Valentine's Day story - 2003

Voy_Girl · **Fri Feb 14, 2003 4:58 pm Valentine's Day story - 2003**

Title: L�tterae Amat�riae (Love Letter)

Author: Voy_Girl

Written: 13-14/2 2003

Code/s: T, P, Ensign

Summary: Valentine’s Day story. P/T. B’Elanna is followed by a bitter member of her staff.

Author’s note: Yes. This is your average short Valentine’s Day story. I admit it; I’m smitten
with the day. And it truly is a great opportunity for sappy stories.

Author’s note #2: Why the title is Latin; it’s a very beautiful language with amazing words.

Rated: PG

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own anything Star Trek in any form! However ‘Ensign Mariah Jones' is a product of my imagination.

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"L�tterae Amat�riae (Love Letter)" by Voy_Girl

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Mariah Jones sighed deeply behind B’Elanna Torres. Who, in her turn almost hit her head in the low ceiling above them.
The two engineers were crawling through stuffy, almost forgotten Jeffries Tubes searching for a malfunctioning gel pack.

"What is it?" B’Elanna growled when her heart began to beat with a steady rhythm again, the
shock of the sudden noise behind her repressed.

The two women resumed their clumsy trot while Mariah excused herself. "I’m sorry Chief. It’s just that today is Valentine’s Day, and I don’t have anyone to share if with."

"Don’t you have friends?" B’Elanna commented dryly, recalling her younger colleagues as a
giggly bunch.

"Yes, I do! But you know what I mean; a boyfriend!"

"Why is that such a big deal?"

"You see, I’ve always had dates for Valentine’s Day before, but since I got on Voyager..."
Mariah sighed, barely avoiding to place her hand under B’Elanna’s boot.
"You’ve got Lieutenant Paris, so I bet you’ll get a nice day."

B’Elanna murmured something indecipherable and thankfully spotted the gel pack, which
appeared around a narrow corner as her rescuer.

It was early morning, she hadn’t eaten more than an apple, thus the ‘most romantic day of the
year’ wasn’t one of her top priorities.

***

B’Elanna suppressed a yawn and took a bite of her sandwich to stop herself from saying
something at all.

Mariah Jones had followed her Chief around almost the whole day, it seemed. Now they even
had lunch together, more or less enthusiastic.
She told stories about her long gone Valentine’s Days so frequently that B’Elanna found the
apparently very often dated Jones boring. In-between the spoken lines she read as from a book
she literally spelled out that she saw herself as underfed with love.

During this one day every year, the increasingly bitter Mariah got the chance to view her world
and all who entered it through a magnifying glass, painted with a deep red shade.

B’Elanna took another bite of her wholemeal bread, covered with Neelix’ pet topping for the
week; paprika. Red, of course. Neelix even cut some specimen as unique hearts.

The Chief Engineer scrutinized her half sandwich and luckily she didn’t find anything
resembling to a heart, although gasps and various giggles reassured her that others did.

Mariah had finally gone quiet at her place two striking empty chairs away from Torres.
She dug indolent round in her plate of plain, replicated maccaroni sprinkled with thyme.

B’Elanna noticed what a bizarre, hollow-eyes appearance Jones could gain when she actually
expressed boredom and loneliness. If she didn’t act like she was interested, she did not deserve
it either. She thought, ‘Perhaps you’d get a date on board too, if you didn’t visibly turn into a
tenacious grey mouse among everyone else.’

**

Tom plunked down at one on the chairs in-between his girlfriend and the shallow acquaintance
Mariah Jones. She was a part of that nameless, faceless dull mass he met in the hallways every
now and then. The ones that just seemed to flow about in their own little spaces.

"Hey," he greeted the two women, forcing the oppressive silence to slowly descent.

B’Elanna greeted him back, but Jones stared blankly and completely open at him.

"I have so much to do that I don’t even know which day of the week it is!" Tom complained
briefly before bending over the filled lunch tray.

Out of his view, literally over his head, the women’s eyes met. B’Elanna frowned slightly,
showing no interest in telling Tom about the day.
Jones said nothing either and B’Elanna was quite sure she wouldn’t.

A twinkle formed in the Ensign’s pale eyes, at same time as a scornful grin caressed her lips.

As Mariah stood up and left the table, the greater part of her maccaroni still on the plate,
B’Elanna followed her overall almost unnoticed staff member with her gaze. She was sure that
Jones was nothing but bitter for her own sake; a condition which probably had got worse
during the period with her Chief Engineer.

***

At exactly half past then that night, the chime on B’Elanna’s door rang twice in line; brief,
stressed signals.

The occupant inside was brought back from the mists of an old Klingon fable, and while she
put it aside she ordered the door open.

When it slid open, it revealed Tom Paris, obviously in a hurry. He smiled dutifully and held out
a single, red rose in front of B’Elanna’s puzzled face.

"I thought you were working in sickbay tonight again", she frowned and let him in.

"I’ve got half an hour’s break," he explained and sank down in the sofa after she’d accepted
the rose.

"At lunch you didn’t know the day of the week."

"I know. It’s not like me to forget things like this," he sighed.

