Standard Disclaimer: Paramount owns the USS Voyager and her crew. The wonderful actors and actresses bring them to life for us. Robert Duncan McNeill and Roxann Dawson bring to life our two favorites, giving them such passion for life and each other, that we can't resist playing with them too. I promise to return them when I'm done, and am not fool enough to ever think of making any a profit with Paramount's toys. Author's Note: Many thanks to DangerMom, Neetz, Janet, Julia and Laura for beta reading and general comments on this one. Without their help and endless correction, it might never have been finished. Special thanks to Janet and Julia for helping a poor author try to be a poet also. Janet came up with Tom's second try at poetry for me, and Julia the third. Thank'ee all, me darlin' ladies, without you, this wouldna' have ever happened. And of course thanks to Robbie and Roxann for giving me such wonderful personalities to play with. The Courtship of B'Elanna (VOY, P/T, a bit of J/C NC-17) Chris Dionne 10/20/97 It was well into the Beta shift, and Kathryn Janeway was still in her ready room. She had stayed with every intention of finishing her review of the crew evaluations that Chakotay and the department heads had put together for her, but for the past hour she had been gazing at an image of herself and Kes taken in the Resort, not a week before she had "evolved" and left Voyager. She was remembering what they had been discussing when Neelix had captured the image of the two, heads close together, as though they were a pair of conspirators, plotting their next move. "And that's exactly what we were," she said softly to herself. "Two conspirators, wondering when Tom and B'Elanna would stop playing games with each other long enough to realize how much they truly belonged together. You told me what had happened in the *Year of Hell* timeline, Kes. How Tom gave up and almost followed B'Elanna when the Krenim torpedo killed her...killed us. I'll miss you, my friend." Her reverie was interrupted as the door from the bridge opened without warning and Neelix burst in. "I've found them, Captain!" the excitable Talaxian caroled. "I found them right where she said they would be!" "Found what, Neelix?" she replied in an exasperated tone. She wasn't sure whether she was more upset that he had entered without asking permission, or that he had interrupted her private goodbye. "What have you found?" "The chips, Captain! I've found the chips! They were in her quarters, right where she said they would be!" Neelix exclaimed, rushing to the desk and putting down a small lacquered box. "She sent me a message on time delay and told me to go to her quarters and get this box and bring it to you. She said that you should hand out the messages to everyone!" "Mr. Neelix, please, calm down," Kathryn said, stalling for time as she grasped the implications of the box. "These are final messages from Kes for the rest of the crew. Is that what you're telling me? And Kes asked you to have me give them out?" "Yes indeed, Captain," Neelix replied, trying his best to slow himself down. "Kes asked that you give them to the crew. You'll find each chip is labeled as to who it goes to. And she also said that you should feel free to read any of them before you give them to the intended recipient. She stressed that, she said that even though she had done her best to not give too much away, that you should feel free to read them over first." Neelix frowned at the last and looked at the Captain. "Why would she do that Captain? It was my understanding that this type of message was usually of a very personal and private nature." Kathryn Janeway put her hands on the lid of the box and stared at it, avoiding Neelix's eyes as she softly replied, "They are both personal and private, Neelix. I don't know why Kes said that, but I'm sure she had her reasons." * I know she had her reasons, but since she didn't confide them in you, I won't break that trust,* she thought to herself, remembering the things Kes had told her about what she had come to call the "Year of Hell" timeline. Looking up she asked, "Neelix, would you please start working on a...a get-together for the crew in your Resort program in honor of Kes? I think the crew could use a break after what we've gone through in the past few weeks, and I would like to give everyone a chance to remember Kes as she was, and as she has become." "Of course Captain, it will help morale immensely," he nodded, turning to go. As he got to the door he turned back. "And Captain? Thank you for letting me be the one to plan it. I'm sorry I burst in on you like I did." "No harm done, Neelix. In this case it was understandable, but don't do it again, hmm?" she replied, chuckling softly to herself. "Of course, Captain," Neelix answered, walking out the door and leaving her alone with her thoughts. "What do I do about these?" she asked herself, slowly lifting the lid of the box and sifting through the data crystals inside. "I should probably read each one, to be sure nothing that can harm the timeline is said. But I can't bring myself to intrude like that, even with Kes' permission," she mused, absently turning one crystal in her fingers. As the label came into view she was startled to see her name on it. This one, at least, she could read with a clear conscience, moving the chip toward the terminal slot on her desk. Then she hesitated, not sure if she really wanted to hear what Kes' last words for her were. "What if there is something in here that will cause me to change the future?" she mused. "I may alter our destiny, and cause us to never reach the Alpha Quadrant. Or if I don't listen to this, I may change it another way. Gods! I hate time paradoxes!" She stared at the chip in her hand for a long while, mulling over the possible consequences, then finally made her decision. "No," she said. "I have to trust in Kes' instincts. She knew what was involved when she made these recordings, I can't believe that she would reveal anything that might in any way harm this crew." With that final thought, she dropped the chip into the player and started the playback. The elfin features of the young Ocampa appeared on her viewscreen, smiling at her as she had before the last change had overcome her, a smile filled with wonder and joy at the beauty of being alive. "Hello, Captain," Kes' image said in a soft voice. "I decided to make these recordings for my friends after my little trip into the future. I originally intended them as a guide for you if something had happened to me before we had a chance to avoid the Krenim. I couldn't live with the thought that I might have let all of you who had been so kind to me come to grief when I could've stopped it. Then when we encountered the Borg, I knew that the timeline had changed. In the future I had seen, Voyager didn't encounter the Borg, or Species 8472. For good or for ill, you and I changed the course of Voyager's future with my knowledge of the Krenim. Please, don't be angry with yourself over this. I would have done anything to avoid the timeline I saw. Too many good people had their lives cut short then." Here Kes paused, as if expecting a response. "I changed these messages when I realized what was happening to me, forgive me for any harm I may have done while I was changing. I now know what it was I felt when I told you that I thought the Caretaker was holding my people back. We Ocampa are meant to only stay a short while in this existence. The closest thing I can compare my people to are the Organians that I read about in the databanks. We are meant to gather experience here, and then evolve into pure energy. I just wish I had more time with you, who became my friends, and more than that, my family." Kes paused, and wiped tears from her eyes, a gesture echoed by Kathryn. "Farewell, Kathryn. I have two things to tell you: You will get this crew home, and you are loved here more than you realize. The first is a fine thing, but do not ignore the second, for it can make your life infinitely happier. Thank you for being my friend." With that the recording ended, and Kes faded away, leaving Kathryn Janeway sitting in her ready room, tears freely flowing down her face. ********** Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, and Harry Kim were in Sandrine's playing a game of cutthroat pool and sharing memories of Kes. Each had found a friend in the young Ocampa, and none had been able to say farewell to her before she left. At the moment, their conversation was centering on the final gift that Kes had given Voyager. None of them could quite comprehend how it was that she had thrown them ninety-five hundred light years across space. "I still say it had to have been similar to what Q did to the Enterprise when he first sent them to face the Borg," Harry said. "No Harry," Tom interjected, lining up a shot at one of B'Elanna's balls. "Q just threw them across space, there was no perceivable elapsed time. One second they were there, then 'SNAP!' he had them here. I knew we were moving; I still had helm control when Kes did whatever it was she did." He took his shot, dropping B'Elanna's ball and lining up another. "He's right, Harry," B'Elanna chimed in. "Whatever Kes did, she didn't just propel us across space. It was more like she augmented our engines to the point that normal space time rules didn't apply to them any more. The warp core was going crazy, and I was worried that we'd have to dump it. Hey! Tom, pick on Harry for a while will you?" she finished, nudging the pilot in the ribs as he sank yet another of her balls. "OK, so she didn't become as powerful as Q," Harry replied, watching as Tom obediently followed B'Elanna's suggestion and took a difficult shot at one of his three remaining balls, completely ignoring easy shots at her last two balls. He shook his head at his friend, who still refused to admit how much he cared for B'Elanna. "I still say that she's become something similar to the Organians, or the Q. She changed into a being of pure energy." "Well, we can all agree on that," Tom said, sinking the last of Harry's balls, and missing a shot at B'Elanna's. "You're out Harry. Just you and me Torres," he said, giving B'Elanna a lascivious grin. "In your dreams, Paris," B'Elanna replied, lining up a shot at one of Tom's balls. "That's exactly where you are, Torres," Tom replied, deadpan. "Every night, you haunt my dreams." "Right, and that's as close as you're going to get," B'Elanna snorted, rapidly sinking the pilot's four remaining balls. "It's just me, now. Pay up, the both of you," she laughed. "You should have taken her out when you had the chance Tom," Harry chuckled ruefully. "I tried, Harry. I tried and tried, but she kept saying no and pushing me away," Tom mournfully sighed, watching B'Elanna's expression. B'Elanna's eyes widened, and her nostrils flared as the meaning behind Tom's words hit her. "Why, you arrogant, idiotic-- I should..." her words halted as she began stalking Tom around the pool table. "Wait 'til I get my hands on you, Paris--" Harry watched, bemused by the interplay going on before him. He knew his two friends had been secretly meeting for dinner in each other's cabins more and more often of late. Not to mention the amount of time they were spending together on the holodeck. But he could swear that B'Elanna was truly angry at Tom, not just showing off for the rest of the crew to keep up appearances. Tom knew that he was pushing it, but he couldn't resist the opening B'Elanna had left him. He moved suddenly back toward her, closing the distance before she could react. "That's exactly what I've been dreaming about, B'Elanna," he said intently, locking eyes with her. "Your hands on me, and mine on you." He fell silent, looking down at her, as though daring her to hit him. Harry held his breath. When would Tom learn not to keep pushing? What was this need he had to keep a joke running until it blew up on him? "And here it comes now," he thought to himself as B'Elanna reached up and grabbed the pilot's collar with both hands. B'Elanna was stunned into silence by Tom's actions. She had figured that they would antagonize each other for the benefit of the crew; neither wanted any speculation as to just how close their friendship was becoming. But Tom, without knowing it, had challenged her as a Klingon male would a prospective mate. He had angered her, then left himself open for her reprisal. As she stood there, she caught his scent, and it was as though a leftover part of the blood fever took hold of her. She growled low in her throat, and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to her level. Eyes narrowed, she stared into his shock widened blue eyes, and pulled hard on his collar, crushing his lips to hers. She held him there for what felt like an eternity, then thrust him back and away from her, pivoted on her heel and strode out of the holodeck. Tom Paris stumbled back, and fell to the floor from the force of B'Elanna's push. As he slowly picked himself up, wiping away a thin trickle of blood where B'Elanna's teeth had cut his lip, he became aware of the utter silence in the tavern. He tried to come up with a witty remark to fill the void, but his mind was still stunned by B'Elanna's actions. He looked around the room at the staring faces of his crewmates, and felt himself flushing. It was Sandrine herself who finally broke the silence, coming to his rescue by throwing a bar towel across the room to him saying "Well, mon ami. It is about time one of these ladies put you in your place. You cannot expect to always play the rogue, and get away free, n'est ce pas?" The room dissolved in laughter at the hostess' humor. Tom heard snatches of conversations as the noise level rose, and he wiped his lip. "Good for her--" "Finally got what was coming--" "Lucky she didn't break--" Tom looked across the table at Harry, who was watching him with half a smile. "Well, Harry. I think I'm about played out tonight." "I'd say so, Tom," Harry laughed. "What in Blazes did you think you were doing? You're lucky she didn't belt you one. What'd you expect anyway, challenging her like that?" He shook his head, unable to believe his friend's audacity. "I don't know, Harry. But not what I got, that's for sure," Tom replied, wiping the last of the blood from his lip and throwing the towel back to Sandrine. "I'll see you in the morning." Harry watched his friend head out of the holodeck, and wondered to himself just how far he and B'Elanna had gone in their relationship. "Oh well. If they have anything to tell me, I'm sure they will." With that final thought he headed for his quarters. ****** B'Elanna entered her quarters and dropped her vest over the chair by the door. Moving to the replicator, she ordered a mug of Tarkelian tea. She took the tea and set it on the table next to the sofa to cool, while she changed into a pair of maroon silk pajamas. Depositing her clothing in the 'fresher, she moved back to the sofa, curled up her legs, and picked up her tea. "Computer, begin recording, Chief Engineer's personal log." "Recording." "I don't believe what just happened in Sandrine's. I was playing pool with Tom and Harry, and we were talking about Kes. Harry made some comment about how Tom should take me out, and he said he kept trying, but I kept pushing him away. How dare he say that?!? After all the time we've been spending together. Pushing him away?!? I've spent more time with him in the past three months than I have with any man in my life! Kahless! He made me so mad! I started to chase him around the pool table, and the way he was grinning at me, I started to cool off. I figured we were just clowning for the crew, so no one would suspect we were getting involved with each other...Is that what we're doing? Are we becoming more than just close friends? Do I want us to?" B'Elanna paused to consider the answer to her question, and sat sipping her tea. "I'm not sure whether I'm ready to answer that one yet," she finally said, resuming her log entry. "Anyway, Tom did the most unexpected thing. Instead of running away from me, he stepped in, not three inches away from me, and told me he was dreaming of my hands on him, and his on me." She shivered, reaching for the throw on the back of the sofa, and spread it over her legs. "Then he just stood there! He left himself wide open for me