The Honored OnesBy: R. MackenzieDate: January 14, 1999Setting:  Disaster strikes Voyager.Disclaimer:  Paramount owns them, I'm just borrowing them."Enter," Captain Kathryn Janeway called as she shut off hercomputer terminal and leaned back in her chair.  She nodded asilent greeting as her first officer, Commander Chakotay, walkedinto her ready room and proceeded to occupy his normal seat infront of her desk.  "Commander?""Captain.  I've finished most of the crew interviews," he saidwhile setting a stack of data padds on the edge of her desk.  "Tosay the least, I'm somewhat amazed at what I found out.""You too," she commented, offering him a friendly, understandingsmile, "I've just finished going through about half of the *ActingCaptain's* logs.  They're quite the read."She stood and walked to the replicator, ordering yet another cup ofcoffee.  The last few days had been filled with a lot of catch upfor not only herself and Chakotay, but Lieutenant Commander Tuvokand Lieutenant Torres as well.  "Would you like anything?" he shookhis head and she returned to her seat."For the abbreviated recap of what I've read thus far," she beganafter taking a sip of the dark liquid to satisfy her addiction,"approximately six months ago, Voyager unintentionally entered amine field.  The resulting damage left her basically dead in spaceand most of the senior staff incapacitated, poisoned by an unknowngas that was released when one of the mines burrowed throughVoyager's hull into the conference room," that thought still sentshivers up her spine.  For six months, *six months,* they were incomas, placed in stasis in the hopes that the doctor would be ableto find a cure and revive them one day.  "After exacting thenecessary repairs, Voyager was put back on course for the AlphaQuadrant.  *The Captain* goes on to give an over review of therepairs and day to day activities that took place over the nextcouple of months.  That's about all I've read thus far," she hadbeen rocking side to side, cradling her cup of coffee as she spoke."That was definitely abbreviated," commented Chakotay.  He smiledat the glare she shot his way.  They were both tired and more thena little confused at the events that had transpired while they were*sleeping*."Want more, read the logs yourself.  Those are the high points, butyou get the gist of it," she retorted, waving a hand at thecomputer screen.  She had spent nearly every waking moment, afterbeing released from sickbay and once she was sure her ship wasstill intact, going over the logs, trying to find out what she hadmissed.  "They're concise and professional.  I didn't think he hadit in him.""You and me both, wait until you see the crew interviews," heignored her inquiring look and continued before she could comment,"Your first order to Tuvok and myself when we began thisinvestigation was to find out why Tom Paris was in the position ofacting Captain..."At this point, Kathryn did interrupt, "You can't tell me it didn'tsurprise you to find out that *Ensign* Tom Paris was Voyager'sActing Captain instead of *Lieutenant* Joe Carey.""I didn't say I wasn't," he retorted, annoyed at having beeninterrupted.  Noting the Captain's raised eyebrow at his tone, hestood, running a tired hand across his face.  "In the last fiveyears I've come to respect Tom Paris and we've been able to put ourpast behind us and form a working relationship.  But that did notprepare me for what I would find out about him while questioningthe crew," gripping the back of the chair he had just beenoccupying, Chakotay looked straight at his commanding officer,"I've been having to reassess a lot of my previous conceptions ofthe man."Kathryn smiled comfortingly at him, watching his jaw work infrustration as he spoke.  As his commanding officer for Tom's briefstint in the Maquis, Chakotay had put up with a Tom Paris that wastotally different from the man they were now discussing- young,cocky and the world's biggest chip on his shoulder.While looking out the view port, Chakotay continued with hisreport, he'd deal with his own inner turmoil later, "After Voyagerstruck the mines, Carey was stuck in engineering, Paris and Kimwere on the bridge.  When they were finally able to get together,Carey flat out refused to take command.  Apparently, Paris had beenbasically running things while Carey was seeing to the immediate,most serious repairs, and there were quite a few of them.  It wasParis that had been making all the decisions, from what to do withthe downed senior staff to whether or not to go forward or backwardin the mine field once the engines were running again.  