Birthday Wishes by Laura Tew- I guess this is where I put the disclaimer. You know, the one that says that as much as I wish I did, I have no claim on these characters and the Almighty Paramount owns just about everything. That said, I'd like to say Thank-you to Becca for giving me a place to display my lack of talent. I'd also like to thank the AOL P/T Collective for motivating me to write this and being a great audience. {{{Collective}}} Thanks guys! Hugs and thanks go to my psychic sisters Janine and Robin for their love and support, and a thanks goes to Mike3 for helping with the editing. A special thanks to Roxann Dawson and Robert Duncan McNeill for bringing to life characters who so inspire the imagination. Keep up the great work! I hope you like this! Happy reading. Birthday Wishes Tom Paris stood looking out the viewport in his quarters at the velvety dark expanse of space. The stars twinkled merrily in the distance, but Tom did not feel like enjoying the view. His lower lip began to tremble again, and he bit down savagely to stop the traitorous shaking. He was not going to start crying again. Good Gods, he hadn't cried in years, yet here he was hiding in his quarters, periodically wiping tears from his face. This was silly. He was just going to go hide at Sandrines for the night. At least he wouldn't be alone. As he turned to leave, his comm- badge chirped, and he felt his heart give a leap as he heard the words "Kim to Paris.". "Yeah Harry." he said, hoping his voice didn't give away how desperate he was for human contact. "Tom are you busy?" "Not at all." "Could you come to engineering and help me with a loss of power to the Delruide couplings." Tom was surprised at the feeling of disap- pointment he felt. "Sure Harry. I'll be right there. Paris out." He heaved a huge sigh. This wasn't what he had hoped for. *But it could be worse* he thought as he strode into the hall. He could be spending his birthday alone as usual. ***************************************** He boarded the turbolift and called out that he was going to Engineering. As the lift sped him towards his deck, he tried to get a handle on his feelings. It wasn't as if this was the first time everyone forgot his birthday. Heck, he hadn't had a party since he was 8, and he couldn't remember even his family recognizing his birthday after he was 14. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he had desperately wanted his friends on Voyager to remember. Remember? How can you remember what you never knew? Still, he wanted to have at least someone say " Oh by the way Tom, Happy Birthday." He got off the lift and headed for engin- eering. Suddenly a thought came to him unbidden and of it's own will. What if this was a ploy by Harry to get him to engineering for a surprise party? *In engineering?* the rational part of his mind asked. *Why not. I would never have figured THAT out.* By the time he was standing outside the doors to Engineering, he was half sure that's what it was. He took a breath and steeled himself for the surprise and stepped forward. The door flew open with a hiss, and....there was no one but the 4th shift skeleton crew. Tom wandered over to a far panel where Harry was standing with a frown on his face, looking the whole time for hiding crew members. Harry looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here. This is driving me crazy. I just can't find where the power loss is coming from." Tom took one look at the readings on the panel and he felt his heart sink. There really WAS a problem here, and that meant no party. He looked closer and the two went to work on the problem. Tom couldn't stop the thoughts that were running around his head. He tried to carry on a nice conversation with Harry, but thoughts of his birthdays in prison and with the Maquis were running around his head. The overwhelming loneliness blended with the sense of emptiness he felt now, made him quickly bite his lip again to stop Harry from seeing the clench- ing of his jaw. He was being silly. He was Tom Paris, and he didn't need anyone. He was... "Tom?" Harry said. "Tom?" At Harry's repeat of his name, he looked up. "Did you say something Harry?" "I've just been calling your name for 5 min- utes. Are you all right?" Tom wanted to say that he wasn't all right; that he was so lonely and empty that it physically hurt. He wanted to say that it was his birthday and no one even cared. He wanted to say that for the first time in years, he had spent the evening alone and empty and all he wanted was for someone to give a damn about him. He said, " I'm fine Harry. Just thinking about the energy relays for the right coupling." Harry smiled and nodded and they went back to work . Tom was able to push the dark thoughts aside for a while and he and Harry were laughing over a joke that Harry had told when Harry's combadge chirped. "Kes to Ensign Kim" "Harry here. What can I do for you Kes?" "We are having a problem with the EPS video links. Could you come look at them?" "Tom