DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. However, I sure wish that Paramount would create a new Star Trek series of good quality that would keep the idea alive so that we Fan Fiction writers don't have to do all the work. :)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are several sex scenes in this story. On top of that, sex is talked about. However, this story is not just sex (talk). It simply turned out to be a good base to build on other stuff. Note that this story deals with a relationship that has a more dominant and a more submissive partner. However, this is not Dom/sub by any stretch. This is merely two people that fit well together where BOTH people have an equal say in their relationship, just that they prefer to fulfill different roles in said relationship. Also, note, the Delaney sisters are in this story and they are close. Very close. So close that some people might have a problem with it, but rest assured it's not so close as some Voyager people would wish it to be. :P On a side note, Tal Celes also has a pretty decent role in this story. If you read some Voyager Fan Fiction, you will probably know her because she is very often featured as a supporting character. But when I was checking out her bio, I discovered that she has actually only been seen in two, count them, two, episodes. My point here is I find it interesting how some characters can just stick with you and appeal to so many; not just Tal, but also the Delaney sisters or Ro Laren. (Ro is not in this story, just using her as an example for this side note.) She was also in only a few episodes of TNG yet everyone pretty much knows her. But on the other hand, characters like Tuvok and Neelix are often nothing more than just mentioned because they are part of the main cast and therefore basically have to be mentioned. Strange.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To mhw.weckseler[at]gmail.com

Twenty-five to Life
By H.W.

 

Chapter 9

Day fifteen (Afternoon.)

Tal Celes had a master plan. That plan had started with a nice early dinner in her own quarters. It had sounded logical because she was going to replicate some Bajoran dishes that she had on a data crystal from home. It had been a little going away present from her mother when she had been posted to Voyager, never knowing just how much of a going away present it truly was. It was supposed to be a few months before they saw each other again, now it was a question if they ever would see each other again. On the crystal there were the special recipes from her mother as she made them, and not the standard stuff they had put in Federation replicators.

Celes tended to agree with her mother; the Bajoran recipes in the Voyager, and now Urdian, replicators were made just like many dishes meant for the masses; eatable, but a bit too bland so that more people would be able to eat them and find them okay. But the recipes from Celes' mother made your mouth water, and had you asking for more even if you were already stuffed. At least, if you liked the spices used in the recipes.

And after dinner, well, the plan was to go to the holodeck so that Olik could show her around some of the more famous places of the Urdian homeworld. Or more to the point, that they could explore them together since Olik also hadn't seen most of them. But if Celes had her way the holodeck would have to wait for another day. Because Celes felt that she was definitely ready.

She liked, no loved even, she loved the attention Olik gave her. But Celes knew that they had reached a point where they had to take that final step or else soon the interaction would become more and more friendly and less and less romantically. But not if she had her way.

"That was wonderful," Olik assured as he pushed his plate away a bit. "You are right, this is much better than the recipes in the replicator."

Celes smiled and stood to clean off the table. "You tried the Bajoran dishes?" Olik stood to help but Celes shook her head. "No, just let me do it, it's faster than me having to tell you where to put stuff. You just sit back down and wait for dessert." She favored him with another smile. "Besides, isn't this woman's work? It said so in the files I read about the Tribes."

Olik sat back down and wiggled a hand. "Eh, it's true that we Mountain Tribe have certain roles that are more considered male or female roles. But it also depends on just how conservative a Clan is. There are some Clans that still live like in the old days, but my Clan, the Red Hand Clan, and a few others are more liberal. With us we do help each other. Men do clean tables because the women already did the cooking. Men do know how to clean their own clothing. And we also have more than one woman that becomes a warrior. Even here on the ship there are two female warriors in the members of my Clan."

"Warrior women?" Celes asked. "You mean, all muscles like you?"

"Not as much, but then, not many warriors look like me," Olik reminded. "But yes, they can hold their own. It kinda ties in with that roll diversion. We have people that do stuff normally dominated by the other sex, but we don't give them special allowances. If you are a woman and want to be a warrior, you got to be able to beat male warriors. And if you are a guy that made cooking his life's passion, then your food will be criticized just like a woman's. So no, 'well, it's a guy that made it so what do you expect' kind of nonsense."

"But still, don't people look at the woman weird if they say they want to become a warrior?"

Olik frowned, thinking about it. "Not really, they might get comments like 'good luck, you are gonna need it'. But once they proved themselves capable they are seen as a Warrior, not as a woman. Just like I'm seen as a Warrior, and not as a male warrior." He smirked. "Though, I have to admit that they do ten to become what of a symbol. Something little girls look up to for inspiration later in life, and something each single Urdian looks up to in hopes of getting them as a partner."

"Ah, in hot demand," Celes chucked, by now well used to the tales of Urdian casual interests. "Have you and them been... close?" And as she asked, Celes noticed that she could even do so without the tingle she normally got in her stomach from knowing that Olik had slept with others, but not with her. Maybe it was because she was getting more and more used to the nuances in his voice, and she finally started to learn just how little those people had meant to him personally. In her mind she compared it to someone from Voyager going to the holodeck to run an adult program. It sated the body, but didn't touch the soul.

"Nah," Olik answered her question. "We warriors tend to stick to just being friends for many reasons, no matter the gender of the warrior. Of course, since we are all seen as just warriors, I have obviously seen them nude in the baths after training as such. Great bodies if you are into muscles."

Celes lifted her eyebrows in response.

"Hey," Olik defended amused. "I may like how 'I' look and I may like the fact that 'I' have muscles. But that differs from what I like to look at."

"And what do you prefer?" Celes asked.

Now it was Olik's turn to lift his eyebrows.

"Alright, so that was a stupid question," Celes admitted as she basked in knowing that even now those ayes were drinking in her form.

"So as you can see," Olik came to the rescue," We do have roll diversions, but we don't consider them unwritten laws that are not to be broken."

"Interesting," Celes said, and meant it. So much for her learning about Clan life. "So this 'men and women aren't allowed to mingle at the gathering places' is also not true?"

"Oh goodness no," Olik was quick to assure. "I don't know any Clan that still does that. You must have been reading some really old files."

"Could be," Celes admitted. "There isn't much on file about the Clans that is confirmed, most is just hearsay. This file was confirmed, but it might just be that it's confirmed exactly because it's so old. Like everyone they met saying 'yeah we used to live like that'.

Olik gave her a dazzling smile. "Next time instead of wasting your time reading, just come to me and ask me. That way we can also spent some more time together."

"I'll do that," Celes assured. "And you tried Bajoran dishes?" She asked again as she cleaned the last of the dishes away.

Olik blushed a little before admitting, "Yeah, I, um, checked some things out about Bajorans. And since I do need to eat anyway, I checked to see if there were some Bajoran dishes in the replicator."

"That's so sweet," Celes said as she came back to the table. "Move back a little, I want to sit."

Having a good guess what Celes meant, Olik moved his chair back a bit so that the table was no longer in the way.

Olik had expected that Celes would sit down on his lap, but once there was room, Celes surprised him by straddling him instead and sitting back down on his legs. Face to face, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him. By now the kisses between them weren't small and innocent anymore. Instead they were hot, sensual, and full of passion. Kisses that definitely left Celes wanting more.

Once they broke apart, Olik grinned and admitted, "I love the way you kiss."

"I'm glad you approve," Celes said softly. "And I also really love the way you kiss." Celes took a deep breath before braving, "And now, are you ready for your dessert?"

"I think I might just have a little bit of room left," Olik said amused. "So, what are we having for dessert?"

