Title: Behind the WallsAuthor: AnyaEmail addy: anya@interlinks.netSummary: Torres and Paris have kept their relationship rather quiet, when in the public eye; but just how much DO their superior officer's get to see lying behind the facades they wear?Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, I'm just making a castle that will fall apart soon enough.Timeline: Brief reference to "Scientific Method", but set after the 4th season. Rating : PGAuthor's statement: *shrug* Never written fanfic for ST:Vgr, but I had anastonishingly clear mental image of this scene run through my head recently. Ifit's out of character, sorry; but I needed to exorcise the vision, fast!<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>"They stress me." Kathryn Janeway sighed, plopping down into one of thepadded seats of the bar. Her expression remained congenial, for the benefit ofthe various crewmen wandering about Sandrine's, but Chakotay and Tuvok couldclearly see the thinly veiled confusion in her eyes."Pardon? Who is stressing you?" Chakotay asked, lowering his glass and leaningforward. He dropped his voice to minimize the chance that they would beoverheard. The past few months had been relatively quiet. No major disasters,no traumatizing spacial anomalies, no visitations from the Q. All in all, a ratherpeaceful time with ample opportunity to repair and improve Voyager's shakiersystems."Them." She practically spat the word out, her chin jutting out to indicate acrossthe room.Blankly, both her first officer, and the head of security turned to study a ratherthick crowd in search of a gathering of peoples with guilty expressions. Based onthe vagueness of Janeway's statement, all they knew for certain was that theirsuspects numbered greater than one, and less than the entire crew complement. Itreally wasn't much to go on.Tuvok scanned the crowd twice, his eyes finally lighting on a trio by the pooltable. "I believe I have determined the source of the Captain's consternation." The Vulcan nodded, turning back to the captain with one eyebrow raised ininquiry.Janeway shot the dastardly source of her never-ending apprehension another glarebefore returning her attention to her tablemates. "Yes. THEM."Chakotay alternated from looking at Janeway, to Tuvok and back again. "Whatdid they do this time? They've been the models of perfect officers for some timenow, I can't believe they've pulled something and I hadn't heard of it."His gaze moved past the Captain to settle on the threesome across the room. TomParis was bent over and lining up a shop, while B'Elanna Torres bent close to hishead, softly blowing on his ear to throw off his concentration with no apparentamourous intents. Across the table, Harry Kim leaned his weight on the poolstick, verbally taunting Paris. The Lieutenant and alleged best pilot in the galaxypaid no attention to either of them, and sunk a perfect shot. It was the atypicalscene for that trio."That's just it!" Janeway groaned. "They've done nothing. Nothing. I can'thandle this anymore." She rolled her head slowly, trying to ease the knots out. "Tom and B'Elanna have been together, I think, for nearly two years. Unless, ofcourse, they've called it off and just not told me."Chakotay and Tuvok exchanged a confused look, Tuvok's more masked thanChakotay's. "So," Chakotay broached slowly. "You have a problem with theirrelationship?" If, at the outset of the merging of Voyager's crew and the Maquis, B'Elanna had hooked up with Paris, Chakotay would have had vehementobjections. Now, however, he couldn't think of a better man for his friend."No!" Janeway protested, with a fist thumping down on the table. Chakotay'seyes, she noted absently, widened tremendously at this out of charactertemperament. "I don't object. I just wished I knew what was going on."Understanding dawned with a thunderclap inside the First Officer's head. "Oh!" He leaned back. "You're talking about the lack of any - anything when they're inpublic.""Precisely." Janeway nodded. "Two and a half years, and for the past two yearsof that time, the only signs of affection between them are the same I've seenbetween male and female friends who are NOT involved. They're socircumspect, I keep expecting to find out they're breaking up.""And this stresses you, Captain?" Tuvok asked, still clearly perplexed."Allow me to explain, Captain." Chakotay offered with a warm