and I are working in Engineering, but we should be done in about...20 minutes, and we'll come right over." "Great. Thank-you." "No problem, Kes. Kim out." Harry turned to smile at Tom. "It's going to be a busy night. Hey, I just volunteered you without asking. Is that all right?" Tom found that he was smiling back. "That is just fine Harry. I really don't mind helping." Harry's grin got bigger and they went back to work. ******************************************* As they walked to sickbay, Tom decided he was feeling better about all this. Harry had kept telling joke after joke until Tom was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. Maybe that was what was important. The friendship, not a display of friendship. It wasn't as if Harry had not acknowledged his birthday on purpose; he just didn't know. *A real friend would know.* the dark, angry voice in his mind said. *Like you know when his is?* his conscience shot back. He realized with a start that he DIDN'T know when Harry's birthday was. For that matter he didn't know when any of his friends birthdays were. He resolved to find out. As they rounded the corridor, the same strange thought that perhaps this was a ploy to get him to a surprise party came back. He pushed the thought aside and led the way into sickbay. He was startled by the degree of disap- pointment he felt when the doors hissed open on a sickbay that was only populated by Kes and the doctor. He felt the dark mood creeping up, and stepped back to let Harry do the talking. Kes led them to one of the medical consoles and explained that they could not access medical data from here. Harry looked at him as they got down to work. "Are you sure everything is fine?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Really Harry, I'm fine." Tom said. "Just a little tired." Harry's brow furrowed. " If you are tired, maybe you should go to bed." "Nah, I was going to hang out at Sandrines anyway. I'd rather help you." Harry laughed. "If you really enjoy it, I won't argue." The problem was a minor one, and they were soon closing up the console. "What now Harry?" Tom asked, feeling again like he might be winning the war with his emotions. "I don't have anyth...." "Neelix to Ensign Kim" "So much for that." Harry said with a laugh. "Kim here. What's up Neelix?" "One of the replicators is down, and if it's not a problem, you should probably get it working before the breakfast rush." "I'll be right there." "Wonderful!" Neelix exclaimed "Just let me finish up in sickbay. Say about 5 minutes." "Great. Neelix out." "You coming Tom?" Harry asked "Why not." Tom replied and followed Harry out. ****************************************** "Hey Harry, " Tom asked as they headed for the mess hall, " How did you get roped into being the ship's repairman for the night? I thought that was B'Elanna's job." "It is, but she had plans for the night, so I said I'd do it." "Plans?" Tom said, feeling his chest constrict. He and B'Elanna were by no means a couple, but the thought of her being with someone else made him feel like someone had hit him. And on his birthday too. "All she said was that she and Chakotay were going to run a Holonovel." "Ahh." Tom said, not sure if he should be relieved or not. He was beginning to get fed up with these feelings that were yo-yoing him around. Harry started talking about a new holo- program he had written, and Tom realized his mind had wandered again. He was back to feeling sorry for himself. Then the thought tract started that maybe this was the place they would give him a party. It made sense. A party in the mess hall. But why would they want to throw him a party? He was just Tom, the disgrace of Voyager. This was silly. Worse yet, it was putting him in a foul mood again. Gods he must be tired! With a monumental effort, he wrenched himself back to reality and Harry. They were just nearing the door to the mess hall. He found himself tensing just in case the rest of the crew was hiding in there. They walked in to the near-empty Mess hall, and Tom's shoulders slumped. Why was he doing this to himself? He shook his head, and followed Harry and Neelix to the unruly replicator. They were joking and working and Tom was once more feeling better when Harry's commbadge went off about 15 minutes later. "Ensign Carey to Ensign Kim." "Hey Carey., what can I do for you?" "I just wanted you to know I'm taking over the duty shift, so you are off the hook." "That's great. Thanks." "No problem Harry. Get some sleep. Carey out." Tom looked at Harry. "So you are calling it a night after this?" he asked, surprised at the feeling of emptiness that accompanied the idea of spending the rest of the night alone. "I think so." Harry said. " You ought to too. You look beat." Tom just shrugged, and put himself into the job he was doing. They finished up, and waved off Neelix's thanks as they headed back to the crew quarters. As they walked, Tom became more and more depressed. Why was this hitting him so hard? He was used to