Coma Story (v 1.2) 
			By Ruth Moore
			(c) 1995


Harry hovers in the background as the Doc and Kes work frantically 
over Torres. He and Carey had brought the Chief Engineer in to Sickbay 
after she had fallen and knocked her head against a railing. Now he 
stays, worried by the look of concern on Kes's elfin features. She and 
the Doctor work quickly, but time moves slowly for Harry as he paces. 
The doors behind him slide open and Janeway and Chakotay move to join 
him.
	
"What happened?" the captain asks.
	
"She was working on an adjustment on the upper part of the core," 
Harry replies distractedly. "She leaned out too far and fell. She hit 
her head on the railing around the core." He shudders, hearing the 
dull thud again in his memory. 
	
Janeway and Chakotay exchange a worried glance. The first officer 
hastens to reassure his captain. "I've seen B'Elanna live through 
injuries that would have killed me. I'm sure she'll be fine." He's not 
really sure of course. The face he can sometimes glimpse on the 
operating table looks awfully pale, the ridges on B'Elanna's brow seem 
sharper edged than usual. He hopes that there will be time for her 
amazing Klingon system to pull her through.

Janeway realizes that Chakotay is trying to reassure himself as well 
as her. She has wondered at his closeness with B'Elanna; not worried 
that there might be an involvement, but with a certain envy for their 
camaraderie. She wonders if she could be as calm as Chakotay if it 
were Tuvok there on  the table. She thinks of her worry when he hadn't 
reported in while with the Maquis. Had she appeared this calm to her 
crew?

"That's all we can do now," the Doctor says to Kes. "Her body has to 
do the rest of it. Did you notice how quickly she responded to the 
Darsonal? That's a trait of Klingon physiology.. It would have been 
even quicker if she were full Klingon. I want you to..." His lecture 
is interrupted by Janeway.

"Doctor, how is Lt. Torres? Will she..." Her voice trails off as she 
gets close to the table and sees her Chief Engineer. B'Elanna is 
motionless; she looks smaller somehow; her intense vitality stilled. 
Janeway looks up at the Doctor quickly, more shaken by the sight of 
B'Elanna than she would like to admit.

"Lt. Torres should recover, but I'm not sure how long it will take. As 
with any patient of mixed races, her metabolism is unique." He pauses, 
obviously reaching for a trace of bedside manner. "She's very strong, 
Captain, she should be fine." He has never tried to reassure anyone 
before, but he is learning from Kes. He doesn't want to hold out false 
hope, but he is also learning that people will cling to hope even when 
it is false.

Janeway nods and looks again at B'Elanna. It is always the same when 
one of her people has been injured, this horrible feeling that she, as 
Captain, is somehow responsible. That if she had been there it 
wouldn't have happened. And now it is worse, out here far from home, 
far from Mark who had always listened to her blame herself until he 
could take no more. Then he would remind her that it wasn't her fault 
and if they were together he would hold her close. Who would do that 
for her now? She finds a grim amusement at the thought of going to 
Tuvok and asking for a hug. Chakotay has come to stand behind her; 
without thinking, she puts a hand on his arm.

Chakotay has never known what to make of Janeway's habit of touching. 
While he knows that she feels terribly alone out here, he isn't sure 
what she wants from him and it makes him a little nervous. He doesn't 
want to talk to her about it because she might think he is accusing 
her of harassment. Also, he has wondered just  how far things will go. 
He wants more from her than mere touches, dreams of more than just 
touches...He pulls up short, embarrassed that he's thinking of Janeway 
when B'Elanna is lying there on the table pale and still.

Harry has finally come up on the other side of the table. He remembers 
how B'Elanna looked after they had been injected with alien DNA in the 
Caretaker's attempt to reproduce. She looks worse now, all the fight 
silenced. He looks at Kes instinctively, hoping that she will tell him 
with certainty that B'Elanna *will*  pull though. Kes smiles faintly 
and repeats the Doctor's comments, "She's very strong Harry."

The Doctor, having decided that there are too many people in Sickbay, 
turns to Janeway. "I'll let you know the moment there is a change in 
her condition, Captain." She recognizes the dismissal and sighs 
reluctantly. Now the waiting will begin; she will pace her Ready Room 
like a caged animal or endure the torment of trying to remain cool on 
the Bridge. She nods to the Doctor and turns to leave. Chakotay 
remains a moment, reaching out to touch B'Elanna's hand, then follows 
the captain.

