Originally written June 2000

Title: Holodeck Date: Lav'oti V (and the Mud Pits of Pala Mar)
Rating: T
Summary: Takes place after the episode "11:59." Tom and B'Elanna go hiking. Part of my "Holodeck Date" series. P/T.

A/N: This story is dedicated to Terry, who inspired the idea by commenting, "Did I ever tell you that I think B'Elanna is really cute when dirty?" :) (Thanks again for the pictures, Terry! :) )

Disclaimer: I'm just being silly again. Really silly. Unbelievably silly. I'm getting the silliness out of my system. Don't take me seriously, please! :) (I'm having writers' block with the more serious stories...)

"All set?" Tom asked.

"I think so," B'Elanna replied, checking her backpack one last time.

He tapped in the commands to initiate the holoprogram, then turned to her. "Let's go, then."

Exchanging smiles, they entered the holodeck, where their latest adventure awaited them.

As she surveyed the new surroundings, he held his breath, hoping that she would like it.

A radiant smile spread over her face. "It's beautiful."

"So are you," he said softly, unable to resist.

She certainly looked stunning, appropriately attired in khaki shorts that revealed her long, shapely legs, a low-cut tank top, long-sleeved cotton shirt – unbuttoned but tied together at the ends – and sturdy hiking boots.

B'Elanna shook her head slightly, looking amused.

Tom smiled, that special smile only for her, the one that always made her melt.

He looked incredibly handsome in that form-fitting T-shirt and shorts, she thought to herself as she studied him appraisingly. He was also wearing hiking boots and carrying a backpack, looking more than ready to conquer whatever challenges the terra firma had to offer.

They were both looking forward to this afternoon together.

She turned her attention back to the expansive landscape, contemplating it carefully. Not recognizing the rugged terrain, she asked, "Is this a new program?"

"Yep. Hiking on Lav'oti V."

B'Elanna frowned. Lav'oti V. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She looked around, admiring the impressive rock formations sparsely decorated with vegetation and brightly colored little wildflowers. It was a lovely contrast.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she savored the warmth of the sun on her skin. The climate was warm and dry, just the way she liked it.

"It should be fine as long as we don't fall into the mud," Tom was saying.

Ah. Now she remembered. That Lav'oti V. She hadn't actually gone down to the planet as Tom had, but she remembered it all the same.

"I figured we could hike through the mountains, then up by the mud pits..." Tom continued.

She raised an eyebrow. "You want to hike to 'the fetid mud pits of Pala Mar?'"

"Oh, the Doctor was exaggerating. The mud doesn't really smell that bad. Besides, the view is worth it. The mud pits are right by the highest point on the planet. I can't tell you how exciting it was to finally reach the top, and see miles and miles of incredible Lav'otian landscape..."

Laughing, she teased, "Is that why you slipped and fell into the mud pit? You were too busy admiring the scenery to watch where you were going?"

Tom made a face. "I didn't slip. Rollins pushed me."

"Rollins pushed you?"

"Yeah. He said it was an accident, but I know he did it on purpose."

B'Elanna regarded him skeptically. "Why would Rollins deliberately push you into a mud pit?"

"He doesn't like me very much."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... he thinks he should have been the captain's first choice for chief conn officer of Voyager after Stadi died, but..."

"But she picked you instead," she finished.

Tom nodded. "And the fact that he had a bit of a crush on a certain chief engineer might have also had something to do with it."

She stared at him. "Where did you hear that?"

"I have my sources."

"Are you sure? I've never heard anything about that."

"I'm sure. And I don't blame him for being bitter. After all, Voyager's chief engineer is pretty amazing. Breathtakingly beautiful, highly intelligent, passionate, incredibly sexy..."

Blushing slightly, B'Elanna looked away. She was flattered, but also flustered. She still had difficulty accepting compliments like that from him.

"...especially when she's blushing," he finished.

When she turned back to look at him, he was still staring at her intently, a hint of a smile on his face. He was enjoying this.

Two could play at this game, she decided.