Careypointed out that he was not on the command track, he was anengineer and he didn't want the job," at this Chakotay stopped andlooked back to the woman sitting behind the desk, "You'd think thatParis would have jumped at the opportunity.  Instead he fought withCarey, telling him that he was next in line, it was his job.  Ittook Carey, and nearly the rest of the crew for that matter,threatening to resign to get Paris to accept.""The crew threatened to resign?" Kathryn asked in amazement.  Tomhad mentioned a *discussion* taking place prior to his assumingcommand, followed by a statement from Carey voluntarily turningcommand of Voyager over to him.  Nothing had been said about a nearmutiny of the crew.Chakotay nodded is head, smiling in consolation at her disbelief,"Every person Paris mentioned with a higher rank then himself,immediately declined.  And anyone with a lesser rank refused also,just to make sure he knew that he was it.  They'd already decidedwho they thought should be in charge, regardless of his recentdemotion or how much he had tried to protest.  Ensign Kim statedthat he'd never seen Paris more flustered.  They gave him nooption."Janeway stared at her first officer.  She knew Paris was capable ofa lot of things, had more faith in him than Tom himself did andeven though she'd had to demote him from the rank of Lieutenant,she had not expected this type of support from the crew.  Thesewere people that for the most part had only recently stopped openlyhating and despising him and yet they chose to rally for him tocommand them.  What a shock."Amazing, isn't it," Chakotay commented at the perplexed look onher face as he reclaimed his seat, he was exhausted physically,mentally and emotionally."By the look on your face, I take it there's more," she hadabandoned her coffee by this time, absently running a hand acrossher forehead."The abbreviated version," he threw the comment back at her with asmile, "Paris accepted command and got them out of there, makingthe decision to go thru the mine field.  Setting a course for home,it took them more than three months before they found a supply ofthe minerals needed to repair Voyager," his dark eyes met hers ashe continued, "Three months of living on rations because the foodsupplies were too low, and the region of space offered no place toreplenish our stores; three months of energy levels being so low,they barely had enough power to maintain a speed of warp two andminimal life support and keep the replicators up for emergency use. They shut down life support and power on all non-essential decks,which meant a lot of the crew were bunking together.""And they didn't kill each other?" Janeway asked incredulously."No," Chakotay responded with a half smile, "There were a couplereports of minor incidences, arguments and the like, but nothingthat couldn't be handled.  Nothing got out of hand.  They wantedParis in charge and no one wanted to make matters any worse thanthey already were.""Apparently, even I have been underrating Mr. Paris's charm andabilities," Janeway's comment reflecting the ever increasingrespect she felt for the young pilot.Chakotay nodded, hesitating before continuing with his nextquestion.  He leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs andclasping his hands in front of him, "What do you know of the attackVoyager suffered about a month ago?"Casting a curious glance at him, absently wondering why he wasjumping so far ahead in the events of the past six months, sherelated what she knew, "Voyager had wandered into yet another areaof space where the locals didn't like trespassers, they preferredattacking to talking.  We suffered heavy damage that they were ableto fix after coming to terms with who ever the race was," Janewaypaused as Chakotay began shaking his head and muttering to himself. Brushing back the strands of auburn hair that had fallen forward onher face, she stated, "I take it that's not all." "You might want to mention to Mr. Paris that details never hurtwhen leaving a log entry, they help accentuate the facts," thecommander responded.  "It was a surprise attack, six of their shipsto our one and they weren't taking any prisoners.  As Mr. Baytartexplained it, Paris did nothing short of preforming a miracle. They'd taken out the warp drive; life support was out on decksseven thru ten; power levels were dropping, rapidly; severalinjuries, some serious, including the acting captain, who by theway refused to be treated until they were out of danger," he shother a look that said 'remind you of anyone else we know'.  