FATHERS Warning: The following story is the product of a person with no life (i.e. me). Read at your own risk. Paramount owns the Star Trek Universe, the characters, the technobabble, and the ship. I just decided to sneak into their holodeck for a little while. This is what I programmed intoit. ***** As his hand touched the far side of the pool, he did a quick turn and started for the other side. In the distance, he could hear a familiar voice calling to him, "Faster Thomas! You're at least two seconds slow." Disobeying the voice, he slowed his pace. *What does he think this is some sort of a race?* he thought as he reached the end of the pool. "Thomas," the voice began, "you've disappointed me again. You were five seconds slow. How do you ever expect to win a race with a time like that?" As he began to pull himself out of the water the figure stepped to block the edge of the pool. "Thomas, you will answer me when I ask you a question. Why did you slow down?" "I might answer you if you'll let me out of the pool." As the figure backed away, he pulled his long body out of the water. Turning toward the changing room, he began to walk away from the figure. "Thomas!" the man barked. *Why did I have to program HIM into this program?* he wondered *All I have to do is* "Computer, delete the admiral." A sly grin appeared on his face as the figure disappeared. *Much better.* He picked up a towel and used it to dry his wet face before he went to change. *Of all the people I could have used for this program, why did I have to pick him. Paris, sometimes you can be a complete idiot.* "Computer, end program" He barely noticed the fading surroundings as he exited the holodeck. The door to the turbolift slid shut behind a very edgy B'Elanna Torres. "Bridge." *Calm down Torres, you can make it to the end of your shift.* she thought. *You've only got thirty more minutes. You can make it that long without killing someone. As long as you don't see anyone...* She looked up as the door to the lift opened revealing a very relaxed Tom Paris. *If he says a single word to me I'll kill him.* "Deck two. B'Elanna." *He's a dead man.* "Paris." *Paris? What did I do this time? Whatever you do, don't say anything stupid.* "Long day?" The look on her face almost made him wince. *Smart Tom, really smart. Now she looks like she is ready to bite your head off.* "Don't even start Paris." "Okay" *Fine, if you don't want to talk about work, we won't.* "Are you going to be at Sandrine's tonight?" "Drop it Paris." "Drop what?" "Just drop it." *Now why did I tell him that? I want to see him tonight.* "Look, B'Elanna..." Tom was cut off when B'Elanna's comm badge chirped. "Engineering to Torres." "Torres here" "Sir, we are experiencing a problem with the gel packs. We may have to take the systems off line for a while." "Will I be needed in engineering?" "No sir. I think that..." the voice was cut off as the lift jerked to a stop, and the emergency lights came on. *Calm Torres, stay calm.* *Okay Paris, watch what you say, she looks ready to blow up.* "Well, I suppose this means that Sandrine's is out of the question." *Smart Paris, real smart.* "Sandrine's! Is that all you can think about? Yourself? Look Paris, I don't know if you have noticed, but we are stuck in a turbolift. We only have emergency power, and Ensign Vorick is in charge of Engineering. I don't know how things can get much worse, and all you can think about is getting to Sandrine's tonight." "Lighten up Torres, it was a joke." "A joke. You know, Paris, I've always wondered how you could make jokes in situations like these." "Easy. It's one of the things I learned from my father. At least I'm not the one pacing like a caged lion." "I'm not pacing. Besides, I can't stand being here when I should be in engineering. Maybe, there's some way to..." "Look, B'Elanna, I'm sure that Vorick can handle anything that may come up for a while. Just relax. We'll get out when the power comes back on." "Paris, if I didn't know better, I might think that you enjoy being stuck in a turbolift with me." *Oh believe me, I do.* Tom thought as a mischievous smile formed on his face. "B'Elanna, why don't you try to relax. Sit down, lie down, take a nap, whatever. I won't bite." *But I do.* Tom lowered his body to the floor and rested his head against the wall. Finally deciding that he might have a good idea, B'Elanna decided to join him. As she sat down, her face came within inches of his blond hair. She noticed a faint smell of chlorine mixed with soap. "Tom, why does your hair smell like chlorine?" *Stupid question Torres, stupid question.