Celes gave him a nervous smile. "Um, me?"

Olik frowned.

"Alright, that sounded better in my head," Celes admitted. "I had planned on you saying 'what am I having for dessert'. But I should have known you would say 'we'."

"Celes," Olik started once he understood what the Bajoran was suggesting.

Celes shook her head and placed a finger against his lips to stop him. "No, don't say it. Don't let me wait any longer. Unless you really don't want to be with me, don't say no. Please. I want you."

Olik had no defense against that. He was a man and the woman he really wanted to be with had just asked him to make love to her. How could he say no to that? He let his hands drift over Celes' sides down to her behind where he took a firm hold of her, making Celes squeal in surprise. Then she laughed when she felt how Olik stood up and was carrying her around like she weight nothing at all.

"Alright," Olik said as she started to move to the bedroom, assuming that it would be in the same place as it was on all Quarters. "One condition. If at any time you change your mind, tell me. I don't want to lose you. I can wait longer if you need more time."

"Believe me, the last thing I need is more time," Celes assured before starting to kiss him in earnest.


Tal Celes leisurely trailed a finger over Olik's broad chest. She already knew before going to bed with him that the Urdian men didn't have any chest hair, and she liked it that way. In fact, Urdian men didn't have all the hair Human or Bajoran men often had; they had just as much hair in exactly the same places as the women did.

Celes trailed the pattern of the tattoo that depicted some kind of animal that looked like a cross between a wolf and a bear. When she had just met Olik, all his tattoos frightened her a little, now she loved them. As she discovered once she got him naked, Olik rally did have tattoos all over his body from head to toe. 'Well, there is one spot where he doesn't have tattoos,' Celes thought with a soft giggle.

During a little break in their lovemaking, Olik had explained the why not. All of the tattoos had a meaning for him. The animal Celes had just trailed had been Olik's first kill. And then there were the trials of becoming a warrior. All of the tattoos had a meaning. So besides knowing that it hurt a damn lot, what would he tattoo on his most private part? Something that proved that he wasn't a virgin anymore? He proved that pretty much every night.

Had proved that, Celes had teasingly corrected. Only to be surprised by Olik very seriously adapting the correction, making it clear that way that for him his days of different women were over, at least for now.

Celes started to trail another tattoo on his broad chest. Prophets everything about this guy was big; everything. Big but manageable, Celes had liked that. He had filled her, filled her more than she had ever been filled. As she had felt him go in more and more she had feared for a moment that he would literally have more than she could physically take. Nothing, not even a toy had been so deep. But no, finally he had been in all the way and both of them had groaned from the wonderful feeling of it. He had been so gentle, so patient, as she got used to his size. It had definitely been more than the vibrator she was used to during her masturbating, not only in length bit width too. He had reached deeper than any man ever had, and it had felt wonderful.

But this had probably been because Olik was an excellent lover with vast experience, who on top of that also received pleasure from giving pleasure. He had made sure that she had been ready, had first used his fingers to open her up. He had been so incredibly gentle that when the time finally came, her moan had been from the pleasure of being filled and not from pain.

Celes smiled. He really was damn good, she was used to one orgasm when having sex, two if she was lucky. The time she had been with Megan she had even managed three orgasms. But now she had lost count after the fifth orgasm. She knew that there hadn't been 'that' much more after that. But still, she must at the very least have had six orgasms, and that in one love session.

Celes looked at her nightstand where she had a clock because she had never felt like asking the computer for the time at night, especially because it might have woken her roommate on Voyager. Three hours and a few minutes. She truly had just made love for over three hours. Who knew that this didn't just happen in holodeck programs? She knew that this was probably because it was their first time together and that next times wouldn't be that long. But the fact alone that she now had proof that the potential was there made her a very happy person indeed.

She looked up and saw him looking down. She smiled and then put her head back on his broad chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart. "That was fun," She finally managed.

"Having second thoughts?" He asked. "It would be a bit late now."

"Nope," Celes assured and then frowned, wondering why he was asking. "Why, are you having second thoughts? Was it, um, wasn't it good for you?"

"Oh, it was very good for me," Olik assured. "You do know that it's kinda hard for a man to fake an orgasm, right? So you should know that I definitely enjoyed, more than once."

"Hey, are you implying I faked it?" Celes asked outraged.

Olik sighed. Then he placed his hands under her armpits and gently pulled her up until they were face to face. "I say no such thing. I was just saying that no matter what I would say now, the fact that you made me come several times is something I simply cannot deny. So there is no need for you to worry about whether I enjoyed it. I did, alright? Now calm down and you tell me whether you... whether I lived up to expectations."

Celes finally managed a playful smirk. "No, you didn't live up to expectations; you well and truly surpassed them." She blushed before adding, "Though I think that if I didn't have a fondness for my vibrator we might have had a serious problem."

She reached down and took hold of his deflated shaft. "We Bajoran women get really tight if we don't stay active. There is no way you would have fitted if I didn't use my vibrator on a regular basis. You should be happy for that by the way. You said you loved how tight I was. Well, I'll always be."

"You won't be needing that vibrator any time soon," Olik stated. "As far as I'm concerned this wasn't a one time thing between us."

Celes smiled, both at the words and from the fact that she could feel Olik getting hard again from the little stroking she was doing. "Really now. So does that mean that now that you have had your woman, you won't be moving on to the next in line?"

It had been said playfully, but Olik reacted by reaching down to stop what Celes was doing to him so that he could think clearly. "You really worry about that?"

"Of course not," Celes said a little too quickly. Then she sighed and admitted. "Yeah. Everyone I have been with until now, all of them moved on once they had sex with me. Until now the closest thing I had to a relationship is the friendship with the Delaney sisters."

Seeing Olik frown, Celes explained. "I made love to Megan once. And seeing that we are still friends, so basically still have something of a relationship... that's why I say it's the closest thing I had to a relationship."

"Why did you sleep with her only once then?" Olik asked confused.

"It's something the sisters do." Celes wondered if she should leave it at that or explain more. Then she figured that since she had never been told that it was actually a secret she continued. "Jennifer and Megan are really close. So close that they aren't looking for a relationship. More, they don't even want to run the risk of a relationship. So they never sleep with a person more than once. Trust me, I would love to have been with Megan more than that one time, but with her I at least understood why it couldn't be."

"But you never slept with the other sister?" Olik wondered. For him as an Urdian the subject of former lovers was not a problem. After all, he was used to people having a lot of different sex partners. He himself had slept with more women than he could remember.

Celes shook her head. "No. I really like Jennifer and we are so close that I'm one of the few people of who she doesn't mind if I call her Jenny, but no. It just never happened. With Megan it had been also more circumstances than anything else. We got stuck in a turbolift. To pass time Megan started to flirt a little. One thing led to another and we were kissing and, um, fondling, when we felt the turbolift start moving again. We stopped because we didn't want to give anyone a show, but she then took me to her quarters and we finished what we had started."

"And her sister wasn't there?" Olik wondered since even he had heard of the Delaney sisters. He knew that unless one of them was doing a job somewhere you could say that where you saw one, you saw them both.

"Nope, since they only had one bedroom then they had some kind of system. I don't know what the system was, but Jennifer knew not to come into the bedroom and slept on the couch that night."

Olik grinned. "Ah, that night, so you had sex with her more than once, just that you 'slept' with her only once.