Taking her time, she sauntered over to him, staring deep into his blue eyes for a long moment before lightly trailing her fingers along his chest. "Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with the chief engineer," she murmured huskily. She slowly wound her arms around his neck. "Maybe he's just jealous of you because you're so incredibly handsome, charming, brilliant, talented, sexy..."

Tom grinned. "That too."

She dropped her arms with an exasperated sigh. "...and oh-so modest."

"Of course. See, he has plenty of reasons not to like me."

"So... he pushed you."

"He did. And the Doctor captured it all on film."

"Well, you're cute even when you're completely covered with mud," she assured him with a smile.

He knew that she had a copy of that picture stashed away in her quarters somewhere, but he didn't mind.

"Thanks. But I still can't believe he showed that picture during his slideshow."

"He has embarrassing pictures of everyone." B'Elanna frowned, remembering some of the unflattering pictures the Doctor had taken of her. She didn't like it when the Doc took pictures of her, and it hadn't been too long ago that she had broken his camera in a fit of temper. For which she had been thoroughly chastised by Chakotay, and ordered to go through meditation sessions with Tuvok to learn how to control her temper better.

She still hadn't resolved all of that. There was so much potential for violence in her. Uncontrollable violence. And it frightened her.

Tom guessed what she was thinking about and wanted to set her mind at ease. He was concerned about her emotional volatility as well, but he knew how hard she had been working to manage it. She was making progress, slowly but surely.

"I've been tempted to break Doc's holoimager on occasion too... but I know he doesn't mean any harm by it. It's just a hobby of his, and sometimes he gets a little carried away with all the excitement, that's all."

She snorted. "Tell me about it."

"But sometimes he does get some pretty nice shots," Tom reasoned. "Like that portrait of the senior staff during the Ancestors' Eve celebration."

"That's true," she conceded. That picture had turned out very nicely, and the Doc had thoughtfully given them all framed copies. "Our family portrait," he liked to call it.

She supposed it was. She did think of Voyager as her family now. Surrounded by people who cared about her, supported her, encouraged her... People she cared about.

Like Tom.

He smiled warmly, bending over to kiss her affectionately. There was such tenderness in his eyes, and she felt safe, loved.

Tom was glad that he had been able to take her mind off her troubles for the moment. He hated seeing her upset about anything.

They continued hiking along the rocky trail, then through a maze of caverns. The damp air was refreshingly cool.

Elegant stalagmites graced the cavern floor, while equally impressive stalactites suspended from the ceiling.

B'Elanna jumped a little, startled, as a drop of water fell from a stalactite above and hit her nose.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, concerned.

"Nothing. A drop of water hit my nose, that's all."

"Oh."

Their voices echoed against the majestic rocks.

"All these caves... Sure brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... but I'm glad that this time, I'm not injured or under the influence of a chemical imbalance... and that we're not arguing."

Tom smiled, remembering all the memorable moments they'd had together in various caves. The underground tunnels of the Ocampa homeworld... the Vadiian mines where they had been imprisoned for days, when Sulon had split B'Elanna into her Klingon and human selves... the caves of the Sakari homeworld, when she had been suffering from pon farr, thanks to Vorik... the icy caverns of the Argala habitat on the Nyrian habitat ship...

"You do know where we're going, right? We're not just wandering around aimlessly..."

"Almost there," he told her.

True to his word, they emerged moments later.

On the other side of the caverns, the path was rocky and uneven, but not too bad. Until it started getting steep.

"This kind of reminds me of hiking at Yosemite back on Earth," B'Elanna said.

"Have you hiked a lot there?"

"Yeah. We used to go camping there all the time when I was at the Academy."

"We should go camping there sometime, then. I'm sure I could design a Yosemite holoprogram."

"Okay." That would be wonderful, she thought. Camping with Tom, in one of the most romantic locales on Earth.

He was thinking along the same lines, imagining the two of them snuggled up in front of a campfire, or in a cozy tent.

"It gets really cold at night, though," she remembered, shivering slightly at the memory.

"I'll keep you warm," he said huskily, drawing her close.

She had no doubt that he would do just that, as he was so very good at it.

But at the moment cold weather wasn't a problem. Quite the opposite, in fact, so she pushed him away playfully.