being alone. He had been alone most of his life. What would make him think that anyone could think of him as a friend? He needed to shake this off. Maybe it would be better if he just went back to his quarters and drowned his sorrows in that last bottle of bootleg scotch he had smuggled on at Deep Space Nine. The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. If he drank himself into unconsciousness, then nothing could hurt him. "Tom?" Harry said "What?" "I've been thinking, I'm not sleepy. Why don't I go to Sandrines with you?" Tom wasn't sure if he was pleased with the thought or not, but if he was really honest, it was the more sensible option. "Sounds great Harry." "Let me just swing past my quarters to get something that B'Elanna needs in engineering, and we'll go." Tom nodded and followed Harry. This wouldn't be so bad. At least he wasn't alone. ***************************************** Ten minutes later, Harry came out of his quarters with a large, brown paper bag. "I'll drop this off at engineering after we're done." Harry said, hefting the bag. "Whatever." Tom replied as they started for Holodeck one. Tom kept reminding himself that there was no reason to make Harry suffer for his bad mood, so as they walked, he made an effort to have a light fun conversation. By the time the two got to the Holodeck, Tom was once again in a tolerable mood. This time he was determined to keep it. His resolve lasted for a full minute after they got into Sandrines. The program had been altered to eliminate the pool table and there was a large dance floor and a band. There were holographic couples dancing to soft music and right in the middle of it all, were B'Elanna and Chakotay. She was wearing a soft blue dress, and Chakotay was in brown leather as the two danced closely, seemingly oblivious to anyone around them. Tom felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Here he was feeling abandoned and alone and the woman he loved was on a date with an ex-lover. Chakotay leaned in and whispered something in B'Elanna's ear, and she laughed a beautiful laugh. Tom felt himself trembling. He had to get out of here before he lost it. Before he could turn to go, Harry spotted the couple and grabbed Tom's arm. "Lets go talk to Chakotay and B'Elanna." he said, tugging Tom along. Before Tom could protest, B'Elanna saw him, and he realized he couldn't leave without it looking strange. "Hey guys." Harry said cheerfully. " I thought you were doing a Holonovel." "We were." B'Elanna said sweetly. " But we found something better." *Sure* Tom thought bitterly to himself *If I were Chakotay I'd think slow dancing with you was better too.* "Better? " Harry asked. " What could be better than a Holonovel?" B'Elanna stepped out of Chakotay's arms and walked up to Tom. "Aren't you curious?" She asked Tom He wanted to say that he really didn't care about anything right now except for getting out of here so that he wouldn't have to feel himself die inside every time Chakotay touched her. Instead he found himself nodding. "Good." B'Elanna said with a smile. "I think you in particular will like this." "Me? " Tom asked bewilderedly " Why would I like it?" "Because it's..." B'Elanna paused dramatically. "Your birthday party! Surprise Tom!" Suddenly Sandrines was filled with crew members surrounding Tom and wishing him a happy birthday. Tom was speechless as B'Elanna leaned up and kissed him. "Like it, Helmboy?" All Tom could do was nod. Captain Janeway walked up to him and hugged him, leaving him feeling dazed. "Happy birthday Tom. " she said as she handed him a wrapped box. Tom looked at her with wide eyes. "For me?" "Who else." Janeway said with a laugh. " I just wanted you to know that you are a very important member of our crew, and a good friend to me." Tom's hands trembled as he unwrapped the box. Inside was a picture in a frame. It was of Janeway and Tom at one of the luaus in Neelix's resort program. He and Chakotay had been teasing her about throwing her in the water, and Tom had swept her up to do it. The picture showed her in his arms laughing and he looked happier than Tom could ever remember being. Just looking at it brought a smile to his face. "Thank-you Captain. You have no idea what this means." She reached out and squeezed his arm. "I think I might. Save me a dance?" "Yes, Ma'am!" Tom replied with a grin. He turned to find himself face to face with Chakotay. "Happy birthday Tom." Chakotay said, hand- ing Tom a card. Tom raised his eyebrows at Chakotay. They were not openly hostile towards each other any more, but they still weren't friends. Tom opened the card. It was a rather generic birthday greeting, but Chakotay had written inside it. "Tom," it read "I know I haven't told you, but I have come to think of you as a friend. You have grown up considerably since I first met you, and I can now say I am proud to serve with you and look forward to getting to know you better. By the way, if you hurt B'Elanna, I take all this back. Chakotay." Tom