An Ensign's Log: The Year of Hell

Chapter 12: A Logical Reunion

Ensigns Log, Stardate 51824.91. The journey to the Krenim Imperial has begun and Voyager has been fortunate enough to have two allies by her side. Firstly the Nihydron, the other a people called the Mawasi. I've been told by B'elanna that the remaining command crew are stationed on board the lead Mawasi Freighter, including Neelix. I know I promised myself to stay in the background but I can't help wanting to see my friend again.

She chucked the data padd onto her new bed and slumped down onto her front, deeply frustrated. After beaming over to the third Nihydron ship and fitting the vessel with temporal shielding, they were told to stay there for the remainder of the journey. That way the senior officers could take the lead vessel and give orders to the Ensigns if and when the time came.

Huffing restlessly, she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes to meditate on something positive. One whole month of travelling before we can do anything worth while? From spending over one hundred days on board an escape pod doing nothing but running uneventful scans, to being ordered to stay put on another vessel for a further thirty odd days made her feel a whole new level of irritable. With Captain Janeway piloting Voyager on her own, she had refused the access of any personnel to beam aboard as the Starship could only support one person on its lowest life support settings. Captain Janeway had also decided that that one person would have to be herself. The young engineer couldn't help but admire the woman's bravery, but she also wished that she could do something practical, something more to help than just stand around making friends with the Nihydron.

"Hey, we missed you at supper, are you feeling alright?" Lee's voice woke her from her thoughts as the door slid shut behind him. He stood there watching her gradually sit up, her palms pressed over her tired eyes.
"I'm feeling fine," she lied, her low mood blatantly obvious no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Lee unzipped his yellow jacket and slung it over a chair on his way to the replicator, eyeing her briefly with concern. Whilst inputting an order for tea, he licked his bottom lip and paused before asking, "Want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing," she replied more quickly than she ought to. This made him turn around and look at her with a raised brow, unconvinced of her answer. He spoke her name, sending shivers down her spine as she looked back at him as if she were in trouble. They stared at each other, one helpless and the other sceptical as the replicator phased up two mugs of Nihydron tea.
The security officer carried them over and sat beside her on the soft bedding, offering her a mug. She hesitated before she took it, the hot steamy smell of floral and citrus filling her nose as she took a sip. Instantly she warmed up from the inside, her tense shoulders relaxing.
"Thanks for the tea," she said quietly, letting herself lean against his arm. Lee sighed with an affectionate smile on his lips as her head rested upon his shoulder.

Since the moment they had confessed their feelings, the interactions between them were a lot less tense and quiet frankly less unbearable than it had been during the first few months on board the escape pod. Now she felt sure of herself, stronger, safer; just like the time they had hid in the Jefferies Tube to escape the hull breach.

"One month," she muttered quietly and he glanced down at her hands squeezing the mug tightly, "One whole month of hiding on a perfectly sound vessel with nothing to repair and nobody to help."
"Well, think of this as a vacation," Lee suggested positively, taking a drink of the floral tea.
"A vacation?" she repeated, sitting up to face him with shocked amusement.
"Why not? After months of long shifts and staying up all hours in fear of being hit by another Krenim wave, we can finally sleep soundly knowing there are people here who've got our backs."
If one thing was for sure, she couldn't put him down for being optimistic. Chuckling to herself, she took a drink of the tea and placed the mug on a small, glass coffee table beside the bed.
"I can always count on you to look at the bright side," she grinned as he laughed in reply, his gaze deepening into hers as she stared up at him. She felt butterflies again, sparks of happiness that somehow turned to nerves of dread and fear. I'm going to lose him, aren't I?