"It's getting pretty hot out here," B'Elanna commented, untying the ends of her shirttails and slipping out of the shirt. Leaving her only in the skintight tank top that emphasized her every curve and bared her midriff.

Tom stared, mouth suddenly dry.

She stretched her arms over her head leisurely for his benefit, pretending to ignore him.

"You're right; it is hot..." he agreed when at last he regained his power of speech. "Wouldn't want to overheat..."

He stood up slowly, deliberately stretching out and flexing his biceps and pectoral muscles, feeling her watch him out of the corner of her eye. When he was sure that he had her full attention, he casually reached for the bottom of his T-shirt, finally lifting it up over his head to reveal the finely sculpted lines of his muscular chest, abdomen, shoulders and back.

They were both usually far more modest... but not here, in this private holoprogram, where it was just the two of them.

Tom smiled with satisfaction, seeing the possessive, predatory gleam in her eye. It pleased him, knowing that he had that effect on her.

B'Elanna stared at him intently, feeling rather possessive indeed. He didn't take his shirt off for anyone except her, after all. She had the urge to run her fingers through the thick, soft hairs on his bare chest, as always. Or maybe just rest her cheek there so she could listen to his heartbeat, strong and steady.

As though reading her mind, he held out his arms to her, wordlessly inviting her into his embrace.

She accepted his invitation, leaning against him as he cradled her close and touched his lips to her forehead.

They stood there together for a long moment, reluctant to break apart.

Stroking the silken skin just above her collarbone, he murmured, "Ready to take a break from hiking?"

"Mmm-hmm," she replied contentedly, her fingers tangling lightly in his chest hair.

They finally sat down in the shade, sipping cold drinks and snacking on fruit that Neelix had thoughtfully packed for them.

"So what's new with you?"

"Not much."

"I haven't seen you at all lately. You've been spending more time with Harry than you have with me," he complained half-seriously.

B'Elanna shrugged. "Harry and I have been practicing a lot for the upcoming ping-pong tournament."

Tom nodded. "Ah."

"Did you find a partner yet?"

"Yeah, Bill Chapman. He's pretty good, and we make a great team."

"He is pretty good," she agreed.

"Mm-hmm. We're going to win this tournament."

She smirked. "Don't count on it."

"Bill and I are unbeatable," he said confidently.

"Is that so."

"We've both got great hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, concentration, and we know how to coordinate our efforts," he bragged.

"It takes more than that to win a ping-pong tournament."

"Well... most importantly... he doesn't get flustered after losing a point." He gave her a meaningful look.

"I do not get flustered after losing a point!" she said indignantly.

"Whatever you say." He smiled blithely, in a way that really irked her.

B'Elanna was about ready to shove him into a mud pit. Realizing this, Tom jumped to his feet, away from her.

She advanced on him threateningly, stealthy as a panther.

Unfortunately, he knew the terrain a lot better than she did. She had never been on Lav'oti V, after all, and he had. And this was also his holoprogram.

He nimbly dodged her as she pounced... and she suddenly found herself skidding into a mud puddle. With a yelp of surprise, she landed awkwardly on the ground.

Tom was laughing.

"Pig," she tossed off, still sputtering.

He smiled angelically, unfazed. "You're the one in the mud right now," he pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Uh-oh...

For the next few minutes, she chased him around the mud pits. He eluded easily her at first, leaping over mud puddles in his path, but finally she caught up with him...

"I've got you now!" she cried triumphantly.

There was nowhere left for him to run. He was precariously perched on the edge of a rather large mud pit, and there was no escape.

He made a last-ditch attempt to evade her by diving to the side, but it was too late.

All it took was a little push from her to knock him off balance. He plunged head-first into the mud...

But he did manage to grab her arm at the last minute, sending her toppling in after him, screaming.

The soft mud broke their fall, but they started sinking, to her alarm.

"Tom!"

"Don't worry; this pit's not that deep," he reassured her with a grin.

B'Elanna struggled to sit up, but the mud was heavy and kept pulling her down. By now there was mud everywhere, splattered all over her.

