While Seven of Nine seeks out a way to make herself useful on Voyager, down in Engineering, B'Elanna's morning is not going well. An ear-splitting fuel injector leak has Vorik scrambling to seal it before B'Elanna clocks him into next week, and when he does, all B'Elanna offers him is a terse, "That's better." She moves on, but Vorik follows her at her heels, suggesting that they overhaul the coolant systems to prevent leaks like that one, and B'Elanna agrees, "But not today." Vorik makes the mistake of questioning why delay it, and she shoots him words of bullets. "Not ... today ... Vorik!"

Still steaming, she parks herself at an Engineering station, not seeing Tom walk in, who pauses just inside the door as he makes note of B'Elanna's shooting daggers at Vorik. He continues anyway, practically singing, "Good morning!" He hands her a PADD. "Here's the helm control evaluation you were asking for." She takes it, thanking him, but Tom doesn't leave like she wants him to. "Are we still on for dinner?"

B'Elanna barely even looks away from the computer. "I don't know. I may have to work." Tom's heard that line a few too many times. "Uh-huh," he drawls out. "And have you given any thought about if you're going through with it?"

B'Elanna stands straight, finally making eye contact with Tom. "I have," she says, pausing, then quickly adds, "and ... I'm not. Today hasn't started out very well, and the last thing I need is to get involved in some obscure Klingon ritual." "You were the one who suggested it," Tom reminds her.

"I know ... and for one sentimental moment, I thought I would go through with it. But not anymore." She turns to get back to work. "Of course not," Tom says, sounding nonchalant. "Wouldn't want to get too sentimental." B'Elanna glares at him, but decides to at least give some sort of explanation. "I overslept this morning ... because I forgot to tell the computer to wake me. And the acoustic inverter in my sonic shower blew out."

Tom's eyebrows shoot up. "That'll make your hair stand on end." B'Elanna goes on. "So I didn't have time for breakfast, and when I got here, two people called in sick, and I had to cancel the fuel cell overhaul, and then an injector burst for no apparent reason and started spewing plasma coolant ..."

"That's a run of bad luck, all right." B'Elanna gives him a look that tells him, That's an understatement. She admits, "So, I'm in a bad mood, and I know that I'm being testy --"

Tom cuts her off, but leaves her train of thought unspoken. "It's okay ... think about that dinner." He walks towards the door, just as Chakotay is entering, and he warns him in a low voice, "Be careful."

Chakotay knows as much anyway with the news he has to bring to B'Elanna. He's assigned Seven to work in Engineering to possibly enhance Voyager for transwarp technology. B'Elanna is immediately skeptical of Seven's motives and refuses to accept her transfer to Engineering, but Chakotay pulls rank on her. "The bottom line is, I'm giving you an order and you're going to follow it, Lieutenant." (His words might as well have been followed by the sound of a whip snapping.) She has no choice but to concede, though the sting from his words is written clear across her face.

All this before the opening credits. Tsk, tsk.

After Janeway clears Seven to work in Engineering, Voyager encounters a lonely ship that is in desperate need of food and supplies. Their civilization, the Cataati, was ravaged by the Borg and the few who managed to escape did so with very little resources and almost no self-sufficiency. Janeway sympathizes and agrees to help them out.

Down in Engineering, B'Elanna watches Seven like a hawk as she oversees activities. Finally, she asks Seven if she ever feels guilt about seeing people like the Cataati. "Guilt is irrelevant," Seven offers simply. B'Elanna's response is just as cold. "Heartwarming." At that moment, Seven announces that she is no longer needed in Engineering and suggests that she return to her alcove. B'Elanna doesn't hesitate a nanosecond to send her on her way.

Later that day, B'Elanna sits alone in the Mess Hall, poking at her uneaten dinner with her fork. She gives up on even looking at her food and slumps back in her seat. Just then Neelix approaches, practically tip-toeing up to her and says, "If I ever saw a job for the morale officer, it's sitting right here. I'll bet I can help."

"You're facing a big challenge, Neelix." There is a change in B'Elanna's voice (which is very well acted out by Roxann Dawson, I might add), one that suddenly strips away her hot-tempered exterior to reveal some very raw and sensitive emotions. If it were anyone other than Neelix, she might not have let that vulnerability show.