"Well, yes," Celes admitted. "We did share a, um, very satisfying shower. Then she suggested we get into bed for half an hour or so for a bit of relaxing. There wasn't much relaxing involved. And in the end there was another shower." She sighed. "Anyway, my point is, I never had a relationship before. I'm not really sure what will happen next. I just know that until now, when I slept with people they normally moved on."

"I have no intention of moving on," Olik assured. "I really like you way too much for that. I also never had a relationship. But I can tell you that I feel different about you than I ever did before. I want to be with you. I want to be with you today, and tomorrow, and the next day. I have fun with you. I love the things we do together. Why should that change just because we now have a new fun activity that we will indulge in regularly, I hope?"

She nodded her head empathically.

He smiled. "See, the thing with us Urdians sleeping around when we aren't in a relationship is a double edged sword. Yeah, we have lots of sex, yeah it's fun, but we are never with one person long enough for them to learn all about us. I want that to change, I want to know all about you, and you to know all about me. To know each other so well that we know that 'this' sound means that the other one would really live 'that' right about now."

Celes smiled broadly at those words. "You really did like, didn't you?"

"Honestly I did," Olik assured again. He didn't mind telling her several times, since it was after all the total truth. "Celes, it is no secret to you that I have been with many women, and I can honestly tell you that what we had, it was the best ever. Maybe it's because I feel more for you than I ever did for those others, I don't know, but what I do know is that I want to be with you, just you. I have no want for anyone else in bed, but I sure hope that we can do this again, regularly."

"That's something I hope as well," Celes assured. Then she sobered a bit. "You say that you want to be with only me, but that's not entirely true, is it?"

Olik merely frowned.

"Your sister," Celes explained. "You told me so much about her, how you spend so much time together. Yet here I am, and every minute you spent with me I am keeping you away from your sister."

"That is the nature of family and friends," Olik said with a shrug. "I met someone; you. And I want to spent time with you. Sooner or later she will find someone as well and she will spent time with her."

"I know," Celes assured. "But you apparently don't see what I'm getting at. Olik, I like spending time with you, but as much as I love all the attention, there is no need that the time you spent with me is spent with only me. Surely there must be some things we can do together with your sister. After all, I'll still have you all to myself at night, right? I mean, we could do stuff together, and when it becomes too late I could even sleep at your place so that you don't even have to leave your home at night. The two of you do have separate bedrooms."

Olik was amazed by the offer. He pulled her close and treated her to a passionate kiss that made all of Celes' body tingle. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" He finally asked.

They were both silent for a long time after that outburst. Finally Olik opened his mouth once again but Celes stopped him with a kiss. "No, don't change that, I love the way that sounds. Nobody but my parents ever told me that they loved me. I like hearing that someone loves me. Don't ever hold back on telling me that. And Olik?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not going to say 'too', because then it's just a reaction. Instead I'm going to say, Olik, I love you."

Olik's only reply was to sprout the goofiest grin Celes had ever seen.


Day Fifteen. (Evening.)

"I like this," B'Elanna admitted.

"Us cuddling as we talk?" Seven asked to clarify.

"Yeah. I love to sit on this couch while you sit on that one over there when we do normal stuff. That way I can just glance up and see you. But I like this for when we talk. I like to hold you; knowing that even as we talk about our life, I'm literally holding it in my arms."

"You are a sweet talker, B'Elanna Torres."

B'Elanna shrugged. "Well, I for one like it a lot more to tell you that I love you, than tell you how much I hate you."

"And I love you, B'Elanna Torres."

They kissed and simply held each other for over ten minutes before Seven finally spoke up. "We have already taken on several ways of living that have roots in Klingon tradition. You claimed me, I accepted you as the dominant partner in this relationship. You live by Klingon Honor, which means that I have to as well, and will do so willingly."

"Yeah?" B'Elanna asked, not as much as a question, but as a prompt for Seven to get to the point.

"B'Elanna Torres, we really do have to talk about whether we are going to do this right."

"Do it right?" B'Elanna repeated. "This feels very right to me, hon."

Seven smiled. "It does. But I was talking more about the Klingon influences in our life. At the moment it can be argued that we are merely picking the things we like and are ignoring the rest."

"True in the fact that there are certain Klingon rituals I refuse to do," B'Elanna agreed. "No matter how Klingon it is, I won't let you challenge Tom to a fight just because he and I had sex without him showing the Honor of asking me to marry him."

Seven smirked. "Not even a little?"

"Be nice," B'Elanna said amused. "You know you like him."

"I do," Seven assured. "However, your example is a good one. Not all Klingon traditions and laws can, or should, be followed. However, there are a lot of traditions we are not following that could easily be followed. Is this not the same as a religion? You cannot say 'please give me the forgiveness, but hold back on the condemnation'."

B'Elanna Chuckled. "I know that book hon."

"I merely paraphrased what Terry Pratchett's character said," Seven explained. "And I think that it is a good point. Either you accept all that you can in that situation, or you do accept none of it. However, you cannot accept none of it because first of all it would dishonor you, and second of all, I am your be'nal, and I like the Klingon angle in our relationship."

"Alright," B'Elanna said slowly, "Then tell me, what can we do more while at the same time not interfering with the Fleet or our jobs in said Fleet?"

Seven thought for a moment. "When we informed Kathryn and Brika that we had taken the Oath, in that conversation you also brought up the Klingon dividing of tasks between a Lord and a Lady in a Klingon House. We could do that. We could set up a House, even if that House only has us two as members and our quarters are the House's headquarters."

"A Klingon House," B'Elanna repeated. "That is actually a quite broad term. If we were to set up a Klingon House, we still basically have to choose which Klingon laws we fallow, and what traditions."

"True," Seven agreed. "But the difference is that we would be accepting or rejecting those laws and traditions because our situations dictates what we can do, and we would not ignore them just because we don't like them."

"We ignored the 'fighting for dominance'," B'Elanna pointed out.

"We did not," Seven disagreed. "We did fight, with words. It is not stated anywhere that this fight should be physical. We had our battle for dominance when we both agreed that I would win a fight from you, and therefore had the choice of what position I wanted. I merely decided to take the more submissive position; a rarely made choice, but not unheard of."

"That's a light twisting of facts, dear," B'Elanna noted.

"Well within Klingon habit of rewriting events," Seven countered. "The thing is that we could merely say that we are living by certain Klingon customs. But I for one would prefer that if we do, we do it right."

"I'm with you on that one," B'Elanna assured. "Half Human or not, I 'am' a real Klingon; I don't want to just play one. You are right. When I was alone it was not that important, but now that I have a be'nal it would probably be better if we were part of a House."

"I believe that if we live by certain Klingon norms that we should be part of a House," Seven said resolutely. "To Klingons being part of a House is one of the most important things in their life. To be a Klingon and say that you do not care about a House is the same as being a Ferengi and saying that you do not care about latinum."

B'Elanna chuckled at the comparison. "True enough. Alright, being part of a House it is. Then the next question would be, do we start our own House? My mother is still alive and she is of the House of L'Naan. We can start our own House but we can also join her House. Both options have clear consequences."

"Like?" Seven merely asked.

"Well, let me name the two big ones," B'Elanna said thoughtfully. "Since my mother is still alive, if we join the House of L'Naan you cannot become the matriarch of the House as long as she lives. Even if she is in the Beta Quadrant. Klingon Houses only have one matriarch. But on the flip side. The House of L'Naan is an established house with a proud name and some influence."

"We have to keep in mind that we do not know if and when we will ever reach the Alpha Quadrant, before we can even travel to the Beta Quadrant if we want that," Seven pointed out. "If we join the House of L'Naan then it would only be by name. If we do this, then I want to do it right, B'Elanna Torres."

