Title: The Colour of Love Author: KT Troll Email: -- (c/o Amiroq., fitchett@netaccess.co.nz) Size: 8K Rating: G Codes: F; K/T Summary: A challenge asked of the author, to write a story in which Kim and Torres don't realise they're in love with each other. (After an attack on the entire KoaliTion Headquarters storybanks.) Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek and everything pertaining. KT Troll owns the recognition that comes with being author of the story, and Amiroq. the KiTfox owns all rights to the story and the title. ---- B'Elanna Torres stood at the railing surrounding the warp core on the first level of Main Engineering. It had been quiet, for once, and she reveled in the peacefulness of it. It felt right, somehow, like something momentous was going to happen. She laughed, and shook her head. The warp plasma swirled, patterns of blue and green that enchanted her, always had. Probably why she became an engineer. It was like the unseen currents in the air, or in the ocean, going round and round, nowhere in particular, just round in circles and spirals and wavy lines all over the place. It sort of appealed to her, not thinking, just doing the same thing without having to worry about whether it was going to *matter*. She was surprised by a noise behind her and whirled around to see Harry Kim standing there, looking slightly nervous; fidgeting, perhaps, a little more than usual. "Starfleet, hi. I was just watching the warp core," she started packing up some tools, looking down, a little flustered to think he'd been watching her, "it calms me down sometimes," she finished. He nodded, looking past her. "So, what brings you to Engineering this time? Replicator playing up? Neelix blow up the kitchen?" He smiled. "None of the above. I was hoping to talk to you, actually." "Talk to me? What about?" In truth, she realised, they hadn't talked really for a while, not like the old days when they would eat together and laugh about Tom's conquests, or speculate about what might happen next on their voyage through the unknown. She missed it, in a way, like she'd never missed anything before, instead teaching herself to go without creature comforts, knowing that they would not always be there. "Uh, I was thinking, maybe, we could do something sometime? Like dinner or..." He trailed off shyly, and she had to hide her smile. "You mean like a date?" "Yeah," he replied, relieved that she'd gotten it. "Like a date." She hesitated. It couldn't hurt to try, really, and Harry wasn't the worst guy on the ship. Among the best, actually, among the ones she'd most want to spend her life with if she had to. "Sure. Tomorrow night alright for you? My quarters, 1900?" "Great. I'll see you then." He turned a little too quickly, obviously relieved, and she turned back to the warp core, letting her smile slip. --- B'Elanna was still smiling at 1900 the next day as she sipped her coffee and watched the stars, waiting for the doorchime to ring and announce the presence of Harry Kim. She looked stunning in her short sleeved red dress, tailored to cling to her body all the way down to the hemline, hovering just below her knees. The squared-off neckline was modest, while also giving a good impression of just what a near-perfect body she possessed, and she had reinstated the braid in her hair, despite Harry's annoying attempts to pull it when she had first worn it, before she and Tom had gotten together. The smile crept further across her lips as she remembered the event and, though she would never admit it, the fun she had fending him off when it turned into a game. *Hey,* she thought, *if he tries, I can always kick him out.* The doorchime finally sounded as she thought this, and she turned a little too quickly, almost spilling what remained of her coffee. She put it down on the coffee table with a ::click::, and straightened her dress before calling, "Come!" The door obediantly swished open and the Asian ensign stepped in. He also looked good in a pair of navy slacks above black boots and a lighter, sky blue shirt, giving the effect of shading - going from black to navy to sky blue. All traces of hair gel had been labouriously removed and his glossy black hair fell free to his ears. They stood for a moment, eyeing each other's costumes, until B'Elanna broke the silence. "You look great." He grinned mischieviously at her and attempted to pull her braid. Her reflexes caught the action and moved away, and he simply answered with, "So do you." It was only six words, six polite words that could have come from complete strangers, but they loosened the atmosphere enough for each of them to enjoy the evening as well as they could - which turned out, to neither's surprise, to be a level of extremes. --- B'Elanna was *still* smiling after Harry left, and she gazed out at the stars once more, musing on what had just occured. She'd had fun. More than that, there had been chemistry there, and although she wasn't yet in love with the man, she regarded him with.. affection; yes, that was the right word. There was plenty time for love later, after all. No need to rush things. She watched the stars slip past for a while more; so far from where she grew up, yet strangely familiar to her, like childhood friends. The white on black may not have been her way of looking at life - no, she knew far more shades of colours than that - but the simplistic view appealed to her. After perhaps half and hour, she found that the white and the black reminded her somewhat of the gleam in Harry's dark eyes when they had sat together on the couch, talking, and joking, and laughing. And she laughed now, at herself, and whispered, "Must be time for bed." That was white on black, at least: if you're tired, go to sleep; but she knew that it was only a painted surface, like so much more in life was, like friendship and betrayal and yes, love as well. She looked down on her uniform as she hung it up neatly, and smiled to herself, glad that she could see things in the colour they deserved to be. FINIS