Title: Diversions
Rating: T
Summary: Episode addition to "Thirty Days." Harry convinces B'Elanna to join him in his Beowulf holoprogram. Slightly AU. K&T friendship, P/T.

A/N: Partly inspired by Sareki's story, "Pieces of Me," which made me realize that Harry didn't know that B'Elanna already knew what Tom was planning to do. The story notes from CrlkSeason's story "Matters of Discipline" also influenced this story.

They sat across from each other at their usual table in the Mess Hall, anxiously awaiting Neelix's return so he could update them on how Tom was doing. He had left a short while ago to bring him lunch.

"He's been gone longer today than he was yesterday," Harry remarked. "Maybe he'll have more to tell us when he gets back."

B'Elanna nodded and resumed pushing her food around her plate listlessly with her fork.

"Oh, and the captain finally gave me permission to visit Tom in the brig tomorrow," Harry told her. "Only a few minutes. But it's better than nothing."

"He'll be happy to see you."

"Anything you want me to tell him?"

She shook her head.

"I'll just tell him that you miss him."

She did miss him. She missed him so much.

She missed all the ordinary moments of sharing every day with him. Having lunch in the Mess Hall together. Sitting next to him during senior staff meetings. Even just getting ready for bed together, catching up on the events of the day.

Solitary confinement for thirty days seemed like an overly severe punishment. Tom thrived on social interaction and needed to be around other people. He was far more outgoing and gregarious than she was.

Since he'd been in the brig, she'd been working long hours, needing to fill the time.

Her temper flared easily these days, and her subordinates had become increasingly wary.

Even Chakotay had been keeping his distance, and she couldn't entirely blame him. She wasn't exactly good company these days.

That left only Harry.

Who would probably rather be with Tom.

After a long silence, Harry spoke again.

"I know I'm a poor substitute for Tom," he began self-deprecatingly.

She looked up. "No, of course not. Though, it's funny. I was just worrying you were thinking that about me," B'Elanna admitted.

"No. I'd never think that. I like spending time with you. I just wish Tom could be here too."

"Me too," she sighed.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" he asked. "I have the holodeck reserved."

"I don't know. Hoverball?"

He groaned. "Not again."

"Velocity, then? Or Parisees Squares?"

"Oh, no. I'm not playing any of those with you anymore, B'Elanna," Harry firmly declared.

"Why not? You're always bragging about how you were on the Academy Parisees Squares team and captain of the Velocity team."

"Yeah, well, back then I never had to play against a half-Klingon who was taking all her frustration and anger out on the competition," he grumbled pointedly.

B'Elanna winced. "I already apologized for hitting you in the ribs with my ion mallet. It was an accident, I swear."

"I know you didn't mean to do it. But it still hurt like crazy."

She hadn't realized just how much of her aggressive tendencies had been re-channeled until she'd been deprived of having sex.

"All right. How about if we fight some Cardassians together in my hand-to-hand combat training program?"

He grimaced. "No way."

"Well, then, what's left?" she asked.

"How about a game of beach volleyball?"

"Not with those holographic bimbos you programmed," she said scathingly.

"They're a championship team," he protested. "They were the gold medal winners in 2216."

"Of what, the Playboy Playmate Games?" she shot back. "There's no way those women were Olympic gold medalists."

Harry gaped at her. From his expression, she deduced that he didn't know what a "Playboy Playmate" was, exactly, but he wasn't about to ask for more details. Not while she was in the mood she was currently in.

"Okay, okay. Let's see. What other programs do I have? There has to be something we haven't tried yet."

Harry thought for a minute.

"Oh, I know! How about my Beowulf program? I never got to the second part."

"There's a second part?"

"Yeah. Beowulf and his kinsman Wiglaf go on a quest to slay a dragon."

"What's a dragon, and why do they want to slay it?"

"A dragon is a magical, fire-breathing monster. This particular dragon has been terrorizing their kingdom because a thief stole a goblet from its hoard of treasure."

"Why don't they just get the thief to return the goblet?"

"They try to, but the dragon isn't appeased. Plus, since the dragon has incinerated entire villages and even Beowulf's own throne-hall, Beowulf wants revenge."

"You want to slay a dragon but you don't want to try my combat program?"

"I'm not into fighting unarmed. We'll have weapons and armor for our quest. Besides, the dragon is too big to fight hand-to-hand."