Tom was content to merely watch her struggle and curse.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you."

His smile grew wider.

She wouldn't have been surprised if he had planned this all along.

Shaking her head, she told him, "You really are a pig, you know that?"

All he said to that was, "Oink, oink," wallowing in the mud.

Her response was to throw a mudball at his chest, starting a full-fledged mud fight between them. Within seconds, it had escalated out of control, and they were both slinging mud at each other, laughing, shouting and screaming.

Ducking to avoid a volley of mud, B'Elanna sought refuge in the shallower part of the pit behind a large rock.

From her strategic position, she was able to gain a slight advantage.

"Truce!" Tom finally called out, gasping for breath. He was laughing so hard, it hurt to breathe.

It didn't help matters that they were both covered in mud from head to toe by now, looking ridiculous.

When he had recovered sufficiently, he stood up slowly, trying to regain his balance.

B'Elanna watched him carefully as he rose, waiting for the right moment. He had just about uprighted himself when she lunged at him again, causing him to topple backwards into the mud. She landed on top of him, giggling madly.

He didn't even attempt to get up this time, just lay there laughing.

The mud was deliciously cool against their sweat-slicked bodies.

After a few minutes, she finally helped him sit up.

"Admit it, you planned all this," she said. "You just love getting dirty, like in your 'Grease Monkey' program, and all the other cars you work on... your mountain biking program, motorcycling... "

"What's wrong with getting dirty?"

B'Elanna laughed. "I'll bet you drove your mom crazy when you were a kid, getting into all sorts of messes."

Tom grinned. "Yeah... I did get pretty messy sometimes," he admitted good-naturedly. "I loved playing in the dirt."

"You still do!"

"I guess some things never change."

He stood up again, gallantly offering her his hand this time. She was suspicious at first, but finally accepted. Still laughing, he hauled her to her feet, and then they searched for the best way to climb out of the pit.

Moments later, they were sitting on a nearby ledge together, admiring the view of the Lav'otian landscape. It was truly spectacular.

Though they were both covered in mud, they had their arms around each other.

"Hope you don't mind all the mud."

She shook her head. "Oh, this is nothing compared to how filthy I was after that mission on that Malon freighter."

He kissed the top of her head. "And isn't this a lot more fun?"

"Definitely," she sighed, snuggling against him.

"You know, we could start a new fad on Voyager," Tom mused. "Mud wrestling."

B'Elanna smiled at the thought. "I don't know if that would catch on."

"Sure it would. Just think, we could have mud wrestling instead of the ping-pong tournament..."

"A mud wrestling tournament, hmm? That'd be interesting. I'd love to see you take on Chakotay."

"I was thinking, you versus Seven. That would draw more crowds than even Talent Night."

"Well... I wouldn't mind getting back at her for humiliating me in front of everyone..." She made a face. "I can't believe she was studying us."

"She was just curious. I think she's learned that 'human mating behavior' is far more complex than she previously thought, and that it's more effective to explore it on your own than to observe other people. We don't have to worry about her studying us anymore now that she's gotten some firsthand experience with dating now."

"Do you mean Bill Chapman or the Doctor?"

He chuckled. "Both. Though I think she was far more successful with the Doctor. Bill looked really uncomfortable when I mentioned her during our last ping-pong practice."

"You talk about her during ping-pong practice?"

"Not really. We talked more about you, actually."

"I see. And what exactly was this conversation about?"

"Oh... a lot of things. Like what a slave-driver you are..."

Taken aback, she asked with some consternation, "He said that?"

"No... but I did," Tom said with a wicked laugh, ducking as she swatted at him playfully.

"That must make you my slave, then."

"Your wish is my command, my lady."

That made her smile.

As he wiped a smudge of mud from her nose, she brushed off the mud on his shoulder, leaning over to kiss him. He returned the sentiment, wrapping his arms around her.

"Ready to hike some more?"

"Sure."

After another twenty minutes or so, they had hiked back down to the other side. Most of the mud had dried and flaked off, but now they were covered with the remaining dirt, and the dust from the trail.

"We should get cleaned up," Tom remarked.