laughed out loud. "Understood Commander. Oh and I could say the same of Janeway; you know." Chakotay looked at him with confusion. "Janeway?" Tom leaned in and said just above a whisper; "I know you like her. I think you two belong together. But if you hurt her, I may have to call in the fact that you owe me your life." Chakotay laughed in spite of himself. "Now, there is a lonely captain over by the bar. I owe her a dance, but I'm busy. Could you keep her entertained until I get there? It may be quite a while." Tom said with an impish grin. "Tom," Chakotay said smiling. "You are an evil man. But I like your style. Oh by the way, as part of your present, I transferred two days worth of replicator rations to you. Have fun" Before Tom could thank him, Chakotay was on his way to Janeway. Tom was feeling overwhelmed. He had been on an emotional rollercoaster all night, and the rush of happiness he was feeling made him start to tremble. "Are you all right, Tom?" Harry asked from his place by Tom's elbow. "Fine Harry. Just surprised. Did you know all about this?" "Know about it? B'Elanna and I were the ones who put it together." Tom looked at him. " And you let me go all day thinking no one knew it was my birthday?" "That part wasn't so easy." Harry admitted." You looked really upset this evening, and I almost told you twice. But then I remembered B'Elanna threatened my life if I did, so..." Tom laughed. " But how did you find out about my birthday?" "I was doing research for a report for the Captain, and I had to access some personnel files. I found myself wondering about your age, and the next thing I knew I was looking at your records. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was today. That was four days ago, so B'Elanna and I have been rushing around ever since." Tom looked at Harry and felt a wave of affection wash over him. He had always wanted a little brother when he was growing up. Being with Harry, he remembered why. "Oh," Harry said thrusting the paper bag at Tom, " I almost forgot. Happy birthday." "My present is to take this to engineering?" "No, silly open it." Tom opened the bag and looked down into it. Inside was a hard bound book. It was Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Tom had read the book from a data PADD once, and had so enjoyed it that he had talked Harry into being Sancho Panza in a reenact- ment on the Holodeck. It had taken them weeks to finish the book, doing it an hour or two at a time. They had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Tom care- fully lifted the book out. It was leather bound and had illustrations. Harry had written on the inside cover. "To my best friend in all the universe. Thank-you for taking me under your wing and teaching me what it means to be a Star- fleet officer. You have no idea what your friendship means to me. I hope we are friends forever. May life grant you all the impossible dreams you seek. Just watch out for those windmills. All the best, Harry." Tom swallowed hard. He felt tears running down his face, but was powerless to stop them. Harry had been the one who had kept Tom going, and here he was expressing admiration for the older man. Tom had never felt so loved and he really didn't know what to do. Harry looked at him alarmed. " Tom? Are you okay?" Tom lifted his head and saw the panic in Harry's eyes at the sight of the tears. "I'm fine." Tom said quietly "It's just that I've never really had friends, and...Well, you just amaze me sometimes Harry. I REALLY love your gift." Harry blushed. "I'm glad you do. I think I'll let other people have your attention. ." "Thanks again Harry. You want to do a Holonovel tomorrow?" "Sounds great." Harry said and he walked over to the bar. Kes walked over to Tom. "I'm glad you're feeling better." she said softly. "Feeling better?" Tom asked. "When you came into sickbay with Harry earlier, I was so worried. The feelings that were rolling off of you were so dark and overwhelmingly lonely. I don't feel that anymore. Just contentment." Tom had forgotten that Kes was a mild telepath. "I'm also glad you chose to come here instead of hiding in you quarters drinking." Tom jumped at that. *Make that not so mild telepath.* he thought. "Thanks for being concerned." He said. "Would you like your gift?" Tom smiled. "You didn't need to bring a gift." "Well I did, so you'll just have to take it." She said laughing. She handed him a large wrapped object from behind her back. He pulled the paper off to reveal a painting. In the middle was Tom's face, looking young and full of good humor. Arranged in a circle around him were the faces of all his friends. He looked at Kes, speechless. "It is so you never forget that you are always surrounded by people who love you." She said in her quiet way. Tom felt that lump coming back to his throat. "Thank you Kes. I wish I could say more, but... It is the perfect gift." She flashed him a beautiful smile, then gave him a furious hug. "Next time you feel so alone," she