smile, his darkeyes lighting. She nodded wearily, turning to study the dastardly duo that threatened todismantle her composure. How dare they be so reserved all the time. It waspositively Vulcan. At the rate they were working, she expected to have aninoperable ulcer by the time they reached their second anniversary."It's simple, Tuvok." Chakotay intoned, with a storyteller's smooth drama. "Would you not agree that B'Elanna and Tom are perhaps the most volatile andstubborn individuals on this ship?" He asked Tuvok reasonably."No." The Vulcan said dispassionately, eliciting a stunned reaction from theCaptain and Commander. "There is no 'perhaps' in that assessment. LieutenantsTorres and Paris are the most emotionally volatile, stubborn, intractable andunreasonably passionate individuals on this ship."Chakotay winked at the Captain, but steadily withheld the smirk itching at thecorners of his mouth. "Then, of course, you realize that if their relationship wereto dissolve in a less than amicable fashion....""The ship would blow up." Janeway muttered, looking to the bar and signaling toSandrine for her usual drink. "That is highly improbable, Captain." Tuvok informed her gravely. "It is unlikelythat Lt. Torres would risk damaging her engines, and would refrain fromcommencing a termination of their relationship in the proximity of engineering.""I have faith." Janeway drawled sourly. Sandrine chose that moment to bustle close, smoothly sliding a replicated coffeeonto the table with a warm smile to the three most Senior officers of the ship. "Bonjour, mon chers. Comment ca va ce soir?""Hello Sandrine." Chakotay smiled. Paris' programming skills were incredible. The entire environment of the bar, the people he had created seemed so real, sohonest to goodness sincere, it was easy to forget they were holograms. If theyreturned to the Alpha quadrant in the near future, one of the things Chakotayfirmly intended to do was find the real Sandrine's and meet the real proprietor ofthe establishment."I see you are studying my Tommy and his B'Elanna tonight. They are tresadorable, n'est-ce pas? It is so nice to see two people who so need one anotherfinding happiness together." Sandrine tilted her head to the side as she watchedher Tommy joking with his friends."Very cute." Chakotay agreed, with a grin. "He will marry her, je peux." Sandrine said with finality, her finger thoughtfullytapping her jawline. The three officers at the table all convulsively choked ontheir drinks at that. "C'est vrai!" She intoned defensively. "Already they havesettled down tremendously, oui?""Too much so, sometimes." Janeway sighed. "I never know whether or not they'retogether, or apart. Fighting or not fighting.""That's not true, Captain." Chakotay laughed. "The entire ship knows when they'refighting. It's a little hard to miss."Sandrine smiled in agreement, softly touching Kathryn's hand. "Ecoute-moi,Captain." The proprietress said with a gentle motherly kindness. "Those two lovetheir Captain dearly. And they behave in the manner they believe would most beappreciated by their captain. You would know if there was a problem in paradise,they would come to you for advice."Tuvok set his mug down, and folded long fingers together. "I agree, Captain. Both Lieutenants hold you in a high regard. Their conduct is exemplary andworthy of Starfleet officers at their best. They set an excellent example to juniorofficers on this crew and should be commended for it.""Should they? Is it natural for people who are naturally so fiery to be so reservedeven on their off-duty time?" Janeway sighed, again. "I feel partially to blamefor their extreme discretion, and I have to wonder if I've robbed them of a part oftheir relationship." The three others stared at her in confusion. "Tuvok,"Janeway entreated her longtime friend. "Do you remember the events of Stardate51244.3?""The alien experimentation on human behaviour that Seven discovered." "Yes." Janeway fiddled with her coffee mug, her index finger pressing against thehandle and forcing the entire mug about into a circle. "You do recall discoveringTom and B'Elanna in a rather, indiscriminate position while on duty; and recallthat I disciplined them for unacceptable behaviour? What if I took that lecturetoo far? Maybe I should have apologized for my words after we discovered thealien presence. It wasn't them willfully behaving out of