Lethal Rose

It's Valentine's Day on the USS Voyager and for Be'Lanna Torres the day cannot end soon enough. She's knows her ex-boyfriend Tom Paris is hoping to get back together with her, but she's not interested.

On entering Engineering at the start of Alpha shift she checks in with Vorik before heading to her office to go over the reports left by the other shifts. As she is about to sit down she spots an object on her desk that she wasn't expecting. It's a chocolate rose on a plastic stem. With it is a handwritten note which reads:

To my one true love

A small token of my affection

From one who dare not approach you in person.

"That petaQ!" Be'Lanna storms out of her office shouting and waving the rose about in her expressive hands. "Who let that no good helmboy enter my office? If I find out any of you were in on this I'll gut you with the stem of this rose and leave your corpse in Neelix's food supplies." After looking around menacingly she storms back into her office and slams the door behind her.

Seven who had been working at a nearby console panics and not knowing what to do about the situation she now finds herself in, slinks quietly out of Engineering without anyone noticing.

That afternoon a concerned Janeway is looking for Seven. She tried hailing Seven and had gone to Astrometrics but when she couldn't find her she asked the computer for Seven's location. Upon entering Cargo Bay 2 Janeway is startled to find Seven curled up at the foot of her alcove crying quietly.

"Seven! What is it? What's wrong?" Janeway asks as she hurriedly approaches the upset blonde.

Tearfully Seven tells Janeway about the rose and Be'Lanna's reaction.

"... and I was too afraid to tell her that it wasn't Tom who left it there, it was me."

As Janeway pulls Seven into a comforting hug, neither one of them has realised that someone else has heard part of their conversation. Be'Lanna had arrived at the Cargo Bay to find out why Seven left Engineering in the middle of a task and never returned. Upon hearing Seven's confession that she is Be'Lanna's admirer, Be'Lanna starts to feel guilty. She'd assumed it was Paris playing a trick on her to get her attention. It hadn't occurred to her for even a moment that someone else may have a romantic interest in her. What disturbs her most at this moment though, is the realisation that she returns Seven's interest and would like to see where their mutual attraction leads.

Heading back towards Engineering she can't get the incident out of her mind and is determined to do something about it. Calling in several favours, she arranges a surprise for Seven on the holodeck.

"Torres to Seven" she says to her comm badge.

"Seven here."

"Seven I need your help in Holodeck 2 can you get down here right away please."

"I'll be there momentarily Lieutenant, Seven out."

Two point eight three minutes later Seven walks through the doors of Holodeck 2 but suddenly comes to a halt. She is astonished to find Be'Lanna seated at a table for two in a cosy bistro setting. She panics not knowing what to do, but as she turns to leave she hears Be'Lanna speak.

"Please Seven, don't go. I arranged this especially for you."

"You did?" Seven replies turning hesitantly around.

"Yes, I did." Replies Be'Lanna as she rises from her seat and approaches Seven. "I'm sorry I upset you earlier. I had no idea you thought of me that way."

"How did you find out?"

"I came looking for you to find out why you left your work unfinished in Engineering. It's not like you and I was worried. When I got to your Cargo Bay I heard you tell the Captain what had happened and I felt like such a fool. Please come and have an early dinner with me and let's talk about where we go from here."

Around the same time Tom Paris is finishing getting dressed up determined to win Be'Lanna back. He asks the computer for her location and is soon in the turbolift on his way to Holodeck 2. On examining the controls he sees Be'Lanna is in a private program and he decides she'll only be a little upset if he overrides the lock not noticing that the program was set to allow one other individual entry and that that person is already in there too.

As the doors open Tom repeats Seven's earlier movements by entering but then coming to an abrupt halt. He stands there paralysed for several moments before turning on his heals to flee. As he catches his breath in the turbolift on his way back to his quarters, he resigns himself to the fact that he has no chance of reconciliation with Be'Lanna. At least neither she nor Seven spotted him watching as they passionately kissed.

Or did they?

Happy Valentine's Day