"How big?"

"Hmm, about 15 meters long, I think."

"That's it?"

"It'll seem more impressive when you actually see it," he promised.

She wasn't entirely convinced, but all she said was, "What happens after we defeat the dragon?"

"Not much. Beowulf is mortally wounded in the battle and dies."

"You want to run a holoprogram where you die at the end?" she asked incredulously.

"It's a heroic death. I've always wanted to act out a dramatic death scene."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Haven't you had enough of those in real life?"

He ignored her jibe. "Come on, B'Elanna. It'll be great. We'll get some exercise, learn some history and fight a giant serpent together."

She sighed again. Normally she wouldn't even consider it. But these weren't normal circumstances. She had way too much time on her hands, and she also needed an outlet for her aggression. Immediately.

Maybe taking her anger out on a fire-breathing monster really would help her feel better.

"All right, Harry," B'Elanna reluctantly acquiesced. "I'll be your sidekick. Just this once."

Several hours later, they'd both donned chain mail, armor and helmets and were trudging through the dense underbrush bordering the dank, dismal forest. It was eerily quiet, with none of the usual sounds of birds chirping or leaves rustling to indicate small animals creeping underfoot.

The ten liegemen who had pledged loyalty to Beowulf had already been dispatched to find the thief and investigate the area where the dragon's lair might be.

Looking around, B'Elanna decided that the somber atmosphere and desolate landscape were exactly what she needed. She didn't want to be in a restful environment. How could she relax on a beach or in Sandrine's knowing that Tom was in the brig, brooding and suffering alone?

She tried to focus on the present moment, needing distraction from her gloomy thoughts.

"Are we really going to be able to slay the dragon with these primitive weapons?" B'Elanna asked skeptically.

"Hey, these weapons were considered very advanced for this era. For example, this shield is forged of iron."

"Won't that melt when the dragon breathes fire on it?"

"Better than bursting into flames. These shields are usually made of wood."

She examined her shield. It was, in fact, made out of wood. "Then why don't I get an iron shield?"

"Iron was scarce back then. We only had enough for one shield. And it's part of the story. During the battle with the dragon, Wiglaf's shield gets burned to cinders, and he has to take cover under Beowulf's shield."

"Which will then melt."

"Eventually. We'll get a little singed and bloodied up, but it's all part of the adventure," Harry said cheerfully.

"Sounds great," she retorted sarcastically.

"It wouldn't be any fun if it weren't dangerous, right? Besides, the holodeck safeties are on, so we're not actually going to get seriously injured."

As they followed the brook into the forest, another disturbing thought suddenly occurred to her.

"This part doesn't have any romantic sub-plots, does it?" B'Elanna asked suspiciously. She'd heard an earful from the Doctor about Beowulf's romance with Freya the shield maiden the last time Harry had run this program.

"No, it's just action," Harry reassured her.

"Okay, good. I don't know why these programs all seem to have those."

"Remember, some of us have had to go without sex for years," he replied, a little testily. "You've only had to go without for two weeks."

Her mouth fell open.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean it like that," she said, genuinely contrite. "I only meant I didn't really want to see any of it."

"I wouldn't want you to see that, either."

"But it's okay in front of Tom?" she asked sardonically.

"What do you mean?"

"Captain Proton. You and Tom and the Delaney sisters."

"It wasn't like that!"

"Wasn't it? Then why did they have to wear those ridiculous costumes?"

"That was for historical accuracy!"

"Is that what Tom told you? You shouldn't believe everything he says. I've seen all of the original serials that Captain Proton was based on, and Tom took a lot of liberties with the costumes. Good thing for you. Otherwise you might have found yourself wearing spandex and short shorts. Or running around shirtless," she laughed.

His jaw fell open.

"What?"

She shrugged. "That's what some of the heroes wore. The serials with women in revealing costumes also had men in revealing outfits. So the 'Twin Mistresses of Evil' costumes weren't 'historically accurate.' They should have been much more modest to match what Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid wear."

"Megan and Jenny laughed when they first saw their costumes," he finally admitted. "Especially the headpieces."

"I'm not surprised. I laughed too when I first saw the costume designs."

"You saw the designs?"

"Sure did. Tom showed them to me when he was designing them."

"Oh," Harry said in surprise.

"Tom and I don't keep secrets from each other. Especially when it comes to the holodeck."

"You don't trust him?" he blurted out.