"Where are we going to do that? There's nothing around here except rocks and mud."

"Don't worry; I made a little addition to the place," he told her. "Something not actually on the planet."

B'Elanna looked to where he was pointing, a cluster of buildings surrounded by lush gardens.

"What is it?"

"The Pala Mar Spa and Resort," he proclaimed proudly.

A spa, out here, in the middle of nowhere? She couldn't help giggling at the thought... but she certainly liked the idea. Tom thought of everything.

Hand in hand, they headed for the resort.

At the spa, they wasted no time in shedding their mud-covered clothes and changing into comfortable terry-cloth robes instead.

The resort staff immediately took their clothes to be laundered and made all the necessary preparations for their guests.

"They have everything: sauna, exercise rooms, pools, hot tub, massages..." Tom said.

"Sounds good..."

"Do you want to get a massage?"

"Only if you're going to be my masseur."

"That can be arranged. If you're willing to be my masseuse, that is..."

"Of course."

They smiled at each other.

"So what should we do first?"

"Well, their specialty here is mud baths."

"Mud baths?" B'Elanna wrinkled her nose. "Haven't we already had enough mud for one day?"

"This is special mud," Tom assured her.

"Oh, really."

"Yeah. It's good for your complexion. Not that anything is wrong with your complexion," he added hurriedly as she turned to look at him. "Your complexion is absolutely flawless."

She was shaking her head again, about to say something, when the attendant cheerfully poked his head in and announced that their mud bath was ready. He ushered them to the room, then discreetly left to give them some privacy.

Tom tugged off his robe, then hers, running his hands along her soft, warm skin.

"Special mud," he reminded her.

But she was still skeptical.

"We'll take a real bath later," he promised. "With water."

"And bubbles?" She loved bubble baths.

He had to think about that for a minute.

"Okay, fine, bubbles too," he finally agreed, lowering himself into the mud. "As long as I don't come out of it smelling like flowers."

"What's wrong with smelling like flowers?" she asked innocently, gingerly stepping into the mud bath.

He shook his head as she laughed.

Mud... It was different, but nice.

She couldn't believe that a mere half hour ago, they had been wrestling in the mud pits.

And now they were in the mud again. But this time, she was allowing him to spread mud all over her. Over her shoulders, her arms, her back... B'Elanna shivered at the caress of the cool, smooth mud, and his gentle touch.

She rubbed a handful of mud over him, enjoying the texture.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Mm-hmm... It's a lot better without any clothes on."

Her breath caught in her throat as he cupped her face in the palm of his hand, gazing intently into her eyes.

Their lips met, parting slightly, then even more as the kiss deepened.

Gradually, they moved closer together, his arms circling her back, her left hand instinctively winding in his hair.

A moment later she pulled away, realizing that she was making him muddier. "Sorry... I'm getting mud in your hair."

"Don't worry about it; I already had mud in my hair..." he murmured before dragging her down for another kiss.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to maneuver in the thick mud.

"Maybe we should move on to the water bath," she suggested with a smile.

"Good idea."

They showered off quickly, then headed for the spacious tub on the other side of the room.

The water was warm and just perfect for a bath. As they sank into the water, they were enveloped by the subtle, pleasant scent of fresh pine, and lots of bubbles, just the way B'Elanna liked it.

A bottle of champagne was chilling in a silver bucket next to the tub with two champagne glasses.

Tom uncorked the bottle, filling the glasses and handing one to her.

B'Elanna accepted it with a smile. "Are we celebrating early?" she teased.

He stared at her in confusion. "Celebrating... what?"

"We have an anniversary coming up, remember?"

Anniversary? He racked his brain.

"Of our first date," she reminded him patiently.

"Oh, yeah. It's been almost two years," Tom suddenly remembered, filing it away for future reference. That important anniversary would definitely require a celebration.

She could see the wheels turning in his head: he was probably already planning the celebration. He's such a romantic, she thought fondly.

As they continued soaking in the tub, they sipped at their champagne, letting the bubbles drift pleasantly around them.