"I enjoy a challenge," Neelix says, and from behind his back, he pulls out a bowl containing something very red and very raw. B'Elanna stares at it, crossing her arms in front of her, expression unchanged. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Blood Pie," Neelix explains, though he's sure she knows what it is. "For the Day of Honor." Suddenly, B'Elanna's eyes darts up to look at Neelix, almost in shock. "How did you know about that? Has Tom been talking to you?"

Neelix is surprised, as if she her question was more of an accusation. "Not at all. I make it a point to know these things," he explains. "And if I'm correct, many Klingon families traditionally serve Blood Pie on the Day of Honor."

"I appreciate the gesture, Neelix ..." B'Elanna's expression changes again. Her eyes go cold just a bit but her voice suddenly develops icicles. "But I've decided to ignore this particular tradition. No Blood Pie. No examining my behavior over the last year to see if I measure up to Klingon standards."

Neelix sees that she refuses to budge from her stand, and he has no choice but to respect that. He turns to leave. B'Elanna buries her face in her fists, no doubt her mind reeling and very confused. Neelix stops and comes back. "Lieutenant, without knowing why there's a black cloud hanging over you, may I suggest something?" B'Elanna looks up and nods briefly. "Go right ahead."

Neelix sits down. "You have a bit of a temper, that you keep reined in. And sometimes, it builds up inside you until you explode at someone.."

B'Elanna can't disagree there. "I'd say that about sums it up." Neelix continues. "I'm offering to be a pressure valve." B'Elanna gives him a bewildered look. "A what?"

"You may use me to blow off steam. When you're angry, come see me. Call me names. Insult me. Question my parentage. And I won't take it personally! And you won't need to keep things bottled up anymore," he says, rather happily.

B'Elanna is surprised, but very touched what Neelix has just suggested of himself. "That might be nicest offer I've had in a long time. Thank you, Neelix. You're sweet. But I'm not sure I could do that to you." Neelix gives her a small smile, and says, "I'm here if you need me." He gets up to leave.

"Neelix?" He stops, and B'Elanna asks, "About this Day of Honor. Do you think I should go through with it?"

Neelix thinks about his answer. "I've always thought traditions were good things, worth preserving." B'Elanna considers it for a moment, and decides to say what's on her mind. "I've been thinking a lot about the rituals that my mother taught me, and they don't seem so hateful as they did when I was a child. Maybe being so far away from anything Klingon has changed me."

"It certainly couldn't hurt to go through with the ceremony," Neelix says.

"I don't know what effect it'll have on me. That's what's frightening." Neelix offers a comforting hand on her arm. Inhaling a deep breath, B'Elanna makes up her mind. "All right," she says, "bring on the Blood Pie."

Neelix grins, and places the bowl in front of her. She picks up the spoon, hesitates for a second, but pushes herself on. "I can do this." She takes a bite, but before she even chews, she makes a disgusted face. A forced smiles pushes its way across her lips.

Later, B'Elanna enters the Holodeck, running the Day of Honor program that she and Tom had been working on. She doesn't look like she's quite ready to go through with this, hesitantly going deeper into the network of caves. A tall Klingon male suddenly appears to greet her. "Qapla`! What warrior goes there?"

"My name's B'Elanna," she says, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Have you come to have your honor challenged?" he demands.

"I guess so ... yes," she stutters. Apparently, Tom did more of the programming work than she did. Though, she might be more hesitant about the fact that she's doing this at all than being intimidated by a Klingon.

"Are you willing to see the ceremony through to the end?" he asks, giving her a sideways glance.

"That's the idea, isn't it? What do I do?"