to hit him. If he was Klingon, I'd swear he was announcing his interest in becoming my mate! And I responded as though he were Klingon! It took every ounce of control I had not to pull his face down and bite him then and there! Instead I managed to kiss him. I can't believe I did that, right there in Sandrine's, in front of everyone! I made sure he felt it too! Then I pushed him away, and walked out. Oh Kahless! I really didn't want to walk out of there. Or, if I did, I wanted him to go with me. Gods! I've got to figure out what is going on between us." She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face, then she took a deep breath, and in a rush ended her log entry. "I can't tell Tom...I...I don't want to take the chance on getting hurt, but I think I've fallen in love with him. End log entry." The computer chirped obediently as she rose and placed her mug back in the replicator. As she turned to go into her bedroom, her terminal chirped indicating an incoming message. Heading for the bathroom, she decided she would ignore the message for the moment, and read it in bed. After getting ready, and climbing into bed, she reached to the night table and picked up her padd, retrieving the message. Seeing it was from Tom, she wondered if he was sending her an apology for what happened in Sandrine's. Her eyes opened wide as she read the message. B'Elanna, Dreams Are unspoken wishes Made By the heart. Sleep well, Tom. She looked away from the padd, a pensive expression on her face, then reread the message. "This can't be!" she thought. "It can't... he can't be sending me 'love poetry'? Where in Kahless' name is he getting these ideas?!? He's acting as if he were a Klingon!" Becoming uncomfortable with the reminders of her heritage, B'Elanna reached to delete the message, but at the last minute saved it to her permanent files. Unsure of whether to be upset or pleased by Tom's message, she tossed the padd on the table, curled up under the covers, and ordered the lights out. Her last conscious thought was that it really was a nice sentiment. ********** Tom Paris went from Sandrine's to Holodeck One. When he arrived, he checked to see if it was in use; fortunately it was not. "Computer, run program Paris Charlie-Beta nine, authorization Paris Alpha two four nine." "Loading. Program activated. You may enter when ready." Taking a last look up and down the corridor, Tom entered the holodeck. As he walked in, he found himself in a torch-lit cavern, where the air was hot and moist, and he could hear only the crackling of the torches. Walking further into the cavern, he strained his eyes in the torchlight, obviously looking for someone, or something. A gleam of light reflecting from metal led him to a rack on the near wall, and he lifted a bat'telh down from it. The sound of the doors closing reminded him to initiate a lock on the deck. "Computer, initiate privacy seal, Paris Alpha two four nine." "-our nine," his voice echoed off the cavern walls. His eyes narrowed as he barely heard soft, stealthy footsteps coming from behind him, their sounds nearly covered by the echoes of his voice. "Defend yourself!" came a loud cry from directly behind him. Tom was already moving, dropping to his right knee and raising the bat'telh over his head with both hands to stop the downward swing of his enemy's weapon. As the two weapons met with a clang and a small shower of sparks, he tucked his left shoulder and rolled to his front and right, coming to his feet facing his opponent. A bulky shape wielding a bat'telh matching Tom's charged him, and he raced forward to meet his opponent. The two combatants crashed together, the pilot's height contesting with his opponent's shorter, stocky build. "So, Tom," his opponent said in a strained though cheerful voice. "How did it go tonight?" He tried to thrust his lighter opponent away, but Tom dug his toes into the sandy soil covering the stone floor and pushed back, locking their bat'telh together. "Did you confront her as I told you?" Sweat was slowly beginning to break out on Tom's brow, as he matched his strength against his opponent. As they struggled, they turned, and the light from a torch revealed the swarthy skin and sharp forehead ridges of a full Klingon. Gray hair flowed down to broad shoulders, and a remarkably cheerful face smiled a wicked grin as the sweat started rolling into Tom's eyes. "Yes, I did, just like you said. I twisted her words, and told her she was in my dreams." "Ahh. But which dreams? What were the two of you doing in your dreams, eh?" the Klingon grinned. "I told her I dreamed of her hands on me, and mine on her." Tom replied, starting to work his left foot forward and around the Klingon's left leg. "Then I stepped in close, almost as close as we are now, and stood silent, waiting for her blow." * Just a few more inches...* "Good! Good! And her reaction? Did she bite you, or go for her knife?" The Klingon narrowed his eyes as though looking for scars on the pilot's face and neck. "I see no marking, no bite. Did you have to kill her then?" His grin changed to a scowl. "I was certain that she would have bitten you. After all, you said she had done so before." "I told you, she was under the influence of--" "A Vulcan Pon-Farr. Yes, I know, *DoghwI'*. And you let her forget what she had said. You never realized that she was undergoing the *IwmeQbogh*, the Blood Which Burns. No Klingon, male or female could lie while undergoing it, any more than they could when drunk," the Klingon laughed in Tom's face. "Now you must start over!" While the Klingon was laughing, Tom got his leg behind his opponent's knee. Then he shoved against his opponent's bat'telh with all his might, while kicking his leg back against the Klingon's knee. A stunned look crossed the Klingon's face as he fell backward, landing with a solid thud on his back. Tom started to grin, and swung his bat'telh up for what would be an unstoppable killing blow when it landed. Just as Tom started his downward swing, the Klingon hooked his right instep behind Tom's left ankle, and drove his left boot straight out against Tom's thigh, just above the knee. With a shocked cry of pain, Tom fell back, landing stretched out on the floor, the bat'telh flying from his hands. The two combatants levered themselves into a sitting position, and sat there facing each other with matching scowls. Then a grin slowly spread over the Klingon's face, and Tom matched it, reaching out a hand toward him. The Klingon grasped it, and they drew each other to a standing position. "I've told you, again and again--" the Klingon started, shaking his head at the pilot. "--never hesitate when your opponent is down! Yes, I know, Kor, but I was a bit distracted." "Why? Because you threw me, or because you had to kill the woman?" Kor said with a sharp toothed grin. Tom shook his head. "I didn't kill her, Kor." "Then what happened? Did she bite you where none can see it? That is sometimes considered an insult, you know, depending on her House." "And she didn't bite me! She--" "She what? She didn't bite you, you didn't kill her. Don't tell me you disarmed her and sent her away! You're really a *DoghwI'* if you did that! She and her family will never forgive an insult like that!" Kor shook his head, and stared intently up at the taller human. "Will you stop interrupting?!? I didn't disarm her, she kissed me!" Tom nearly shouted. Kor just looked up into the pilot's face, incredulous. "Kissed you? KISSED YOU?!? * qaStaH nuq jay'*!?! What the Hell do you mean she KISSED YOU?!?" Kor roared. "What kind of a female are you courting here? I've never heard of any House customs that allow a kiss as a response to a challenge like you gave her! A knife, a bite, a fist, a formal challenge to combat, silence and walking away, yes! But a KISS?!?" Tom just shook his head. "I told you Kor, I have no idea what House she's from. All I know is that she was raised on a colony world, and her father...left when she was young." "Oh...never mind that! After the...kiss," Kor said the word with such distaste Tom imagined he was spitting it out, "what then?" "She pushed me away, and walked out." At that Kor's eyes widened, and he threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "Pushed you down and walked out? *va* what a woman she must be! Her kiss, was it fierce? Did she bloody you?" "Yes, she cut my lip with her teeth," Tom answered. "Well, then. That at least is somewhat more like normal. She's attracted to you, but not yet sure of your intent. Did you send her poetry?" "Yes." "Which? One from the Lays of Kahless? A bit from Women Warriors? Which?" Kor sat on a rock against the wall. "If you made one yourself, tell it to me." Tom told Kor the poem he had written for B'Elanna. As he ended, Kor tilted his head to the side and gazed intently at the young human. He drew in a deep breath, and exhaled through his nose. "Well. I have heard worse. Not much worse, mind you, but worse. *ba'Qa* boy! Have I not taught you anything? Do my words, the words of a *Da'Har* master go in one of your ears and out the other side of your empty head?!? Where's the fierceness in that poem? I'll grant you it's fitting, from what you say your words of challenge were. Later in the courtship, once you've established your betrothal intentions, that is the time for a poem such as that. Now, the first, was a time to show her the fire in your heart, to show her how your blood sings for her!" Tom glowered down the seated figure of the *Da'Har* master he had programmed to help him learn how best to court B'Elanna Torres. He felt a flush rushing up his neck into his face as he listened to Kor's words. "Kor, let me tell you something: I've known this woman for three years! I may need your help with the customs, but I know her! I'll decide what poetry to send her! Those words came from my heart! What do you think--" Tom stopped his tirade as Kor threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Good! Now I see the fire in you! Apply this to your next poem, and she will come to you eagerly for the betrothal necklace. Her blood will sing so strong she may bite you before you can get it on her! Enough of this now. Let us practice the bat'telh. You've improved, but there is still much to learn." Retrieving the weapons from where they lay, Kor threw one to Tom. "Defend yourself!" he cried, commencing the lesson once more. Tom fought him until well past midnight, then called a halt, gasping for breath. "Enough, Kor. I need sleep. I have to be awake to fly this ship today. I'll see you later," he said, tossing his bat'telh to his teacher. "Very well, Thomas. Sleep well, and wake." "Computer, end program and save." Tom said, heading for the door as it appeared. Exhausted, he headed for his cabin, and fell into bed, barely remembering to tell the computer to wake him in time to meet Harry and B'Elanna for breakfast. He was so tired, in fact, that he completely missed the light on his terminal indicating a message waiting for him. The next morning found a still tired Tom Paris stumbling around his cabin, frantically trying to get his uniform on. As he finally succeeded in pulling on his boots, he noticed the message waiting light flashing on his terminal. Moving to his desk, he checked and found two messages waiting for him, one from the previous night, and another only half an hour old. Opening the oldest message, he found that the Captain had called a senior staff meeting for 08:30. "Eight thirty?!? That's only twenty-five minutes from now! Looks like a quick breakfast today." The second was from B'Elanna. Tom anxiously read it, wondering what her reaction to his first attempt at poetry would be. Tom, Nice try, but I'm afraid that doesn't count as poetry. B'Elanna "Didn't count as poetry?!" Tom fumed. "What did she expect?!" He was so upset, that he almost missed the post script she had added to the bottom of the message. P.S. I slept well, and had pleasant dreams. "Well, what am I supposed to make of that?" he thought. "Is she trying to encourage me? She obviously isn't mad about it." He saved away B'Elanna's message and headed for the mess hall. With any luck, he would be able to get a better idea of her intentions by looking in her eyes. She had such expressive eyes, and he had figured out how to read her moods just by looking in them. *************************** Harry and B'Elanna were in the mess hall, savoring a breakfast that had proven amazingly good, despite appearing to have been concocted by someone who had gone mad with pastel paints. They had been afraid to even ask Neelix what it was when he had first served it up to them, and both had contemplated throwing it out as soon as his back was turned. As they walked to their usual table though, they had noticed that the other crewmembers were eating the pale pink and blue mess as though it were the best meal they had ever had. Encouraged by the reactions of the others, they had tried theirs, and found that the taste was remarkably similar to that of a Terran ham and cheese omelet. Even the latest attempt at a morning beverage came close to the true taste of coffee. "I don't know Harry," B'Elanna said, setting down her mug. "If Tom doesn't get here soon, there won't be any left for him." "He'll be here," Harry replied for what seemed to be the fifth time in ten minutes. As he raised his fork to his mouth, he watched B'Elanna's expression closely. Something was odd about her behavior this morning. She had gotten to the mess hall early, and taken Harry's usual seat facing the door. And every time the door had opened she had looked up with a mixture of anticipation and what on any other person's face Harry would have called apprehension. Each time it wasn't Tom who entered, her face had fallen back into a neutral expression. "You're right, Harry. He's got to get here soon, or else he'll miss breakfast entirely. The staff meeting is only twenty minutes from now, and--" she stopped, looking up as the doors swished open. Harry watched over the rim of his mug as B'Elanna's face ran an interesting gamut of expressions. First apprehension, then a smile of joy crossed her features. "Must be Tom. I really wonder just what the two of them have got going on," he thought to himself. He was startled when the smile was replaced by a grimace of hurt, then a half snarl of anger. Turning, Harry saw that Tom was standing in the doorway, with his left hand extended back into the corridor. As he watched, Tom drew his hand back, revealing that he had hold of Seven of Nine's right elbow. Tom grinned a sunny smile at the former Borg as he towed her toward the buffet line. Harry's head snapped back around as he heard a low, choked sound coming from his tablemate. Looking at B'Elanna, he was gripped by an instinctual need to run as far from her as he could. The expression on her face, lips drawn back, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, reminded him of a Siberian tiger he had seen on a holovid, just before it pounced on its unsuspecting prey. He slowly reached out, and touched B'Elanna's hand where she had the table edge in a white knuckled grip. "Hey, B'Elanna," he softly whispered. "What's gotten into you? B'Elanna?" B'Elanna slowly turned her gaze on him, and the tension began to slip away from her features. "How could he?" she hissed. "What does he think he's doing with that...that BORG!" She spat the last word as though it were a curse. "After what he did last night...what he started...how could he?" She shook so hard that the table vibrated. Harry looked on in near panic. He wasn't sure what B'Elanna was referring to, but he knew that if he didn't do something to defuse the situation, his two friends were going end up in a terrible fight. "B'Elanna, it looks like Tom is just trying to make it easier for Seven of Nine to become a part of the crew. I overheard the Captain telling her that she had to learn to interact with the rest of us on a social level. And the Doctor has been trying to get her to stop relying on the Borg alcove, and start eating real food. If that is what you can call some of the stuff Neelix puts out," he added the last with a small chuckle, trying to draw B'Elanna's attention away from Tom and Seven. B'Elanna slowly calmed down, reining in her temper with difficulty. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her gaze back to Harry. "You're right, Harry. Tom's just being his usual, helpful self." Harry winced at the tone that line was delivered in. "And what do I care about who he spends his time with anyway? It's not as though I were interested in him and--" she stopped short as two shadows fell across the table. "Good morning you two!" Tom said cheerfully as he came up behind B'Elanna, Seven of Nine still following a step behind him. "Have you got room for two more?" he asked rhetorically, setting his tray down next to B'Elanna's. He turned back to Seven and took her mostly empty tray, setting it down opposite his, next to Harry. "Sure, Tom." Harry started to say, standing to help Seven into a chair. "You'd better eat quick, though, if you don't want to be late to the staff meeting. Good morning, Seven of Nine." "Good morning? Ah, a reference to the beginning of the day, based on the ship's time. Good morning to you also, Ensign Kim, Lieutenant Torres." Seven responded, lowering herself into the chair at Tom and Harry's prompting. As Harry slid Seven's chair in, B'Elanna stood. "I have to get down to Engineering and get some figures before the meeting. I'll see you later, Harry." With that she picked up her tray and headed for the door. Harry looked at Tom, and felt a pang of sympathy for the expression of hurt that flashed across his face. Then the infamous "Paris mask" settled into place, and the only thing that showed Tom was at all upset was a slight flashing in his eyes. His musings on what sort of a relationship his two best friends were having was interrupted by a question from an unexpected quarter. "I do not understand. Did I say something which upset Lieutenant Torres?" Seven asked, looking first at Harry, then Tom. "Lieutenant Paris, is there something wrong?" "No," Harry answered. "I'm sure B'Elanna just needed to get something from her office." "Right. And what do you mean is something wrong?" "Lieutenant, I may have only become human a short while ago, but I have access to all the Borg information on human physiology. Your face has flushed, and the narrowing of your eyes indicates that you have become angered by something." Seven looked more closely at Tom's face. "Have I in some way caused you to become displeased with me?" Pushing his tray away from him, Tom stood. "No! You didn't do anything! Harry, I'll see you later. Seven of Nine, I'm sure that Harry can explain all about eating and drinking. I've got to go check on the course corrections needed to get us through the nebula." Without another word he picked up his tray and, dropping it in the nearest receptacle, strode out the door. Harry was left alone with a confused looking Seven of Nine. "So, Seven of Nine, tell me, did any of that make any sense to you? Any of it at all?" Seven turned her guileless blue-gray eyes to him. "I have little or no experience with human social interaction. Among the Borg, there was no need for deception nor any possible way to deceive another." "And you believe that one or both of them was trying to deceive?" Harry asked, intrigued by the insight evident in one with practically no knowledge base to draw from. "Yes. I would conclude from the actions of Lieutenant Torres that she was upset due to either my presence, or that of Lieutenant Paris, or the combination of the two. Since I understand it is common for the three of you to have your meals together, I must assume it is not Lt. Paris' presence alone. Therefore, it is either me, or the fact that I entered with Lt. Paris," she paused, and tilted her head slightly to the right in a curiously human gesture while thinking of the rest of her reply. "Since I have done nothing to personally anger Lt. Torres, I must assume that it was my entering with Lt. Paris that angered her so." Harry nodded, encouraging her to go on, while he sipped at his coffee substitute. "Tell me Ensign, are they in love with each other? Or involved in a physical relationship?" Harry choked, slamming his mug down to avoid spilling it. "What...whatever gave you that idea?" he spluttered. "I have concluded it based on the available evidence. The pupils of both the lieutenants dilate when they look at the other. Their respiration increases, and they have a tendency to stay as close to each other as possible. That would suggest another reason for Lt. Paris' displeasure. If they are in love with each other, then the emotional distress of her apparent rejection might have caused him to become, I believe the proper phrase would be, 'ticked off'?" Harry chuckled ruefully. "For someone who claims to have no knowledge of human sociological interactions, you seem to be able to come up with an interesting hypothesis. I really need to get to the staff meeting. Perhaps we can continue this at another time." Seven of Nine watched as Ensign Kim exited the mess hall; if anything he seemed in even more of a hurry than the two lieutenants had been. "I really must do more research into the workings of interpersonal relationships if I am ever to assimilate into this group," she thought, as she silently stood and headed for the solitude of her alcove in Cargo Bay 2. ***** When Harry entered the bridge from the turbolift, he saw Tom was at the helm console, leaning down to converse with Ensign Batehart, the Gamma shift helmsman. Taking his cue from that, he stepped to the Ops station to check with his own counterpart. Having been assured that all was functioning well, he stepped up behind Tom and tapped his shoulder. "Tom, we've got to get to the staff meeting. I'm sure that Batehart can handle anything that comes up." Tom turned to Harry, who noticed that there was no trace of his earlier anger. "Right, let's go. We don't want to be late and end up on the receiving end of the dreaded Janeway look," he joked, moving toward the conference lounge. Harry followed his friend, acutely aware that though Tom was joking and smiling, his eyes stayed cold. No trace of his humor touched them. "B'Elanna must have really gotten to him this morning when she ignored him," he thought to himself. "If they're that serious about each other, I hope they get it straightened out soon." He entered the lounge, and took his usual seat to Tom's left. Much to his surprise the Captain was already there, seated at the end of the table, with a lacquered box in front of her. "Good morning, Captain." "Good morning, Mr. Kim. I understand that breakfast was...interesting, this morning." Harry nearly choked at that, as he quickly glanced at Tom to see his reaction. The mask was fully in place, and Harry could detect no trace at all that the Captain's comment had disturbed him. In fact, as Harry watched him out of the corner of his eye, Tom began to grin at his friend, obviously waiting to see what Harry's response would be. "Actually, it was quite good, Captain--once you got past the fact that it looked like someone had poured paint all over it." "Well, Ensign, on the planet that the roots originated from, they are used to make dyes for clothing," came Neelix's voice as the doors opened. "It is truly a wonderful little root, with many uses. I'm quite pleased that you, and the rest of the crew enjoyed it." Seating himself opposite Harry, he gazed at Tom meaningfully. "Or at least, most of them did." The doors opened again as the Captain watched the interplay going on between her officers. She could tell that something was bothering Harry, and judging from the surreptitious glances he was giving Tom, and Neelix's pointed comment, she knew that it somehow involved Tom Paris. The rest of her staff took their seats, and appeared to be expecting her to call the meeting to order. "We'll wait a few minutes for the Doctor," she announced. "I asked him to join us in person, and he has an emergency patient to finish with first." She noted with growing dismay that Tom and B'Elanna, instead of chatting with, or teasing, each other, avoided all eye contact this morning. "Oh, Hell!" she thought to herself. "Now what's wrong between those two?" She got her answer with Neelix's next question. "Tell me, Tom. Was that Seven of Nine I saw you escort into the mess hall this morning? I thought she wasn't ready to begin eating solid food yet. Isn't that why she spends so much time in the cargo bay?" Kathryn noticed an immediate tightening around both Tom and B'Elanna's eyes. "So," she thought, "that's what this is all about. Tom brought Seven into the mess hall, and B'Elanna got upset about it. I know she isn't comfortable with her, but I think there's a little more than that here. Perhaps a little jealousy?" Tom turned his gaze on B'Elanna as he replied to Neelix's question. "Yes, it was. She was standing outside the doors when I got to the mess hall, looking completely lost. When I asked her if she needed help, she said she was supposed to learn to interact with the crew, and thought that the mess hall was a good place to start. So, since you can't learn how to interact if you're by yourself, I asked her to join Harry, B'Elanna and me for some breakfast." B'Elanna looked up into Tom's eyes as he continued. "I really forgot how little time we had until the staff meeting, though, and we had to cut breakfast short." "Well, Tom, that was nice of you to try and help her learn to socialize," the Captain interjected, covering a potentially awkward moment, as she saw a slight flush tinge her engineer's cheeks. "Yes, it was," B'Elanna added in a low voice. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay for breakfast with you, Tom." "That's okay," he replied, his eyes locked on hers. "There's always tomorrow." "Yes, there is." As the doors opened to admit the Doctor, Kathryn Janeway smiled to herself. If all the problems that occurred today could be solved as easily as that, this would be a day to go down in history. The unspoken promise in the voices of the two nearly brought tears to her eyes. Kes had been right, they truly belonged together. Kes! The messages... Clearing her throat, the Captain opened the meeting. "I know you're all probably wondering why I called this meeting. Let me put to rest any worries you may have, there are no aliens about to attack us, we haven't received any distress calls, and the ship is functioning normally." "Finally," came B'Elanna's sotto voce comment. "Yes, B'Elanna. Finally. All the crew has done a remarkable job, and they deserve a rest. So I've asked Neelix to plan a get-together in the resort. For the duration of the party, all restrictions on replicator rations are suspended for anyone on the holodeck." That comment raised the eyebrows of both B'Elanna and Tuvok. "The party will have two purposes. First is a reward for everyone's hard work. Second...second is to give us a chance to remember Kes, and all the gifts she gave us." She paused, taking a deep breath and turning her gaze to each of the assembled crew. "Which brings me to the other reason for this meeting," she continued, as she opened the box in front of her. "These are messages that Kes left for us. She asked me to distribute them to the intended recipients, and there is one here for each of you. I'll also give them to the others she left one for." She stood and moved about the room, passing out the message chips. "You're all dismissed to your regular duties. The party will begin at eighteen hundred hours on Holodeck Two, correct Neelix?" "Yes, Captain. I've set everything to run from eighteen hundred until zero three hundred. That should allow ample opportunity for all shifts to participate," the Talaxian replied. "Very well, dismissed," the Captain said, rising and heading into her ready room. ****** For a change, Alpha shift passed uneventfully. No emergencies cropped up, no aliens attacked, and the crew was grateful for the rest. The only excitement that the crew had was when the Captain entered various departments to distribute Kes' message chips. Kathryn Janeway had never realized that Kes had made so many friends on board. She had been traveling from one end of the ship to the other, giving out the chips in whatever order she removed them from the box, and wishing she had sorted them by department before starting to distribute them. It was with a sigh of near relief that handed the final chip to Ensign Lang, and headed back to her quarters. She was looking forward to relaxing with a cup of coffee before getting ready to attend the party on the holodeck. *** B'Elanna Torres, much to the surprise of her staff, had left Engineering as soon as her shift was over. She wanted to have a chance to listen to Kes' final message before she went to the party. As she loaded the chip into her terminal and sat down with a mug of Tarkelian tea, she wondered what Kes would have to say. She had liked the Ocampa, but they had never been as close as, say she was to Tom, or Tom was to Kes for that matter. "Hello B'Elanna," Kes' image said. "I know we weren't the closest of friends, but I want you to know how much I admired you. Your strength, intelligence, and determination were always an inspiration to me, and I was honored to have called you a friend." The image paused, and the normally sunny smile faded, as Kes' brow furrowed in thought. "I really don't know how much of this I should tell you...but for your sake, and Tom's it needs to be said." B'Elanna reached out a hand and paused the playback. "Tom's sake? And mine? What in Kahless' name is she talking about?" B'Elanna said to herself. Her eyes widened with her next thought, "If she starts to tell me that she and Tom...that they...I don't think I want to hear this." She sat silently, sipping her tea for a long while before restarting the playback. Kes' image turned, gazing out from the screen into her eyes. "B'Elanna, I'm going to tell you about what I saw in the alternate future I lived through. You need to know what happened, so that you can be sure it never occurs to you. This may come out sounding odd, because I actually lived it backwards, and I'm going to try and tell you about it forwards, so bear with me." She took a deep breath, and exhaled audibly before continuing. "B'Elanna, I can see how you feel about Tom. In fact, even though I try to shield myself from the surface emotions of others, your feelings for Tom are so strong when I see you together, that you overpower my defenses. I know how much you love him, and how much that frightens you." B'Elanna gasped at that admission, nearly dropping her tea into her lap. "In the future I lived through, you and Tom were...you had admitted that...I had this all planned out, and now I can't remember what I wanted to say!" B'Elanna reached out a shaking hand and almost halted the playback again, but Kes' next words stayed her hand. "You were lovers. You had both finally overcome your fears of the other and had admitted your love to each other. You were the happiest, most fulfilled people in the entire crew. Then the unthinkable happened. Tom watched you die during an attack by an aggressive race." Kes' voice broke, and tears sparkled in her eyes. "Losing you very nearly destroyed him. He gave up completely. When you died, it was as though the aliens had killed him too. He stopped caring about anything, and was barely able to function at all. I think if Voyager hadn't been in such desperate need of his piloting skills to get away from the aliens, he would have followed you into death. " Kes stopped speaking as B'Elanna's hand fell on the console, halting the recording. She sat pale and shaking, the news of her own demise less disturbing than the fact that it had nearly caused Tom to take his own life to join her. The thought of the light going out of those blue eyes stole her breath away, and made her heart leap into her throat. She couldn't bear to be responsible for that. She stared at Kes' image, needing to hear the rest, but afraid to listen. Holding her breath, she hit the key, and Kes continued the tale. "I...did what I could to help him. He was my first friend among the crew, and it was horribly painful for me to see him that way. I told him that you would want him to go on, and not lie down and die. I'm not sure how it happened, because of the way I was jumping through time, but...I don't want to say this, but you deserve to know. In that timeline Tom and I married, and had a daughter, Linnis." B'Elanna didn't even feel the mug shatter when her hands spasmed in a flash of hurt and rage as Kes went on. "B'Elanna, even though I don't