Startled, B'Elanna stopped in her tracks. "Of course I trust Tom, and he trusts me. But we both have a history of misusing the holodeck, and we agreed to be more forthcoming with each other about our holodeck programs."

"Then you know that Tom only wrote that chapter and invited Megan and Jenny to join us as a favor to me, right?" Harry said nervously.

"I know, Harry," she said with amusement. "I was only kidding about that."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, your little holodeck outing with Megan and Jenny seems to have worked," she commented. "Tom said that Jenny was all over you."

"I'm not interested in Jenny!"

"You're not? Didn't you go out with her four years ago?"

"I don't count that as a date. It was 15 minutes on the holodeck, and it was a complete disaster. I even fell out of the gondola trying to get away from her!"

B'Elanna laughed with delight, and he realized that she'd been feigning ignorance and baiting him. Again.

He and Tom had never gone out with the Delaney sisters again after that debacle. Their failed double date had been an ongoing joke between them for a long time, even when they'd been trapped in the Akritirian prison.

They'd remained friendly and collegial with them, of course, but that was all.

"Megan is more my type. You know that," Harry said grumpily.

"Poor Jenny," B'Elanna said sympathetically.

"Poor Jenny?" he echoed in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"Think about it, Harry. Jenny is far more assertive than Megan is, so she would have had first choice of who she wanted to go out with on that double-date four years ago. Jenny chose you. Megan would have gone along with whatever Jenny wanted."

He stared at her. He'd never thought about it that way before.

"So poor Jenny was always interested in you, and she probably got her hopes up when you asked her and Megan to join you and Tom on the holodeck. Again, Megan would have gone along with it to make Jenny happy."

He smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. "You're right. And all this time I thought it was just my bad luck that I got paired up with Jenny. How could I be so stupid? I should have asked you about it first," he said glumly.

"Yeah, you probably should have."

"Lord Beowulf!"

Their conversation was interrupted as several holocharacters suddenly came running up to them. They'd reached a small clearing in the woods.

"My liege!" they chorused.

"We have found the thief!" one of them announced excitedly.

As the liegemen clamored all around them, a raggedly dressed man was pushed to the front of the crowd.

"Where is the goblet?" Harry demanded.

"I hid it," the thief revealed fearfully.

"Take us to the hiding place so that we may retrieve it," Harry commanded. "Then you will show us to the dragon's lair."

The thief bowed his head in deference and reluctantly began walking. Harry and B'Elanna followed, and the other holocharacters fell in nervously behind them.

"Once we defeat the dragon, we shall claim the hoard of treasure it guards!" Harry avowed.

"Destroy the dragon and end our suffering! All hail Lord Beowulf!" they chanted.

"Who are these people?" B'Elanna asked impatiently, glancing backwards.

"They're my liegemen. They've all sworn fealty to me. They're my chosen warriors."

"Warriors? Them? They're pathetic," she scoffed. "Look at them, cowering behind us. They act like they don't want to get anywhere near the dragon, much less fight it to the death."

"They have good reason to be afraid. This dragon already burned our manor down to the ground, not to mention half the villages in the surrounding countryside. And dragons have a long history in human mythology. I remember hearing all sorts of fairy tales with terrifying dragons in them when I was a kid," he said with a shudder.

"My mother didn't let my father read me human fairy tales. She said they would poison my mind."

"Oh."

"But now that I think about it, there might have been dragons in one of the serials Captain Proton was based on," she mused. "Those dragons didn't breathe fire, though."

Harry smiled in amusement. "If you know so much about it, how come you've never joined us, B'Elanna?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I know more about the entire twentieth century than I ever wanted to know. And you know why I've never joined you and Tom for Captain Proton, Harry. There aren't any good roles for women."

"You don't have to play a female character. The character you're playing now is male. There weren't any good roles for women in the original Beowulf either," he pointed out. "You could even be the intrepid Captain Proton if you wanted to."

"I could, but I prefer to spend my holodeck time in other programs. Though I might have to play Captain Proton after Tom hears that I did this program with you," she said dryly.

"We could keep it our little secret."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. After half the ship saw us walking to the holodeck in this chain mail and armor?"

They both laughed.

As they continued on their journey past the scorched villages and blackened fields, the liegemen fell further and further behind.