* "I've been swimming on the holodeck. I thought that I washed all the chlorine out. You smelled it?" "Swimming? You went swimming on the holodeck?" "Yes, I programmed a pool house into the holodeck. It didn't start out with the chlorine, but something was missing. The chlorine made it feel more realistic. So, I added it to my program." *Along with some other things.* Torres leaned her head into the wall of the turbolift and closed her eyes. Paris turned to shift into a more comfortable position. As he turned his head, his mouth came within inches of her head. *Thomas, don't even think about it. She'd wring your neck.* he thought as he moved into another position. "Tom?" "Yes B'Elanna?" *Why didn't you, * "Why did you, " *kiss me when,* "program a," *you had the chance?* "swimming pool on the holodeck?" *Torres, that's not what you wanted to ask!* "I like to swim." he answered. *And that's not what you wanted to ask, is it?* "When I was a child, it was one of the only ways that I could live up to my father's expectations." "He really demanded a lot from you didn't he?" "Yes, he did. I always felt that I disappointed him. That I never made him proud." "I know how you must have felt." "B'Elanna, you have no idea. There is no possible way that you could know what it was like." "Look helmboy, you're not the only person who had a problem with their fathers." "Maybe, but they never had my father. Funny thing is, when I added the chlorine to the pool program, there was still something missing. It took me a while to realize what that was. For years, I swam in competitions. My father was never there, not even once. He was always working, on a ship, in another galaxy, but never there. When he came home, he would ask how many meets I had won. He never cared about me, only winning. I don't think that he saw me in a pool more than five times over three years. I never once made the connection between the pool and my father. Today over lunch, Harry started talking about his family. Then, when I started the holo-program, I decided to program in my father. For the first time, the program felt real." "But, if you don't like you father, why did you put him in your program?" "B'Elanna, I think we need to change your name to Sigmund Freud." "Better make that Dr. Fraud, Paris." *Bad pun B'Elanna, but at least you don't look ready to bite my head off any more.* "I don't know. I had to delete him in order to change back into a uniform. He kept badgering me about why I was five seconds slow." *Ask about her Paris. She want's to talk.* "So, what was your father like?" "Well, I uh..., I don't really know." "You don't know?" "No, I don't." *I don't know a single thing about what my father was like.* "I never really knew him that well." "You never wanted to know why he left? I would have." "It didn't really matter. I always knew that he left because I was too Klingon for him. That my being born with these," Torres raised a hand to the ridges on her forehead, "bothered him. I wasn't human enough for him. That's why he left." "Didn't you ever stop to think that there may have been another reason for his leaving?" "Okay, Paris, who's the fraud now?" "Me, but that wasn't an answer." "Maybe I didn't want to answer." "Oh, come on Torres, I answered your questions." "Except when you decided to change the subject." "Me, change the subject. I wouldn't do that." "Oh, yes you did." B'Elanna rose to her feet and began to stretch her arms. "I can't stand sitting in one place for any length of time." Following her example, Tom rose to his feet also. "And who, may I ask, is changing the subject this time." "I am." she answered. Suddenly the lights to the turbolift came back on. The lift jerked to a start, causing Torres to loose her balance. Tom grabbed her by the waist to keep her from falling. Slowly, he stepped back from her. *Always the gentleman, aren't you Thomas.* The turbolift doors slid open and he turned to walk out. "Later Torres." *I should have. She would have killed me. Doesn't matter. Too late now.* "So, do you think she'll be here?" "What? I'm sorry Harry, did you say something?" "Tom, are you all right? You haven't heard a single thing I've said all night." "I'm fine Harry. I've just been thinking about some things, that's all. What was that you asked again?" "I said, do you think that B'Elanna will be here? She was in a bad mood all shift long, and I don't think that the gel pack failure helped the situation either." "I don't know Harry, I saw her in the turbolift earlier, she wasn't in such a bad mood when I left." "Tom, are you blind?" *No, but I can be a complete idiot.* "Maybe I am Harry, maybe I am." The door to Sandrine's closed behind her. Tom Paris and Harry Kim looked up to see who had entered the room only to see B'Elanna Torres walking over to their table. ***** The End