"Alright, our own House it is," B'Elanna agreed. "Next comes the name. Even if I'm the Lord of the new house, that doesn't mean that it has to carry my name. We can also give it a name in memory of someone we owe a debt of gratitude."

"And Torres is also not a real Klingon name," Seven reminded. She looked over her shoulder at B'Elanna for a moment and asked, "Why did your mother name you after your father? Would it not have made more sense to name you after her, a real Klingon name with tradition?"

As Seven turned back around again, B'Elanna explained, as far as she knew. "From what I understand my mother loved my father dearly. Remember, he left us because he couldn't handle my mother's strict abidance to Klingon customs. Though you might argue that by doing so, she drove him away. But her love for him was never an issue. Especially not years before he left. She loved him, and because of that she named me after him."

She snorted. "How's that for irony? Because my father never cared much for Klingon customs, he never realized just how much of an honor she was giving him by naming their child after him instead of using the name that is part of a House. We could name our house Torres I guess."

Seven shook her head. "If he did not realize the honor he was given, then it would not be a good start to our House. We need a different name."

B'Elanna couldn't really argue with that logic. "Alright, since we are basically picking a name and sticking with it... How about using the name of our new home as a name for our House? We are living on the Glory. In Klingon the word for glory is BortaS." She chuckled. "Of course, in good Klingon custom it is exactly the same word used for revenge. BortaS means both Glory and Revenge."

"With Klingons the two normally go hand in hand," Seven reminded. "So I am not surprised they mean the same."

"Alright then, how about it, Lady Seven of the House of BortaS?" B'Elanna asked.

"I like that name, Lord B'Elanna of the House of BortaS," Seven agreed.

"Eh, how about Lord Torres?" B'Elanna countered. "Not because it was my father's name, but because it's my name and I simply think that Lord Torres sounds better. Besides, it makes it easier to keep the roles clear. I am Lord Torres, but I am also B'Elanna; your be'nal."

Seven nodded her agreement before asking, "Can I use that as a nickname for you as well? Or would it make you uncomfortable?"

"Use it how?" B'Elanna asked, not really answering because she wasn't sure.

Seven thought for a moment before stating several examples. "Only in your dreams, Lord Torres. Bossy today, are you not, Lord Torres?" She smiled, even though B'Elanna couldn't see it. "Please make love to me, my wonderful Lord Torres."

B'Elanna growled before playfully biting Seven's ear. "Fine, I don't mind any of those. But if you can use Lord Torres, then I can use Lady Seven, or my Lady."

"I do not object," Seven assured. "Please continue about what it entitles to have a House."

"Alright," B'Elanna agreed. "Seven, there is one big thing that comes into play if we are the Lord and Lady of a House. We already covered it in regards to you living with a horny half Klingon, But it honestly is also part of Klingon tradition; Klingon law even."

B'Elanna slowly moved a hand. Where she had first been holding her be'nal, she now slowly caressed over the blonde's body. Starting at her throat, she moved slowly lower between the open bathrobe. Down between the valley of those wonderful breasts, over that sexy abdominal implant, through neatly trimmed golden curls, until finally she was cupping Seven's center.

"I swear Seven, I'm not making this up. You can look it up in the computer later,"

I trust you," Seven interrupted. Indicating that she would believe B'Elanna's word any time over checking something in the computer. At least in situations like this where the safety of the ship was not a concern. And as long as B'Elanna was sure instead of merely believing that she might be right.

"As lord of the House, I own this." B'Elanna moved her hand a little to indicate the 'this' in question. "It is a Lady's duty to be there for the Lord if he, or in my case she, wants sex."

"Anywhere, anyhow, anytime?" Seven asked amused. She didn't worry about what B'Elanna was saying because she had already promised the Klingon that whenever she needed, she would get.

B'Elanna laughed as she removed her hand and took her wife into a two-armed embrace again. "Funny. But actually a good point. You see, yes, whenever a lord wants sex, and I now deliberately don't call it making love, then the Lady has to go along with it. Even if she is not in the mood, even if it means that she drops her pants and bents over the table a bit for easy access, just to get it over with fast so that she can go do things she actually likes doing. It is law. Denying the Lord is reason for a divorce. But, there is a flipside. Otherwise Klingon women would pretty much be sex slaves to the men, and can you see that happening?"

"Not likely," Seven agreed.

"See, the flipside is that it has to be reasonable. Well, reasonable for Klingons. Let's say once a day at most. If the Lady is willing... we are talking about Klingons after all... she can say yes more than once of course, but she 'must' say yes at least that once. No wait, I think that the minimum was once every two days. We might have to look that up."

"We do not," Seven disagreed.

"No, we do not," B'Elanna repeated with a smile, having a good idea why Seven had said that. What use would it be to look up if a Lady of the House had to offer sex once ever day or two days if Seven had already said several times that she would keep B'Elanna satisfied on a daily basis. "Anyway, if the Lord demands more than that the Lady can say no, and she can also use that as a reason for divorce if the Lord keeps asking too much."

"Then I foresee no problems in that regard," Seven assured. She took hold of B'Elanna's hand and placed it back between her legs. "Believe me, this is all yours, B'Elanna Torres." Then she explained, "Which is a good thing too, because it seems that in the time we were married you turned me into a sex addict."

"Oh I have, have I?" B'Elanna asked amused.

"Yes," Seven assured. "Before we reached Urdia Genera, not only did I never have sex, I also rarely masturbated. If I masturbated once every month it was often. And yet now I feel an urge to do so every day; and I am not talking only once per day. So it must be because you introduced me to the carnal pleasures of the body."

B'Elanna chuckled. "And did you ever pause to think about the fact that maybe you do it daily now because you can? Before, little miss Ice Princes Borg, you were living in a cargo room that had security cameras in it, and everywhere else you went there were people. Just how often were you alone and in a place where you were sure nobody would walk in?"

"Well, there is that," Seven allowed. "Hmm, I wonder. You are part Klingon, you have a valid reason to be horny all the time. I am human and on top of that have an implant that regulates my hormones. Humans have very wide range of sexual drives. And it is definitely not standard for humans to have sex every day. So why do I want it so badly? And it cannot be that I am making up for not having opportunities before now because that reasoning would only explain the first couple of days. After that my body would realize that now it can have whenever it needs, so there is no need to urge so often."

"Well," B'Elanna said thoughtfully. "Maybe I am to blame for that part after all."

"Of course," Seven replied immediately. "You are to blame for everything. But why are we blaming you exactly?"

B'Elanna chuckled before then urging, "Well, think about it. You are living with a horny Klingon that has never, from the first day, made a secret out of it that I masturbate every day. Hell, when we finished our rooms I even took my vibrator out and basically ran into that room to do what you damn well know I did. So, you are living with someone with whom you have to make no secret out of the fact that you masturbate as well. You don't have to sneak into a room and be very quiet, you don't have to pretend that you are just taking a long shower."

"True," Seven merely agreed.

"So the bar comes down," B'Elanna added. "There are quite a lot of times where, yeah, you are a bit frisky, yeah an orgasm would be fun now. But if you are somewhere else, you would ignore that. If you were still in that cargo room you wouldn't even think about going to find a quiet corner. But here, well, you are a bit frisky, and well, your roommate won't look at you funny if you go into your room to masturbate, and well, an orgasm is a lot more fun than staying frisky. So, why not? And there you suddenly have masturbating every day."