Kathrynjust glared at him."And yet he managed to get Voyager out of there intact," hecontinued, "They came to *terms* with their attackers by outthinking and maneuvering them.  There was never any contact made,they refused to answer any of our hails.  It took them three daysto get out of their space and to get the warp drive and lifesupport functioning again.  They barely had enough power to limp tothe next port.  What should have only taken a couple of days traveltook more than two weeks.  Using what can only be termed as thefamous Paris charm, he made nice with our current hosts and wasable to get Voyager the supplies and materials she needed.""Wow," was Janeway's only response to the tale.  The ActingCaptain's logs, what she had read of them, left a lot to be desiredon the finer detail side of things.  "Definitely going to talk toParis about his log keeping," *And quite a few other things,* shethought to herself.  "So where does that leave us?""Thanks to the Valtarians, ship's repairs stand at 90% complete,the rest to be finished within the next four days, two if B'Elanahas her way," after her release from sickbay, the excitablehalf-Klingon had stormed down to engineering to find out what Careyhad done to her engine room in her absence.  Chakotay noted Carey'srelief that the chief was back, that the responsibility was nolonger resting so heavily on his shoulders.  "All the injured havebeen taken care of, including Mr. Paris.  The Doctor reports thathe has been able to finally heal the injury to his right hip andleg, and with some rest and physical therapy, he should regaintotal use of it.""Should?" that didn't really convince her that the young pilotwould be all right, "What aren't you telling me, Chakotay?"Leaning back in the chair, Chakotay again ran a hand over his face,"He waited a long time to have the surgery, Kathryn, the damage wasextensive.  Plus there was a good amount of infection.  The Doctorsaid that's probably what caused his collapse."Kathryn closed her eyes and shook her head.  It had been a shock tosee Tom Paris's unconscious body beamed to sickbay just hours aftershe and the others had been revived.  She and Chakotay had beenlistening to the Doctor brag about his great abilities at not onlyfinding an antidote, but one that worked so rapidly and with noapparent side effects when the call for emergency transport camein.  They were immediately ejected from the room so the Doctorcould work.  Not knowing what had happened, they began theirinvestigation in earnest."Harry said he refused to have anything done other than thesuperficial treatment until Voyager was safe, and even then, therewas so much to do..." he didn't see the need to say the rest."He should have gotten it taken care of immediately," Kathrynground out between clenched teeth."Should have, yes, but he happens to be a lot like another captainI know," he was smiling softly at her, "always putting the shipbefore herself.""He shouldn't have done it," she stated trying to keep her angerunder control.Chakotay just shrugged.  This was a battle that Captain Janeway wasgoing to have to fight with herself.  If she needed to talk he'd bethere, just like always, but he wasn't going to initiate thisparticular conversation with either of them.They sat in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.  For them ithad been a moment in passing, for their crew it had been months ofstruggling to stay alive."So, now what?" Kathryn finally asked.Voyager's first officer tried not to smile, "Diplomatic niceties. Apparently the fact that Voyager was able to make it out ofLez'Kentiv space in one piece, more or less, has made us quite thetopic of conversation.  The Prime Minister has requested anaudience with 'The Honored Ones', as he put it.  They want us toattend some type of reception."Kathryn snorted, reclaiming her cup of coffee, "Just what we need.""Actually, I think it is," replied Chakotay."Come again?" Kathryn stopped mid-sip, almost choking on the nowlukewarm, brown liquid, "You hate these 'diplomatic niceties' morethan I do.""Yes, but this one isn't for us, it's for our crew," he leanedforward again to get his point across, "While the four of us -you,me, Tuvok and Torres- were sleeping the time away, they werefighting to stay alive and keep this ship, *your* ship, in onepiece," he watched her to make sure she understood the import ofhis words, "They deserve the recognition for their efforts."Kathryn just nodded her head, the meaning of his words sinking in. She began to wonder just what had been said during the crew'sinterviews.  "All right, schedule the whatever, but make sure thatit's not until Mr. Paris is able to attend.  