"This program mostly seems to be walking from place to place," B'Elanna observed. "Is there something else we're supposed to be doing?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be recounting my deeds of daring. My greatest victories and conquests, how I became king of the Geats, how I won this legendary sword…"

"Please don't," she groaned. "Let's talk about something else. Like how you recently became interested in Megan Delaney all of a sudden."

"Oh. Okay. Let's see. Do you remember the Doctor's photographic essay presentations a few weeks ago?"

"How could I forget? Those photos were mind-numbing. I distinctly remember the captain telling you and Chakotay to go to Yellow Alert after half an hour so we'd have an excuse to leave."

"Hey, I reminded him, but Chakotay decided he didn't want to deny you all the full experience."

She shook her head in disgust. "Chakotay has such a twisted sense of humor."

"If he hadn't disobeyed the captain's order, you would have missed the picture of Tom all covered in mud."

B'Elanna laughed at that. "That was the best one," she said, smiling.

"And I told the Doctor he should take out the picture of you with your foot stuck in the plasma injector if he valued his program."

"Ugh. Neelix told me about that one. I still have to track down the original – and any copies – and delete them."

Harry chuckled. "Anyway, I was sitting with the Delaney sisters during the presentation, and afterwards I started talking to Megan about music. She complimented me on my original composition, 'Echoes of the Void.' You remember that piece; I performed it at the concert last month."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"She wanted to know all about my process for composing. And I also told her I was thinking of learning to play the saxophone, and it turns out that's her favorite instrument."

"You're giving up clarinet to learn saxophone?"

"No, I'll still play clarinet. It's just that I've always wanted to learn saxophone. My parents thought I should focus only on one instrument. You know, in case I wanted to become a professional musician. But since that's not going to happen, and they're not here… I thought now would be a good time to pick it up."

"Oh. Okay. As long as you're doing it because you really want to, and not for Megan."

"No, no," he reassured her. "It's not like that. It's just nice to have someone appreciate my musical talents. And it got me thinking. Megan and I have a lot in common, and I think she's also looking for a long-term relationship."

B'Elanna considered that. "Probably."

It made sense. Megan was an introvert like Harry and had a calm presence. She didn't seem to be looking for a grand, sweeping passionate romance. She probably preferred a stable, comfortable relationship that was based on a deep sense of closeness.

"I'm a relationship kind of guy. But I haven't been in a relationship with anyone since Libby," he said bleakly. "It gets lonely."

"Oh, Harry." She patted him consolingly on the arm.

They walked in silence for a while through the stark remains of the torched forest. Where once there had stood thick clusters of leafy trees, now all that remained were charred stumps and broken branches.

Finally, she said, "You know, Harry, I don't think Captain Proton is the best place to take a woman you're romantically interested in. Why didn't you just ask Megan out to dinner?"

"Come on, B'Elanna. You know that Megan and Jenny only go out on double dates. And Tom wouldn't go on an actual date with me and them."

"You could have gone with someone else."

"Who? Like Chapman? Or maybe Bristow?"

She couldn't help but smile at that. They wouldn't have stood a chance with Jenny Delaney.

"What about Baxter?" she suggested.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think Baxter likes me."

"Nozawa?"

He pondered that. "Nozawa would have been a good choice. But it's too late now."

"It's never too late, Harry."

Just then, a sudden commotion ahead of them caught their attention and they stopped talking.

"Who are they?" she asked, as a cluster of people slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Displaced villagers," he told her. "The dragon destroyed their homes."

Having nowhere else to go, they had taken shelter with their meager possessions in an abandoned barn on the outskirts of their obliterated settlement.

B'Elanna was appalled at the misery and wretchedness before them.

"How can the villagers have so little while they," she gestured to his liegemen, "have so much?"

Harry grimaced. "Unfortunately, my liegemen are more interested in gaining power, wealth and furthering their own ambition than helping the people they are responsible for."

She shook her head. It reminded her too much of the emaciated refugees on Bajor and their thriving Cardassian overlords. Only these people didn't look like they were capable of staging a revolt or organizing an underground resistance movement.

At that moment, the thief reappeared.

He gingerly proffered the stolen goblet to Harry.

None of the liegemen seemed to want to touch it. They all took a step back.

Sighing, Harry plucked the goblet out of the thief's hands.

"I thought they all coveted the treasure," B'Elanna said caustically. "Why don't they want to hold it?"