know how we came to be married, I do know some things. Tom was a devoted and loving father to Linnis, and a devoted and caring husband to me. But I also know that he never stopped loving you. I can 'remember' him waking, crying out for you, shaking with uncontrollable tears that I could do nothing to stop. He gave me what he could, and I know he cared for me, but I always felt that his love died with you." Kes stopped, and wiped at her eyes, gathering herself to go on. "You need to know this, B'Elanna, because you need to consider what you and Tom are going to do. I can tell you that you and he, together, will be happier than you could ever be apart. But if you are at all unsure of your feelings for Tom, don't rush in, and don't lead him on. I've seen what he will become if he loses your love after you've given it to him. It is far worse than anything any rumor ever spoken about him could ever be." She paused, then smiled slightly. "That said, know that he is the most gentle, kind and loving soul I have known. But never forget that there is a hard core to him. Tom can be the most fiercely passionate, stubborn man alive. You are well suited to each other. And you will always both have my thoughts and my love. Goodbye B'Elanna." Kes' image faded away, leaving B'Elanna stunned, sitting in her chair trying to grasp the full meaning of all she had heard. She slowly became aware of the warmth in her hands, and the mixture of tea and blood from the shards of her shattered mug. Tom Paris was doing much the same thing in his quarters. Kes' description of her experiences in the alternate timeline kept echoing over and over in his ears. He closed his eyes, and played the message back in his mind. He didn't need the viewer to see her delicate elfin features, or hear her soft voice. "Tom, my dearest friend. Since you're viewing this, whatever change I've been undergoing must be complete. I hope that I had the time to say 'au revoir' to you in person, but I'm afraid that I might not have. And if I did, I probably didn't have the time to tell you all the things I wanted to. So here is my chance." She paused, and smiled at him. "Thomas Eugene Paris, my first friend among the crew, and my best friend, that is what you are. In the beginning, I wondered why you had decided to do that, to befriend an alien you had never seen before. Then I heard the rumors and stories about you, but I never believed them. You always seemed different from the way those stories made you out to be, and you worked too hard to live up to the image everyone had of you. Tom Paris, womanizing traitor. I never could come near believing that, even when you were flirting with me and every other female on the ship. It wasn't until you and Neelix had that fight that I really saw you for who you are. I saw how much you cared for everyone around you, and refused to let anyone care for you. I want you to know something, Tom. I know just what a fine man you really are, and you will be." A tilt of her head, the smile gone from her lips, but not her eyes. "That's what this message is really about, telling you what happened in a different future, one I lived through and did my best to be sure never happened, no matter how much it cost me." A deep sigh as she looked down at her lap. "I changed the future, Tom, because I couldn't stand what happened to the people I love. You see, you and B'Elanna were lovers. I was so happy for you, the both of you had such joy in your hearts. But she died, Tom. You watched her die in an attack, and there was nothing you or anyone else could do about it. And when you had to set aside your tears, hold your grief in check to ensure Voyager's escape, I wept inside for you. I couldn't show it either, I had to be the reassuring nurse for the injured, but inside I cried for you. Once we escaped, I cried with you. I cried for B'Elanna, and for your loss. And then I cried for myself, when I saw the effect her death had on you. You gave up, Tom. You wanted to lie down and die beside her, and I cried seeing you die inside." He did not find it at all hard to believe what she told him about how he had almost given up on his life. He knew how much B'Elanna meant to him, and the mere thought of her death was enough to send waves of fear and rage flashing through him. "It took you time to recover from that, and I spent every moment I could with you. I couldn't have dealt with losing you too. Because I loved you, Tom. Not just as a sister, or a friend, but as a woman. And you ultimately returned my love, as much as you could anyway." Tears in her eyes as she continued, smiling through them. "You never truly got over B'Elanna. Even after we had a daughter, I would still find you staring into space, and I knew you were dreaming of her. You were a wonderful husband and father." A long pause, and the tears beginning to run down her cheeks. "Now you know what I gave up when altered the timeline. I gave up my hope of ever being your wife, in the hope that you and B'Elanna would have the happiness that you deserve. Don't give up on that, Tom; don't give up on B'Elanna! She has been hurt before, and you're going to have to work at it, but the two of you can be so good for each other, with each other! Never forget that!" The smile returned, the tears banished and her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I left a present for you two in the hydroponics bay. You'll know it when you see it. I think it will always remind the two of you of how important you are to each other. Live your life to the fullest, Tom and remember I'll always have you in my heart." A last smile, and she faded away. As he dressed for the party, he contemplated Kes' words, his feelings for B'Elanna, and the consequences of those feelings. All his adult life he had worked to keep others at arm's length, not letting himself care about them, and trying to keep them from caring about him. It was the perfect way to keep from being hurt, if you never cared in the first place, then no one could hurt you. But B'Elanna had broken through that armor. She hadn't even tried, but he had found himself reaching out to her, opening the walls he had so carefully built around his heart. And before he realized it, she was inside them. Kes's message had told him that in a different future, B'Elanna had loved him in return, but how did she feel now? "Damn these time paradoxes anyway!" he swore as he headed for the holodeck. "And what did she mean, that she left a present for us in the hydroponics bay?" Shaking his head, he tried to put it out of his mind--he had promised Neelix he would help host the party, and it wouldn't do to be distracted by his own problems. Neelix was bustling about in the resort when Tom walked through the doors of the holodeck. "Tom! I was starting to wonder if you were going to make it before everyone else arrived," he said as he rushed by carrying a tray of multihued fruit. Tom looked around at the changes Neelix had programmed. It was late afternoon, and the pool had been replaced by a hardwood dance floor. A twelve-piece band with piano was set up at one end of the floor, their backs to the beach. There were two bartenders on duty, and a long table had been set up to the left of the dance floor. Neelix deposited the tray of fruit on the end of the table and turned back to Tom. "Well, that's the last of the preparations! Now, I need to change my clothes. Can you handle things here while I do that?" "Of course. I like the changes you made. The crew should enjoy themselves," Tom replied, trying to sound cheerful. Neelix stopped abruptly as he was passing the pilot, and looked up into his eyes, not liking what he imagined he heard in Tom's voice. To most people, there would have been nothing to see on Tom's face, his expression was slightly happy, a small smile playing about his lips. But Neelix had learned to look past the surface, in the last three years he had come to be able to read the pilot fairly well, and saw that something was distressing him. "Tom," he said softly, reaching up and putting a hand on the pilot's shoulder. "What's bothering you?" Tom looked away, scanning the food table, as he replied. "Nothing, Neelix. I just wish I had been able to say goodbye to her in person." Maybe half a truth would throw him off. Neelix almost continued questioning him, then realized that it would do no good. When he was ready, Tom would tell someone what was bothering. Now he would just keep denying anything was wrong. "Well, if you want to talk, you know where to find me. And you're not alone in missing Kes." He patted Tom's shoulder, and left to change. "It's not the missing her, Neelix," Tom thought to himself as he watched him leave. "It's the wondering what she said in her message to B'Elanna. If she told her the same thing she told me, there's no telling how B'Elanna is going to react." He shook his head, trying to clear it of the various scenarios running through it. "Best case, she throws her arms around me and declares her undying love for me. As if that will ever happen. Worst case, she stalks in here, punches me in the face, and says she never wants to see or talk to me again." His musings were interrupted by the mechanical sound of the doors opening as the crew began to filter in for the party. As he slowly turned to see who it was, a slight smile slid over his face as though it were a mask, but anyone looking close enough would have been able to see that it did not touch his eyes. "Ensign Lang, congratulations, you get the prize for first guest of the evening! Please, come in. Have a drink, something to eat. I can honestly swear that Neelix didn't cook any of the food here tonight." As Tom finished, the doors opened again, and a group of the crew entered. Tom greeted each by name, and bid them enjoy themselves, reminding them that replicator restrictions were waived as far as food and drink went on the holodeck for the duration of the party. He repeated his actions each time the doors opened, never failing to have a comment ready to greet each person with. Some, he spent more time with than others, but no one was neglected. After going through the routine for close to an hour, Neelix returned. "Well, welcome back Neelix!" Tom cheerfully greeted him. "Take over for a minute, will you? I need to get a quick bite to eat, and a fresh drink." "Of course I will. Thanks for handling things while I changed." "Anytime, Neelix. Anytime," Tom said as he moved off to the food table. Neelix stared after him, still positive that something was bothering his friend, but unsure of what it was, or what to do about it. He knew that Kes had left a message for Tom, and she had told him that it contained some things that might disturb him, but he didn't think that anything Kes could have had to say would bother Tom so. Like Tom before him, he found that his current position of host and greeter for the party was not in the least conducive to weighty thoughts, as the doors opened and he turned to greet the new arrivals. Shortly after he had taken over from Tom, B'Elanna came in, obviously looking for someone. "Why, if it isn't my favorite Chief Engineer!" Neelix cheerfully greeted her, moving to take her hand. "Welcome to the party! The band is just starting, you're right on time!" B'Elanna ignored him, and continued scanning the crowd. She was startled by Neelix' lowered voice whispering next to her ear. "He's over past the food table, heading for the beach." "What? Who?" she snapped, drawing back from him. "Just who is past the food table?" Even as she asked it, she looked where Neelix directed, finding Tom Paris, his back to her as he walked toward the sound of the surf. "What makes you think I was looking for Tom?" Neelix looked closely at her, and saw in her eyes the exact same thing that he had noticed in Tom's an hour past. "Just a guess, Lieuten--B'Elanna. Do you mind if I call you B'Elanna?" he asked. Then continued, not giving her a chance to respond. "Tom was helping me with the hosting of this party, but I could see that something was bothering him. I have no idea what it was, but he has the same look in his eyes that I just saw in yours. I may not be as logical as Lt. Tuvok, but I can make a guess that something is bothering the two of you. I think perhaps he might need to talk to someone, and I'll bet he might talk to you. So scoot!" With that he turned her around and gave her a gentle push. As she moved to follow Tom, he called out, "And no hitting!" That drew a few looks, until it was seen at whom he had directed the comment. B'Elanna stiffened slightly as she walked away, then relaxed as she thought of just how appropriate those words would have been, say a year ago. She shook her head slightly, amazed at how much had changed, how much Tom had changed, in that time. Or was it only her perception of him that had changed? Had he always been the man she now perceived him to be? Was it just that she had let surface impressions and the opinions of other people influence the way she saw Tom? Kes had certainly seen him as something other than a pig from the moment she had laid eyes on him. 'Right,' a voice in her mind said. 'She saw enough in him to marry him!' That thought caused her hands to clench tightly into fists. As much as she considered Kes a friend, every time she thought of that, she would have happily driven a dagger into Kes' throat. 'And what does that say for how you feel about Tom?' She shook herself, trying to ignore the voice that spoke to her about her feelings, about her fears, and her honor. She was not Klingon! She had no use for honor! Or any of the other silly Klingon customs and rituals she had rejected as a child. The sight of Tom sitting on a rock, watching the gulls wheel in the distance, dragged her out of her inner argument. He looked so pensive, his brow furrowed in thought, that she almost turned to go without disturbing him. "No! This time I'm going to talk to him," she thought to herself. "I'm not going to just forget about it this time." Tom sat, staring with unseeing eyes at the gulls. All his attention was turned inward as he tried to decide what to do about B'Elanna. He knew how he felt, how much he cared for her--to admit the truth, how much he loved her. But no matter what Kes had said of the alternate timeline, it was just that...alternate. And if they hadn't met the Krenim, and B'Elanna hadn't been killed, then it was just as possible that she didn't care for him the way Kes said she had. "Face it, Tom. You're not worth her loving," the voice of his father sounded in his head. "You've been a disappointment your whole life, and no woman would want to be saddled with that for long." "That's not true!" he said to himself in a soft voice. "I've--" he stopped as the sound of footsteps on the sand caught his attention. Turning, he saw B'Elanna approaching him, a look of determination on her beautiful face. As he always was when he first saw her, he was struck speechless by her exotic beauty, and the grace and power with which she carried herself. They stared at each other in silence as he moved to make room for her on the rock, and she sat down next to him. "Get tired of the party already?" she asked, breaking the silence. At the same time she silently berated herself, "That's not what you wanted to ask him! Where is your courage?" Tom looked at her intently before replying. "No, not really, it's just that I haven't played the host to a party in a long time. The last time I did the 'greet the guests' routine was at a party my father had for some Starfleet brass. He thought it would be 'educational' for me to see 'Fleet protocol in action. I felt like I was a trophy on display." A small sigh escaped with his last words. "Oh. I couldn't have done that. I'd go crazy and either run screaming, or hit someone." "Well, I couldn't do either, so I stood there like a good little Paris and made nice noises at them. And even then the old Admiral didn't think I was 'up to standard'. My position of attention was 'entirely unsatisfactory'," Tom said, turning to stare out over the waves. B'Elanna knew this wasn't the conversation she wanted to have, but she also knew that Tom rarely spoke to anyone about his past. She wanted to know all she could about him, and wasn't sure when her next chance to learn about his childhood might be. "So just how old were you anyway?" she asked in a soft voice, not wanting to spoil his introspective mood. "About twelve or thirteen, closer to twelve I think. Yes, close to twelve, it was shortly after that when I started rock climbing," a slight grin danced over his lips "much to the Admiral's dismay." "Rock climbing? What do a party and standing at attention have to do with rock climbing?" "Well, when the Admiral got mad about the party, I packed a bag and went climbing. I did it mostly to get away from him at first, then I realized that I really enjoyed it." "You did it specifically to antagonize your father?!?" she asked before she thought about how it might sound. She really didn't want him to close her out again. He looked back at her, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Not specifically to antagonize him. That was more of an added bonus. Wasn't there anything you did that annoyed your mother?" B'Elanna hesitated, barely stopping herself from snapping that it was none of his business. Tom noticed the sudden tightening of her lips, and turned back to stare at the gulls in the distance. "It's okay, you don't have to answer that," he said as dispassionately as he could. He really wanted to know, wanted to understand about her past, but he would only push so far. "No. It's only fair, I started this conversation," she said softly, reaching out and grasping his shoulder, turning him back to face her. "It seemed as though everything I did irritated my mother. Even when I tried to perform the Klingon rituals she valued so much, I never managed to do them to her standards. 