He is after all the*Acting Captain of the Honored Ones*."Chakotay smiled, grateful that she understood what lengths the crewwere willing to go to for her, "If there's nothing else?"  He stoodand turned to leave, there were still a few things that needed tobe dealt with before he could turn in for the night."Commander," he stopped and turned back to face his commandingofficer, "Thank you."Smiling, Chakotay nodded and walked out of the room.  Kathrynwatched him leave and then turned to gaze out the view port, hermind churning over the things that she had been told.*****"Are you sure we had to come to this?" Forced to put on his dressuniform, Tom stood uncomfortably, with the help of a set ofcrutches, in between his best friends Ensign Harry Kim andLieutenant B'Elana Torres as they waited for their hosts to escortthem into the reception hall.  Through no fault of his own, or sohe had tried to claim, they were the last three to arrive for thegrand event."Come on Tom, this could be fun," Harry stated while trying to keepthe excitement he was feeling out of his voice by concentrating ontheir surroundings.  He noted that the Valtarians weren't a flashypeople, but they certainly knew how to decorate.  Everything wasalive with warm, rich colors.  Their buildings and landscapesblending with the natural color and texture of the land.  Quite anamazing feat of architecture and design.  Plus their hospitalityhad been incredible, he couldn't wait for the night to begin."Besides," added B'Elana as she leaned over to straighten hisuniform, "as *Acting Captain*, you had no choice."Brushing her hands away, he snorted at her comment while trying tomaintain his balance.  He couldn't understand why the reception wastaking place and why it was necessary for the entire crew toattend.  If things had gone his way, he would have stayed onVoyager, hiding out in his quarters.  Unfortunately, the Doctor hadagreed to go along with everyone else and had declared him fitenough to attend for a little while.  After five days under theDoctor's care, torture as Tom referred to it, he just wanted tocrawl into his own bed and try for a good nights sleep.  A nightwithout having to worry or feel responsible for anything.  Insteadhe was standing in an itchy uniform trying hard not to let hisannoyance get the better of him.A Valtarian man dressed in a long sleeve, floor length, dark bluerobe walked toward the trio.  He bowed to them respectfully andthen motioned for them to walk with him down the hallway to hisleft.  Harry fell into step by the man as they started off.Noting Tom's use of crutches to help him walk, their host asked,"Do you require a mobile transport?""A what?" asked Harry."No, I don't need a wheel chair," Tom quickly declined the offer,trying not to let his embarrassment show.  He focused his attentionmore intently on working the awkward crutches the Doc had forcedhim to use, stating that his injury was still not sufficient healedfor him to attempt to walk without assistance.  Not that he wouldargue, he still couldn't put any weight on the injured leg withoutfeeling intense pain and having it collapse under him."Tom, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea," B'Elana offered.  She knewthat he was still in a lot of pain and if this would help alleviatesome of it, she saw no reason not to accept the proffered help."I'm fine," Tom cast a glance her way to get his point across, hewas not going to be treated like an invalid and be wheeled into thereception.Harry tried not laugh as B'Elana bit her tongue to keep fromcommenting further.  This night was for Tom and he knew she didn'twant it to start off with a fight that she had caused.  Nothingfurther was said as the trio continued down the hall, walkingslowly to accommodate Tom's unease on the crutches.With his head down, concentrating on keeping himself upright andmoving forward, Tom didn't realize they had reached theirdestination until he heard someone yell for the crew to come toattention.  Stopping just in the doorway, he raised his head tofind the entire assembly, even the locals, were standing asordered, eyes focused on the stage where the Valtarian Ambassadorstood, ready to address his audience."Honored Captain, we are pleased that you could join us thisevening."Tom turned his head to see if Janeway had some how slipped inbehind them.Trying not to laugh, Harry leaned over to clarify things for hisfriend, "He's talking to you, Tom.""Me?" he couldn't hide the confusion in his voice, "I'm not theCaptain," he stated adamantly.  