The Promise Continues
By Betty Phipps (Aries4116@aol.com)

Although it was a dream, it still bothered B'Elanna Torres.  It still ached 
from inside of her heart, Tom's death, Harry's pain and her fear of losing 
him. She couldn't forget.
     The mess hall was quiet at 03:00 in the morning. Most were on duty or in 
bed asleep.  Sleep was something that she couldn't do right now.
     It had been a couple of months since the dream haunted her. It did from 
time to time and  ached like it just happened. She stared down into the mug 
of coffee in her hands. Looking for a clue or a hint on how to deal with this 
feeling that did not go away. Even though Tom was alive and being his usual 
self.

Then there was her dream, a child chasing after her in the tall grass, 
laughing as she picked him up and held him. The child was her and Tom's.  His 
smile was just like Tom's and the faint ridges were from her.  The feeling of 
having a child who filled her heart with joy, was overwhelming.  And it was 
just a dream. Was this something in the future? Was she going to have 
children someday?  Would Tom be the father?
     Sitting the mug down, she sighed, "Too many questions, not enough 
answers." What she really wanted to do was to talk to Tom.  He was the only 
one who knew about the dream. He would listen to her. She stood up and left 
the mess hall.

Tom Paris was dreaming when the door chimes blared in the quiet quarters. 
Slowly he lifted his head off the pillow to look at the chronomoter. 03:05.  
In the morning no less.
     "Good Heavens!!  Why at 3 in the morning?"  he mumbled getting out of 
bed and slowly stumbling to the door.

The opened before B'Elanna to reviel a half asleep and half dressed Tom 
Paris.  He leaned against the frame as the light from the corridor hit his 
eyes.
     "Hmmmmmm...." Looking at him closely, she noted his hair was tousled and 
a patch was sticking up behind his ear. Stubble shadowed his usually smooth 
face. Following from his face to his bare chest which was covered in golden 
hair, then down to his stomach which was covered just as well to the black 
pair of shorts that hung low on his hips. Grinning to herself, *I must 
remember to wake him like this more often.*
     "Sorry to bother you Tom.  I need someone to talk to."  She said 
quietly.
     "3 in the morning...B'Elanna...ohhh...okay."  He sleepily said and 
stepped back to let her in. He was slowly waking up, not enough for his mind 
to register that B'Elanna was there in his quarters.  "Let me get my robe."
      She giggled as he stumbled back towards the bedroom and sat down in the 
chair.

Tom returned wearing his blue robe and sat down in the chair across from her.
        "So what is it you want to talk to me about?"
        "Are you awake enough to listen?"  She grinned.
        "I'm awake enough to listen."  He said stifling a yawn.

"Remember that night you tuck me in bed and Tabitha told me a bedtime story?"   
Tom nodded at the memory.  "I had a dream about running through a field of 
grass being chased by a small boy."  Her voice wavered some but continued.  
"He had your smile and your laugh.  He had my ridges and dark hair. Then I 
began to tell him a story about a "Promise To".  I was happy. Truly happy."
      "What is wrong with that?"   He said resting his elbows on his knees.
      "You were not there."
Tom did not realize how much this had bothered her, until now.  She was back 
at work a few days later and didn't seem at all upset about what happened in 
the dream. But B'Elanna was one to never really let on how she felt about 
anything.
     "B'Elanna, why didn't you say something if this was bothering you?"

"I don't know how to talk about these feelings. I mean, they seem so foolish, 
but I have them.  I've been facing these feelings since.....that in my 
dream..you died."  Her voice stopped suddenly, not wanting to go on.
       "Sometimes dreams helps us deal with things that we can't deal with 
ourselves or explain to others."
      "Why does it have to be the thought of loosing you that I can't 
forget!? Why do I keep thinking only of you dying?"   She spat out.
Tom had no tangible answers to give her.  He looked at her with that 
concerned look that she never missed seeing.
     "You have to be honest with yourself, then you can be honest with your 
feelings about the dreams you have had.  All of us do it."
      "Do you?"  She questioned looking at him.  Tom put himself in the spot 
light on that one.
      "Even me."  He said softly.  She could see the features of his face 
soften and the wall he hid behind was gone.  "I too dream of my mistake at 
Caldik Prime, dream of those who died because of me.  But mine are from 
actual life B'Elanna, not a dream.  Real life that I lived and messed up."