"It will be a lengthy ordeal. First, you must eat from the heart of a sanctified targ." He sweeps his arm out as another Klingon carrying a plate of meat enters. B'Elanna picks up a small piece and examines it. Suddenly the tall Klingon yells out, "Pak lohr!" most likely meaning "Eat!" B'Elanna jumps a little and immediately tosses it into her mouth. "Yes," he says, nodding, "the heart of a targ brings courage to one who eats it. Next, you will drink Mot'loch from the grail of Kah'less." Another Klingon brings her a golden cup. "Drink! To the glory of Kah'less, the greatest warrior of all time." B'Elanna grasps the grail with both hands and chugs down a couple mouthfuls, then coughs in disgust. As she does so, the warrior goes on. "Kah'less defeated his enemies on the field of battle, and built a might empire! How have you proven yourself worthy?"

B'Elanna isn't able to think of any significant single events. "Um, I haven't built any empires, and I can't say that I've personally defeated any enemies in battle -- but you have to realize I'm not living among warriors."

He doesn't accept her excuse. "Then how do you expect to distinguish yourself?"

"I don't know," B'Elanna answers angrily. "I guess I'm doing the best I can."

The Klingon huffs. "A pitiful reply. Let us proceed. A warrior must endure great hardship. To test your mettle, you will endure the Ritual of Twenty Painsticks. After that, you will engage in combat with a master of the Bat'leth! Finally, you will traverse the sulfur lagoons of Gorath!"

B'Elanna's mouth is partially open in disbelief. "You know, I don't think so. I didn't want to do this before you described it. Certainly, not now. I'm leaving." She turns, but the Klingon grabs her arm. "Not until you have completed the ceremony, p'tahk!" He motions for two other Klingons to enter, both carrying painsticks which they don't hesitate to use on B'Elanna. After being stuck a couple times, she strikes out with her fists. Despite being outnumbered, B'Elanna has no trouble knocking all the Klingons to the ground. "Thanks so much. It's been lovely," she says, and then she marches out of the Holodeck.

Sometime later, we find her in her quarters where she is curled up on her couch, staring blankly in front of her. Eventually, someone chimes the door. "Come in."

Tom steps in. "I tried to find you before, but you were on the holodeck."

"That's right."

"You know you left it running," he says, picking up one of B'Elanna's blouses that was crumpled over a chair and folds it neatly. "There was a Klingon in there who didn't look too happy."

B'Elanna couldn't have been less interested. "Really."

"Yeah, and he was nursing a whale of a black eye. Looks like he had a run-in with someone who's having a bad day."

"Very funny."

Tom stops beating around the bush. "So how did it go?"

She picks at something on the arm of her couch. "It didn't. Do you mind if we talk about something else?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Tom says, sitting on the other end of the couch. "You have been like a spitting cobra all day, and it's getting boring! You know, we designed that Holodeck program together, and I think you owe me the courtesy of telling me what happened."

"It was ridiculous, meaningless posturing!" she spits at him. "Honor, dishonor -- what does it matter?"

"It matters because it's part of who you are! You've been running away from that all your life."

B'Elanna glares at him. "Who are you to tell me that?"

Tom stands up, hurt and angry now. "I care about you. But if you keep pushing me away, there's not much point in my sticking around, is there?"

"Fine! Leave me alone!" she yells.

"Don't worry," Tom says, his eyes narrowing. "If this is the way you treat people who try to be your friend, you'll be alone all right." He marches out of her quarters and leaves B'Elanna reeling.

In the meantime, Janeway confers with the Cataati leader about supplying more food and supplies. He is unhappy with what Voyager's crew is willing to offer. He considers them to be living in luxury, and should give his people more. He accuses them of being selfish. Neelix pipes up in Voyager's defense, but it doesn't help. Janeway makes it final about what she will give them, and tells Tuvok to escort their guest out.

Later, Seven and Tom head to Engineering together, discussing the transwarp conduit they are about to open. They cross paths with Tuvok and the Cataati leader who does not recognize Seven's species. Tuvok makes the mistake of telling him that she is a former Borg, turned human. It pushes the button to turn him hysterical, demanding to know what they did to his family. Tuvok instructs Tom and Seven to move on, and Tom apologizes about how the alien reacted. Seven stops and notes that many people on Voyager harbor similar emotions towards her. Tom assures her that he's not one of them, that he is understanding about people having past histories. He tells Seven that he will be willing to help her adjust to life on Voyager if she ever needs it.