Had there been somemis-communication while he was in sickbay?  Surely someone wouldhave told their hosts that Janeway was the Captain, he had justbeen the reluctant fill in.  He wondered what she must be thinkingof all this and inwardly began to cringe.  Just how much troublewas he going to be in?"Mr. Paris."Tom turned to see Captain Kathryn Janeway making her way over tothem.  He stood still, waiting for her anger to explode all overhim.  This was the first time he had seen her since she hadregained consciousness.  He figured she was angry with him fortaking command and had been too busy with correcting his mistakesto come and punish him.  But instead of a hissy fit, she justsmiled at him reassuringly and placing her hand on his arm, beganto lead him toward the stage.Not understanding what was going on, Tom allowed himself to be ledforward.  The Captain stayed with him until he was standing centerstage, to the right of their host, the Valtarian Ambassador.  Asshe released his arm, Tom cast a questioning glance behind him ashe watched her join the rest of the senior staff who were alsostanding at attention.  He watched in total confusion as Harry andB'Elana took their places, also taking on the rigid pose."Honored Captain Paris, it is our privilege..."He turned to face the Ambassador as the man continued to speak, notunderstanding what was going on.  Sensing that maybe he was introuble after all, his heart began to beat faster and his handsbegan to sweat.  He didn't think he wanted to know what was goingto happen."...is rare when someone of your integrity and virtue makes theirway to our edge of space...."The pounding in his chest moved to his head, making it hard to hearwhat was being said.  Was this guy really talking about him? "...a pleasure to met your people...."Tom's wide, blue eyes wandered over the faces in the room, waitingfor someone to stand up and start laughing, letting him know thatthe joke was on him.  The faces were solemn, a few people weresmiling, but no one was laughing."....for your unwavering bravery and strength...."Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tom glanced behind him expectingto find the Captain staring daggers at him.  Instead, she met hishesitant gaze with a warm, comforting smile.  He felt like cryingand he wasn't even sure why."....with great honor and reverence that I bestow upon you mypeople's greatest honor, the Jemblat...."He watched as a little girl, all dressed up for the occasion,walked over to the ambassador from the right side of the stage andpresented him with a long, thin box.  Patting her on the head, hetook the box and lifted the lid to show it's contents to thegathered group."....was created to remember with honor a man of our history thatgave his life defending our people from an enemy without worth. His sacrifice has made our existence possible today..."The crew watched in fascination as Tom's normally pale skin turneda bright shade of red as the Ambassador spoke.  For them it wasentertaining to see the man who never stopped talking or jokingstanding there looking shell shocked and totally speechless."...for your actions that made it possible for your crew to standwith us today, we bestow this most sacred honor upon you as areminder to all of the man you are."He motioned for Tom to lean down while he reverently removed themedallion from its case, handing the discarded box to the littlegirl, and placing the ribbon over his head.  The Ambassadorcarefully straightened the material, making sure the medallion hungperfectly before stepping back.  Tom continued to just stare athim.Offering the obviously embarrassed man a reassuring smile, theAmbassador continued with the night's next presentation, "YourCaptain Janeway wishes to say something to you as well."All Tom could think that now he was going to get it.Stepping forward, Janeway tried not to laugh at the bewildered lookon Tom's face.  When the Valtarians had told her what they hadplanned for this evening, she could think of no better opportunityto let Tom know that she was just as grateful for everything thathe had done and gone thru for her, the crew and Voyager.  Smilingup at him, she began."Several months ago, I made a decision based on your actions and Itook something from you that I felt you no longer deserved tohave," she knew he would understand what she meant without havingto go into detail, "In that same regard, based on your actionsagain, tonight I am not only returning to you that which was takenaway, but something that you have more than earned," stepping up tohim, she placed two pips on his collar, one solid gold and theother black ringed in gold.As she completed fastening his new assessories, Tom brought ashaking hand up to feel them for himself.  