This was not what B'Elanna wanted to hear. She stood up and stormed out of 
the room.  Tom leaned back in the chair.  He sighed.  He only wished he had a 
dream like that. One that was not real and did not happen in real life.  He 
also silently wished that B'Elanna would not storm out on him like that. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brilliant light filled the room as a figure emerged, and disappeared just as 
quickly.  The figure was a human female dressed in a flowing white dress. Her 
emerald eyes were framed by shoulder length auburn hair.  She gazed upon the 
figure sleeping in the bed.

Someone was watching her. She could feel it. Opening her eyes and slowly 
sitting up, there stood a woman dressed in white standing at the foot of her 
bed. A soft radiant glow emanated from her.

"Don't be afraid. I will not hurt you."  The woman said in a neutral voice.
     "Who are you?  What do you want?"  B'Elanna said with out her customary 
snap.
     "I'm Taylore and I'm here to help you."
     "Your here to help me?  Why?"  B'Elanna said intrigued. She had no idea 
why.
      "I know what it is like to love someone and never tell them.  You love 
someone but you have  never told him. You are afraid of how you feel, and are 
afraid to tell him."

B'Elanna slowly got out of the bed and walked towards Taylore. "How did you 
know about this?"

"I've been there before B'Elanna."  A sad tone in her voice.  "I loved 
someone and never told him. Then I died and all of those things I wanted to 
say were lost forever in the moment. A moment that I can not go back to or 
live again."

B'Elanna was intrigued and sat down on the bed. "Tell me about yourself."
Taylore saw through it but smiled, "Check the computer about me which I know 
you will do. I will tell you about me and why I am here now, if that is what 
you wish."

"Tell me what you are and who you are before I call security."  She bit out 
getting annoyed with the soft voice of the illusion.

"My name is Taylore Talia Tevere. I was born in the Hunter Colony on Rigel 2 
but moved to earth soon after I was born. I was raised in the rain forests of 
the Amazon in the Africa region. My father was a geologist and my mother was 
a mathematician and I ended up being a engineer who loved numbers and mapping 
everything. I was an only child and was dotted upon by my parents who wanted 
me to broaden my horizons.  I attend Starfleet Academy majoring in 
Engineering and spent two years at the academy then I was transferred to Deep 
Space Nine in the Bajoran sector. I assisted the Miles O'Brien chief engineer 
of the station." She smiled a sad smile and continued. "I made lots of 
friends, one, the chief medical officer, Julian Bashir who liked racquetball 
as much as I did.  We played many games and he managed to beat me each time. 
I never gave up the game because I lost. I kept playing because Julian and I 
enjoyed spending time together."

"How did you die?"  B'Elanna asked listening to every word she said.

"I was killed by a bomb in one of the docking bays on Deep Space Nine. I've 
seen them before and couldn't believe one was on the station. I pushed Miles 
O'Brien out of the way and lunged at Chris Michaels knocking the hose out of 
his hands. Then I kicked it back further into the bay. Then it went off and I 
didn't remember anything after that until I woke up in the infirmary."
     "Julian Bashir was the first thing I saw when I woke up. His soft hazel 
eyes couldn't hide what was happening to me. I knew I was dying and so did 
he. I felt no pain. Nothing. I couldn't feel him holding my hand or the kiss 
he placed on my hand. I couldn't feel the tears that fell from his eyes on my 
face. All I had was memories of what it felt like. I didn't want him to carry 
my death on his soul. He did what he could for me and the rest was fate. My 
fate was to die, and I did. I was not alone, he was with me as my eyes closed 
forever."

"Didn't you go back to him?"   She asked needing to know her answer.