'Too human.' That's what she used to say to me. I wasn't much of a Klingon warrior either. I fought 'without honor', because I did whatever I had to to win." She stopped, remembering her childhood. "I never did go through with the Rite of Ascension, and every Day of Honor ceremony found me wanting." She sighed heavily, "Can we talk about something else?" "Sure. In fact, let's get out of here. There's something I want you to see," he said, rising to his feet and pulling her up with him. "Tom, this party is for Kes. Shouldn't we stay?" "No. Actually, that's what I want you to see. Kes said in her last message to me that she left something for us in the hydroponics bay. I haven't had time to go see what it is, and besides, she did say it was for the two of us." Not sure she wanted to go, but unable to find any reason not to without admitting to Tom what Kes had told her in her last message, B'Elanna followed him back through the resort and off the holodeck. All thought of confronting him with her true feelings, and the content of Kes' message was gone. She had lost her nerve sometime during her remembrances of her childhood. The images of the human children she had lived with calling her a freak, and tormenting her had washed away any ideas she may have had that Kes' message might have held the truth of Tom's feelings for her. Besides, if he did feel that way, he would have told her. As they entered the hydroponics bay, Tom began to wonder if this had really been such a good idea. B'Elanna had shown no indication that she knew what Kes had seen in the alternate timeline. If she didn't know, then whatever Kes had left them might shock her into retreating from their relationship. On the other hand, it might help him to let her know what he really felt for her, but was unable to bring himself to say. "Well, where's this present she left Tom?" B'Elanna asked, looking around the deserted hydroponics bay. "Do you have any idea where she left it? I know she didn't mention it in the message she left me." Under her breath she hissed, "She had plenty of other things to say, though." "No," Tom replied. "I have no idea what it is, or where it is. All she said was we would know it when we saw it. Why don't you look down that side," he pointed to the left, "while I check over here. If you find it, give a yell." "Sure," she agreed, moving off to the far left row of plants. "This should really be fun, looking through a bunch of plants for something, we have no idea what." Tom moved off, unable to dismiss B'Elanna's softly spoken comment about Kes having plenty to say in her message. As he began poking through the plantings, he tried to imagine just what it was Kes said that could have so agitated B'Elanna. Could she have really told her about the alternate future? Did she tell her about Tom marrying Kes, and their having a daughter? Did she-- "TOM!" came B'Elanna's excited voice. "I think I've found it." Tom quickly walked to the sound of her voice. She was among the flowering plants that Kes had grown for pleasure. He passed tulips and lilies, then rosebushes, before coming to stand at B'Elanna's side and stare in shock at the flower Kes must have meant for them. It resembled two roses, intertwined about one another. The vines had attached themselves to each other, and the two blooms were still closed, though touching side by side. The colors were striking, one blossom a bright scarlet red, the other a bit darker, as though pink had been mixed with the scarlet of the other. "What--what is it?" he asked B'Elanna, seeing her holding a small note in her hand. "I've never seen anything like it." B'Elanna tore her gaze away from the flower, and read the note. My two dear friends, this is a Mandorian rose. I grew it by accident, normally only two blooms of the same color will grow together. These roses require great care to grow, and only rarely survive to maturity. Often they refuse to bond and support each other, competing for the same light and nutrients until one or both wither and die. Those that do take, like this one, are among the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It reminded me of the two of you. Cherish it and each other, as I cherished your friendship. Kes "It's a beautiful rose," Tom said. Then he realized the entirety of the flower's symbolism. The colors of the blooms, so closely matching that of his human and B'Elanna's half-Klingon blood. It immediately drew to mind the ritual that Kor had told him accompanied the Klingon Mating Oath. "Reminds me of the Blood Sharing." Without thinking he voiced the thought. "WHAT?!?" B'Elanna shouted, grabbing his collar and dragging him around to face her. "Where did you hear about that?!? And why should it remind you of it?!?" She knew full well why it reminded her of it, but even with the amount of knowledge Tom had seemed to gain recently into Klingon culture, she couldn't believe he would bring that up, or understand its meaning. Never mind the fact that it also reminded her of what she had dreamed of a few times. Tom couldn't understand her abrupt turn to anger, but was unwilling to back down this time. "The Blood Sharing, you know, Klingon mating customs? You're the one who turned me onto 'Women Warriors at the River of Blood'. I had to pick up something from it." He grinned, unable to stop himself from continuing. "As for why it reminds me of that now...open your eyes, B'Elanna! It's obvious that the colors match our blood almost exactly. I'll bet Kes realized that instantly." "And I didn't! Is that what you're saying, Paris?!?" she snarled, pulling him down to face her. "She realized it so quickly, and I didn't! Just like she realized--" she snapped her mouth closed, biting off the rest of her words as a red rage flared in her heart. She couldn't believe that even gone, she was being compared to Kes. As her rage built, she swung blindly, and felt her fist connect sharply with Tom's cheek. "B'Elanna!" he roared, not believing she had hit him. As she swung again, the lessons Kor had been drilling into him took over, and he blocked her left hand with his forearm as he stepped away from her. He kept it up for a good five minutes, blocking and dodging, trying to talk to her and calm her down. He never realized that the apparent ease with which he blocked her blows was only fueling her ire, frustration mounting on hurt and insecurity until she finally spun away and stalked out the door. Tom knew enough not to follow her, and the throbbing pain in his cheek and fading vision in his right eye told him he needed to get his field medkit and tend to his face. Then he would have a word with Kor, and try to figure out why B'Elanna reacted the way she had, and just what the Rite of Ascension and Day of Honor ceremonies were. A short time later, Tom was in his quarters just finishing with the dermal regenerator from his kit. It was a low power unit, and was unable to completely remove the damage wrought by B'Elanna's fist. Looking in the mirror, he sighed. "Well, it's still pretty obvious that something happened, but at least I should be able to make people think it was an accident on the holodeck. The last thing I need to do is have Captain Janeway or Tuvok find out B'Elanna hit me. No matter what I said, they wouldn't have much of a sense of humor about her hitting someone again." He sighed again, and packed the device back in his kit. He really didn't understand what had caused B'Elanna to lose her temper that way. The only thing he could think of was that she was afraid to admit her feelings. He dismissed that idea with a shake of his head. "B'Elanna isn't afraid of anything, certainly not her own feelings," he said to himself as he headed for holodeck one. Perhaps talking with Kor would give him some idea of what happened, and what to do about it. The only problem was that he really didn't feel like fighting tonight, and according to the rules he and Kor had established when he programmed the semi-independent simulation of the Klingon, Tom had to spend part of the time practicing hand-to-hand combat whenever he activated the program. According to the Klingon way of thinking, combat served to sharpen the instincts and clarify the mind. Tom agreed to a point, but was just in no mood for it after what had happened with B'Elanna. "But," he said to himself as he entered the holodeck, "perhaps a workout is exactly what I need. Get rid of the frustrations, and have a clear head when I try to make sense of that fight." He stopped, looking around in the flickering torchlight for the telltale gleam of a bat'telh. Once again, he was amazed at the way Kor managed to stay completely silent until he came charging out of the dark. "And where is he?" Tom wondered silently. "Normally he's charged me by now." Giving up on finding the weapons from where he stood, Tom began to stealthily move toward the right-hand wall. His ears were straining to hear the slightest sound, his eyes scanned the dim cavern for any glint of reflected light, or the movement of a shadow. He reached out with his right hand to touch the wall, too intent on looking out into the cavern to spare a glance to check his distance from it. Instead of contacting stone, he felt his wrist gripped by two gloved hands. Instinctively he tried to pull back, away from the wall, and managed to drag Kor toward the center of the cavern before he was pulled back. As soon as he felt that the Klingon was pulling as hard as he could against him, Tom reversed his direction, charging directly at Kor as fast as he possibly could and tucking his right shoulder down to drive it into his opponent's chest. Kor anticipated the charge, and at the last minute stepped to his left, never relinquishing his grip on Tom's wrist, allowing the pilot to continue by. As Tom passed Kor, twisted his right hand, down and around one of Kor's wrists, effectively reversing the hold. Then he dug in his heels, stopping his headlong flight into the wall, and spun, pulling Kor into a headlong flight past him and into the cavern wall. As his opponent slammed into the wall with a bon-jarring crash, Tom stepped in behind him, levering the Klingon's wrist up between his shoulder blades. His left hand reached around and grabbed Kor's throat, squeezing and jerking him back and off balance, while Tom's right foot kicked the back of his knee, buckling it and causing him to fall. "I'd say I win this one," Tom hissed into Kor's ear. Kor strained against the pilot's grip, testing it to see if he could escape without having his arm torn off, or his throat ripped out. Feeling Tom's left hand tense, the fingers digging into the sides of his windpipe, he shrugged and proceeded to laugh uproariously. "Indeed you did! Well done indeed!" As Tom released his holds, Kor stood, turning and grasping Tom's shoulders in congratulations. "*Qapla'!*" Kor's face changed as he looked closely at Tom's expression. "Why such a sour expression after winning such a victory, eh? Just what has happened that you attack with such fierceness? At first I thought you had come around to being more Klingon, but now I see that something has angered you, and you took it out on me. Not that I mind. Come, sit and tell me what it is," he said, lowering himself to one of the stones near the wall. Tom took a seat next to him, and stared silently down at his hands. Now that he was here, and had the chance to talk about it, he wasn't sure how to start. "The courtship does not progress well?" Kor asked, guessing at the reason Tom was having such difficulty talking to him. "Something has gone amiss. Tell me what, and we shall correct it." Tom looked up, still unsure of what to say, and decided to start at the beginning. He told Kor about Kes, and the messages. He explained about the alternate timeline, and his marrying Kes after B'Elanna was killed. Kor simply listened impassively, until Tom told him about the fight in the hydroponics bay. At that point first a grin, then a smile, then all out laughter broke his impassive countenance. "What the Hell is so funny about that?" Tom yelled, infuriated that Kor would laugh at his fighting B'Elanna. "I fought with her! The courtship may as well be over!" Kor shook his head, trying to contain his amusement. "No, Tom. The courtship is progressing quite well actually." "WHAT?!?" "You are courting a Klingon! Did you expect her to hold you, and tearfully look into your eyes and declare her undying love for you? You know better than that! I've taught you better than that! A Klingon woman is going to fight you with as much passion as she will show you in the bedchamber! Why else do you think I insisted that we practice fighting every time? Do you think I need the practice? I've been trying to make you as hard as I could, so that you will survive your mate's passion, both in battle and in bed!" Kor reached out and slapped Tom's shoulder. "Now, I really must have a look at this female. At this point in the courting there are too many House specific variations to the customs." "I told you--" "You don't know her House. Yes, I know. I'm old, not feebleminded! And I know she wears Starfleet uniforms with no Klingon markings, but her build and her features will give me enough of an idea to get us on the right path." "There is no way I can get her down here, Kor. Not after the fight we just had," Tom said. "So? Use your much vaunted programming skills! Produce an image of her, as accurately as you can, that will suffice." He stood and pushed Tom toward the entrance. "Get to it! I have an eternity, but you do not!" Tom shook his head, and called for the arch. During this exchange, the object of the conversation was alone in her quarters, trying to come up with a way to apologize to Tom. B'Elanna had gone straight to her quarters, not even responding to the greetings of the crew she passed in the corridors. When she had arrived, she secured the door and proceeded to spend her time and energy cleaning her quarters, attacking every surface as though the dust were Kazon warships trying to harm her engines, while working out her anger at herself for the fight in the hydroponics bay. Now she was simply exhausted, all her emotions having run their course, and it was time to think about what had happened and what to do about it. B'Elanna sat on her couch, and went over what had happened. She knew that there was no way Tom could have known what Kes had told her in her last message. Nor did he seem to have known what the "present" was until she had found it. All her anger at him, all her rage, had in fact been her own fault, not Tom's. It was her fear, fear of commitment, of being hurt, of not measuring up to some standard that only she compared herself to, that had caused her to lash out at him. She thought back to her childhood, to the way in which she had always tried to be