Harry looks at the Doctor. "Can I stay for a while?" he asks. "I've 
heard that it helps in cases like this if a friend stays with the 
patient." He is trying to remain calm, but he knows he looks worried. 
How do they do it, the captain and Chakotay? How can they look so sure 
that B'Elanna will pull out of this? He tries to have faith in her 
extraordinary willpower and strength, he tries to believe that the 
Doctor has done every thing possible and that it really is a matter of 
time.

The Doctor opens his mouth to say something, but Kes puts her hand on 
his arm. She turns to Harry. "I'm sure it would help. Pull up a stool 
and sit with her for a while." She pulls the Doctor away from the 
table. When they reach his office, she says, "Harry is frightened, it 
won't hurt to let him stay with B'Elanna will it?"

"No, and he is right to a certain extent. If she senses that someone 
is worried about her it could help." He looks at Kes, shaking his 
head. "I'm not good at this inter-personal relationship business."
	
"You're doing fine," she assures him. "Now what did you want to tell 
me about B'Elanna's physiology?"


Talking to B'Elanna, Harry knows that she can't hear him but he 
figures that it can't hurt. He remembers suffering from a fall when he 
was a child. He had awakened to find his mother by the bed, talking to 
him. Somehow he had known that she was there, as he hopes that 
B'Elanna will know that he's there for her.

He rambles on for a while, telling the unconscious woman about his 
family and his years at the Academy. He tells her how he ran the 
Academy Marathon in his freshman year determined to match Captain 
Picard's victory, and how he had finished, not last but certainly not 
first. He talks about his thrill at being posted to the _Voyager_, how 
excited he was to be a bridge officer on his first assignment.

"I wanted the _Enterprise_ at first, I think we all do. But then I 
thought about and I realized that on a ship of over 1000 people it 
would be hard to get noticed. Then I found out that Captain Janeway 
had asked for me, specifically. I was so excited, and then we ended up 
here." He sighs. How many times has he talked to B'Elanna about being 
far from his family and how hard it is for him? He wonders again if 
she really cares or just listens out of pity. 

"I've never thanked you for being my friend," he says after a long 
silence. "You're not like I expected you to be." He pauses again 
unsure of why he needs to tell her these things. "B'Elanna, I 
would never tell you this, but I'm afraid you're going to die and it 
will go unsaid," Harry pauses to gulp, and then continues, "When we 
were with the Ocampa and you were fighting with the doctors, 
I...well...I saw quite a lot of you, in those hospital clothes...and 
I...ah...thought you were the most exciting woman I'd ever seen."

Looking around and seeing that neither the Doctor nor Kes are in 
sight, Harry stumbles on. "That's why I haven't been really trying 
with Jenny Delaney...you know...because I can't stop thinking about 
you and how passionate you are. I'm sorry that I never got the nerve 
to tell you this when there was still a chance that we could..."

Harry is startled when B'Elanna's eyes open. He is even more startled 
when her hand reaches out with amazing quickness to grasp the collar 
of his undershirt. As she pulls him down and his face is inches away 
from hers, he is sure that she's going to rip his head off, or at 
least break his nose. She does nothing of the sort; instead she bites 
him ever so gently on the cheek, and whispers, "Wait 'til my strength 
is back up. I'll make you feel things no woman has ever made you 
feel." As she lets go of him Harry hopes that her words are promise as 
opposed to threat.

"I...ah..." he stammers.

"Oh hush Harry," she says, grimacing as she tries to shift position. 
"I'm flattered, really I am."

They are interrupted by the Doctor and Kes. The Doctor frowns at 
Harry. "You should have called me as soon as she woke up." He holds 
his hand out and Kes hands him a tricorder. "Excuse me, Mr. Kim," the 
Doctor snaps as he bustles around the table, "but could you please get 
out of the way."  Harry backs off and watches. Kes and the Doctor work 
over B'Elanna for a while and then help her to a bio-bed.

