The Admiral's Wife 					
													
													
					   By Diane Klepper					
		
											
(Author's Note: This is the second part of the Admiral's Family series. This  was the first story I wrote in this series but it was revised to fit the rest  of the series. Paramount owns the characters. I'm just borrowing them.) 	
		
												
	Harry Kim, who was dressed in black pants and a blue shirt stood over   his music stand holding his clarinet. He started to play a few notes and     then he heard his doorbell chime. He stopped playing. "Come in."				The door opened and in walked Tom Paris. Tom who was still wearing      his black and red uniform walked in. "Hi, Harry...want to go with me to Sandrine's to play some pool."									Harry smiled at his friend. "I thought you had a date with B'Elanna
tonight."	
	Tom frowned, "We did. Three Engineers called in sick...B'Elanna had      to work a double shift."										Harry smirked. "I'm surprised you didn't offer to give her an hand       in engineering."											
	"I did. B'Elanna says she can't get anything done when I help her	...she says I'm too distracting."									Harry smiled. "That's one way of putting it. I want to finish this     song first. Today's my mom's birthday. I always played her favorite song       on her birthday...I like to think she somehow knows I still play it for     her."		
	Tom smiled at his friend. "I'm sure she knows Harry... Do you think      your Mom would mind if I listened too?"								"I think my mom would like that."							
	Tom sat on the couch and listened as Harry played. Her leaned his      head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. In a few minutes he        was fast asleep.
			