His wide, disbelievingeyes watched as Janeway's smiled deepened and she whispered,"Congratulations, Mr. Paris, very well deserved."She then placed a supporting hand on his arm, moving to stand byhis side.  Raising her voice she made her announcement, "Ladies andgentlemen, it is my pleasure and honor to present to you LieutenantCommander Thomas Eugene Paris."Taking their cue, everyone burst into thunderous applause, manyadding their cheers of approval.  Rumor had it that Janeway wasgoing to re-instate Paris's former rank, but no one had expectedher to take it even further.  Not that they didn't believe hedidn't deserve it.  They all knew that if it hadn't been for him,they probably wouldn't have made it and this was their way ofletting him know how grateful they were for everything that he haddone.For his part, Tom was trying very hard not to fall over in shock. He had been expecting to be in trouble, not to be honored as sometype of hero and definitely not to be promoted.The Ambassador stepped forward again, bring up his hands to silencethe exuberant crowd.  Once everyone had settled down, he began withhis next surprise, "I have had many an opportunity to talk with Mr.Paris and others during your stay with us and it has been notedthat Honorary Captain Paris has a gift and a love of flying. Therefore, we wish to give him this."As he gestured to the back of the room, everyone turned as the backwall began to open at the middle, the great walls moving silentlyaway to reveal their surprise.  Tom felt Kathryn's grip tighten onhis arm as they saw his gift- a shuttle craft."We hope that it meets with your approval," said the Ambassador,beaming with pride.  As a people they chose not to show off or bragabout their technology and abilities, but they had wanted to givesomething special to this man.  Especially after hearing that hehad nearly died because of his refusal to seek treatment for aninjury until his people and ship were safe.  While helping repairtheir great Starship, the Valtarian engineers had learned enoughabout Starfleet technology and specifications to build this smallcraft that was now being presented.Tom could only stand there, gaping at his *gift*.  He didn't knowwhat he could possibly say, thank you didn't seem enough.  Why werethey doing this for him?  What had he done that was so special?  Hehad done his job, albeit one he hadn't wanted, one that he felt anynumber of people could have done better.  And why was he beingsingled out?  Why were they only *honoring* him?  This had been agroup effort, the whole crew had gotten them to this point, not himalone.  As his thoughts began to swirl, he was vaguely aware thatit was becoming difficult to breath.Seeing his distress, the Doctor made a beeline for the young man,and with help had him seated on a chair, running a tricorder overhim.  Checking the results, the Doctor then insisted that Tom bereturned to Voyager, he'd had enough excitement for one night.The Ambassador instantly became apologetic for causing the mandistress.  Tom tried to tell him that he had nothing to apologizefor, but no words would come out of his mouth. He could hearJaneway reassuring the Ambassador, saying something about him justhaving over done it in his condition.  The next thing he knew, hewas back in sickbay being helped onto *his* bio-bed by the Doc andB'Elana.  As his head touched the pillow, his mind shut down, hehad had enough for one day.*****Tom stood in the shuttle bay looking at Voyager's newest addition,*The Jemblat*.  He still couldn't believe everything that hadhappened, even now, a month after that night.He shook his head.  The details were still sketchy, no matter howhard he tried to recall what had happened.  He awoke in sickbay thefollowing day thinking it had all been a dream, only to have theDoctor inform him that it had all really happened.  Tom inwardlycringed, if in fact the events had taken place, he must have lookedlike one major idiot standing there with his mouth hanging open,not being able to say anything.Three days later he was released from sickbay and gratefullyescaped to his own quarters, collapsing on his couch.  He sat,thankful for the solitude, and tried to come to terms witheverything that had happened having had very little time to himselfwhile in sickbay to think things through.  