Seven smiled. "So I was right after all. Whatever it is, it is all your fault. Well at least from now on we do not have to masturbate anymore. We can make love instead."

"I don't know," B'Elanna disagreed. "Remember, it seems that we liked making those holo-vids. And we love to watch each other in the shower. You really think that we will never want to watch the other touch herself? Just imagine, you watching me taking my shower and because I do feel a bit horny and because my be'nal is watching me, I start masturbating. Would you join me so that you can do it for me, or would you watch me until I come?"

"That question is impossible to answer," Seven merely said.

"Then we have to test it out one day," B'Elanna countered. "But knowing you, you probably take the logical middle way. You watch me, and once I came, you join me and make me come again." Then she nuzzled her wife's neck. "I so love you, my Lady."

"And I love you, my be'nal."

They set in silence for a moment. Then B'Elanna moved her hand back between her lover's legs and held it there. "Do you mind me touching you like that now?"

"If I did, do you think I would have opened my legs like I did to give you more room?" Seven asked amused. Before B'Elanna could reply, Seven continued more seriously. "No I do not mind. Considering our present positioning, I consider this the same kind of touching as you touching my breasts. With both it is clear from the touch that you are merely touching parts of me that you really like to touch and that happen to be in easy reach."

"Then you wouldn't object to me doing it more often?" B'Elanna asked. "Touch you like this, or your breasts, or your ass, all depending on what is the easiest and allows for simple and realistic touching simply to touch?"

"Not at all," Seven assured. "I like it when you touch me. I do know that a lot of people differ on this with me, but to me those parts are merely parts of my body if we are not making love. It is only when we make love that touching me there has a whole different meaning."

She hesitated before admitting, "Well, feeling your touch on my breasts or center does feel a lot nicer than feeling you touch my toes."

B'Elanna smiled as she reached for one of the blonde's toes and tweaked it. "Good thing that I don't have a foot fetish then, or else that would have been really bad news."

Seven turned in her lovers arms and they both shifted and moved until Seven could sit in B'Elanna's arms comfortable and look at her eyes by merely looking up a little. Once comfortable again, Seven said thoughtfully, "I find it interesting that rules are set up about that the Lady has to offer herself to the Lord, but that there are no laws that indicate that the Lord has the same duty to keep the Lady satisfied."

"That's because these laws were made in a time where Klingon women were second place to men," B'Elanna explained. "We made a lot of strides there. Now we are seen mostly as equals. But even in this day and age there are differences. A Klingon woman cannot sit on the high Council for instance. If a woman is in charge of a house that is important enough to become a member of the Council, she has to have the place in the Council filled by a male representative."

B'Elanna smiled. "Having said that, don't think that just because most laws are clearly made from a male point of view that women can't use them. It's merely that they have to add an extra step and remind in a mediated dispute that she deserves the same treatment as he can demand. There have been more than one case where a woman divorced the Lord because... well, let's just say that his sword became blunt."

"So that means that you actually have the same duty to keep me sexually active as I have to keep you active?" Seven asked with a smile.

"Well, um, yeah," B'Elanna agreed. "But I have to admit that I just assumed that I would want it a lot more than you. I know that I am a lot more active than a normal Human woman."

"B'Elanna Torres, I am insulted."

"Why, what did I do?" B'Elanna asked, not taking the comment too seriously because it had been said with a smile.

"When is the last time, or actually the first time, you ever thought of me as a normal Human woman?"

B'Elanna opened her mouth, only to close it again. Then she admitted defeat by simply stating, "I apologize for the insult. Forgive me, my be'nal."

Seven kissed her wife before settling back in her arms. "You are forgiven. But only if you explain something to me."

"Shoot."

"From what I understand about Klingons in general, all of them like sex. If so, then why have so many laws to make sure that their own partner does not deny them?" Seven wondered.

B'Elanna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, here I'm not sure. So either I have to look it up, or I can give you my best guess."

"I am not writing a report on the matter," Seven reminded. "So a good guess will suffice."

"Alright. Then let me switch subject for a second, but not really. Remind me someday to show you a data crystal I have... hope I still have that is... with old Federation laws. It's funny as hell. It's a collection of laws that were once made up for a certain reason at a certain time, and then never removed. One I can still remember right now is that it's a Federation law that on Earth, in the city of San Francisco, you are not allowed to walk backwards down the street after four in the afternoon if carrying a basket filled with rotting fish. The really funny part is that there is a half page description that explains just what is considered a rotting fish and at what time it is early enough that you are allowed to do it again."

"Interesting," Seven said slowly. "And the connection?"

"The connection is that I'm sure that they made up that rule at some point for a very good reason; I might have done the same in their position. It's the same with all of those laws about Klingon sex. They were made up over a longer period of time, and for certain reasons. Who knows, maybe a Chancellor once made the one of getting sex up because his Mate had cut him off. Because of that, those laws are there, and they have to be obeyed, but there is stretch in them."

"How is that possible?" Seven wondered. "A law is a law. If the law is that sex must be given, then the only stretch would be not to give it, which would be against the law."

B'Elanna shook her head. "No. Stretch could be that for instance you are not really in the mood to get, but would love to give. So according to the laws I am in the right to demand sex, and the stretch can then be that the sex only exists of you pleasing me while you yourself don't even take your clothes off."

"Of course doing it in a way that is exciting and not merely a, 'very well, spread them'," Seven added.

B'Elanna winked. "Well, that can actually be fun too in the right circumstance, but yeah, you get what I mean."

Seven took B'Elanna's hand and entwined their fingers. Looking at the linked hands she asked, "I wonder why with Klingons there are so many recorded cases of divorce when a divorce is so easy to do?"

B'Elanna frowned. "Um, didn't that question also answer itself? A lot of divorces, because a divorce is easy to do?"

Seven shook her head. "No, what I mean is, why are there that many cases that became important enough to form laws while a divorce is nothing more than a slap in the face? Why are these cases even mentioned at all instead of just another divorce?"

B'Elanna shrugged. "In one word? Property. Divorcing someone is easy, but the longer the marriage lasted, the more you build together. Take us, if we could get divorced, what is there to split from our properties now? Who owns the little bears in the kitchen maybe? So a divorce would be fast for us. If it weren't for the small detail that we are married for life, and on top of that have taken the Oath. So just because of that last we are both honor bound to do our damn hardest to work out any problems we might have. But, what about two Klingons that never took the Oath but still have been married for ten years? Just who of them owns the targ breeding company that they build over the years?"

"Ah," Seven merely said in understanding. "And since Klingons are so temperamental, they would never dare to ask a partner to sign a form when they start the company, stating that a company belongs to only one of them. So, to come back to our House, my Lord. What else?"

"Hu?" B'Elanna asked confused.

"We were talking about our House," Seven reminded. "Just that we became sidetracked by the subject of having sex actually being covered by law."

"Ah, right," B'Elanna said as she remembered where they left off. She lifted their linked hands and placed a kiss on Seven's knuckles. "Let's talk about you for a moment. We agreed that you will be Lady of the House. Which means that just like Lady Lukara was to Kahless, you are to me. In Klingon society the Lady is the Matriarch of the family. If we create a House, you will actually have more say than me about things concerning direct inner family situations."

"I do not understand," Seven admitted.