												
	Tom Paris wiped the sweat from his brow with his right hand. His       gray prison coverall was damp with sweat from the heat of the New Zealand  summer. Tom turned and saw trees and grass in the distance. To the casual observer the Federation Penal Colony in Auckland, New Zealand looked like a park. But the gray coveralls and the anklet on his right leg that constantly monitored his whereabouts reminded him that he was in prison. The anklet on   his leg made running away impossible. Wherever he ran, the authorities would find him. He gave a slight chuckle to that thought. "Like I have anyplace to  run to."	
	He picked up the wielding torch and went back to wielding obsolete
machinery back together. Tom knew it was just busy work the prison guards    gave to the inmates to keep them out of trouble, but Tom didn't mind. He'd rather be busy. The worst part of his confinement was the long nights in      his prison cell. He had too much time to think. He spent many nights staring   at the ceiling thinking about what he could do with his life when he got out   of prison. He knew that no one would ever trust him to fly again, but maybe    he could get a job somewhere in space. Far away from all the bad memories   Earth represented to him. Tom knew he promised his sister Kathleen that he  would go home with her when his eighteen- month prison sentence was finished  but he knew he could not stay in San Francisco. It was a Starfleet town. He remembered how all his so- called Starfleet friends abandoned him after the truth came out after Caldik Prime and he knew he couldn't face that     rejection again.						
	Tom was so lost in thought he did not hear the prison hover car    approach him. When the guard said, "Hey Paris- you have a visitor." Tom    turned to the sound of the voice and he was shocked to find a tall woman     with blondish-gray hair and blue eyes standing next to the guard. "Mom?"		The woman gave him a small smile. "Hello, Tom."					
	The guard said, "You have fifteen minutes," and then walked back to     the hovercar and drove away.									
	Tom just stared at his mother and then said sarcastically, "Mom...I'm
surprised to see you. Did the Admiral give you permission to come?"		
	"Tom...I don't like when you talk about your father like that...He's
hurting too."											
	Tom laughed, "I'm the one in prison...Dad's the one that said I'm no    son of his."												With tears in her eyes Maggie Paris said, "Tom...he didn't mean that.  Your father is a very proud man. When you left Starfleet..."				"You mean when I got kicked out."							
	"Okay when you got kicked out...it hurt your father badly...it hurt me
too. Tommy why didn't you come to us, we would of understood. You made a
mistake...Starfleet forgives mistakes."							
	Tom turned away from his mother and stared at the trees in the distance.
"Yeah Starfleet would of forgave me and you would of...but Dad wouldn't. Come  on Mom you were there...all the lecture...all the punishments when I wasn't
perfect...I had to be better than anyone else...I was a Paris."			
	Maggie Paris frowned at her son. "I love your father but sometimes he  made me so angry. When you were little he treated you more like a junior cadet then a son...I remember when you were five and you fell off your hover bike   and skinned you knee he yelled at you for crying."					
	Tom gave a slight smile and said, "You know Dad always said a Paris
doesn't cry."											
	Maggie Paris lips curved up to give her son a small smile. "Kathleen    and Moira never showed any interest in going into Starfleet. That was why your
father started taking you to the simulators at Starfleet Academy when you were
five years old. You were his youngest child...Owen's only son...you were his
future. You were the one to make sure another generation of Paris's served the
fleet."
	Tom smiled, "I remember when Dad first took me out on a shuttle and let  me fly it. I was so scared...but when I was able to control it, I felt so good. It was the first time I felt I had control of my life." Tom frowned, "Dad  always said if I didn't listen to him I would mess up my life. I guess he was right."
	Maggie Paris wiped a few tears from her eyes and turned to face her son.
She saw pain and anger in his eyes, the same pain and anger she saw when she
looked into her husband's eyes. They were more alike then either of them    would ever admit. "Tom your right...your father was very strict with you, but ever since you were a little boy you had such a reckless streak. When you started flying you couldn't wait to go higher and faster...your father and I were afraid you would kill yourself doing some crazy stunt. Owen always felt that if he didn't keep you on a tight leash you would end up killing   yourself."		
	Tom looked away from his mother and said quietly. "Maybe we would of    all been better off if I did kill myself years ago. . .then those three    people at Caldik Prime would still be alive."							Mrs. Paris frowned at her son. "Tom don't ever say that...I have       been a Starfleet wife for forty years...I have seen too many friends and colleagues bury husbands, wives and children. Don't tell me I would be better off burying my son." Tom felt some tears in his eyes and wiped them    off with his dirty hands. He then put on his mask that showed the world that nothing every bothered him. "Mom...go home."							Maggie Paris angrily said, "Don't you dare hide behind that mask         of yours pretending you don't care about anyone or anything...You may be     able to fool a lot of people with it but not me." She caressed Tom's cheek    and said, "I could always tell when your were hurting. Whenever your father   was lecturing you about something you did wrong you use to stand at     attention with that mask on your face like what he said didn't hurt...but       I could see the pain in your eyes. I wanted to be there for you Tom, but     when I tried to get you to talk about how you felt you would tell me that     you were fine...then you would make up some stupid joke to change the    subject.  I always felt so left out of your life."	
	Tom turned to face his mother. "Mom...I never meant to leave you out.     I just remembered all of Dad's lectures about how a man had to be self- reliant."
	I use to tell your father he was pushing you too hard when it came       to your flying. He use to give me a smile and said I shouldn't worry...and    you use to come home from flying so happy. I couldn't take that away from   you."		
	"Mom...why did you really come?"							
	"I had to make sure you were okay...to make sure you didn't give up."	
	"Give up?"											
	"Give up on your life...your dreams. I want you to promise me you      will find a way to fly again when you get released from the New Zealand."		Tom frowned, "Mom no one is going to let me fly again with my    record...I was kicked out of Starfleet and I have a criminal record...no      one will trust me to pilot a garbage scow."							Maggie Paris took both of Tom's hands and squeezed them gently.     "Thomas Eugene Paris you listen to me...your just as much my son as you       are your Father's. I did not raise a quitter. I don't know how it will     happen but I know in my heart and in my soul that something will happen      that will let you fly again. You will have to be open when the opportunity comes...Do you promise me?"
	"Mom...I..."										
	"Tom promise me."										
	Tom just stared at his mother for a minute. He looked into her blue    eyes that were the same color as his and for the first time in a long time     he saw hope. After all the things he did to wreck his life his mom still      had hope for him. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, ma'am."			Mrs. Paris smiled. She then dropped Tom's hands and she hugged him.    "Tom, I love you."											Tom smiled at his mother and hugged her back. "I love you too, Mom."	
													
													
	"Tom?"											
	Tom Paris eyes suddenly opened and he found himself sitting on the    couch in Harry's quarters. "Harry...what happened?"						"I don't know...I just finished my mom's song and I called your name       but you seemed to be miles away."									Tom smiled, "I was...I was with my mom. Do you know she was the one      of the few people who never gave up on me."							Harry smiled, "Moms are like that."						
	Tom slowly stood up and said, "Come on Harry...lets go to Sandrine's."	
	"To play pool?"										
	Tom smiled and said, "No let's drink to our moms."				
	Harry smiled at his friend. "That's a great idea." Tom and Harry walked out the door of Harry's quarters and walked to the holodeck.