independent, self-sufficient, to not need anyone other than herself. And in doing so, realized that the reason she always failed to measure up to her mother's Klingon standards was that she had not truly tried. She fully expected to fail, and so she had. And now, she had done the same thing again, only this time the one whose feelings she cared about wasn't thousands of light years away, he was... "Computer, locate Lt. Paris." "Lt. Paris is in Holodeck One," came the reply. He was only a few seconds walk away. "This time, I'm going to live up to my own standards," she swore softly. "It's my choice, my honor, and I have to live with it." Nodding sharply, she stood and strode out of her cabin. She again ignored the greetings of the few crewmembers she passed, only this time it was because she was wrapped up in her determination to tell Tom the truth about how she felt, and why she had lashed out at him. "And if I perform the ceremony on the Day of Honor next week, I'll be able to say I vanquished at least one enemy; I'll have vanquished my own fear." Tom was just finishing programming B'Elanna's image, when he remembered to ask Kor about the two ceremonies that she had mentioned in the resort. "Kor, what are the Ritual of Ascension and the Day of Honor ceremony?" Kor looked over at the pilot from the rocks where he was honing their bat'telh. "Those are two of the most important ceremonies to a Klingon, Tom. The Ritual of Ascension marks a warrior's transition into adulthood. It can be repeated later in the warrior's life to commemorate a major event, or on the anniversary of the first ritual." Kor placed one of the bat'telh against the rock wall and proceeded to hone the other. "The Day of Honor is the day when all Klingons look back over the previous year and measure themselves against the standard of Kahless. The associated ritual is variable. Each individual determines it based on their accomplishments, or lack thereof during the previous year." He looked up from examining the edge of one of the points on the bat'telh, and looked intently at him. "Why? Who did you hear about them from? The female?" "I keep telling you, Kor. Her name is B'Elanna. And yes, I did hear about them from her," Tom replied as he walked back to take his seat beside his teacher. "Hmm. And what was the context? What were you doing when she brought it up?" "We were talking about our childhood, about how we grew up. She said she had always been a disappointment to her mother." "Most children see themselves as a disappointment to their parents at one time or another, Tom. It's a part of becoming an adult." "Yes, but her mother was all the family B'Elanna had. I think she's sorry that she and her mother didn't get along better. Anyway, she said she never had gone through the Rite of Ascension, and always failed to measure up to her mother's standards on the Day of Honor." Tom sighed, remembering the wistful, half-pained look on B'Elanna's face as she had admitted that to him. Kor thumbed the edge of the bat'telh thoughtfully as he thought about Tom's reply. Both of them were so wrapped up in their thoughts, that neither heard the holodeck door open and close. "Well, none of that really matters," Kor said, standing and rolling the bat'telh into the crook of his arm. "Many do not go through the Rite of Ascension. As for the Day of Honor, it is not her mother's standards she should try to meet, but her own. Now, show me her image so that we may determine how to proceed from here." Unknown to either of the two, B'Elanna was standing in a shadow not ten feet from them, and had heard Kor's reply to what she had told Tom. She was a bit shocked to see Tom talking to an unfamiliar Klingon in a simulation, then realized that this must be how he had learned so much about Klingon customs and rituals. She watched silently as Tom called for the computer to create a hologram of her. The hologram appeared facing the real B'Elanna, with its back to Kor. He began to examine it closely, casually voicing his opinions as he walked slowly about it. "Finely formed...she appears to be quite strong, though a bit short." B'Elanna could not believe her ears. She was being judged physically by a simulation of some Klingon. Then something clicked in her memory, a bit of trivia that her mother had once told her about a famous Klingon: a *Da'har* master named Kor. That was who Tom had programmed! "Well," she thought, "I have to give him credit, if he needed to learn how to be a Klingon, he chose the right teacher." As Kor came around to the front of the hologram, he continued his recitation. "Finely formed indeed! Thomas, you are setting high goals! Such a--" he stopped suddenly, and stepped closer to the hologram. "A HALF-BLOOD! THOMAS, YOU IDIOT!" he bellowed, rounding on the startled pilot. "Why did you not tell me you were courting a--" "A HALF-BLOOD?!?" came B'Elanna's outraged cry from behind Tom. She charged into the cavern, knocking Tom over and snatching up the other bat'telh. "HOW DARE YOU? Who do you think you are?!" she snarled, swinging the bat'telh into attack position. While Tom, dumbfounded, struggled to regain his feet, Kor swung his own bat'telh up into a ready position. "Well, B'Elanna Torres I presume." He began circling to her left, past the hologram image of her. "You know, I thought Thomas was a better programmer than that." B'Elanna charged, her bat'telh swinging low to take Kor in the right knee, then turning and rising in a vicious swipe for his crotch. "What are you talking about?!" Kor snapped his weapon down in a two-handed block, stopping her attack just short of impaling him. He flipped the bat'telh in his hands, and slashed it up toward her face. "This image of you, it does you no justice at all." There was no way B'Elanna could block his attack with her bat'telh, so she twisted her upper body back and right, sweeping her left leg around and driving her foot into Kor's midsection. She completed her spin, and resumed a ready position just in time to see Tom get to his feet and move to step between the two of them. Kor must have seen him out of the corner of his eye, for his left elbow snapped back, driving into Tom's chest, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to double over. B'Elanna's vision clouded as she saw Kor kick back and connect with Tom's knee, dropping him to the ground. Her previous anger was nothing compared to the fury raging in her at that moment. He had hurt Tom! No one was allowed to hurt Tom! With a roar of like an avalanche tumbling down a mountain she charged Kor, raining a flurry of blows upon him. Her bat'telh flashed in the torchlight, striking like the tongue of a snake, first from the left, then the right, then from above. Kor managed to block each attack, but each successive blow was stopped a little closer to his body. Try as he might, he could not regain the offensive. No matter how hard he blocked, or how quickly he tried to strike, he had to continually throw his weapon into the path of B'Elanna's next blow. Finally, realizing there was no way he was going to be able to continue blocking her strikes, Kor changed tactics. As her bat'telh swung down for his head, he stepped to the side, bringing his own weapon down atop hers, driving both into the floor of the cavern. He immediately stepped in with his left foot, slamming it down onto his bat'telh, disarming B'Elanna and himself. B'Elanna responded by bringing her own right foot up into Kor's now exposed groin, driving her kick past his desperately blocking hand and connecting with a dull thud and whoosh of breath. "Well formed am I?" she snarled, driving the heel of her right hand into Kor's lower ribs. "A bit short, am I?" accompanied by a forearm blow to his sternum, causing him to double over. "A half-blood?!?" she roared, slamming her balled fists into the back of Kor's neck, dropping him to the cavern floor. Looking down as he lay gasping at her feet, B'Elanna realized that she had forgotten about Tom. She turned, looking around the cavern, but he was nowhere to be seen. She heading for the door, snarling at the computer to end the program. "I can't believe he just left! I'm in the middle of a fight, and he leaves! So much for apologizing to him!" she fumed as she strode down the corridor to her quarters. The crew had started to become accustomed to her ignoring them this evening, and stepped out of her way as she went by. "How dare he program that arrogant, insulting, infuriating Klingon anyway?! Apologize to him?! I think I need to knock some sense into him!" she muttered to herself as she entered her cabin. "When did he leave anyway? I should go down to his quarters and--No, better still, I'll just send him a message! Tell him that this silly courting thing ends here and now!" Intent on suiting actions to words she headed for her desk and activated the terminal. She automatically opened the message that was waiting, and was shocked to find it was another poem from Tom. B'Elanna, I hope this qualifies as love poetry. Please give me a chance to explain. Tom. Unspoken wishes visit in dreams Made by the heart. I lie apart From the one who haunts my dreams. In the deep of the night I need you so much. To share with you I care for you I long not to fight, but to feel your touch. Guard me from fears from ever awaking Alone and cold. I need to hold My love, for whom my heart is aching. Her hand stopped, hovering a mere centimeter over the delete key, while she read and reread the poem. Then she drew her hand back and fell into the chair behind her. "I don't believe this!" she said, leaning back and gazing at the ceiling. "How does he manage to make me mad enough to kill him, then suddenly turn everything around and remind me how much I...care for him?" *Don't you mean love him?* the voice of her heart asked. Before she realized what she had done, she spoke, "Torres to Paris." His voice came back immediately, a bit of apprehension detectable, even over the comm system. "Paris here. I was afraid--B'Elanna, I'm sorry." She shook her head, "Tom, hold that thought, and come to my quarters please." She grinned, unable to resist needling the pilot a bit. "If I'm going to get an apology, I'd like a proper one, in person. Torres out." She closed the channel, not wanting to be tempted to accept his apology now, wanting to be able to really talk to him, face to face. She stood and headed for the replicator, meaning to get a cup of tea, when the entry chime sounded. He must have just about run the whole way. "Come in." Tom walked in, looking about as though expecting to be attacked, then relaxed when he saw B'Elanna by the replicator. "Hi," he said, tentatively. "Thanks for giving me a chance to explain." "I'm having a cup of tea. You want something?" B'Elanna asked without turning. "Tea is fine, thanks," Tom replied, still standing just inside the doorway. B'Elanna ordered their tea, then turned and noticed how he was standing, as though expecting her to explode at him. "Are you going to stand in my doorway all night, or come and sit down?" she asked, a slight grin quirking her lips. She sat at one end of the couch, setting his tea at the other end of the table. She settled back on the couch, and looked at him expectantly. Tom walked slowly to the couch, and sat on the opposite end. He picked up his tea, and stared into the cup, as though expecting to find his words in the liquid. "B'Elanna, I'm sorry for what Kor said about you. It was the first time I had shown him your image, and I guess he had assumed that you were a full Klingon." "And just why would he assume that?" "Because I never told him otherwise. I just asked him about Klingon customs, and he assumed it was because I was courting a Klingon female," Tom replied softly, an embarrassed blush rising in his cheeks. "Is that what you've been trying to do, Paris? Court me?" she asked, then rushed on, not giving him a chance to answer. "Never mind, don't answer that. How long have you had that hologram 'teaching' you?" Tom hesitated, the blush deepening. "I programmed him shortly after I found you reading 'Women Warriors' in the mess hall." "After-- I told you that wasn't a technical manual!" she growled. "I know, which is why I programmed one," he replied sheepishly. "You're impossible, Tom Paris!" she chuckled, setting down her tea, and reaching over to take his from him. "Just why did you need to learn about Klingon customs anyway?" she asked, curling her legs under her and leaning toward him. "I wanted to learn all there was about you, your heritage, I mean," he said softly, staring into her eyes. "You--it fascinates me, and I ca--" his words were abruptly cut off as she lunged at him, capturing his lips with her own and smothering his words. Tom was momentarily paralyzed, then relaxed into her embrace, bringing his arms around her back and pulling her tight to his body, while his lips opened, allowing his tongue to meet hers. He felt her fingers run through his hair as the kiss deepened, each reveling in the sweet taste of the other. As his hands began to caress her back, gliding over the ridges of her spine, she pulled away, and snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest. As she listened to the rapid beating of his heart, she smiled and sighed in contentment. "Tom?" she whispered as his hands continued their sensuous massage of her back. "Hmm?" He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head, savoring the scent of her hair. "Since you're that good at programming, and so interested in things Klingon--would you help me with a program for the Day of Honor?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit. He tightened his embrace, his hands stroking her back, reassuring her. "Of course I will. We can work on it together." She raised her head and looked into his eyes, then slid up his body, brushing a kiss across his lips. "Your efforts at poetry are improving, Tom. Maybe someday you'll be as good at that as you are at programming." Tom chuckled softly, kissing her tenderly. "Maybe I will," he whispered. "Maybe I will." The next week passed quickly and uneventfully. Tom and B'Elanna worked on the parameters for the Day of Honor simulation, and spent more and more time together. As the Day neared, Tom modified Kor's programming, giving him the ability to modify the Day of Honor simulation so that it would be ready in time. The fact that Tom and B'Elanna were spending so much time together didn't go completely unnoticed. Harry was spending less and less time with them, but took it in stride, knowing that their friendship would survive this new closeness. In truth, he was unspeakably happy for his two friends, and only wished that they would stop trying to hide their feelings for each other from the rest of the crew so he could congratulate them, and not have to hide his knowledge. They were both still touchy about the subject of their growing relationship, and Harry didn't want anything to stop it from developing. Kathryn Janeway watched her pilot and engineer with a sense of satisfaction, they were finally starting to live up to the potential that she and Kes had seen in them over a year ago. She was sorry that Kes wasn't there to see it in person, but felt that somehow, she knew. Chakotay on the other hand, was a bit of a problem at first. He was upset by Tom's attentions to B'Elanna, and acted like an overprotective father. It had gotten so bad that Kathryn had taken matters into her own hands in her ready room shortly after Alpha shift one day. She smiled as she remembered it. "Chakotay," she said, noticing the frown on her first officer's face. "What is the matter with you? Things are running smoothly for once, and you're walking around with such a sour expression on your face that I'd think you had bitten into a lemon." She reached her hand over and rested it on his knee. "It's Paris," he said, looking embarrassed. "I don't like the fact that he's spending so much time with B'Elanna. She's been hurt before Kathryn, and I just don't like the fact that he's paying so much attention to her. He's a playboy, he'll use her and toss her aside like so many others." "Aren't you giving a little too much credence to all the stories about him?" she asked softly. "And a bit too little to B'Elanna? She is a grown woman, Chakotay. She can handle herself. Besides, Tom Paris hasn't been nearly the playboy that ship's