In Engineering, the tension is high as they prepare to open a transwarp conduit. B'Elanna's running the show, and Tom is there to assist, but hard feelings still remain. "We'll have to be at warp speed to create a large enough subspace field," she tells Janeway over the comm. "I'd like to re-route helm control to Engineering." Once done, she turns to Tom and starts to tell him what to do. "Take us --"

Tom cuts her off. "Past warp two. I know," he says, very matter-of-factly. B'Elanna glares at him for a moment, but continues working on the matter at hand. But as the tachyons are emitted, they begin to leak into the propulsion systems and the warp core destabilizes. There's no choice but to order the evacuation of Engineering. Everyone heads out except for B'Elanna and Tom.

"You can't order me," Tom says, continuing to work on a station. "I outrank you." B'Elanna ignores his comment, and focuses on their emergent problem. "We've got to neutralize the core." Their efforts do no good.

"It's not working," says Tom. "The core's going to breach!" B'Elanna refuses to leave, crawling under the console to try one more thing on the core, but there's no time. Tom pulls her back. "We have to get out of here."

B'Elanna finally relents. Both of them start heading towards the door. "Computer, prepare to eject the warp core," B'Elanna shouts over the ear-splitting whine of the core. "Authorization ... Torres Omega Phi nine three." The two of them slip out of Engineering and the doors shut behind them. B'Elanna slumps against the wall. "Computer ... eject the warp core."

The ship suddenly slows, but its momentum carries it far away from the core. B'Elanna, almost in disbelief at what she'd just done, calls to the bridge. "Torres to Janeway. We've dumped the core." A surreal silence falls over everyone on the ship, as they all come to realize what consequence this will have on getting back home. It hits B'Elanna in the face like a solid brick, rendering her voice to little more than a feeble quiver. "Welcome to the worst day of my life."

The necessity to start on repairs takes hold over everyone, and Engineering is buzzing with frantic activity when Janeway enters to assess the damage. "Report."

B'Elanna tells it like it is, bluntly, that they're essentially dead in the water. No impulse and barely any thrusters. Obviously angry at the outcome of their experiment, B'Elanna doesn't hide either her dislike for Seven of Nine, referring to her as "the Borg" when she tells Janeway that she'd sent her back to her alcove.

Janeway points out that the core is still intact. She directs Tom to retrieve it by shuttlecraft, but B'Elanna interjects, noting that the core would be too unstable. At that, Janeway assigns B'Elanna to accompany Tom -- and at that, the two of them exchange eye contact very briefly before heading out.

They launch the shuttle with minimal words, even when they run into random ion turbulence. But then B'Elanna slumps back in her chair and mumbles, "I wonder what else can go wrong today. If we get this core back, I'm going right to bed and sleep straight through 'til tomorrow. Get this day over with." Only Tom knows how horrible it day it has been for her.

"Look at it this way ... How much worse could it get? Having to dump the warp core has to be the low point of any day." B'Elanna shakes her head, and mumbles, wondering if maybe it's just her, that she's asking for all this trouble somehow. "Or maybe it's just a string of bad luck," Tom says with some optimism.

Then sensors detect something, and B'Elanna confirms that it is the core's warp signature. "But there's something else out there. A ship," she says, studying the readings. "According to sensors, it has the same energy signature as the Caatati ships."

They notice that the aliens are trying to put a tractor beam on the core, and they try to warn them that the core is too unstable. The Caatati refuse to respond, so B'Elanna tries disrupting their tractor beam. It looks like it is working, but suddenly, the shuttlecraft shakes violently and alarms go off. The Caatati sent an antimatter pulse back through the particle beam, compromising structural integrity. The hull is breaching. All attempts to rectify the situation fail, and they have no choice but to evacuate the vessel.

They put on environmental suits and attempt to contact Voyager, with no luck. Transporters are still working, and they beam themselves into space just seconds before the shuttle explodes with a violent brilliance. Safe for the time being, they attempt to contact Voyager again, but the communications systems in their suits are too weak, so Tom's idea to interplex both their comm systems might be the answer. "We might be able to create a phased carrier wave. Voyager would read the signature and know it's from us."