added " Please come talk to me. I'm your friend, and I worry about you." "I will. Thank-you again." Kes smiled and walked off to join Harry. The next few hours went along the same lines with one crew member after another coming up to wish Tom a happy birthday and give him a gift. Even the Doctor got into it, giving Tom a gift he had obviously put a lot of thought into. Although when Tom opened the package to find an illustrated guide to Klingon mating rituals, he wished the doctor could learn more tact. At midnight, Neelix brought in a cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. Tom spent the next two hours talking to friends and dancing the dances he had promised. When he danced with Captain Janeway, he felt a little awkward. She was an remarkable woman, and his commanding officer. He tried to figure out how tight to hold her and what to say. She sensed his discomfort and pulled him to her. "Don't be afraid of me Tom." She said with a laugh. "You are my friend and we ARE off duty. Of course if you try this on the bridge, I'll have you keel- hauled." Tom laughed. " I'm sorry captain. I am just not sure how to dance with a woman I respect so much." She fixed him with a speculative look and realized he wasn't joking. "That means a lot from you." she said. " I wasn't sure of you before, but you have grown into quite an adult and one hell of a bridge officer. I trust you with the lives of my crew, Tom. And you have never let me down." "And I never will." Tom said ignoring the tears that once more stung his eyes. " I couldn't live with myself if I did. You are the first person to ever believe in me with such conviction. My own father couldn't give me that. You have become my mentor and role model and I won't let you down." Janeway gently wiped the tears from his face with her fingers, feeling extremely maternal. "I know you won't." she said softly. "I hope it was a good birthday." "I can honestly say it was the best birthday I've ever had." She smiled and lay her head back on his shoulder for the remainder of the dance. When the music stopped, Tom handed Janeway off to Chakotay and turned to find B'Elanna standing behind him. "Would you like to dance?" she asked. Tom stepped up and took her in his arms. "I hope you liked the party." she said with a smile. "This was perfect. Thank-you." "I'm sorry if we made you feel bad by keep- ing it a surprise. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted you to enjoy it." Tom smiled down on her. "It wasn't the surprise that made me feel bad. I have been alone as far back as I can remember. I am finally be- ginning to feel like I fit in here on Voyager. I have friends that I care for and who seem to care for me. But I learned from my father that things aren't always what they seem. Well, that and that no one in their right mind could give a damn about me." Tom felt his jaw tighten involuntarily and silently wondered what was wrong with him. " When I was feeling so alone tonight and I couldn't find a friend except for Harry who only wanted help with his work, it felt like I was back in my past. I can vividly remember my birthdays in prison spent being terrorized by other inmates and hiding in my bunk. I can remember my last few birthdays at home where my father gave me lectures on being a man and how I wasn't living up to the Paris name. I can remember..." "Tom, don't" B'Elanna said putting her fingers over his lips. He gently reached up and moved her hand. "I'm sorry B'Elanna. I just wanted to let you know it wasn't you or the party. In fact, the memory of this party will live with me forever as the first time I really felt accepted and wanted." B'Elanna smiled at him. "I'm glad you liked it. Tom, aren't you wondering why I haven't given you a present?" "Now that you mention it, You are the only person that hasn't given me something. But don't worry about it. The party is enough." "Well, I do have something to give to you, I just want to wait until after the party." Tom shrugged. "That's fine." Which was quickly followed by a yawn. B'Elanna laughed. " All that self pity really wore you out." Tom arched an eyebrow. "That and all this dancing ." he said. "Well, Let's call it a night." Tom nodded, so B'Elanna got up on the bar and said, " May I have your attention. Thank-you all for coming, but Tom is exhausted, so we are going to end the party. Thank-you for understanding." Everyone filed past Tom and gave him final hugs and well wishes. At last, he and B'Elanna were alone. "Come on Helmboy, lets get you home." They walked down the hall to Tom's quarters, talking softly about nothing in particular, arms loaded with Tom's gifts. Once they were inside, B'Elanna put down what she was carrying and went into his bedroom. "I let myself in earlier and stashed this here." she called to him. She returned with a box wrapped in shiny metallic blue paper and tied with a matching bow. "I know you like to read." she said as he opened the box. Inside was a collection of hardback books. He