gossip makes him out to be." She moved closer to him, looking into his eyes. "The majority of the gossip is wishful thinking from the female crew, and jealousy from the males. Don't tell me you're jealous of him?" "Jealous?" Chakotay snorted. "Of Paris? Not likely, Kathryn. I just don't want to see B'Elanna hurt." "Then leave her be. She and Tom are obviously enjoying each other's company, and I have to tell you, it's predestined." "What?" Kathryn went on to tell him what Kes had seen in the alternate timeline. When she told him that she had died, she saw a glimmer of pain and panic flash across his eyes. "There was one other thing that she told me," Kathryn softly whispered. "She told me I was loved here more than I know. You wouldn't have any idea what she was talking about, would you?" Chakotay looked up, embarrassed, then decided that if Kathryn suspected, perhaps it was time to tell her the truth. "Better yet," he thought, reaching out and taking hold of her shoulders. "I'll show her." "Yes, I think I might," he whispered, pulling her to him and gently brushing a kiss across her lips. "I really do think I might." Kathryn felt a flash of warmth run through her body as she recalled what they had done together, emerging from her ready room well into Beta shift, only to head for her quarters. "You were right Kes, I am so much happier now." Her reverie was interrupted by the chime of her door. "Come in," she said, dragging herself back to the present. Chakotay entered, a slightly bemused look on his face. "I've just had an interesting conversation with Seven of Nine," he said. "It seems that she is getting lonely in the cargo bay, and wants a duty assignment." Kathryn's eyes lit up at the thought of her Seven making an effort to become a member of the crew. "And? What did she have in mind?" "Well, she seems to think it may be possible to modify the engines and the deflector array to create a transwarp conduit similar to the ones the Borg use. If we can do it, there's no telling how much time we can cut off our trip home. For certain we'll be able to bypass some of the more inhospitable areas ahead." "Do it. But send her to me first, I want to be certain that she understands that she'll be subject to standard Starfleet protocol, and under B'Elanna's command." "I'll send her to you, and then I'll break the news to B'Elanna. She's probably not going to like it, but if it helps get us home, she'll have to learn to live with it." He turned and headed onto the bridge. His prediction proved all too true, B'Elanna hated the idea of working with "the Borg", as she called her. The day had started off bad, and proceeded to worse as she first argued with Tom over nothing, then was greeted with Chakotay's "happy news". Seven of Nine had agreed to Captain Janeway's suggestion that her name be shortened for ease of use to just "Seven," but B'Elanna's antagonism toward her manifested in her simply calling her "you" whenever she had to address her. When the experiment failed, and they had to dump the warp core, she immediately sent "the Borg" to her alcove. She and Tom were still not on the best of terms, and the Captain assigned them to take a shuttle and get the core back. She had thought that her day couldn't get any worse, but it did. The core was stolen by aliens, the shuttle blew up, and she and Tom were stuck floating in space in damaged EVA suits, with a fast dwindling oxygen supply. With the computer dispassionately counting down their last moments of life, B'Elanna finally found the courage to face her deepest fear, and told Tom how she felt. "I...I have to tell you the truth." "The truth about what?" he groggily replied. "I...I love you." She looked searchingly into his eyes, waiting for him to reply. When all he did was look back, and move his face as if to rub it against her hand, she asked him to, "Say something." "You picked a great time to tell me," he replied with a sigh. She barely felt his hand as it touched her back through the suit, and he pulled her into a hug. Her last thought as she lost consciousness, was that at least when they were found, everyone would be able to tell how they felt about each other from the close embrace, and the fleeting smile on her lips. Sickbay was a cauldron of activity as the two were beamed in. The doctor had recruited Ensign Wildman as a temporary assistant until he could train another, and she was getting a trial by fire now. "Quickly, get her helmet off, and get ten ccs of Tri-ox compound into her, then give me a full physiological and neural scan!" the Doctor all but yelled, while doing the same for Tom. The helmet came off with a hiss, and Wildman was frightened by the pallor of B'Elanna's normally well tanned skin. The readout showed her respiration to be almost nonexistent as she injected the Tri-ox compound into B'Elanna's neck. As her B'Elanna's respiration responded, Wildman anxiously checked the other readouts. "She's responding to the Tri-ox, Doctor. Pulse is thirty but steady and rising, neurological activity is normal. I'm detecting a trace of ionic radiation, but it seems to be mostly residual to the EVA suit." "If she's stabilized, get the suit off, and have it decontaminated. Lt. Paris' condition is quite similar. I want--" the Doctor stopped, as a gloved hand reached up and grabbed his arm. "B'Elanna," Tom rasped. "How--?" The Doctor gave his shoulder a reassuring pat, and stepped aside so the pilot could see her on the next bio-bed. "She's fine, Mr. Paris. Once again, my skills have put the two of you back together after you did your best to get yourselves killed. And if you rest quietly for just a few short hours, I shall even release you to your quarters. Though I want you both to spend a quiet night, no strenuous activity of any sort, just rest." "Doc, this is one time you won't get an argument from me. I'm so tired--" "Too tired to hold me, Paris?" came B'Elanna's whisper. Tom turned his head and saw her gazing at him, the color slowly returning to her face. "Never too tired for that, Torres," he smiled back. "That's enough from both of you," the Doctor interjected. "I want quiet in here. You will both lay there and rest quietly, or I'll never let you leave." "But--" Tom began. "SHH!" the Doctor admonished him, then turned to B'Elanna and did the same. The two looked at each other, and slowly smiled, reaching out to hold each other's hand as they lay back and did as they were told. A few hours later, they woke to the sound of the Doctor and the Captain talking in his office. "They will be fine, Captain. There are no detrimental effects from the oxygen deprivation, though I was tempted to run a full brain scan." "A brain scan, why?" the Captain asked in a worried voice. "If you had seen how tractable they both were when they came around, you'd have thought there was something wrong with their personalities, too. But they're fine. I would however, like to have them both placed on medical leave for the next three days. To be certain that there are no undetected problems." "I see," she replied with a knowing smile. The Doctor had developed more than just his bedside manner it seemed; he truly looked out for his patients' welfare. "Very well, Doctor. Lt. Carey, Ensign Vorik and Mr. Kim can handle the warp-core reinstallation, and until that is completed, Mr. Paris really isn't needed on the bridge. Now, can I see them?" "Of course, Captain," he said, standing and leading her into the darkened bay where the two were resting. "I see my two most frequent patients are awake. Computer, increase illumination by fifty percent." As the lights came up, Kathryn noticed that the two had been holding hands, and only let go, rather reluctantly, as the lighting increased. "Well, I'm glad to see the both of you looking a bit more alive than when you were first brought in here. B'Elanna, you'll be happy to know that we have the warp core back in one piece, and it's being reinstalled as we speak." B'Elanna sat up at that, and started to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Tom seeing her action, did the same. "I'd better get down to engineering then, Captain." "Belay that, Lieutenant. You're both on seventy-two hours medical leave. If I catch either of you anywhere near your duty stations, I'll lock you in the brig! Clear?" Stunned by the ferocity in the Captain's voice, the pair looked from her, to each other, then back to her. "Clear, Captain," they answered in unison. "Good. Your reports can wait until after your leave is over. Doctor, are they ready to be released yet?" she inquired, turning to face him. "Yes, by all means, the two of you, stop cluttering up my Sickbay!" he replied in mock severity. "You're restricted only in that you are not to go to your duty stations. If you become severely short of breath, or tired, then rest. Otherwise, enjoy your leave." Tom and B'Elanna stood, and seemingly unconsciously reached out to each other and joined hands. "Thanks for the good work, Doc," Tom said as they left Sickbay hand in hand. "I see what you mean about their personalities, Doctor," Kathryn said, "but you wouldn't have found anything on a brain scan. My diagnosis is a severe case of love." "I tend to concur, Doctor Janeway," the Doctor said, with what Kathryn could have sworn was a smile. Tom and B'Elanna walked to her quarters, where Tom hesitated at the door. "Well, I--" "Tom, be quiet, and come inside," B'Elanna cut him off. She took his hands in hers, and pulled him into her quarters. As the door closed, she put her hand behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "I'm cold, Tom. I want you to stay with me, and hold me. I'm tired of playing around, I almost lost you, and--" "B'Elanna," Tom said softly. He gently placed a finger on her lips. "Shh. I know, I almost lost you, too, before I even knew that I had you." He bent down and replaced his finger with his lips, tenderly kissing her. "You should know one thing, though." "Mmmm, what?" "I love you, B'Elanna Torres. I have for a long time, now." Any reply she might have made was smothered as their lips again locked, and their tongues wrestled with each other. She twined her arms around his neck, as he bent down, and she found herself lifted effortlessly in his arms. She pulled her lips away from the kiss long enough to engage the privacy lock on her door, as he carried her into her bedroom, and laid her gently on the bed. Tom lay beside her, and bent his head down to place a kiss on her brow ridges. As B'Elanna's hands began to caress his chest, seeking the closure to his uniform top, he trailed feather light kisses down her brow to her ears. He playfully nipped her earlobe, before continuing to kiss and nibble his way along her jawline to the top of her collar, then back up to her lips. As their kiss intensified, uniforms were undone and pushed down to waists. Tom ran his hands up and down her back, caressing the ridges of her spine as he pulled her in close to his body. B'Elanna responded by working her fingers up under the bottom of his turtleneck, and pulling it up to his shoulders. She leaned back, and broke the kiss long enough to remove the shirt completely, an opportunity he also took. As they caressed each other's shoulders, reveling in the feel of each other, they came to an unspoken agreement. Both had dreamed of this moment, and now, when it was finally here, they both realized that they were too exhausted to do justice to it. They languidly disrobed each other, kissing and caressing each newly revealed bit of skin, and pulled the blankets over themselves. Tom lay back, B'Elanna cuddled into him, her head resting on his chest, his right arm curled around her, and sighed contentedly. "Goodnight, B'Elanna," he said softly, bending his head to kiss her brow. "Night, Tom," she sighed, arching up to kiss him properly. As their lips parted, and their tongues met once again, both knew that this was but a promise of what was yet to come. The next morning, B'Elanna woke to the feeling of something softly trailing along her jawline. As she reached up to brush it away, the sensation moved lower, along her shoulder and down the inner curve of her right breast. As it began to trace slow, languorous circles around and over her nipple, she came fully awake, opened her eyes half way, and found herself staring into the bright blue eyes of Tom Paris. "Hello there, beautiful," he said softly, bending to place a kiss on her forehead. Whatever was playing about her chest was still there, silkily caressing and teasing her. She reached up and grabbed Tom's shoulders, pulling him down to kiss her, and was shocked to feel cloth under her fingers. Her eyes flew fully open, and she looked down her body. The sensation she was feeling was the petals of a Mandorian rose, skillfully wielded by Tom's left hand, brushing over her now fully aroused nipple. And Tom was fully clothed! He had on a soft gray and black set of workout clothes, a slightly modified version of the away team jumpsuit. "What are you doing dressed, Tom?" she growled softly. "How long have you been up?" She reached up and captured his hand, stopping the rose massage. "Long enough to go to my quarters, get cleaned up, and change clothes," he replied, a smile playing across his lips. "Oh, and to stop in the hydroponics bay and collect this of course," he added, freeing his hand and raising the rose, gently brushing it over her lips. "Well, get those clothes off and come back to bed. You promised to finish what we started last night," she purred, reaching out to stroke her hand up his inner thigh. "Oh, no," he replied, standing and backing away. "Not just yet. First, we need to get something to eat. Though I do enjoy the way you taste, and look forward with great anticipation to devouring every inch of you, right now we need food. Then, there is one other little piece of unfinished business we need to take care of." "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "I'll admit I'm hungry, but--" "I'm talking about the fact that once I get back in that bed with you, B'Elanna, I don't plan on getting out of it for anything for a long while. And to do that without fainting, we need to eat." He reached to her nightstand and picked up a mug. He waved it under her nose as he continued. "Of course, if you don't want this raktajino..." B'Elanna sat up, snatching it from his hands. She tasted it, then looked up in astonishment. "This is real! I mean it's not replicated!" She took another sip, savoring the taste. "You're right. Kes and I grew the beans, and the chocolate pods. I brewed it myself not five minutes ago." He reached to the table and picked up a second mug. He whistled softly, admiring her breasts where the blankets had fallen when she sat up. "You really are beautiful." "Yeah, right. You've got a fever, Paris, if you believe that. And what else do we have to do today?" She was pleased by his compliment, but had heard for so long how ugly she was, that she couldn't bring herself to believe it. "Well," he said, sipping his raktajino. "You have a little program that you need to finish." "What are you--Oh, no! Not on your life! There is no way your going to get me to finish that Day of Honor ceremony, Paris! No way!" "Not even if I perform it with you?" he asked, setting down his mug and running his fingers along her jaw, cupping her face in both hands to look into her eyes. "Not even--" she said, losing herself in his gaze. "Even if you...You'll do it with me?" He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I'll do it with you. You don't have to do anything alone anymore if you don't want to. I'll be with you, whenever you want me to be." "Well...Oh all right, fine. Let me get dressed, and have something to eat, and we'll go face my honor," she said decisively, rising from bed, and walking nude to the bathroom. "Our honor, B'Elanna," he said moving to the replicator to get her breakfast. "And you're right." "About what?" came the reply as he heard the sonic shower start. "You're not just beautiful," he replied, sticking his head into the bathroom. "You're the most exquisitely beautiful woman I've ever seen." B'Elanna shook her head, and threw a towel at him. "Get out of here, you clown!" she laughed. "Get us some breakfast! I want to get this ceremony over and done with so that I can get back here and make you finish what you started last night!" Tom ducked back into the living area with a smile and a small shiver of anticipation. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. The woman he loved returned his love, all was right with his world. He turned back to the replicator, and ordered their breakfast, then reserved holodeck one under both their names for three hours starting in twenty minutes. They entered the holodeck side by side, and walked down the tunnel mouth to meet the Klingon that B'Elanna had beaten senseless the first time she ran the program. To their astonishment, they came out not into another cavern, but into a torchlit ceremonial hall. Two rows of Klingon warriors were standing on a raised dais to either side of the walkway they stood on, and at the far end, hands on hips, stood none other than Kor. They stopped, stunned, directly in between the first pair of impassive warriors. "Kor, what are you doing here?" Tom asked. "You're not a part of the Day of Honor program. For that matter, neither is any of this. What's going on here?" As Tom asked the question, B'Elanna was staring at their surroundings. Somewhere in the back of her mind, there was a vague memory of seeing all this before. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she had seen this. She ignored Kor's reply as she concentrated on remembering. "Why Thomas, you wanted to become more like a Klingon warrior. Here's your chance. The rules are simple: as you progress past each set of warriors, simply tell B'Elanna there your innermost feelings. Reveal your wants and desires, your fears and hopes. And B'Elanna, you do the same. The ceremony is called--" he was interrupted by B'Elanna's cry. "Oh no! Tom, we've got to get out of here! This is the Rite of Ascension! That madman plans for us to go through it!" she stopped, remembering where she was. "Computer, end-- Ahhh!" her command was cut off as the first pair of warriors stabbed their painsticks down into Tom and B'Elanna's sides and pushing forward, driving the couple toward the next pair. She writhed in agony, feeling Tom shuddering next to her. "DAMN, that HURT!" Tom swore, involuntarily moving forward, away from the agony of the painsticks. "Come, come!" Kor laughed. "You can do better than that! Your deepest feelings, that is what you should reveal. Else the ceremony is for nothing." "Kor, I'm going to--ARGGGH!" Tom screamed as the second set of painsticks jabbed down into them. Again they were thrust forward. "AHHH!" B'Elanna screamed as the third set of warriors went to work. "I--I love you, Tom!" "I--OWWW, I love you, B'Elanna." "Better, much better!" Kor yelled in encouragement. "Under this pain, you can be sure that the truth is all you will hear." The fourth set of painsticks drove home, provoking another grunt of pain from both, and another confession. "I've wanted you for my mate, Tom--UMMPH--since before the mines." "I'm afraid of losing you--GODS--now that I've found you." Tom returned. "Excellent! Only six more to go!" Kor shouted. Tom and B'Elanna looked at each other, and gritted their teeth as the next set bit into their sides. "I...I killed three people through my own pride at Caldik Prime," Tom ground out. "I've been afraid of my own feelings for as long as I can remember." A step forward into agony, and another revelation. "I used to be the way the stories make me out to be." "I don't care about what happened in your past." Another step, another layer stripped away in agony. "Before the Captain took me out of New Zealand, I almost gave up on my life." "I've used men, never caring about them." "Three to go!" Step...Pain...Honesty. They staggered against each other, clutching each other for support, and whispered their love to one another. Kor looked on in pride. Step... Their lips locked in a desperate kiss, their bodies shuddering as the pain tore through them. Step... Their tongues wrestled, as blood flowed from their lips, cut by grinding teeth. They moaned into each other's mouths as they stepped and braced themselves to feel... Nothing. Absolutely nothing, as they fell to their knees, clutching each other tightly. Then a pair of strong, leather wrapped arms lifted them to their feet, and handed them metal goblets. "*Qapla'* to you both! Drink, to the glory of Kahless, and to your own glorious Ascension!" Kor's voice broke into their awareness. They dragged themselves away from each other, and drank deep of the fiery brew in the goblets. "*Qapla'!*" came the roar of the twenty warriors who raised their painsticks in salute. The hall vanished as they drained their goblets, once again replaced by the torchlit cavern. The Klingon with the black eye was back also, though this time it was Kor who stood before them, and asked them their names and why they had come. Tom looked at B'Elanna intently, silently asking if she wanted to go through with this. Her answer was a firm nod as she reached out and took his left hand in hers. "Thomas Eugene Paris. And I come to have my honor tested." "B'Elanna Torres, and I also come to have my honor tested." Kor smiled at the two. "And will you see the test through to the end?" They looked at each other, and together answered: "We will." "Good! Since you have already drunk from the Grail of Kahless, eat of the heart of a sanctified targh. It gives you strength, and courage." The black-eyed Klingon stepped forward, offering the platter. Both reached out, took a piece, and to Kor's amusement, fed it to each other. "Kahless defeated his enemies, and with his own hands built a mighty empire. How have you distinguished yourselves?" Kor asked. They turned to him, and answered together. "We have conquered our own fears. Our fears of being hurt, our fears of caring for another; and in so doing, we have found one who makes us whole...one who we love." "I see," Kor replied, he crossed his arms and proceeded to walk around them, glowering as though displeased with their answer. "Well," he replied finally. "Since you have both felt the painsticks, and conquered your fears, I suppose combat with a master of the bat'telh is all that remains." Tom and B'Elanna tensed, preparing for battle. "But I seem to recall that you both have defeated one recently." He smiled, then laughed aloud, reaching out to take hold of their shoulders. "You have no need to test your honor. You have both discovered what it is, and what it means to you." He crossed his hands before him and bowed. "It has been my honor to know you both. Thomas, I do not believe you need me any longer. You have found your mate. Now go, the both of you. Your lives shall be *glorious*!" Laughing aloud, Kor turned and walked into the gloom of the caverns. Tom and B'Elanna looked at each other in astonishment, then both started laughing so hard they nearly fell down. After they recovered their composure, Tom ordered the computer, "End program and--" "And save," B'Elanna interrupted. "I'm actually starting to like him a bit." Tom shook his head, and taking her hand, headed out the door. As they walked down the corridors, the crew they passed stepped aside in shock, whether from seeing them holding hands, or the bedraggled appearance their ordeal had left them in, they didn't bother to ask. They arrived at the door to B'Elanna's quarters, and this time there was no hesitation. When the door opened, Tom reached down and swept B'Elanna into his arms, meeting her in a feverish kiss. As he stepped into her cabin, his lips traveled along her jaw and down her neck, kissing and biting at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. B'Elanna barely remembered to engage the lock before her fingers caught in the collar of Tom's top, tearing it down and away, allowing her access to his chest. Her fingers trailed through the red-gold hair of his chest, finally finding and teasing his nipple. She fully intended to pay him back for the way in which he had awakened her that morning. While her fingers pinched him, she proceeded to nibble her way up from his left shoulder to his jaw. She kissed and licked her way to his mouth as he lowered her to her feet, reaching around to cup her rear with one hand, while the other worked its way up under her top. She felt him pull her tightly to him, and she let out a growl and ground her hips against him. Her hands traveled around to his back, her nails scratching lightly up and down his spine, while she drove her tongue deeply into his mouth, tasting him in a frenzy of need. Moaning into her mouth, Tom moved both hands to the collar of her shirt. B'Elanna felt the muscles in his back flex under her nails as he duplicated her previous action, tearing down and away, her shirt now hanging in two pieces from her arms. As she felt his hands cup her breasts, his fingers kneading, his thumbs caressing her nipples, she dropped her arms to her sides and shook off the torn remains of her shirt. She felt her nipples harden under his touch, and a wave of warmth swept from them to her toes and back up, centering itself between her thighs. She raised her right hand, stroking his cheek and jaw, then twining her fingers in his hair as they broke the kiss, coming up for air. Her left hand snaked between them, and grasped his hardness through the soft material of his pants. "Tom," she purred in his ear, "take me to bed. Now!" For emphasis she gave his shaft a squeeze, then ran her other hand down and hooked it in the waistband of his pants. Tom reached own and took her hands in his, raising them to his lips. "Not just yet, B'Elanna. I told you this morning," he whispered, kissing his way down her shoulders to her right breast. "I intend to devour every inch of you." He took her nipple into his mouth, gently biting it, as he knelt in front of her, his hands sliding down her sides to catch the waistband of her pants. As he hooked his fingers in and slowly pulled the pants down over her hips, he kissed his way to her other breast, devoting the full attention of his lips and teeth and tongue to it. B'Elanna growled low in her throat, and wove her fingers into his hair, arching her back and pulling his head in tight to her chest. "Harder," she groaned. "Ohhh, Tom, harder, yesss..." she hissed as he complied, biting down harder. She shivered in anticipation as she felt him slide her pants down, and she stepped out of them. She didn't have to wait long, as she felt his hands run back up her calves, pausing to caress the backs of her knees, then proceeded up her thighs. As his hands traveled up, his mouth moved down, kissing a warm trail from her breasts, along her stomach, to meet his hands at the juncture of her thighs. Tom moved his hands around to cup her rear, as his tongue began to slowly move around the outside of her slick folds. B'Elanna moaned and tossed her head back, trying vainly to speed him up, to pull him to the center of her, but he continued slowly working his way in. True to his word, he was trying to taste every inch of her, and the sensations that he was giving her were driving her out of her mind. When he finally ran his tongue over her clitoris, the only thing that kept her on her feet were his hands cupping her taut buttocks. "Ohhh, Gods, Tom!" she cried, as her knees began to buckle from the waves of pleasure washing over her. She tightened her grip on his hair, pulling him closer to her sex, needing more, needing to feel him. She lost all control as she felt him slip first one, then a second finger into her. She screamed his name aloud as she fell over the edge. The cabin seemed to spin, as she felt her knees give way. Tom felt her lose control, and tore himself away from trying to swallow every drop of her moisture. As she fell he caught her in his arms, cradling her close. He stood and carried her into the bedroom. Holding her with one arm he threw back the covers, and gently laid her in bed. Smiling down at her, he stripped off his remaining clothes, and lay down beside her. Feeling his body next to her, B'Elanna rolled on top of him and proceeded to kiss and nip her way from his chest to his neck. She paused, softly kissing and licking the hollow of his throat, while her left hand slid down and began stroking the inside of his thigh. Tom slid his hands down, along the outside of her thighs, to continue their exploration of her sex. In response B'Elanna moved her hand further up, grasping his shaft, and began to slowly work her hand along his length. Feeling his fingers stop their movements for a moment, she licked her way along the left side of his jaw, to his mouth, and thrust her tongue inside, searching for his. Tom moaned into the kiss. The feeling of B'Elanna's hand on him, and her ravenous kiss, were driving him perilously close to losing control. He moved his hands to the outside of her hips and began to push her down, wanting to be inside her, needing to join with her. "Ohh, B'Elanna, please," he groaned, as she broke the kiss to lower her head to his shoulder, biting down gently on the muscle. "I need you." B'Elanna raised her head from his shoulder, and looked at him, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "But, Tom," she purred, sliding down his body. "It's my turn to devour you." "Oh no you don't, B'Elanna!" Tom said, reaching for her shoulders, intending to pull her up and roll them over. "I need you n--ohhh." His sentence ended in a soft moan as she caught his hands in hers, and he felt the hot wetness of her mouth close over him. B'Elanna's shoulders shook in silent laughter as the sensation her lips and tongue were giving him caused Tom to throw back his head and close his eyes. She knew she couldn't continue this much longer, but wanted to give him back the pleasure he had given her earlier. As she ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft, she felt his hands tighten on hers, and knew he was close to his climax. Accompanied by a moan from Tom, she kissed her way back up his body, and held herself just over his hard shaft. "Now, Tom," she whispered to him as she lowered herself upon him. "Ohh, Gods! Now!" She rotated her hips like a dancer, grinding down, trying to take every bit of him inside her as she felt her own climax building to match his. Tom drove his hips up to meet her, desperately matching her frenzied movements. He felt her tighten around him as his pulse raced and all his senses seemed to converge on the point of their joining. His arms reached up and pulled her down to him. He buried his face in her shoulder, biting down as he arched up and exploded inside her. Feeling him begin to climax, B'Elanna ground her hips down hard, and as his teeth sank into her shoulder, she screamed, her own climax overtaking her, and lunged at his face, biting down hard on his cheek, claiming him as hers once again. As they held each other closely, their bodies slowly cooling, Tom reached down and pulled the covers over them. B'Elanna kissed him softly, tenderly, and wiped the blood from his cheek with a finger. She slowly slid off him, leaving her right leg thrown over him, and resting her head on his chest. She felt so safe, so warm as his arm wrapped around her, she found herself near tears. She called for the computer to shut off the lights, and snuggled closer to him, reveling in his warmth, and the feel of his skin against her cheek. "B'Elanna?" "Hmm?" "I've got another poem for you, love," Tom whispered. "Another one? You really are getting better at it," she softly laughed. "Actually, it's just another version of the first one," he admitted. "I came up with two after you said it wasn't poetry, and I can't decide which is better. So I give you all three." "Please, Tom," she asked, looking up into his eyes, glinting softly in the starlight from the observation port, "recite it for me." Tom took a breath, then began: Dreams are unspoken wishes Made by the heart. Lying in the dark I dream of kisses. In the deep of night I would give so much To feel your touch, And no longer fight Against the fear of waking Alone and cold. I need to hold The one for whom my heart is aching. As he finished, B'Elanna reached up with her left hand and ran it through his hair, then down over the mating bite she had given him. "Tom, you don't have to fear waking alone any more. I promise," she said softly. Tom pulled her close, bending to kiss her brow, as they drifted into a peaceful slumber, all dreams of cold and loneliness replaced by their love. ****************************************** Finis?