B'Elanna agrees. "Good idea. Let me access your controls."

Tom's expression becomes wry as he responds, "I thought you'd never ask." B'Elanna smiles a bit at the blatant innuendo but doesn't say anything. They pull on the cord that is tethering them together, and Tom has to wrap his arms around B'Elanna for her to work on the control panel on his arm. "This would be a lot easier if I had a hyperspanner," she says. "Hold still."

She punches the lighted buttons for a while, and Tom doesn't have much choice but to look on. Undoubtedly, somewhere on both of their minds is the precarious situation in which they left their friendship the other night. No words have been said about it since then, but leave it to Tom to be the one strive towards some resolution.

He considers the strange predicament they are in. "Why is it that we have to get beamed into space in environmental suits before I can initiate first contact procedures?"

Without looking up, she spikes the ball back to his side of the court. "Why is that if we're alone for more than thirty seconds, you start thinking about contact?"

"That is not fair," Tom says, somewhat feigning hurt. "The other day in Engineering, I must have gone ... four minutes before I started thinking about it." B'Elanna smiles, then announces that she's ready to try the carrier wave. But as soon as she presses the button, an ear-splitting whine emits in Tom's helmet, causing him to wince. "Sorry!" B'Elanna yells, and turns it off. "Better?"

Tom stretches his face as he waits for his ears to return to normal. "Yeah. Let's hope it's still that strong by the time it gets to Voyager."

Back on Voyager, Janeway conducts an investigation of what went wrong. She covertly questions Seven of Nine, but the Borg picks up on Janeway's suspicions. Seven says deception is not in her nature, particularly since it was impossible with the Borg. She affirms her innocence in the accident in Engineering.

Meanwhile, Tom and B'Elanna have no choice but to drift and wait. B'Elanna doesn't like the zero gravity, however. "This isn't anything like the simulations we had at the Academy. They felt peaceful, like floating in the womb. But right now, I'm feeling ... a little sick to my stomach."

"You dropped out too soon," Tom says. "In the third year, there's a six-week program of actual space walks, so you can get used to them."

B'Elanna shakes her head. "I never would have lasted to the third year. If I hadn't dropped out, they would have asked me to leave." She catches Tom's gaze, and Tom says, "I wish I'd known you then."

"You'd have hated me."

"I can't imagine a time when I wouldn't have found you fascinating."

Suddenly, a light hits them, almost like a strong wind and they get jolted back a little. Then it is gone. "What the hell was that?" Tom exclaims.

B'Elanna looks at her suit. "More ion turbulence."

Then Tom starts gasping. "My oxygen supply is leaking." The computer confirms this with a warning that pressure is dropping. B'Elanna quickly acts. "We'll have to share mine." She pulls out a black cord and twists it into a compartment in Tom's suit. "Are you getting air now?"

Tom breaths deeply, more calmly. "Yeah, much better. Thanks." B'Elanna doesn't respond. She is punching buttons on her control panel, with a worried expression on her face. "What's wrong?" Tom asks.

"The turbulence must have damaged my suit too. I should have twenty-four hours worth of oxygen. But there's only about a half hour left."

Tom was quite wrong earlier when he said having to dump the core was the worst that could happen. He certainly couldn't have imagined it would be this bad, and neither could B'Elanna.

Back on Voyager, repairs are starting to make progress and Seven finds evidence that the accident was indeed an accident. Chakotay comes in to inform Janeway that they picked up the carrier wave that had to be from Tom and B'Elanna, but there's no response. They're probably in trouble, Janeway says, but before they can do anything, an armada of Caatati ships approach and demand for more supplies, and they now also want Seven of Nine turned over to them -- and aren't taking no for an answer.

The situation grows critical, for Tom and B'Elanna as well as their oxygen supply slowly disappears. "I'm lowering the oxygen ratio. That should give us a few more minutes."

B'Elanna blinks. "I'm feeling ... kind of groggy." Tom nods. "Oxygen deprivation," he says.

"And you're lowering it?"

"We have to make it last as long as possible."

B'Elanna turns pensive. "It's ironic, isn't it? Today, the Day of Honor, is the day I'm going to die."