Moments later, Sickbay is crowded again. The Captain and Chakotay have 
returned to see B'Elanna and Ensign Cesca and Lieutenant Carey have 
come running from Engineering. The Doctor is busy reassuring everyone 
that B'Elanna just needs rest. B'Elanna isn't feeling all that well 
and when people start to leave she looks around for Harry. He has 
taken the opportunity to slip out unnoticed. She frowns and  Kes leans 
over her.

"Are you in pain?" she asks. B'Elanna looks up at her; she hasn't had 
much contact with Kes and thinks that the Ocampa woman is fragile and 
somewhat useless. Watching Kes work with the Doctor has made her 
realize that there is more to Kes than she had thought. B'Elanna feels 
very confused right now and more than a little vulnerable.

"No," she answers Kes. "I could use someone to talk to though. I don't 
want to sleep right now." She looks at the Doctor.

"A short conversation," he says somewhat grudgingly. "But you're going 
to have to rest Lieutenant." He frowns at Kes and moves off to his 
office.

"He must be hard to work with," B'Elanna says.

"Not really," Kes replies in her warm voice. "He's like that because 
people don't think of him as real. He's really quite nice when you get 
to know him." She pulls a stool up to the side of the bed. "What do 
you want to talk about."

"Harry," B'Elanna says abruptly. She hears his voice in her memory 
saying *I can't stop thinking about you.*. "He said some things while 
he thought I couldn't hear him and now I don't know what to do." 

"What did he say?" Kes is surprised; B'Elanna sounds unsure of 
herself. It's not what Kes has expected of her.

"He...well, he likes me."

"I know," Kes says smiling. "You're one of his friends."

"No, not like that." B'Elanna shakes her head, annoyed that she can 
feel a blush stealing across her face. "I mean he...really likes me." 
When Kes only nods understandingly, B'Elanna goes, on the words 
tumbling out in a rush. "I would have thought that Jenny Delaney would 
be more his type, or you. Someone sweet and more...pretty than me... 
someone..."

"You're very beautiful," Kes interrupts. B'Elanna looks at her in 
shock. People have told her that before but she has never believed 
them. To hear Kes say it, someone that is considered to be one of the 
most beautiful women on the ship; B'Elanna doesn't know what to say. 
"And maybe Harry likes women who aren't quiet and demure."

"Well I'm certainly not demure," B'Elanna says ruefully.

"Do you like him? In *that* way I mean?"

It's a hard question to answer and something about Kes makes B'Elanna 
want to answer it honestly. She thinks for a moment. "I'm not really 
sure, I guess I never thought about it before." She pauses, 
remembering how Harry tried to keep her spirits up when they were with 
the Ocampa. She thinks about how annoyed she was when she heard that 
he and Paris were seeing the Delaney sisters. She doesn't want Harry 
to turn into another Paris, she realizes. He is so much more than 
that. Suddenly her mind flashes back to the tunnels of the Ocampa 
city. She had stumbled and he had helped her up. Holding on to his 
arms she had felt the strong muscles there. Now lying on the bio-bed, 
her nostrils flare as she thinks about him.

"Yeah," she finally admits to Kes. "I think I do." 

"So what now?" Kes asks as B'Elanna is silent for a time.

B'Elanna sees the Doctor approaching and smiles at Kes. "I think the 
Doctor is going to force me to rest."

Kes smiles back at her. "I'm glad we talked," she says gripping 
B'Elanna's hand. "If you need to talk later, I'll be around."

"Thanks," B'Elanna returns the gentle squeeze. The Doctor looms over 
her and she sees the hypospray in his hand. Sighing she turns her head 
and feels the gentle pressure of the spray. She drifts off to sleep 
thinking of Harry.


*****

Harry doesn't know who to talk to. He is too embarrassed about the 
whole thing to talk to Tom, who would probably laugh at him and tell 
him that he got off lucky. He is at a loss, because the one person he 
*can* talk to about anything, is the person he needs to talk about. He 
briefly considers talking to Ensign Cesca, but decides against it. She 
would probably tell him that B'Elanna wouldn't be interested in any 
one who was Star Fleet. But where else can he turn, who knows B'Elanna 
well enough to advise him?