"I did after a little time had passed. I had to close a part of my life in 
that plane of existence and Julian was the last thing I had left. But he 
carried my death on his soul and I could not return to him to help him."  
Taylore said smiling. She would always remember. "I saved Julian's life and 
he felt bad for not saving mine. I told him it was not his time to go. He had 
much to do right where he was. He finally got on with his life and accepted 
what fate  was given to him."
     "I can still remember his tears as I told him good-bye....one last time. 
I have never forgot and never will.  I'm not sure if I will ever see him 
again or not. My fate is always taking me places that I have never dreamed 
of.  Our paths have crossed for different reasons.  You have to tell Tom 
Paris you love him. You can't keep pushing him away like you have been or he 
will give up on you. He has made it very clear to you on many occasions that 
he loves you, weather or not you believe him. Can't you see the way he looks 
at you?  The way he has been patient with you when it comes to the two of 
you?  The way he gives you room when you start to feel uncomfortable when he 
wants to show you the things that you have never seen before?  Or are you 
wrapped up in your own little problems of your inability to take something at 
face value and believe it?  Your so insistent that everything has a double 
blade with it. Some of it is true, but no t from Tom. He loves you for who 
you are, for the Klingon and Human traits that make you B'Elanna Torres. He 
sees allot of himself in you. The pain that life has delt you, the way you 
both hide behind that wall when people get too close, even to each other."

B'Elanna couldn't take her eyes off of Taylore the whole time she talked. She 
was beautiful. Her emerald green eyes sparkled like the stars and her auburn 
hair shined like a fall day.  "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because the dream you had will come true. Tom will die and you will dream of 
the things that you wanted to tell him, share with him. All that will be gone 
and your heart and soul will ache forever."  Taylore said sternly. "I have 
seen it B'Elanna. I have seen the tears you will cry when he dies. I have 
seen the lonely times that you have only dreamed of coming true. And all 
because you couldn't tell or show Tom how much you loved him.  I have said 
enough. I must leave you now."

"When will Tom die?"  B'Elanna shouted out.
     "You know when he dies. You have the answers B'Elanna, you have to use 
them now. Tomorrow maybe too late."

Taylore disappeared into a haze of light and left B'Elanna feeling lost and 
afraid. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

B'Elanna was in full Klingon mode by the time her duty shift started only 
hours later.  The engineering staff gave her a wide berth and left her alone. 
They could hear her swearing in Klingon from time to time. They wanted to 
live to see the end of their duty shift.

Commander Chakotay made his way to engineering after hearing some of Torres's 
staff making plans to sedate her.  The mess hall was a good place to find out 
what was going on. He noticed a small change in B'Elanna after she passed out 
in engineering from exhaustion last month. Telling B'Elanna Torres to pace 
herself was like asking her not to hit people when they ticked her off.
     Stepping into engineering, he prayed that he wasn't going to tick her 
off any more than she already was. He could hear B'Elanna yelling and took a 
deep breath and headed towards her.
     B'Elanna was pounding on a conduit that she had just fixed and mumbled, 
"Damn thing."

"Torres."

"What?!"  She snapped at the person behind her before she looked.  Chakotay 
just looked at her when she turned  around.

"Lets take a walk."  He said turning around and leaving engineering. B'Elanna 
followed him quietly out of the room.
When they left engineering, cheers were heard in the corridors.

They walked quietly through the corridors and into the mess hall.  Chakotay 
grabbed two mugs of coffee and joined B'Elanna who was already sitting at a 
table in the corner.  Handing her a mug, he began the conversation.
     "Mind telling me why the staff in engineering wants to sedate you, and 
don't tell me your having a "Klingon" day either."
     "Sedate me?!"  She squeaked.  "Where did you hear this?"
     "Not important as to where I heard it, important as to why they want 
to." He said in that soft voice that he knew irritated her even more.
     "Nothings wrong."  She stated in a tone of voice that ment she was 
finished with the conversation.  Chakotay was not stopping now.
     "B'Elanna, talk to me. Tell me what is on your mind and why you are not 
the Torres I know."
     "You won't stop will you?"  She laughed as she twisted the mug in her 
hands.
     "No. I know you a little better than most."  He smiled at her.
     "Chakotay, can dreams be of the future?"  She ventured knowing that he 
was going to be surprised by how quietly she said it.
     "I think so......"  He replied surprised by her tone. "It all depends on 
how you interpret them."
     "So...what one dreams, might not actually happen?"
     "What kind of dreams have you been having lately?"
     She locked her gaze with his, and began telling him about the dream of 
Tom Paris dying and the visit from Taylore Tevere. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom returned to his quarters before returning to the bridge to finish his 
shift. Neelix's lunch was a little juicy and most of it ended up in his lap. 
He swore it had eaten through the napkin that was there.
      Taking out a clean uniform, he began removing the soiled one. He tossed 
the dirty one into the processing bin and sat down on the bed to put his 
boots back on.  He was whistling a song as he ran his fingers through his 
hair and left to finish his shift.

