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A/N: I read a similar story a long time ago on a Sam/Janet list and last night this 'voyagerized' version popped into my head. I just want to say: 'it's homage, not stealing' to the author of that story (Geonn)
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I stepped into my quarters.

Well, our quarters, actually. She moved in with me some time ago. My quarters were a little bigger than hers, so the choice was obvious.

She was sitting on the couch in her uniform.

I smiled at her, my beautiful half-Klingon woman. But she didn't smile back.

"It's 23:17." She stated.

I glanced at the clock. "So it is."

"You were supposed to be home at 1900 hours. We were going to have dinner together."

Ow crap, I knew I'd forgotten something. She had said there was something she wanted to talk to me about, something important. She'd made me swear I would be here on time, and it completely slipped my mind. Great.

"B'Elanna, I..."

She stopped me mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear it."

It was the lack of anger in her voice that worried me. I was in deep trouble.

I sat down face to face with her on the coffee table.

"Look, I'm sorry I missed dinner baby. I swear it will never, ever, happen again." I pleaded.

Was that pity I discerned in the look she gave me?

She shook her head slightly. "But it will. We both know that. It's happened before, and no matter how hard you try, it will happen again, because I will always come second."

I reached out to touch her face and tell her, show her, that she was wrong, but she caught my hand.

"Don't." She got up and walked towards the window.

"I know what you're going to say, but it doesn't matter anymore."

I stood and frowned at her back. "What do you mean?"

There was silence as she stared at the stars for a moment. Then she turned around. Her voice was thick when she spoke.

"Don't get me wrong, I have loved you..."

And suddenly reality came crashing down on me so hard that it knocked the air out of my lungs. Of course she wasn't angry. She wasn't trying to fix this anymore.

"You're leaving me." It wasn't a question. I was just stating the obvious.

The look in her eyes told me all I needed to know.

I averted my gaze and my eyes fell on an empty spot on the wall. Her Bat'leth was supposed to hang there. I quickly scanned the room and noticed all her personal items were missing. This was serious.

Defeated, I sunk down on the coffee table again. "I don't understand. Why? Why now?"

She bit her lip. "Because there is someone else." She paused. "And she's asked me to move in with her."

That was the crippling blow.

B'Elanna came over to stand beside me.

"I'm sorry Tom, but I still would have left you, even if it wasn't for her. She just gave me the encouragement I needed."

She? Her? Not only was she leaving me, but she was leaving me for a woman? Well I definitely hadn't seen that one coming. At another time I might have gotten a kick out of the idea of my B'Elanna with a woman, but now it stung. Hard.

I almost didn't want to ask, but I had to know. "Who?" My voice sounded strangled.

"The Captain." she whispered after a pause. Then she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Goodbye Tom."

She turned and I heard the doors open and close again.

I wanted to go after her, wanted to make her stay with me. But I didn't, because deep down, I knew it didn't matter.

After all, why would she want me if she could have Kathryn Janeway?