control, but analien influence on them."Chakotay's hand reached out to cover hers instantly. "You can't hold yourselfaccountable for that, Kathryn." He said firmly, giving her hand a light squeeze. "B'Elanna and Tom are adults, and both very intelligent people. They knewwithout your saying anything that the aliens had influenced them, and that youunderstand.""Oui, cherie." Sandrine said, still leaning on the side of the booth. "It is in mythoughts that if there had been no tampering, they would still behave as they donow. It is how they are. They have both been so hurt in the past, yes?" Shewaited until both Chakotay and Janeway nodded their agreement. "And they bothtry to hide their feelings from others to protect themselves."The Frenchwoman suddenly slipped into the bench beside Chakotay, her palmsupraised as if to explain through gestures. Another fine detail so characteristic ofParis' programming skills made visible. "I have watched my Tommy for sometime, now. He shows the face he wants people to see, but hides the feelings heguards the most.""The Paris' mask." Janeway nodded in understanding. She saw his carefullyconstructed facade at every staff meeting. Hiding his inner thoughts, and truerresponses and cloaking him in a coat of arrogance, ego and cockiness. Funnyenough, she realized thinking of the last senior staff meeting, it hadn't seemedthat much of a mask; not as it had the first time she'd met him at the Aucklandprison. "If we could just bottle it, Starfleet would have the ultimate shielding instealth technology.""Oui, the very thing. And he is good at it, n'est-ce pas? The eyes are mirrors tothe soul, but when he dons his mask, even the soul is hidden." Sandrine noddedsadly. "So, then, if a woman were his soul's mate, the love he has needed for solong and a love he feels with all his being how do you think he would behave?"Janeway twisted to look at Paris, his ready smile, open laugh and casual easeabout the pool table. The easy motions that seemed so indifferent of B'Elannanow took on new nuances. Each casual motion past her and each smile directedto her took on a new aspect. The smiles were fractionally warmer, the motionsfar more tender and a general aura of genuine sincerity that could be so easilyoverlooked."B'Elanna's much the same." Chakotay mused, studying the half-Klingonengineer. "She doesn't talk much about her childhood, at least, not with me. ButI know she avoids meeting new people if she can. She was teased so viciously asa child, and gossip makes her react the same way. I've seen her avoid formingrelationships, and be so defensive around men who try to pick her up. She'sbeen burned badly at one time.""She wears her own mask." Janeway murmured, "Her mask is anger andindifference, while his is pure congeniality and friendliness."Sandrine smiled. "Exactment!" "So, they're still together and not planning to break up any time soon." Janewaydecided, making the statement sound like a question.Sandrine nodded, sliding from her seat and standing. "Oui. I can guarantee theywill be together for a long time. Rest easy, Captain, where those two areconcerned. If Voyager were to go a la 'poof', it will not be as a result of myTommy or B'Elanna." She smiled at the three officers warmly, collecting Tuvok'sempty mug. "You must always watch for the things you do not see. The truth ismost often right beneath your nose, mes amis."Bemusedly, and feeling tremendously better, Kathryn watched the holodeckcharacter move away, before turning back to shrug at Chakotay and Tuvok. "Well, Commander, Lieutenant. It seems Lieutenant Paris has programmed morethan just a hangout for the crew." She laughed quietly with a smile."Quite." Tuvok agreed blandly, quietly amused, in his own way, by Sandrine'scarefully phrased words. It was quite unlikely that the Captain and Commanderwould see what was literally right in front of them, despite the pearls of wisdomdivulged tonight."Should we give him a commendation?" Chakotay joked. "He's a pilot, medicalaide, and programmer of barkeep psychologists.""No, not yet." Janeway smirked. Her coffee finally found it's way to her mouth,the soothing caffeine of the beverage unwinding tight nerves in conjunction withSandrine's insights. "At least," She amended, holding it fractionally from herlips, "Not until they're safely married and reporting on the status of theirrelationship to me, daily."The End.