From the time he awoke,the stream of visitors had been steady and constant, only stoppingwhen the Doctor insisted that he be allowed to rest and even then,B'Elana or Harry were always with him.As everyone expressed their congratulations and happiness at hispromotion and the honor that the Valtarians had bestowed on him, hefound himself at a loss.  These people didn't like him, had spentyears never letting him forget what they thought of him and yet nownone of that seemed to be true anymore.  Had he really, finelyproven himself to them?And if that were the case, why didn't he feel more at ease witheverything?He jumped as a pair of arms slide around him from behind, wrappingthemselves around his waist, bringing him out of his thoughts. Recognizing who it was from their touch and the smell of plasmacoolant, he leaned back into the embrace."You seemed so far away, are you okay?"Tom smiled at his lover's concern, pulling her around to wrap hisown arms around her, "Just admiring my new toy," he repliedoff-handedly.B'Elana looked into his blue eyes as he spoke, seeing his truefeelings of gratitude and amazement reflected there.  Smiling up athim, she brought her head down to rest on his shoulder, loving thefeel of his arms around her, "Just try not to get this one blownup," she replied jokingly.His arms tightened around her and he brought his head down to resthis cheek against her forehead.  As they stood there, enjoying eachother's comforting embrace, B'Elana brought her hand up to hiscollar, feeling the three pips that were there.  She could feel Tomsmiling as she fingered them."You're going to wear them down to nothing before I get toofficially try them out."She grinned as he spoke, "Just making sure they're real."He kissed the top of her head and pulled away, taking a few stepstoward the shuttle.  She watched him go, noticing the slight limpas he walked.  The Doctor had said that with a few more weeks ofphysical therapy that his leg should be back to 100%, the limp goneforever."Want to tell me what's wrong?" she asked.  The joking, easy goingTom Paris from before the incident was slowly coming back to them,but there were times when his mood would turn to one that waspensive and thoughtful, like now.  They had spent many a nighttalking about the things that had happened, how close they had cometo losing each other, his sacrifices for Voyager.  She couldn'tbelieve that he still thought himself unworthy of the promotion hehad been given and how embarrassed he still felt about all theattention and recognition that was being bestowed on him.Not looking at her, he shrugged his shoulders.  He had talked allthis through with her before.  She had helped him to understand andaccept things as they stood, but there were times when hisself-doubts got the better of him and he began to think thatJaneway had made a big mistake and it was his job to find a way tostraighten her out.  Not that she would change her mind, she'd madethat quite clear already.  He smiled as he remembered theastonished look on the Captain's face when he told her he didn'tthink he deserved the promotion.  She had given him quite theearful that day.Taking a deep breath he turned to find B'Elana with her armsfolded, staring at him, waiting for an answer.  Smiling, he walkedback over to her, "Last minute jitters," he stated with moreconfidence than he felt.  Leaning down he placed a kiss on herforehead, "We better go.  Don't want to be late for my first dayback."B'Elana smiled at him, she knew he wasn't telling her what wasreally going on in that head of his, but she wasn't going to push. He'd tell her when he was ready to and not before.  Allowing him toslip his arm around her shoulders, they made their way out of theshuttle bay.  As they walked to the turbolift, they were greeted bya few crew members who whole heartedly welcomed Tom back, makingsure they emphasised his rank as they said it.  She tried not tolaugh at his discomfort, not making a comment on the shade of redhis normally pale skin had turned.Leaning against the wall of the turbolift, he closed his eyes andheaved a sigh as the doors slid shut, whisking them to the bridge. He kept telling himself that he could do this, he could show themthat their confidence and faith in him hadn't been misplaced.  AsB'Elana slid her hand in his, he opened his eyes seeing nothing butlove and support in her gaze.  Putting a smile on his face, heleaned over to plant a thank you kiss on her cheek and gave herhand a reassuring squeeze.  Putting his nervousness to the back ofhis mind, he released her hand and straightened his uniform, tryingto show more confidence in himself than he really felt.As the doors slid open, he stepped onto the bridge, ready to facewhatever came his way.The End.