Rating: PG-13 Synopsis: Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres are celebrating their 2nd anniversary as a couple and the special gifts they are going to give each other reflect their devotion and deep love for each other. Disclaimer: All Star Trek Voyager characters belong to Paramount. This story is just a product of my imagination. I hope you like it. :-) The story is P/T but focuses more on B'Elanna. Any and all comments welcome please! Special Gifts by Timina@aol.com 7/10/97 B'Elanna Torres' dark brown eyes were shining with excitement as she eagerly unwrapped the silver-wrapped gift Tom Paris had placed in her hands. Although the Klingon half of her regarded gift-giving as frivolous, her human side loved it. She couldn't wait to see what Tom had gotten her. Last year, to celebrate their first anniversary as a couple, he had given her a complete set of Dr. Seuss books which, needless to say, gave them hours of great pleasure. She lifted off the cover and brushed aside the tissue paper. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes flew to Tom in astonished surprise. "Tom!" "Happy anniversary, B'Elanna!" She reached inside the box and pulled out... "Teddy! It's Teddy! I don't know what to say." "Say that you like him," Tom grinned at her. He already knew that B'Elanna adored Teddy. His thoughts flew to the first night they had spent together in his quarters. B'Elanna had hugged and kissed Teddy. Tom had pretended to be wildly jealous of the bear and B'Elanna had playfully given him a hug and a kiss as well. And then it just sort of eventually evolved into a light-hearted ritual of theirs whenever B'Elanna was in Tom's quarters. Kiss Teddy. Kiss Tom. It was a ritual they both thoroughly enjoyed. Tom opened his arms and she melted into them and their mouths met in a p assionate kiss. As they kissed, B'Elanna was thinking, *Tom is actually giving me his Teddy? The last memento he has of his mother?* She pulled away for a moment, doubt in her eyes. "Tom, are you sure you want to give me Teddy? I know how much he means to you." "I'm sure, B'Elanna. I want you to have him." The past two years they had been together as a couple were the happiest of his life and he had wanted to show B'Elanna how much he really loved her. It seemed so right to give her the object that meant the most to him. His Teddy. B'Elanna squeezed Teddy in a big hug. "I promise I'll take good care of you, Teddy," she pledged. She looked at Teddy and confessed in a loud stage whisper, "I have a gift for Tom, too, you know." An eager boyish smile graced Helmboy's face. He wondered if it would be something as fun as the Klingon targ stuffed toy B'Elanna had given him last year. B'Elanna continued her conversation with Teddy. "I only hope he likes it. I've never shown it to anyone - not to Harry, not even to Chakotay. It's something I've kept since I was a child and I don't even know why I kept it all these years," she confided to Teddy's unhearing ears. There was something strangely comforting about talking to Teddy. She could understand now why Tom kept him. Tom turned serious upon hearing B'Elanna's words. He had tried before to get her to talk about her life before she joined Starfleet Academy and the Maquis but she was tight-lipped about it and he respected her wish not to delve further into it. He was touched, pleased and honored all at the same time that she was finally sharing something from her past with him. "I'll go get it now," B'Elanna told Teddy and she set him down carefully on a chair. She stood up and strode to her bedroom. When she came back, Tom could see her clutching a square-looking object wrapped in some flowery paper. B'Elanna sat down beside Tom and smiled wryly as she handed it to him. "Sorry about the wrapping. I don't really have that much experience with gifts." The wrapping was lopsided but to Tom it was the most charming thing he'd seen. He started carefully peeling away the tape. "For god's sakes, Tom, just tear it off," B'Elanna said impatiently. She was nervous about her gift and the slow deliberate way he was unwrapping it was driving her crazy. Tom quirked a grin at her and she realized he was teasing her. She shook her head at him hopelessly and smacked him on the arm. A piece of dark wood peeked out where the wrapping had torn off. With one quick motion, he ripped off the rest of the wrapping and found himself holding a picture frame. In its center, behind the glass partition, was an image of a young girl, about 4 to 5 years old he guessed, being held in the arms of a smiling older man whom he supposed was the girl's father. The