"They do want the treasure, but they're afraid of angering the dragon further. Touching the goblet will allow it to track us down by scent," he explained.

"So much for fealty."

The thief began walking again, and they followed after him.

Eventually they arrived at a wind-beaten cliff overlooking the wide-stretching shores of the ocean.

The thief pointed below, between the cliff and the beach. "There lies the barrow, the dragon's lair. I will take you no further!"

"PetaQ!" she yelled at the thief, who quailed in his boots, then scampered away.

"My loyal kinsman – er, kinswoman, Wiglaf, and I will lead the way," Harry pronounced loudly.

"All hail Lord Beowulf! All hail Wiglaf!" they cheered.

B'Elanna tapped her foot impatiently.

It was still a long way down the winding path to the dragon's domain.

As they resumed walking, one of the liegemen accidentally jostled her elbow, and she glared at him ferociously. He shrank back in terror.

"Can we just delete them?" she asked, exasperated. "They are really starting to get on my nerves."

"Sure," he said. "They're just going to run away in terror anyway when the dragon comes out."

"All of them?" she exclaimed incredulously.

"Yup. Only Beowulf and Wiglaf are brave enough to fight the dragon."

"I knew they weren't real warriors," B'Elanna said derisively.

"Computer, delete characters," Harry ordered. In a flash, they disappeared.

"See, at first, Beowulf decides he'll fight the dragon alone because he wants to re-live his glory days as a champion and die like a warrior."

"That sounds very Klingon," B'Elanna interjected.

"It does, doesn't it? Mostly he was overconfident because of all his past successes. But after he's wounded and burned, he realizes the dragon is too much for him to handle," Harry continued. "He calls for aid, but all of his liegemen desert him except for Wiglaf."

"Why is Wiglaf the only one to stay and fight?"

"Well, he's related to Beowulf, and he also understands the bigger picture. He realizes that if Beowulf dies and others hear of his liegemen's cowardice, foreign lords will come for their lands, dooming their kingdom to warfare for years to come. So he tries to convince them to honor their oaths and fights by Beowulf's side to lead by example."

She was silent for a moment.

"Tom would like this program," she said finally.

"He does like playing hero," Harry agreed.

B'Elanna looked up sharply at that. "Is that what you think he was doing on Monea? Playing hero?"

"Wasn't he?"

"There's a difference between wanting to be a hero so other people will admire you and standing up for what you believe in."

"Even if it means dying in the process?" he countered.

The words were out of his mouth before he remembered who he was talking to.

"Yes. I've been fully prepared to die for my beliefs," she reminded him. "Many times."

"I know you are. But do you feel the same way when it's Tom's life at stake?"

That gave her pause. She was silent for a long moment, pondering her answer.

"I didn't think Captain Janeway would actually be willing to destroy the Delta Flyer," she admitted. "But I don't think it would have changed Tom's decision even if we'd known that ahead of time. Even if it meant risking his life."

"Wait. We? You knew?"

"Of course. Who do you think gave him the idea?"

Harry was shocked. "You told Tom to steal the Delta Flyer and blow up the oxygen refineries?!"

"Not exactly. But I did encourage him to take action. To do something. He came up with the specific plan on his own."

"Why?!"

B'Elanna sighed. "I was in that meeting with Tom, the captain, Riga and Consul Burkus. We gave them designs for an oxygen replication system, which would allow them to create free oxygen without extracting it from the water. But I could tell that Burkus wasn't going to do anything. All of our recommendations were just going to go into a report that would be passed around by a bunch of bureaucrats."

"You don't know that. And even if they did ignore our recommendations, that doesn't give us the right to blow up their refineries."

"Riga asked Tom for his help, and Tom decided to help him."

"But he's been sentenced to thirty days in the brig and busted down to Ensign. He's lucky the Monean authorities didn't insist on harsher punishment. And for what?"

"It wasn't all for nothing. It brought public attention to the issue," she pointed out. "And the underwater shockwave caused some damage to the refineries. Maybe they'll consider implementing the oxygen replication system more seriously while they're repairing the damage."

"Was that really worth jeopardizing everything that Tom has worked for these past few years? He'll never get promoted now."

"Career advancement isn't as important to Tom and me as it is to you, Harry. We have different priorities."

"I don't think I'll ever understand. I still think it was a mistake."

"I know. And that's okay. But you might feel differently in the future."

"What makes you say that?"