His question is answered as he walks into the officer's mess and sees 
Chakotay seated at a table. The First Officer is alone and Harry 
accepts a plate of unrecognizable food from Neelix and moves to sit at 
Chakotay's table. "May I?"

"Please," Chakotay replies. Harry sits down and looks nervously at his 
plate. "Actually, it's not that bad today," Chakotay says with a grin. 
"Or maybe I'm just getting used to it." Both men chuckle and there is 
silence as they eat.

"Commander," Harry finally asks, "how well do you know B'Elanna?"

All of a sudden, Chakotay remembers the stricken look on Harry's face 
when B'Elanna was first injured. He knows that Harry and B'Elanna have 
become friends. Now his instincts are telling him that there may be 
more to it, at least on Harry's part. He is a little worried; he likes 
Harry (who doesn't?) and hopes that B'Elanna will not dash the young 
man's hopes to brusquely.

"I've know her about a year," he says. "I met her when I left 
StarFleet to join the Maquis. I've gotten to know her pretty well." He 
shakes his head. "There's a lot of fire in B'Elanna, and she 
tries a little too hard to deny it, and her Klingon blood." He 
supposes that a true StarFleet first officer wouldn't be discussing 
another senior officer with an ensign like this, but thinks *the hell 
with that, the kid is worried about her.*

Harry finally decides that Chakotay won't laugh at him. "I did a 
really dumb thing," he confesses. At Chakotay's curious look, he 
continues. "When she was unconscious I talked to her, I thought it 
might help and..." he pauses and looks at his plate. "I was afraid 
that she wouldn't make it. Anyway I sort of rambled on and then I told 
her that I think she's attractive." 

Chakotay is quiet for a moment; he knows that this can't be an easy 
conversation for Harry. As Harry continues to move the food around on 
his plate and says nothing, Chakotay breaks the silence. "I assume 
that she heard part of this." Harry nods. "What did she say?"

Harry isn't sure he wants to answer, but realizes that he's the one 
who started this conversation. "She...well she bit me." Chakotay looks 
surprised. "On the cheek," Harry explains. "Not very hard. And then 
she said..."he pauses, this is embarrassing, "then she said that when 
she felt better, she'd make me feel like no woman had ever made me 
feel."

Chakotay tries very hard (and successfully) to hide his surprised 
amusement. "That sounds like B'Elanna all right," he says.

"Yeah, but was she serious?"

"Probably," Chakotay replies. "Were you?"

Harry nods and smiles sheepishly. "You must think I sound awfully 
young and naive."

As this is exactly what Chakotay is thinking, he laughs slightly. "A 
little," he says. "Everyone sounds like that at your age. My advice is 
that you talk to B'Elanna when she's better. She's hot tempered and 
brusque at times, but she's a true friend to those she cares about." A 
smile lights up Harry's face and Chakotay wonders if he was ever that 
young.

"Hey," a voice says behind Harry. "Mind if I join you?" Without 
waiting for an answer, Paris slides into a seat next to Harry. He 
looks at them curiously. "How's B'Elanna?"

"She's fine," Chakotay says. "The Doctor says she'll pull through."

"That's good." Paris stares at his plate with dread. "Is any of this 
stuff remotely edible today?"


				Coma Story (v1.2) (2/2)
				by Ruth Moore
				(c) 1995



The next morning, the Doctor releases B'Elanna, only after she 
promises not to sneak down to Engineering and try to go back to 
work. "Since Captain Janeway had my program re-written 
Lieutenant," he says, "I can access the ship's communication 
system and tell where you are."

B'Elanna snarls, but it is a half-hearted effort. She *is* tired 
and is secretly glad that she has to take a few days off. She 
hasn't seen Harry since she woke to find him talking to her and 
she feels a need to clear the air between them. B'Elanna knows 
that she is overbearing and sometimes too intense and hopes that 
she didn't frighten Harry. She remembers biting his cheek and 
realizes that she wants to bite more of him.

She finally tracks him down when the shift changes. As he comes 
down the corridor toward his quarters, she joins him. Harry looks 
a little nervous, but smiles and seems to be glad to see her. It's 
not all that common for people to be glad to see B'Elanna and she 
feels a measure of relief at his smile.

"I think we need to talk," she says, smiling a little uncertainly.