"Alright, let's pretend we had a daughter of legal age and she has a suitor. If I as Lord would disapprove, but you as Lady would approve of the suitor, then your word would count more as mine because it is an inner-family situation. Of course, I would then still have the right to make the suitor's life a living hell by having him or her proof themselves worthy. But again, it would be you that decides if they proved themselves enough. Or, or since outer-family relationships fall to the Lord. Let's say that I managed to arrange a wedding between our daughter and the son of the Klingon Chancellor; can you imagine what an honor that would be for me, how my House would grow from that? It would be my task to build such relationships... and then you can come in and veto it all because you as the Lady have the final word about who our daughter is allowed to marry."

"Sounds... complex," Seven noted.

B'Elanna shrugged. "I could tell you that it is a time honored valued tradition, which it is. But you know what? I think that it's exactly because Klingon society demands a clear leader in the House. If that person would truly hold all the power, then the rest of the family would only be pawns to be moved around. Now, no matter how much in control I am as Lord of the House. There is nevertheless a very big part of the House that I have no control over because it falls under the domain of the Lady of the house; you." Then something occurred to B'Elanna. She let go of her lover's hand only to caress the angular face softly. "Hey, you know what?"

"What?"

"Remember how I make decisions about things we do together, and you can have that last say and tell me that you don't want to do that? In a Klingon House there is a situation that works kinda like that. If someone wants to become a member of the House, without becoming a member of the family, then it's my job as Lord of the House to see if that person is worthy to become a House member. But once we are finally done and the person lived up to certain standards... then comes the hard part. They will have to face you. Where I have to measure them by certain set standards, you merely have to measure them by what you think of them. Even if they passed all the set criteria, you as Lady of the House can come in and say that you think that this person will be a bad addition to the house, and it's game over for them joining."

Seven straightened a little in the embrace when the part from the night before came back to her. The part that she didn't understand at that point. "That is why you called me your Mistress when we took the Oath. Even though we were not talking about having a House then, and even though we made it clear that you would be the more dominant partner, you called me your Mistress because on certain subjects I will always outrank you. You are the Lord of the family, and therefore apparently the clear decision maker. But as Lady of the house there are actually a lot of things in which I have the final say."

"Right," B'Elanna agreed. "And I think I really like that. It's a balance of sorts. I may be the one that decides for you in daily life, I may be the one that decides that we will go to the holodeck now and do this or that... unless you then clearly tell me that you don't want to of course. But there are a lot of things in a Klingon House that you as the Lady control, and at best I can only give you my opinion of what I think. In fact, funny enough we also already went there a little. I make decisions, but who is the one that made decisions about decorations in the home? About the nightlight made of the old warp core?"

She pointed to her bat'leth. "About that being placed in here?" Then to her battle uniform. "And that? I think it is best said by saying that I decide for the House, and you decide for the home."

"I like how that sounds," Seven said thoughtfully. "I never had a home before. Not even on Voyager. Now I have one, and I am firmly in control of it."

B'Elanna snorted. "Of course, Borg, control. Figures that you like a home like that."

Seven lowered her hand and pinched her wife firmly in the butt. "Remember, my Lord. We agreed that I won that fight for control and then handed it to you. Want me to take all the control?"

"Ow, no pinching the Lord!" Then B'Elanna shook her head with a grin. "Neh, the more we talk about it, the more I like those set roles of Lord and Lady of a House. Because the best part is, the things that the Lady controls are in general things that I don't want to control anyway. On things like if we should allow others to join our House, I want an equal level decision making with my be'nal. But in daily life I just simply want to be able to say that we will do 'this' without first having to bother to ask you."

"And I really like the fact that I can be such an important part of the House, and yet still have it be possible for you to be possessive of m," Seven admitted.

"And I like the fact that you are all mine, my be'nal," B'Elanna assured.

Seven had left her hand where it was after pinching her lover, so B'Elanna decided that Seven's behind was a nice target for exploration as well. Especially since part of it was in easy reach the way there were sitting. But where Seven had playfully pinched, B'Elanna merely moved her hand over the naked roundness with a soft touch. Moments later the touch had changed to a caress that moved up to Seven's abdominal implant, and then back down over that nicely shaped cheek and further down until the knee. And then back up again. Slowly but steadily treating her Lady to a loving touch.

"By the way, there is another reason why you are my Mistress. Mistress is also a normal part of a Klingon House," B'Elanna explained as her hand moved further up Seven's side until the hand just touched the side of Seven's breast. B'Elanna felt that this was a good indicator of high enough and moved back down slowly.

Seven merely lifted an eyebrow and B'Elanna chuckled. "Not that kind of Mistress, my love. I told you that you will be the Matriarch of the House. Small detail there is that a woman normally only becomes a Matriarch if there are children or even grandchildren. But in Houses where there are none, the title of Matriarch is normally not used. Instead the woman is referred to as the Mistress of the House. And believe me, it is an honored title. On Qo'noS not a single person would dare to give you a wiseass remark about you being a Mistress. It's kinda like how Humans use Miss to indicate an unmarried woman and Mrs. to indicate a married woman. Just that here it indicates more whether there are other generations under you that you rule over. Mistress is a clear and Honorable title that shows that you can speak for the House... at least on certain matters."

Seven thought about it for a moment. "Maybe another nickname you can occasionally use for me?" She finally suggested. "I have a feeling that sometimes it will really fit."

"Oh really?" B'Elanna said amused. "You think that I will say things like, 'yes please my Mistress' to you on occasion?"

"I am certain," Seven said confidently. She captured her lover's hand on the way up and moved it that little further. "And in situations like that I think I will enjoy hearing it. But I do not think that I will promote the title for daily use by others. There I like Lady Seven a lot more."

Since her hand had been placed there, B'Elanna brushed her thumb over Seven's nipple. Getting the hint, the breast was from now on included in the route of the wandering hand. But only to simply touch another part of her lover, and not to arouse. "Alright, fair enough, another nickname it is. Just remember that it's an Honorable title if we ever make it to the Federation and a Klingon calls you Mistress of the House."

"I will," Seven assured.

"Alright, let's see," B'Elanna continued. "Hmm, there is really only one thing left I can think of right now that is important for our House."

"Yes?"

B'Elanna hesitated. "Well, how ironic this may sound coming from me. Before, when I hated you, how often did I tell you to shut up?"

"I could think and give you the real number" Seven said confidently. "But I know that this is not what you really want to know. So let me merely say; often."

"Well, from now on, I may tell you to shut up in fun, in play, but for real I won't, and even can't, tell you to shut up," B'Elanna explained. "Meaning that I can tell you to shut up of course, but I can't tell you and then expect that you will actually do it. It's part of that balance in a House. As I said, on things that you are in control over, I can still give my input. It works the other way around as well. With things that the Lord firmly controls, the Lady always, and I do mean always, has the right to voice her opinion on. Besides, just between you and me, and not talking about the House now, being able to express your opinion is part of your brilliance, even though it pisses me off from time to time. But then, there too this already changed since we came to our agreement in Engineering."

"Yes," Seven agreed. "You did tell me a few times to 'shut up', but as you just said, those were at times where it was clear that it was not a serious comment. In our professional life you stopped telling me to shut up then. Instead you listen to what I say, and then give a counterargument."

"Just like you do if I happen to be the one that made the point that needs discussing," B'Elanna added. "Basically that will stay the same, just that we start doing that in the private life as well. After all, a Klingon House is a way of life, at least for the Lord and Lady."

"So one could say that no matter who is in charge of something according to Klingon tradition, it basically still comes down to us making important decisions together," Seven surmised. "Just that I leave the unimportant decisions to you, and will also probably hand a lot of decisions to you where I am indifferent about the result."