"Do you remember what you told me after the quantum slipstream drive failed? About the message from your future self?"

Harry looked troubled. "Yeah. My future self violated the Temporal Prime Directive. He and Chakotay stole a Borg temporal transmitter and the Delta Flyer from Starfleet to go back in time, change the timeline and save Voyager."

"Someday you'll find yourself questioning orders, Harry, and maybe even disobeying them. Maybe sooner than you think."

"Maybe," he said introspectively.

"The rules are there to help guide us, but each of us still has to decide for ourselves. We can't just blindly follow orders. Sometimes you have to follow your own conscience, despite the consequences. Even if means breaking the rules. Even if means insubordination. Even if it means risking your life to fight for a cause that you believe in one hundred percent."

Deep in thought, he didn't respond.

As the trail grew more perilous, they shifted their attention to navigating their descent. Tall, overgrown shrubs and jagged, moss-covered boulders lining their route made the narrow path nearly inaccessible, and the lowering darkness hampered visibility.

After another twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the dragon's barrow.

"How do we get in?" B'Elanna asked.

Harry pointed to the area under the stone cliff. "There's a secret passage to the barrow through there. Just follow me."

But as they neared the entrance, they saw that there were flames covering the entire passage.

"Our armor won't hold up against that."

"No, it won't. I'm supposed to call out to summon the dragon."

Standing beneath the stone arches and brandishing his sword, Harry bellowed out to the slumbering beast. "Dragon! It is I, Beowulf!"

Seconds later, the ground beneath them began shaking as the dragon stormed out, angered by the intrusion of its domain.

Snarling, it let loose a rain of fire.

B'Elanna felt a rush of adrenaline as the monster stalked them, whipping its spiked tail back and forth.

It crouched on its haunches and suddenly lunged at them, claws outstretched.

Harry jumped out of the way, slamming into the dirt.

She narrowly escaped being crushed under its feet as it stampeded after him.

Another fireball caused the mangled thickets of bushes beside them to catch fire. As Harry had predicted earlier, her wooden shield quickly burned to cinders, and she was forced to seek refuge under Harry's shield.

The great iron-forged shield protected them from the flames temporarily, but it wouldn't last for long.

Harry swung his sword at the dragon's thick scales, enduring the heat as the beast continued spitting fire at him. Joining in the fray, B'Elanna attacked with all her might, to no avail. Their weapons couldn't even penetrate its leathery hide.

The dragon coiled around itself self-protectively, then advanced on them again.

It was barely winded.

Harry had been right, she realized. The dragon was a lot more intimidating up close. A formidable foe.

It would take more than brute force to conquer it.

"I hope you have a strategy for defeating this thing, Harry!" she cried out, re-positioning herself to strike at it again.

With valiant effort, she managed a few glancing blows with the edge of her blade at its underbelly.

Enraged, the dragon took flight, spewing more fire at them.

"Now what do we do, Harry? You forgot to mention that it can fly!"

Airborne, it was out of range of their weapons, and the billowing flames and heavy smoke were impairing their ability to track its movements.

"This is the part where all my liegemen would have run away in terror and hidden in the forest, except Wiglaf," Harry informed her. "Wiglaf then berates them for their cowardice, reminding them of their oaths of loyal service to Beowulf!"

"I think I already did that earlier!" she shouted.

"But this is your best scene! You're supposed to say, 'I'd rather be burned to death than abandon my king!' Your speech makes them all ashamed of their desertion!"

"What's the point, Harry? There's no one else here! We deleted the holocharacters, remember? Can we just concentrate on fighting the dragon?"

Out of nowhere, the dragon swooped down at them, screeching eerily.

Undaunted, Harry struck forcefully at its head, but its skull was so hard that the sword snapped and cracked apart instead. The beast hissed angrily, uninjured but thoroughly provoked.

To her horror, the dragon charged at Harry and bit him on the neck, its sharp fangs easily piercing his skin. He staggered and nearly fell.

"Harry!"

She ran to his side, puncturing the dragon's chest with her sword. The creature roared in pain, breathing out fire everywhere. She winced as the flames scorched her hand. Since the holodeck safeties were on, it didn't actually hurt. More like tingled.

"Aim for under its head!" Harry hollered. "It's vulnerable there!"

B'Elanna swiftly thrust her sword into its neck, and the dragon shrieked again, a horrible otherworldly sound. But the wound hampered its ability to breathe fire, giving Harry the opportunity to land the death blow.