picture frame held the smell and patina of age and Tom wondered why B'Elanna would give him a picture of a little girl and her father. But as he peered closer at the picture, he could see clearly now the tiny ridges on the girl's forehead and, with a sudden realization, he knew whose picture it was he held. "B'Elanna, this is you!" It was amazing! He couldn't have pictured B'Elanna as a little girl. He always thought of her as this strong confident woman. She nodded, her gaze focused on the picture. "I wanted to give you something special for our anniversary. For some reason, I suddenly thought of this picture and it just seemed very important to me to give this to you. I guess because it showed a happy time in my life and that's what I want us to always have: happy times." Tom looked at B'Elanna and silently vowed to provide her with just that. "I'll treasure this always," Tom promised. If it was possible to love someone even more, B'Elanna felt it at that moment. She knew that Tom would understand the importance of that picture. She rested her head on his shoulder, tracing the picture with a finger. "After my father left, my mother threw out everything she could lay her hands on that reminded her of him. This picture was in my room and I was so afraid she would throw it away too so I hid it from her. I hated him so much for abandoning us but I still wanted to keep something of him with me." A single tear ran down her cheek. She angrily wiped it off, unwilling to let the bitter memories of those times take control but it was no use. She still hadn't forgiven her father for leaving them. For leaving her. But despite all that, she knew one unshakeable truth: she still loved her father. "Oh Tom! I still miss him!" she cried, sobs shaking her body. Tom put down the picture frame and enveloped B'Elanna in a comforting embrace. He let her cry, knowing that she needed this release. Eventually, her tears were spent and she just let herself be held in Tom's arms. "Are you okay?" Tom asked tenderly. B'Elanna swiped at her cheeks. "I got your shirt all wet," noticing the big splotch on Tom's shirt. A little wetness was the last thing on his mind. "You didn't answer my question." "I'm okay," she said and she was relieved to realize that it was true. She did feel a little better. Her Klingon mother considered crying to be a sign of weakness; a human frailty. But this time, B'Elanna felt that it had strengthened her somehow. The painful memories of her childhood were no longer so intense, receding in the backwash of healing tears and allowing the happier memories to float to the surface. Tom stroked her hair. "B'Elanna, there's nothing wrong about missing your father." He let out a deep breath. "You want to know a secret? I still cry for my mom sometimes." B'Elanna gave a small smile at that, looking up at him. "You do?" "Oh yeah," he replied. "Especially on her birthdays. After she died, I was so angry at her for leaving me I even started hating her, but..." "But?" B'Elanna prodded gently. "I couldn't hate her for very long because deep in my heart I love her. And I still miss her too." Tom's words comforted and calmed B'Elanna immeasurably. She realized it was alright to have these conflicting feelings of love and hate for the father that abandoned her. And she was convinced that, with time and Tom's patient understanding, she would finally be able resolve these feelings about her father and eventually forgive him in her heart. "Thank you," B'Elanna said quietly, laying a hand on Tom's cheek. He reached up and covered her hand with his own. "I love you, B'Elanna." "I love you, Tom." Their lips met in an ardent, burning kiss that reaffirmed their devotion to each other. Tom was a little surprised when, moments later, B'Elanna giggled softly against his lips. "What?" he asked. Actually, he was glad to hear B'Elanna laugh. It had been an emotional evening. "Since Teddy is now mine, you do know what this means of course?" His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at the impish look on her face. "No...." B'Elanna smiled. She had been thinking about their previous ritual with Teddy. "From now on, you're going to have to give me a kiss before I let you hug Teddy." Tom's eyes crinkled with merriment as he thought of the pleasurable aspects of this new arrangement. "And not just any ordinary kiss, mind you. I like them long and wet and..." B'Elanna's description of the proper kiss was abruptly cut off as Tom swooped down on her and he proceeded to demonstrate just how much he intended to earn the privilege of hugging Teddy. The End Comments/feedback?