Disclaimer: Yes, I know.  I don't own Star Trek or any of it'scharacters.  I disclaim.  I do, I do, I do.  I'm just taking them for alittle ride, I promise they'll be home before dinner. :)  Paramount ownsStar Trek.  The Backstreet Boys own the song.  I Disclaim.  Happy? :)Dedication: To all of the Parisites, you know who you are.  Plus, mybest friends at Sequoia Middle School, AKA, Tommy, Harry, Dax, andJenny. :)As Long As You Love Me(song by The Backstreet Boys)Story by Krystal Banzon**Although loneliness has always been a friend of mineI'm leaving my life in your hands.People say I'm crazy and that I am blind,Risking it all in a glance.**     B'Elanna Torres sat down on the soft sand on the beach, watchingthe sun set softly over the horizon.  She had just gotten off duty, anddecided to come straight to Neelix's luau in the holodeck.  She wasabout half an hour early, and no one was there yet, so she decided totake a stroll along the holographic shore.  She found a nice spot on alittle cliff hanging over the ocean, just a few meters away from thesoon-to-be party.  She sat a little away from the edge, but not so farthat she couldn't see the waves of clear blue lightly crash against therocks below.       It was a beautiful day.  Clear, and sweet.  The air was clean, andsmelled slightly of the ocean.  The soft sounds of the birds overhead,was calming.  The sun was bright, and softly setting.  The beauty of thesetting overwhelmed her senses.  It all seemed like it was so real.  Butit wasn't.  It was just a holographic program.  A really good holoprogram.  A very good holo program.     B'Elanna looked up at the holographic sky.  She noticed there wereno clouds.  The sky was a mixture of reds, oranges, purples, and blues.The colors reflected off the waters and back into the deep, deep sky.She felt a strange sadness creep over her.  She remembered how big theworld felt when she was a little kid.  How alone she felt.  How hard itwas to face the world alone.  Now she was in the Delta Quadrant.  Awhole different space.  When the world felt so big, she was brought intoa place even bigger.  Even more alone.       B'Elanna looked up into the deep blue sky, and thought.  Thought ofthose deep blue eyes.  The eyes that she grew so fond of.  The ones thatheld things back, things about the past.  Things that don't matteranymore, but is still a burden that needs to be lifted.  She knew abouthis past.  The mistakes he made, his error, his lie, his punishment, hisfather.  But she didn't care.  She loved him.     B'Elanna was deep in thought, when she noticed the first of theparty goers were arriving.  The Captain and Chakotay were here, Careyand Nicoletti, The Delaneys, and a quite a few of the other crewmemberswere here.  Neelix was passing out refeshments while dancing to music.       B'Elanna noticed that Tom Paris was missing.  She also noticed shewas waiting for him to enter.  When Tom came into the room, that was allthat she was thinking about.  How closely his beautiful blue eyesresemble the sky.  **How you got me blind is still a mystery,I can't get you out of my head.Don't care what is written in your history,As long as you're here with me.**     As Tom Paris stepped into the holodeck, the first person he lookedfor was B'Elanna Torres.  He scanned the room with his eyes, butcouldn't find her.  Right when he was thinking about going toengineering, he saw her.  She was out on a little cliff, watching thesunset.  She looked so beautiful, her hair swaying in the slight breeze,and her chocolate eyes as deep as space.  He stood there staring at her,and started walking toward the little cliff where she was sitting.     B'Elanna saw Tom start to walk toward where she was now standing.She watched him then jog across the sands toward her.  **I don't care who you areWhere you're fromWhat you did As long as you love me...**     Tom ran up to her.  He looked her in the eyes for a few minutes.He loved looking at her.  She was so beautiful.  Even now, with the sunmore than half set into the horizon.  The blues and purples of the sky,overwhelming the reds and oranges...**Who you areWhere you're fromDon't care what you didAs long as you love me...**     "Hey B'Elanna.  You look wonderful tonight. Tom said.  "Thanks, youtoo." B'Elanna replied.       "It's a beautiful night." Tom said.     "Yes, it is." B'Elanna answered quietly.     They sat near the edge of the cliff, looking out into the ocean.Colors mixed and blended like a painter's palette.  The sun set lower,and the sky grew darker.  Stars peeking out of it's nocturnal sleep.B'Elanna looked at Tom.  His eyes were glowing in the dim light.  Shelooked him straight in the eyes and smiled.  And at that moment, itlooked as if a burden has been lifted from his heart.  She took his handand held it.  She thought silently to herself, *I love you Tom, I'llalways be here.  You'll never be alone.*  Tom smiled and nodded lightly,as if he heard her thoughts.  Maybe he did.**Every little thing that you have said and done,Feels like it's deep within me.Doesn't really matter if you're on the run,It seems like we're meant to be.**     As the sun fell asleep on the horizon, and the stars came out toshine.  Only the soft crashing of the waves and the faint Carribeanmusic of the luau was heard in the distance.  And the soft whisper ofB'Elanna Torres, "I love you, Tom."**I don't care who you areWhere you're fromWhat you didAs long as you love me.Who you areWhere you're fromDon't care what you didAs long as you love me.**     Tom Paris stared at B'Elanna.  He held her hands firmly.  His eyesglistened in the moonlight, then a diamond tear fell from the oceancalled his eyes, rolled down his cheek, and fell over the cliff, andinto the churning waves of the ocean...**I've tried to hide it so that no one knows,But I guess it shows,When you look into my eyes.What you did and where you're comin' fromI don't care, as long as you love me, baby.**     The stars gleamed brighter, and the waves died down.  The nightgrew deeper. While the torches from the luau created a bright glow, asthe Carribean music grew a little softer...**I don't care who you areWhere you're fromWhat you didAs long as you love me.Who you areWhere you're fromDon't care what you didAs long as you love me.**     "I love you too, B'Elanna."**As long as you love me...** Copyright 1998 Krystal Banzon3/20/98