself to me in this fashion
before. It amazes me how much and how well she can keep things hidden
from others. I was aware of her love, but didn't have a clue about its
depth.

"You're the first person I want to see when I wake up in the morning,
and the last person I want to see before I go to sleep at night. And
when I realized that, it scared the hell out of me."

She stood up and began to pace. This was something about her that I
found extremely intriguing. She was an animated talker. She could only
be still for so long in deep conversation before the need to do
something overwhelmed her and she'd be pacing.

"So I thought, what if for some unforeseen reason, I lost her?" She
stopped pacing and faced me, "and even if the forces of nature allow
us to stay alive, what if she doesn't feel the same for me? Completely
irrational, right?"

"Well, you said yourself that love makes the ridiculous seem sane," I
reminded her.

"Then we found that unusual planet, run into that infuriating
individual, whom I could still throttle with my bare hands if given
the chance," B'Elanna stated.

"You're speaking of Ke'Meka, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. And you do something so totally unlike you. I saw a side of you
that I never knew existed, Jadzia - jealousy and possessiveness - for
me! As far as you were concerned, you would do anything to keep me
with you, including fighting a Klingon/Vulcan hybrid in heat. Do you
have any idea how much that meant to me? No one has ever done anything
like that for me before."

She stopped wearing a groove into the floor and sat next to me again.
"So now, within myself, I've come to a crossroad. Do I allow myself to
enjoy what I feel for you and allow us to take our relationship one
step further, or do I continue protecting myself to keep from being
hurt? Then Vel'Dra told me something that surprised me. She said that
according to the customs on Vulklinan, when you won the challenge
against Ke'Meka, we were legally married, and that no one, regardless
of rank or standing could sever our bond."

She knew. She knew, and she never said anything to me about it. Well
that was my answer, I thought. She didn't want to have anything to do
with marriage - at least for now. Otherwise, she would have at least
mentioned it. An overpowering feeling of melancholy engulfed me as I
sat there, preparing to hear what she had to say next.

"Jadzia, I didn't know what to think. Marriage? I was shocked to say
the least.  I mean, marriage is final.  When you make that step, you
want it to be for life. And at the time, I wasn't sure I was ready for
that.

So instead of telling you about it first, I decided I would ponder
over it. Now, I know that this culture has absolutely nothing to do
with us, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it
was something I've wanted all along - more than anything."

I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding. Relief flooded
through me as I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding.
The love I felt for her at that moment swelled above anything I had
felt in the past. She loved me as much as I loved her, and I as
gathered her in my arms, tears of joy spilled from my eyes. "You have
no idea how much you mean to me, B'Elanna. I was so afraid..." I
pulled away from her and she wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"Afraid of what?" she asked, concerned.

I sniffed a little, saying, "I was afraid that when I brought up the
subject about marriage that you would run from me again."

"I may have before, but not now. Not when running from you would leave
me empty inside."

"Then when Janeway told me about the Vulklinan culture concerning
marriage, then..."

"Wait, the Captain told you about it? Is that why you're here asking
me about this?" she asked.

"Partly. I also wanted to know for myself how you felt. I'm glad I
asked."

She grinned at me, then reached over and kissed me softly on the lips.
After we pulled apart, she had an afterthought. "Why did the Captain
tell you about this. Technically, this cultural practice has nothing
to do with us."

"I know. But she said, if we wanted, she would make an exception
because you're Klingon - just like she would for any species who had
different mating rituals. She also offered us larger quarters."

"Really?" B'Elanna was genuinely surprised. I handed her the padd that
the Captain gave me with our new room assignment should we decide to
take it.

"So, when can we move in?"

"You really want to do this, B'Ela?"

"Of course. What could be better than living with the one I adore the
most?"

"I love you so much, B'Elanna Torres." I hugged her to me once more
and she seemed to melt in my arms.

"And I love you, Jadzia Dax."


We accepted the Captain's offer for larger quarters and utilized the
leave time she authorized for us, to move in. The second day of our
time off, the crew had a wedding reception for us. I think it was
Tom's idea. He told me later that, even though we didn't have a
ceremony aboard Voyager in the traditional terran style, we should
still give the crew a reason to celebrate. And it was a wonderful
gathering.

Afterward, B'Elanna and I went home, and we made love with a passion I
didn't know we possessed. Her warm, supple body meshed with mine. The
softness of her lips played across my skin until I was totally ablaze
with want. When I felt her lips and tongue ravish the tender flesh
between my legs, it was like I floated to another galaxy where stars
exploded at random in different regions of space.

Running my tongue leisurely across her silken skin was like paradise.
Tasting the sweet nectar at the center of her passion was the most
erotic experience. To ravish and possess her in such an intimate way
was nearly indescribable in its intensity. It wasn't as if I hadn't
done this before with her, but something changed. Maybe it was the
fact that I was certain of her love for me. And I knew I loved this
woman and would do anything to make her happy.

So, who knows what the future will bring. I would rather take the
chance on losing her than not have had the chance to love her and
have her love me for even a few minutes. As it turned out, we are
together - and we're both very happy, and I was worried for nothing.

Now, how do you think she'll feel about us having children? Well, I
guess that's another story.

---

The End

(c) 2000 Blackcat