pulled them out and read the titles. "The Count of Monte Cristo. How did you know it was my favorite?" "I do listen when you talk." she said "Dracula?" "One of my favorites." "Figures. Sherlock Holmes?" "You said you liked a good mystery." "You do listen, don't you? T'ahan of Vulcan?" "Just in case you and Tuvok ever decide to write together again." "Good idea. Women Warriors at the River of Blood??! B'Elanna!" "You said you wanted to read it." "I guess. Romeo and Juliet?" "Well, you seem to like old classic Earth literature, so I figured you'd like this." "Actually, I do." he pulled out the last book. "Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham? Why did you include this?" B'Elanna was looking at the floor. "I figured it might come in handy for the second half of my present. " she said not looking up. "Which would be?" She lifted her face to look at him. "Wait here and I'll go get it ready. Could you do me a favor and read the Seuss book out loud?" Tom got a totally clueless look on his face, but did it anyway, feeling completely silly as he did. "I am Sam. Sam I am. That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am! B'Elanna, why am I reading this?" "Just do it please!" "Do you like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham. Do you know how silly I feel?" B'Elanna let out a sigh that Tom could hear all the way in the living room. "Nevermind. I'm coming out there anyway." Tom put the book down and turned to see B'Elanna standing in his bedroom doorway wearing a silky red robe. With the same bewildered look on his face he asked, "Why are you wearing that?" "So I can give you your present." This served to only confuse Tom more, but he let it go. "So why was I reading Dr. Seuss?" "When I was a little girl, my father used to read it to my mother." "Your father read your mother Seuss? Why?" "It seems that the words of Seuss have a certain effect on Klingon women." "Effect?" Tom asked feeling more and more like Alice after that rabbit hole thing. B'Elanna sighed. "When my father wanted to put my mother in the mood, he read her Seuss." "In the mood?" "Tom, are you that tired? Dr. Seuss is kind of .. a Klingon aphrodisiac." Tom felt his whole body flush as he took an involuntary step back. "B'Elanna!!" "Is that a no?" "No what?" "No, you don't want to unwrap your present." "What present?" B'Elanna stepped forward and put the end of the robe tie in his hand. "Me." she said huskily. Suddenly Tom realized what she was saying. His heart beat faster and he wasn't tired anymore. He let the tie go and walked over to the table behind him. B'Elanna was starting to wonder if this had been such a good idea when she heard Tom start speaking. "Would you like them here or there? I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-am." That was enough for B'Elanna. She launched herself at him and suddenly they were rolling on the floor kissing. "Are you going to unwrap me or not, Helmboy?" B'Elanna growled into his mouth. "I want to take my time with this present." Tom said softly. "A lot of time." He got up off the floor, and pulled her to her feet. With one swift move, he swept her into his arms and carried her to his bed. ******************************************* Tom looked down at B'Elanna's sleeping form. It had been even more wonderful than he had imagined. She was such a extraordinary woman. He gently rose from the bed and went to look out his living area viewport. This whole crazy night had started right here. But now as he looked out, he didn't feel desperately alone. He had discovered he had friends who thought he was worth something. And then there was B'Elanna. He loved her so much it took his breath away, and she had proven that she loved him too. How did he get so lucky? It had to be luck. His father had told him he wasn't good enough to warrant love. But his father had been wrong about other things. Maybe he was wrong about this. Strong, but gentle arms encircled him from behind. He turned around and wrapped his arms around B'Elanna. "Are you all right?" She asked, worry edging her voice. "I'm fine. Just thinking." "About?" "Life, love, you." "Weighty subjects." "Nah. I was just thinking that maybe my father was wrong. Maybe I can be loved." "Tom, he was definitely wrong. Trust me. You can be loved." "You are a remarkable woman B'Elanna." "You're pretty remarkable yourself. Happy birthday Tom." He leaned down and kissed her gently. She kissed back, softly at first, then more passionately. They broke for air, and Tom stepped away for a minute. When he came back, he was carrying the Dr. Seuss book. "I think I'll keep this by my bed. You never know when I might need it." B'Elanna fixed him with a smile, and they started for the bedroom. "B'Elanna?" "Hmm? " she said, not turning around. "Would you eat them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?" As they got into the bedroom, the sound of Tom's reading was cut off by a loud thump. ******************************************* THE END