Noticing that the mud hadn't been completely washed away by the shower, B'Elanna reached for a nearby washcloth. She briskly rubbed at his chest, washing away the last few traces of mud trapped in his thick chest hair, then began tracing intricate patterns there.

He caught her wrist, lifting her hand lightly to his lips, but she stopped him.

"You still have mud in your hair, Tom. Let me help you get it out..."

She poured some shampoo into her hand, working up a lather, and then rubbing it into his hair.

When she finished rinsing it out, he shook his head vigorously, showering her with water droplets.

"Your turn. Turn around," he instructed. She complied.

Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply as he worked the fragrant, honey-scented shampoo into her hair, massaging her scalp in a circular motion.

B'Elanna sighed in contentment. She definitely enjoyed being pampered like this.

After rinsing the last of the mud and shampoo out of her hair, he reached for one of the large, fluffy, luxurious towels nearby to dry it.

She sighed again, starting to feel a little giddy. Whether it was from the champagne, or the bubble bath, or both... she didn't care.

Tom began gently scrubbing her back, admiring the smooth, elegant contours and expanse of creamy skin. As he lightly traced her spine, she shivered.

He couldn't help imagining how she'd look in one of those sexy, curve-hugging backless dresses. Maybe for their upcoming anniversary...

After he finished, his arms encircled her slender waist, drawing her closer to him so he could bend down to nuzzle her neck.

B'Elanna leaned back against him comfortably, turning slightly to lift her head to his.

He brushed his lips over hers, his hand trailing along her abdomen, then lower, making her gasp with pleasure.

"I reserved us a room at the resort hotel..." he said lazily, nibbling at her earlobe.

"Who needs a room?" she purred before descending upon him once again...

Tom and B'Elanna finally left the holodeck an hour later, thoroughly refreshed and relaxed.

The staff at the Pala Mar Spa and Resort had efficiently cleaned up their clothes, so there wasn't a speck of dirt or mud on them anywhere.

"We should do that again sometime."

"It was fun, wasn't it?"

They were so caught up in each other that they nearly crashed into Harry in the corridor.

"Hey, you two. Watch where you're going," he teased them.

"Hi, Harry," they greeted him cheerfully.

He smiled, happy to see his best friends in such high spirits. "What have you been up to?"

"Hiking on Lav'oti V."

Hiking? Harry eyed them suspiciously. Tom and B'Elanna were certainly dressed for hiking, but they both looked a little too clean and well-rested to have been hiking around for the past few hours. Maybe they have sonic showers by the mud pits, he chuckled to himself.

But he didn't say anything except, "How was it?"

"Challenging," Tom told him. "Scaling the mountains, roaming through the mud pits, climbing through the caverns..."

Harry shook his head. "What is it with you two and caves, anyway?"

Tom and B'Elanna exchanged glances.

"Never mind; don't answer that," Harry said quickly, holding up his hand. "I don't really want to know."

"The caverns were difficult, but the mud pits were even worse. Tom almost didn't make it," she kidded.

"I have to train hard to keep up with B'Elanna," said Tom with a knowing grin.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well... your stamina is fine, but maybe we should work on your endurance."

"Hey, what's wrong with my endurance?" he protested.

"There's always room for improvement."

"Hmm... Well, if you're going to be my personal trainer... I don't mind at all."

Harry had a feeling they were talking about more than hiking, but he didn't want to dwell on it. It made him uncomfortable.

Suffice to say, they were a very active couple.

"Hey, B'Elanna... do you want to practice ping-pong later tonight?" Harry thought to ask, changing the subject.

"Hmm... How about tomorrow? Tom and I have plans for the rest of the evening."

"Okay. But we really have to practice for the tournament, you know."

"I know," she said, shooting Tom a look that clearly said "Don't even think about saying anything."

Tom merely grinned and said, "Ping-pong's great... but B'Elanna and I came up with a even better idea for the next shipwide tournament."

Harry was curious. "Really? What is it?"

"Mud wrestling."

With that, Tom and B'Elanna walked off hand in hand, laughing all the way to Tom's quarters.

Leaving Harry to stare after them, perplexed.

Mud wrestling?

The End :)