"Right," B'Elanna agreed. "But the clear role division does still help. The partners may listen to each other, but if they really can't agree on something, it's down to who is in control of that aspect normally to make the final decision. It even prevents disagreements from lasting too long. Simply because the person whose opinion was not used that day knows that it is not her place to make the final decision on that subject anyway. And that the next time it's her that has the final say because then it's a subject that is in her control."

"So, does this mean that we will get a House Crest as well?" Seven asked.

"Buh, um, how," B'Elanna sputtered while her hand stopped it's wandering. Finally she sighed. "We are off to a good start aren't we? I'm the Lord of the house and I don't even think about the fact that we will need a Crest. Thank you for pointing that out, my wonderful be'nal. Yes we most definitely need a Crest."

Seven smiled. "You are most welcome, after all, is it not my task to add to your argumentation, my Lord?"

"That it is, my Lady," B'Elanna agreed with a smile. "Alright, let's talk Crest."

"In a moment," Seven said. "First I need to change position. As much as I love the way you hold me, eventually it does become a little uncomfortable."

"Oh," B'Elanna merely said, thinking that Seven would move to sitting beside her. But instead the blonde turned until they were once more both looking in the same direction.

With a smile, B'Elanna closed her arms around her lover once more. "Mmm, I like you like this. So many fun things I can reach."

"B'Elanna Torres, are you implying that we are done talking and you want to use the couch for something else?"

B'Elanna laughed. "No Hon, I was just kidding. But I do love the fact that you sound like you sure wouldn't have a problem with that."

"Then it seems that my voice portrayed my feelings perfectly," Seven said amused.

"Alright, Crest," B'Elanna said, very deliberately taking her mind off the wonderful fact that she was holding a very beautiful woman that was also very willing. "Let's see, since it's about us setting up a Klingon house, there has to be something Klingon in it. And to reflect your side there should be something... Human or Borg?"

"Borg," Seven said resolutely. "I like the fact that I am Borg."

"Alright, Klingon and Borg. Hmm," Her eyes fell on her bat'leth on the wall. "How about my bat'leth for the Klingon part? Yeah, that even fits with the name. BortaS; meaning Glory and Revenge. With Klingons a bat'leth is normally used to reach both."

"I like that," Seven agreed. "Plus it is as clear a Klingon sign as can be. Everyone that ever heard of Klingons in more than just the name knows what a bat'leth is."

"And for the Borg side?" B'Elanna asked. "Maybe depict the bat'leth in front of a cube?"

Seven shook her head. "You have to keep in mind that most of the time a Crest is only seen very small. People would not see the small lines that indicate that it is a Borg cube instead of merely showing a square behind the bat'leth. Besides, a cube is not what defines the Borg. It merely is the most common used ship of the Borg. It does not mean more than a sphere, or even a depiction of a nanoprobe would."

"Alright, then what?"

"Let me think," Seven merely said.

B'Elanna didn't reply but held the blonde in a loving embrace for what ended up being over five minutes.

Finally Seven spoke up again. "I have analyzed over two hundred options and in the end I think that simplicity is the best option."

"And that simplicity is?" B'Elanna asked, knowing that her lover was teasing her a little by playing into her anticipation.

"Observe."

Seven moved out of the embrace and to the wall. She took B'Elanna's bat'leth from its hooks and lifted the blade up high while still with her back to the Klingon. Looking over her shoulder she saw B'Elanna take in her form. "Not me, love. You can look at me for as long as you want later. Look at the bat'leth."

B'Elanna's eyes drifted up until it was focusing on the weapon, who's sharp points almost reached the ceiling. Kahless she loved having high ceilings. It added so much to the impression of having huge quarters. She noticed that Seven was holding the blade in her Borg enhanced hand. And just as B'Elanna noticed this, Seven's assimilation tubes shot out. Unlike how they normally moved, now they formed two straight lines that were also pointing at the ceiling.

B'Elanna's heart skipped when she saw what Seven had envisioned. She realized that she was now looking at their new Crest; a bat'leth that was held in a Borg hand with extended assimilation tubes.

"Perfect," She whispered. Only to then say louder. "I so wish I had a holo-recorder now."

"There is no need to," Seven said with a smile, her back still to her lover. "Computer, run a level ten scan of me and the blade I am holding and overlay all the results in a 3D image."

"Scan in progress," The computer informed, only to say half a minute later, "Scan complete."

Seven put the bat'leth back in its hooks and then walked to the desk where she used a PADD to download the scan data. As she walked back to B'Elanna she was doing something with the PADD. Shifting data around, B'Elanna guessed. Once back at the couch, B'Elanna opened her arms in invitation, and Seven gladly took the spot she vacated not long before.

B'Elanna looked over the blonde's shoulder to the image on the PADD. "Damn, that looks just like a 3D recording."

Seven nodded her agreement. "The Glory's scanners are very advanced. However, you can only use them like that for still images, and if you are able to not move too much for half a minute. They are being made without the aid of lenses and photosensitive cells after all. Still, it is a decent way of capturing images if you have no recorder."

"3D images even," B'Elanna added. "Keep it. I want to have that converted to a 2D image and have it blown up to poster size. You look great. Plus this is the moment of creation for our Crest. I really like how that bathrobe kinda looks like a mantle. You look classy."

"How about we make a recording of you as well, my Lord?" Seven suggested. "Only that you wear the full Klingon regalia and then stand proud with the bat'leth in a ready to fight position. We can then blow up both images and hang them beside each other on that wall there. That way it is the first thing people will see when they enter our home."

"I like the way you think," B'Elanna approved. "It will also play into our roles as Lord and Lady of the House. A Lady is very much allowed to show her feminine side, but a Lord doesn't do so. Not even if the Lord is a woman."

Seven turned and looked at the Klingon and asked with a surprising trace of shyness, "Would you be interested in having a blown up image of me to decorate your office in Engineering?"

Before B'Elanna could ask, Seven looked back at the PADD, making B'Elanna do the same. Until now she had only seen the back of the blonde in the image. But she had to swallow when Seven turned the 3D image around and B'Elanna could see the front.

Since the bathrobe had been open it showed a lot of Seven's body. It showed the sides of both breasts, one slightly higher than the other because Seven had been reaching her arm up. This had also resulted in the bathrobe hanging somewhat askew. This in turn had resulted in so much of the breast showing on the side where the arm was held up that even quite some of the underside of the breast was showing. Yet the nipple was still covered... only just, B'Elanna was sure. The bathrobe hanging somewhat askew had also resulted in something else. In normal stance, Seven's center was clear to see with an open robe. Or at least those golden curls that pointed to the treasure below.

But now the robe had shifted to the side and Seven's center was just, very just, covered by the robe. Leaving the entire leg bare. The result was basically somewhat of an S shaped pattern. Starting with the head and neck, then showing the valley between the breasts, and quite some of those breasts. Down over the belly, clearly showing that despite having an abdominal implant, Seven still had her bellybutton. And then down to one side and one leg.

The image was sexy, bordering on erotic, and yet by a stroke of luck, Seven's body was covered in just the right way to still fall inside Starfleet's laws of decency. Meaning that it could be displayed in public if wanted.

"Damn woman, if I place that in my office I have to start growling at everyone that enters because they look at my be'nal with way too much interest. But I think that it would be great for in here. Beside that image of me in battle uniform, you stand like that. Forget about the image of your back; this is ten times better... for in here."

Seven smiled. "Then we will place this image in here, as well as in your office. I am sure that people there would get the message after you growled at them only once. After that they would only look if they are sure that you are not looking at them."