She looks almost...shy, Harry realizes. That realization makes the 
whole thing easier for him and he invites her in. He offers her 
tea and as he makes it, she wanders around the room. While looking 
at the books, she laughs. "Is this part of your hero worship?" She 
holds up a book; _Thechno-Archeology_.

"Sort of," he admits, bringing the teacups over to the table. 
B'Elanna puts the book back and joins him on the sofa. "I really 
wanted to be like Captain Picard so I took archeology in my 
freshman year. I didn't really get into the primitive stuff, but I 
liked the section on deciphering alien technologies. I think that 
was when I realized that I was more interested in the technical 
aspect of things. Just as well, I'm not that good a pilot, and I 
really don't want a command any time soon." Like so many off-hand 
remarks on _Voyager_, this one leaves a silence behind it. They 
are both aware, all over again, that they are far from the 
Federation and StarFleet and that being offered a command is not 
something either of them has to worry about.

B'Elanna wants to break the silence but, for once,  she doesn't 
want to just jump in without thinking. She knows he's thinking 
about his family and maybe even his girlfriend. More unsure of 
herself than usual, she finally makes her move. Deciding that 
words are useless; she waits until Harry has set his cup back on 
the table and then leans over and kisses him gently. It's the same 
spot that she had bitten earlier and she resists the urge to bite 
him again.

Harry turns to look at her. The expression on her face, 
uncertainty mixed with desire, reassures him and he brings a hand 
up to lightly trace her forehead ridges with his fingertips. 
Quietly he asks, "Are you going to throw things?"

She smiles. "Know any good poetry?" When he shakes his head, she 
says, "Good, I hate throwing things." She leans toward him again 
and they kiss. It starts gently, but then her mouth opens and he 
reaches up to run his fingers through her hair. It's softer than 
he expected and as it tangles in his fingers, she moans into his 
mouth. They break for air and she begins to kiss and nibble at his 
neck. His hands are busy tracing their way down the back of her 
neck and she shivers as he finds a sensitive spot at the base of 
her neck.

B'Elanna is surprised when he scratches her neck lightly; his 
fingernails are short but just long enough to scrape. She growls 
and begins to nibble a little harder; enjoying the gasp her 
actions provoke. He smells good and she reaches up to try to pull 
his collar out of the way. As she gets frustrated and gets ready 
to rip the damn shirt off, his hands cover hers and he pulls away.

"Hey, I only have a few uniforms," he says laughing. She grins at 
him and begins to unfasten his jumpsuit. He reaches for the 
fastenings of her uniform and soon there is a tangle of arms as 
they try to simultaneously undress one another. Harry begins to 
laugh and B'Elanna can't help joining in. The laughter turns 
somewhat hysterical and finally she looks away.

"Oh...," she gasps. "Stop...this is terrible." She has never 
laughed during romantic moments before and is surprised to find 
that she enjoys it.

"Right..." he says, struggling to regain control. "This is after 
all, a serious business." 

She makes the mistake of looking at him and they burst into 
laughter again. He looks away and they both try to reach for some 
control. B'Elanna takes advantage of the moment to pull her 
jumpsuit open to the waist. When Harry looks back at her she 
giggles slightly (something he *never* expected to hear from 
her) and continues to shrug out of the jumpsuit. He leans forward 
to help her pull it over her shoulder. When the sleeves are 
confining her elbows, he suddenly stops helping and begins to 
explore her ear with his tongue. B'Elanna shivers and struggles 
against the confines of her clothing. His hands take up the task 
again, peeling the snug uniform off her arms and down to her 
waist. Her breasts strain against the gray undershirt, their 
nipples erect. He reaches out and brushes a finger gently across 
one nipple, smiling as her eyes close and she leans into the 
caress. He pulls her into his arms as he continues to tease the 
nipple, now with firmer fingers.

B'Elanna is more aroused than she can remember ever being. The 
combination of his gentleness and strength is wonderful and she 
wants more, much more. She breaks from the embrace and manages to 
get out of her jumpsuit altogether. She feels a little foolish, 
sitting there on his sofa wearing her undershirt, underwear and 
boots. As if he can tell what she's thinking, he drops to his 
knees in front of her and helps her pull her boots and socks off. 
Tossing them aside he begins to kiss the insides of her thighs.