B’Elanna sat down next to him, as close as she could without accidentally hitting him with the
rose, which she spun between two fingers.
"Seems like you remember after all."

"I was reminded barely an hour ago. By someone who in fact didn’t have an errand in
sickbay."

"And who was that? Cupid?" B’Elanna smiled; a smile which soon would fade and cause
thoughts which would make it difficulty to sleep as soon as she’d rest her aching head on the
pillow.

"Actually... It was Mariah Jones."

*******
End

[/b]

Lxe · **Fri Feb 14, 2003 5:44 pm**

beautiful, I love it Ann.

Voy_Girl · **Sat Feb 15, 2003 4:19 pm**

Thank you again!

Thomas · **Mon Feb 17, 2003 6:37 am**

Tell me there is a sequel.

Voy_Girl · **Mon Feb 17, 2003 3:48 pm**

MIght be...

Josi Rockholt · **Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:08 pm**

There should be.

Thomas · **Tue Feb 18, 2003 4:49 am**

*Adament voice*.

There will be.

J/K

Voy_Girl · **Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:31 pm**

*swallows* Okay....

Thomas · **Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:34 pm**

Well you left it open, you did that on purpose.

Voy_Girl · **Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:43 pm**

I'm just unexperienced..

Thomas · **Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:50 pm**

Riiiiiiiiight.

Voy_Girl · **Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:42 pm**

All right... I'm working on the sequel.

Lxe · **Wed Feb 19, 2003 4:45 pm**

ooh cool!!

Thomas · **Thu Feb 20, 2003 6:28 am**

Good old mob pressure.

Josi Rockholt · **Thu Feb 20, 2003 7:25 am**

When's the sequel going to be posted?

Voy_Girl · **Thu Feb 20, 2003 12:57 pm**

Thomas · **Fri Feb 21, 2003 6:09 am**

That's fast.

Voy_Girl · **Fri Feb 21, 2003 4:06 pm**

I can wait 2 weeks...

Thomas · **Sat Feb 22, 2003 10:57 am**

I can also gather mobs.

*Taps foot on ground*.

Voy_Girl · **Sat Feb 22, 2003 4:32 pm**

*sigh* Okay... I guess I'll have to.

Here's a part of the sequel.

Voy_Girl · **Sat Feb 22, 2003 4:33 pm**

Love Letter II, The Sequel

Written by Voy_Girl 22/2 2003

*********************

***

Mariah groaned in throbbing pain as she struggled
to keep the 10 pound dumbbell as close to her
shoulder as possible. Her left arm shivered,
unnaturally bent as it was, and on top of it all,
the onset of lactic acid kicked in.

She was not a very fit woman, and soon the weight
was too much for her and she dropped it mindlessly
onto the hard, dull-colored floor. Spending her
holodeck hours in the stuffy, boring surroundings
of an artificial gym was not quite what she’d
planned to do.

"You shouldn’t lift that much at once, you know."

Mariah jumped and turned towards the shabby entrance
and Cameron Emerett standing there.
He had a blinding white towel around his neck; it
really stood out from his dark hair, T-shirt and
shorts.

"It is an open program," he pointed out, like she
didn’t know what program she ran. And frankly,
she didn’t know either.
"You shouldn’t be alone when you use such advanced
weights either. You could get hurt."

He had a low, soft voice which Mariah found rather
appealing. The words however...

"That’s nice of you to inform me. Perhaps you
should make an old-time folder and hand it out
outside the holodeck. In fact; you could leave
the ops and seize the folders as your life’s
work!" Mariah was aware of how dry and shrill
her voice was, but still she laid it on thick.
"I’m going now anyway."

Cameron cocked his head and stared at her with
round eyes.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to annoy you. Please
stay." He sat down on a bench, covered in blank
leather. It was the kind of furniture you
practiced weight-lifting at, while sitting or lying
down. "And I am assigned to Engineering," he said
softly.

Mariah felt a wave of inappropriate blush creep
over her already colored cheeks, due to the training.
He worked in the same section of the ship as she did.
And she’d never, ever noticed him down in Torres’
domains.

"So why are you here, Mariah, isn’t it?"

"Yes. Yes it is." She smiled awkwardly and dropped
the beige duffel she’d already picked up on the
floor again. She turned around, changed completely.
"I’m just trying to get rid of that pink Valentine’s
cake Neelix threw around the mess."

She straightened her worn, pink T-shirt out. And
watched how Cameron picked up the weight, she’d
dropped with a great hullabaloo, with ease.
She coughed discreetly, ignoring her logic which
told her to go to her quarters and read her usual
book.

Noticing a rack with more suitable dumbbells - a
few pounds - she headed towards them, hoping she’d
be able to lift at least the lightest -- and keep
it in her damp hand.

***
‘

Lxe · **Sun Feb 23, 2003 9:43 am**

honey you're a great writer.

I like it

Thomas · **Sun Feb 23, 2003 10:33 am**

Typical P/Ter, making sure there's no one to break them up.

I love it too.

Voy_Girl · **Sun Feb 23, 2003 1:45 pm**

Voy_Girl · **Sun Feb 23, 2003 1:46 pm**