"Well, I guess I could have a Klingon dagger as desk decoration and tap it as a gentle reminder when I see eyes drifting," B'Elanna relented. Getting used a bit to the sexy image, she had to admit to herself that she had seen people in bikinis that showed more. It was just that with a bikini you were expecting it, while with this image the robe that covered almost all of the rest of the body pulled the focus all the more to what wasn't covered. "But why would you want that in my office, for all to see? Now, in here, or in our bedroom, that I would understand."

Seven gently threw the PADD onto the coffee table. "B'Elanna Torres. Until we got married I was a lust object to many. Well, I still am, being married does not stop them from fantasizing about me. As you admitted, even you wondered what I was hiding under that bio-suit. I do not mind people lusting after me. They are irrelevant to me. I only want, need, crave, for one person to lust after me; you. So I want those others to see what you have and they can only dream of. I am sure that a lot of them have fantasized about me in bed. Let them see some of my form; let them take my mental image to bed. While knowing that you take the real me to bed. You said that I have a great natural look and that I should let people see it."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean that," B'Elanna said, pointing at the PADD.

"I know," Seven assured. "However, we are talking about new beginnings. Our marriage is a new beginning, even if that route started a few months ago. Having our own House is a new beginning. I would like a new beginning as well. I have been the cold and unemotional Borg drone for too long. While I love being Borg, I would really like it if from now on I would be the very powerful and incredibly sexy Lady of the House of BortaS... who just happens to be a former Borg drone and still has the implants to prove it to all that dare look at the sexy forms."

B'Elanna hesitated and then nodded her head. "Very well, in that case I will proudly put a blown up 2D image of that in my office. In fact, let's make it a life-size image so that I can always look at you and see you standing there like that."

"Sweet talker," Seven smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," B'Elanna replied gruff, but with a grin. "Hey hand me that PADD again."

Seven did so, slightly surprised to see that the Klingon turned the image again to show the back.

"We still have the same problem as with the cube suggestion, Hon," B'Elanna sighed after a moment. "This is a clear picture, plus I know you had your tubes extended. But if I hadn't known that I might not have seen it at first. And if this is a one color Crest... and on top of that in the small size that is normal for wearing on clothing... it will merely look like a hand holding a bat'leth."

Seven looked at the image as well. She had to admit that the Klingon had a point. Finally she decided, "It is different." She lifted her Borg enhanced hand. "Like this you also do not see any assimilation tubes, yet we know that I have them. It is a hidden threat if you want. A threat that is in reality much worse than the bat'leth that the hand is holding."

"Oooh, I like that thought," B'Elanna agreed. "And so fitting. The Lady of the House; she may not be the focus, but certainly is the true power in the House."

"So we have a House now?" Seven asked.

B'Elanna shook her head. "Not quite. There are rituals involved. You know, Klingons; drums, knife, blood, that kind of thing. Tell you what, how about we do that before leaving here? Kathryn wants to get married here for a second time. For us the getting married is not that much of importance. Klingon Oaths are done in private, and we did that. And doing the kind of wedding again that we had before, that you see in those pictures? No. I would much rather have the ritual here so that we can start our journey in our new home with having a functional House in place."

Seven nodded her agreement before asking a one worded question. "When?"

B'Elanna thought about that for a moment. "How about when the twenty-five days are up? Yeah, that sounds about right. We could time it just right so that, say that the ritual that makes the House official, is on the exact same minute as when the time for a potential divorce is up."

"I like that," Seven agreed. "The timeframe of twenty-five days was an option to destroy something; a marriage. I would really like it if instead it ended with something being created; our House."

"Alright, in that case enough talking about Klingon stuff for now," B'Elanna decided. "We can start putting things into motion tomorrow."

"Then how about we retire for the evening?" Seven suggested. "We have a long day planned tomorrow. And that is only what we had already planned, not counting this Klingon matter we have to look into tomorrow."

"Actually, there is one more thing I wanted to ask you," B'Elanna said. "It has to do with me claiming you as my Lady yesterday."

"Yes?" Seven asked.

"When I was claiming you yesterday, I asked you if you could wait with coming. I don't even know why I would have asked you that, so I simply assume that this is also something I know you can do, just that I don't remember that I know it. Either way, my real question is; do you have a problem with me telling you that? I think that it would be fun to play into that, but only if you enjoy it as well."

Seven turned to look at her lover. "I, I have been practicing. The video files of us making love. The first file I watched, I found that I was able to time my orgasm with the moment I came in the file. In that file, when we went for a second round, you also used the strap-on you used yesterday. There I came before you did and you continued to... fuck... me until you came."

"Sorry," B'Elanna said sadly.

"Do not be," Seven assured right away. "You see, There too I timed my orgasm to come when I did in the video file. Since you kept stimulating me, I kept stimulating myself in reality as well until you stopped. At first it was a bit uncomfortable."

Seeing B'Elanna lower her eyes, Seven urged softly, "Look at me." Once B'Elanna was looking her in the eyes again she continued. "I used those files as training. I was curious. When I was clearly able to hold back on my orgasm, then why did I allow myself to come before you did from time to time? Why not hold back and come when you do? Is that not what is perceived as the best? To come at the same time? So, if I can do that, why did I not?"

"Good question," B'Elanna admitted.

"I found the answer to that question the third time I came before you did. The first time it was a little bit uncomfortable, but not enough that I would not have done it a second time, so I did, and then a third time. And that was with me being alone. I am certain that when we made love on the planet and you told me the first time to hold back that it was not uncomfortable. Maybe I even did it without being told; simply wanting to come with you. And it is that way that we discovered that I can do that."

"Maybe," B'Elanna had to admit. Seeing the logic in the fact that when making love things felt different then when doing things alone. After all, an orgasm was most definitely not always the same.

"And you know what I discovered as I masturbated?" Seven continued. "That uncomfortable feeling was no longer there. Instead it had become a different form of pleasure. You, my most wonderful be'nal, first treat me to a great orgasm, and then you treat me to even more pleasure by fucking me straight through that orgasm. So to answer your question. No, I do not mind holding back; I love it, within a reasonable timeframe of course. But I love it just as much when you fuck me straight through my orgasm. So, as long as I am close before you are, you cannot go wrong. You can tell me to hold back, and I will. Or you do not tell me and I decide whether I want to come before you do."

"I am very glad to hear that," B'Elanna said sincere. Then she winked. "And talking about that. How about it, my Lady? How about now that we agreed on the dynamics of our relationship, we go to bed and work some stuff out there as well?"

"Do we need to work something out there?" Seven asked confused.

"Not really," B'Elanna admitted. "We pretty much worked the sex part out when you gave yourself to me. No, just felt that it was a good bridge instead of simply saying, 'Seven, let's go have some sex'."

"I see." Seven stood and offered a hand to her wife. "But you seem to forget two things."

"Yes?" B'Elanna asked as she took the offered hand and let herself be pulled to her feet.

"First of all, I am your be'nal. Second, I appreciate clear directness. B'Elanna Torres, I have no want to try and figure out hints of clues. If you want me, say it. If you think that a direct statement would be too blunt, then word it in a question, but do not leave me to interpret things for no reason."

"You are right," B'Elanna agreed, willingly following Seven's lead to the bedroom, still holding her hand. "The Lord and Lady of the house should be clear to each other in their needs, wants, and likes. I need to work on that. I apologize."

Seven led them into the bedroom until they were standing beside the bed. "Apology accepted."

Part 10

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