Harry is delighted by her responsiveness; as he slowly kisses 
higher, she is running her fingers through his hair. He suddenly 
bites the soft skin on the inside of one thigh and her fingers 
tighten in his hair. Reaching up to her hips, he slides her 
underwear down. She lifts her hips and then pulls off her 
undershirt, followed quickly by her bra. Her underclothes are a 
no-nonsense black and he wonders what she would look like in 
silk. Then she is sliding off the sofa to join him on the floor, 
her fingers busily unfastening his uniform.

B'Elanna tries to get Harry undressed without tearing anything. 
She is terribly aroused and wants him more than she thought she 
could want anyone. Between the two of them they manage to get him 
undressed and B'Elanna begins to run her hands over him. His skin 
is wonderfully smooth and she finds that his nipples are very 
sensitive. He shivers as she lowers her head and runs her tongue 
across one of them. Her hands are moving lower and then her 
fingers brush, ever so gently, across his erection. She chuckles 
as her hands begin to stroke him. B'Elanna loves the feel of him 
in her hands; the smooth hot skin pulled taut over his penis. 
Abruptly she runs a finger nail along the underside and he takes a 
sharp breath.

Harry is beginning to get a little too close to orgasm for 
comfort. The feel of her hands, the smell of her skin, the way her 
face is flushed are all getting to him. Determined not to ruin 
things, he pulls away from her and grabs her hand. "I have a bed," 
he says, pulling her up to her feet.

"I certainly hope so," she says, and pulling her hand away, 
strolls to the bedroom. Harry, following her, admires the way she 
moves. He has never really looked at her backside too much,  but 
looking now, decides that he likes what he sees. Feeling like he's 
being led by his erection, he follows her.

When he reaches the bedroom, she has already fallen onto the bed 
and is lying on her stomach, one leg bent. She looks over her 
shoulder with a sultry smile and he moves to join her. Sitting 
between her legs, he runs his hands up them from the ankles; 
stopping along the way use his fingernails behind her knees. 
She growls and he laughs softly, continuing to move his hands up. 
Reaching her thighs, he pushes her legs further open and slowly 
slides his hand under her. He carefully begins to touch her, 
moving his fingers through her wiry pubic hair. She is wet, very 
wet and his fingers encounter no resistance as they explore her.

B'Elanna is about to yell at him to be less gentle; the hesitant 
caresses are driving her crazy. But she likes it, she realizes; 
this slow build up. Just then he pinches her labia, not too hard 
but hard enough to get her attention. She arches up, thrusting her 
hips back and groaning loudly. He begins to stroke her clitoris, 
making his movements gentle again. She digs her fingers into the 
comforter and begins to grind her teeth. She doesn't want this to 
stop, but she is aching for release. Once again it is as if he has 
read her mind. His fingers become rougher, capturing her hard 
clitoris and toying with it. B'Elanna throws her head back and 
shrieks as the orgasm surges through her. As the wave of feeling 
recedes, she moves to bring her knees up under her.

"Now, damn it," she growls hurriedly. "Just take me now, Harry."

Harry needs no further encouragement. The ferocity of her orgasm 
and subsequent demand has excited him a great deal. Kneeling 
behind her, he slides his aching erection into her. He has to 
force himself to move slowly, but she is beyond wanting gentleness 
now. She thrusts her hips back to meet him and, knowing that it's 
OK to be rough, he grabs her hips and matches her rhythm. She is 
growling continuously now and he finds that he likes the noises 
she's making. He is so close now and suddenly he can feel her 
inner muscles tighten around him with almost painful strength. 
Gripping her hips harder, he lets out a yell of his own as he 
reaches his climax. For a moment he almost blacks out, and then 
it's over and he collapses across her back, panting heavily.

B'Elanna slowly lowers herself to the bed, taking his weight with 
her. She likes this; an exhausted man resting his weight on her. 
She reaches back and encourages him to wrap his arms around her 
and then pulls one of his hands to her mouth, and begins to bite 
his fingers. He begins to laugh and rolls off of her.

"You're dangerous," he says, still laughing as he pulls her close 
again.