As the monster lunged at her and she nimbly dodged its fangs, Harry grabbed his knife from his belt and stabbed it deep into its torso, just above the left flank. The beast screeched even more loudly, then writhed in its death throes.

Their jubilation at victory was short-lived, however, as the wound on Harry's neck suddenly began to burn and swell.

"This is the part where I realize the dragon's bite is venomous and that I'm about to die," Harry said with relish.

"Can we dispense with the dying?" she asked in exasperation.

He looked crestfallen.

"You don't want me to die?"

"No, not really."

To their surprise, the dragon suddenly opened one eye and lifted its head.

"Look out, Harry!"

They ducked under the iron shield just in time as the dragon breathed another cloud of fire at them.

"I thought you killed it!" she yelled, coughing and trying to wave away all the smoke.

"So did I!"

"Then why did it come back to life?!"

"I think the program's adapting. Since I didn't die, neither did the dragon. I think the dragon and I both have to die," he panted. "It's kind of the whole point!"

"Okay, okay!"

The next burst of flame ignited all the trees nearby, and they ran for cover to regroup.

Harry was out of weapons. B'Elanna handed him her knife since she still had her sword.

"Here, Harry. Let's try it again!"

She howled a battle cry and ran towards it with her sword, directing all of her pent-up rage against the rampaging monster.

The dragon screamed in agony as she gouged it repeatedly in the chest with slashing blows.

She grasped her sword again, preparing to aim straight for the dragon's heart this time.

But before she could do it, Harry stabbed the knife into the dragon's right flank, then sliced at its vital organs. The giant creature wailed loudly and struggled mightily to stay upright but failed.

Its death was even more dramatic this time. It twisted and rolled for several kilometers, knocking down a wide swath of splintered trees and finally collapsing into a colossal heap by the brook.

"Now it's my turn to die," Harry said, leaning heavily against the cavern wall just outside the barrow. "Already I feel the dragon's venom poisoning my blood."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes.

"I have but one last request," he bravely entreated. "Bring me the treasure so I may die knowing that I won it."

"Do I really have to?" she asked.

"Yes, unless you want the dragon to come back to life again!"

With a sigh, she entered the cave. B'Elanna eyed the pile of treasure dubiously. It looked like rusted junk to her. But she dutifully gathered up some pieces in her arms and brought them back out.

"Look after the Geats when I am gone," Harry said solemnly. "And build a barrow at Whale's Cliff, overlooking the sea, where passing sailors might look upon it. Grant me a majestic funeral pyre and bury my ashes there. It shall be called 'Beowulf's Barrow.'"

"Of course," she muttered under her breath. "What else would it be called?"

He then unfastened the gold collar from around his neck, took off his armor and rings, and presented them to her.

She took them and gave him a questioning look.

"It symbolizes that you'll be the next ruler of the Geats," he explained.

She shrugged. "Okay. Sure. Whatever."

"You have earned the right to rule," Harry proclaimed regally. "Rather than just inheriting it," he added. "That's important."

"If you say so," she mumbled.

Then with great fanfare, he died.

B'Elanna held her breath. This time the dragon stayed dead.

Wiping the soot from her face, she surveyed the damage. She and Harry were both covered in dirt, ash and the creature's blood. Everything around them was all ablaze.

"Computer, end program," she ordered.

The burning forest instantly vanished, along with the dragon's bloody carcass.

"You can get up now, Harry. Let's go celebrate our victory with some drinks in the Mess Hall."

"All right," he agreed, dusting himself off. "Sounds good to me."

Harry grinned. "Now wasn't that fun?" he asked as they made their way down the corridor to the turbolift.

B'Elanna reflected on the past few hours they'd spent on the holodeck.

It had been fun, she had to admit.

Especially the final battle.

As she had unleashed her fury on the unsuspecting dragon, she had pictured Captain Janeway's face. The Cardassian butcher Crell Moset. And Monean Consul Burkus too, for good measure.

It had turned out to be a lot easier to project her anger onto a monstrous creature that wasn't humanoid and had gone a long way in assuaging her thirst for vengeance. She hadn't realized just how much she'd needed an enemy that she could actually vanquish.

"You were right, Harry," she said with immense satisfaction. "Slaying the dragon turned out to be cathartic after all. Let's do it again sometime!"

The End!