"We are not going to die. Would you stop talking like that?" Tom demands.

"We have to face up to it, Tom."

Tom looks at her for a few moments, then says, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Well, now's the time."

"When we first met, you didn't have a very high opinion of me."

B'Elanna cracks a small smile. "That's putting it mildly. I thought you were an arrogant, self-absorbed pig."

"Flattery won't get you any more oxygen," Tom jokes. "Do you think I've changed?" (Despite his joke, Tom cares very much about what B'Elanna thinks of him. The series itself didn't elaborate at all about how well Tom and B'Elanna knew each other prior to coming to Voyager, though they most likely became acquainted when Tom had his short stint in the Maquis. There's a bit of backstory in Jeri Taylor's Pathways that is considered canon, and there, Tom wanted to make friends with B'Elanna but she didn't like his personality much at all. Now, we've seen both Tom and B'Elanna grow as people in the preceding three years, and Tom is probably aware that he isn't the same person he used to be.)

"A lot," B'Elanna says, but she looks down. "Now you're a stubborn domineering pig." There's a pause of silence, and B'Elanna looks up. "I'm just kidding." Her expression changes, thinking about what she'd just said. "There I go again. Just pushing you away. You were right about me. It's what I do. Push people away."

"Well, it's a sure-fire way of not getting hurt."

"What a coward I am," she whispers.

Tom hushes her. "Shhh." And they move closer, as close as their bulky suits will allow, and work into an embrace, B'Elanna's head on his shoulder. They continue to drift, in silence.

In the meantime, the senior staff debate what to do about the Caatati. They could fight, or appease them, as Harry suggests, but Janeway doesn't know what they could give them now. Seven even tries to offer herself, but despite her selfless act, Janeway denies that option. And just as Janeway is about to decide on a tactic, Seven interrupts, realizing that she still retains some of the knowledge about Caatati technology that they'd lost when the Borg assimilated them. She is able to construct an energy matrix that can produce large amounts of thorium, and can also offer design specifications and material for the Caatati to build more. This manages to satisfy the aliens, and they agree to let them go.

Back in the emptiness of space, Tom and B'Elanna still are in each other's arms, but Tom has drifted off. "Tom," B'Elanna says, moving to look into his face. "Wake up." He stirs lightly. "Come on, open your eyes."

"I was having a dream ..."

"There's something I have to say."

"Me, too," Tom says. "I'm glad the last thing I'll see ... is you."

B'Elanna's face has set in resolve. "I've been a coward about everything, everything that really matters."

"No," Tom says, "you're being a little hard on yourself."

"No. I'm going to die, without a shred of honor. And for the first time in my life that really bothers me. So, I have to tell you something --"

The computer interrupts with another warning about oxygen pressure. She waits for it to finish. "I have to tell you the truth."

"The truth about what?"

She looks deep into his eyes and struggles to get the words out. "I ... I ... I love you."

Tom's face is of pure shock, or at least as much shock as oxygen deprivation is allowing him. He stares at her, speechless. (Up until this point, Tom has been consistently pursuing B'Elanna and has been more or less okay with not really getting anywhere. Until this episode, that is. It seems to me that Tom is one of those guys who generally enjoys the chase more than the outcome itself, and we've seen evidence of this in the early days of Voyager. Tom has grown up a bit since then, a bit more respectable, but we see that pattern is still there. So the last thing he expects is to hear that B'Elanna does in fact have feelings for him ... feelings of love, at that.)

"Well, say something," B'Elanna urges him.

"You picked a great time to tell me," he says, attempting to smile.

Then B'Elanna's breathing turns labored, and his body feels weaker and weaker. They pull themselves together into an embrace again, their eyes close, and they wait for peace to take over.

A few moments later, a movement can be seen in B'Elanna's faceplate. The small speck grows larger, and we make out Voyager's image.

Janeway's voice cuts into the silence. "Voyager to Tom Paris. Tom, do you read me? Respond."

B'Elanna remains motionless, but Tom stirs and pries his eyes open. "We're here, Captain."

"Prepare to beam aboard." And just a moment before the transporter beam carries them back to safety, B'Elanna's eyes open.