"This coming from you?" she asks in mock surprise. He looks 
innocently at her. "That's exactly what I mean," she says. "You've 
got the whole ship thinking that you're sweet, innocent Harry the 
ensign. Hah! You're amazing, where did you learn to make love like 
that?"

"You liked it?" he asks.

B'Elanna is startled to realize that he's serious. "Couldn't you 
tell? I didn't just *like*, I loved it. You are really talented."

"I just did things I thought you would like. Sometimes I can 
just..." he pauses, searching for the right way to explain. "It's 
like I can guess what a person I'm making love to wants next. I 
could tell that you wouldn't mind a little teasing and that it was 
OK to be a little rougher than I usually am." He stops, kissing 
her ridged forehead. "I was inspired by you," he says softly. 
"I've never wanted to make anyone happy the way I want to make you 
happy."

B'Elanna is touched and she is surprised to feel tears welling up 
in her eyes. She pulls him close and holds him tightly. Her 
emotions are in a whirl and she realizes that life will never be 
the same for either of them. She also realizes that she is getting 
excited again, but this time she wants to make *him* happy. 
Pushing him back on the bed, she lowers her mouth to his face and 
begins to bite him. He smiles up at her and she moves to his 
mouth, kissing him roughly. As she pulls her mouth away, she 
mumbles against his throat, "let me know if I'm hurting you."

She moves on to his neck, biting harder now. Harry knows he will 
have marks to show for this, but he couldn't care less. There is 
something magnificent about her wildness; he feels like a lioness 
is making love to him. There is also something exhilarating about 
lying back and letting her take charge. Her hands, busy at his 
groin are getting him erect again. She scrapes his thighs with her 
fingernails as her teeth close on one of his nipples. A rush of 
sensation rolls through him and he groans as her mouth moves 
lower.

B'Elanna figures that it's her turn to tease and begins to bite 
and lick along his ribs. He suddenly lets out an odd sound, rather 
like a snort. She raises her head to look at him. He is laughing 
and apologetically explains, "I'm ticklish." She grins wickedly 
and runs her fingernails across his ribs. "Hey," he protests, 
grabbing at her hands. A wrestling match ensues, punctuated with 
gasps and snorts of laughter.

Harry knows he's going to lose, but he puts up a good fight 
anyway. Whatever he imagined lovemaking with B'Elanna to be like, 
this kind of play was not it. He was sure she would be serious, if 
ferocious, and discovering her playful side is one of the best 
things about the whole evening. He finally concedes as she 
pins him to the bed, gripping his wrists above his head as she 
bites him on the neck. Her bites are harder than before, but only 
on the edge of being painful. Then she abruptly straddles him and 
lowers herself over his erection with a swift movement. Continuing 
to hold him down, she rides him; her flushed face inches from his. 
The feeling is incredible and he can tell that she's enjoying it 
as well.

B'Elanna is panting now. She looks down at Harry, who is 
struggling a little under her weight. She can tell that his 
struggles are for effect; his eyes are closed and there is a look 
of extreme pleasure on his face. He opens his eyes and suddenly 
bares his teeth at her,  growling. "Ahhh...." she cries out, 
pushed over the edge by his mock anger. Her hips move with 
frenzied intensity and then she is still for a moment.

Harry is quick to take advantage of her stillness; remaining 
inside her, he rolls them both over. Grabbing her wrists, he holds 
her down; plunging into her with quick movements. He lowers his 
head and bites her hard on the neck and she thrashes under him, 
her legs closing around his hips. The feel of her feet drumming on 
his rear is enough and he comes again, yelling out her name.

As he comes down from the orgasm, she keeps her legs wrapped 
around him. Gently he lets go of her wrists and rolls onto his 
side, taking her with him. They hold each other close, each 
breathing heavily. B'Elanna has always been impatient with men who 
want to cuddle after sex. While men seem to get drowsy afterwards, 
sex  makes her feel energized, ready to take on the world. Now 
however, she is content to rest in Harry's arms, perhaps because 
she is truly satisfied. She snuggles up closer and he lets go of 
her for a brief moment to bring the comforter up to cover both of 
them. 

As they begin to doze off, B'Elanna murmurs sleepily, "Harry, I 
should warn you, I snore."

"That's all right," he replies with a soft laugh. "So do I."



The End