 All the time, Taylore watched him in silence. It was hard knowing that 
someone was going to die and you couldn't tell them or warn them. It was a 
part of her existence that she wanted to change but never could.
      Transforming into a sphere of light, she passed through the ship to 
space. There she gazed down upon the ship known as Voyager. It was a long way 
from home. Long way from family, friends and loved ones. The time had come 
for a decision to be made. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     B'Elanna stared at Chakotay after she finished telling him about the 
dream. He was a little too quiet for her liking.
     "Say something, please."
     "B'Elanna...did you reference the record banks on this Taylore Tevere?"  
He began.
     "Yes. And it is all true. She is Taylore Tevere who died on Deep Space 
Nine four years ago. She looks just like her file picture and sounds like her 
voice print."  She said feeling agitated.

"Do you love Tom?"  He asked her point blank. Not sure if he wanted to know 
the answer.

She stared at him for a few moments. Examining her thoughts carefully before 
she answered. She knew Chakotay and Tom did not have a good friendship and 
Chakotay was not fond of the former Maquis trader.
     "I....I'm..not sure."  She trailed off.   Chakotay did not say or do 
anything. This was B'Elanna's  life, she was going have to figure out what 
she needed..or wanted.  Standing up he looked down to the now quiet B'Elanna.
     "You must answer questions that you ask your self.  Only you know the 
answer." She watched him leave and then turned to look out at the stars that 
streaked by. Thoughts returning to Tom Paris and a future she wasn't sure 
that would happen.

"Yalmai Prime is our next away mission."  Captain Janeway beamed proudly. "We 
will be sending a away team down to the surface for trading and gathering 
food supplies.  You all have your mission briefs and I expect they be read."
     "I do hope they are finished with their rituals of death."  Harry said 
scrolling through the padd. "I don't think I want to beam down in the middle 
of a sacrifice."
     "True Harry."  Janeway said.  "I want my away team back alive and in one 
piece.  Report to transporter room 2 at 07:00 and be ready. Dismissed."

Everyone got up and began leaving the room. Everyone but B'Elanna. She sat 
there too shocked to move or breathe. Yalmai Prime...that was wear Tom died, 
or at least in her dream. Standing up, she walked over to the viewport and 
saw the planet as the sun was coming up over the horizon.
     Her mind was in a state of frenzy, she couldn't think any coherent t 
houghts. Then the aching began. That same ache when Tom died. That feeling of 
being truly alone in the universe. But her mind began to argue with the 
stupidity of  her heart. Dreams are dreams. No one can predict the future 
from dreams. Fate, it was all fate.
     Balling up her fists, she slammed them down on the edge of the viewport 
and whispered, "I'm scared of my feelings, scared of who I am. I'm afraid of 
my feelings I have for Tom. I can't be sure if he really loves me."

"Which is why he will die."    The voice made B'Elanna jump and turn around. 
There was Taylore sitting in a chair at the table, looking very composed.
     "Why don't you do something about it!"  B'Elanna bit out angrily.
     "You know I can't."  Taylore said simply. "It is not my place to decide 
anothers fate."
     "Then why do I have the answers to decide his fate then?"  She tossed 
back.
     "It is your fate to do so. B'Elanna, all of us are guided by something 
that changes all the time. It never stays the same. Decisions lead to other 
possibilities and other chances in life. It is not always fair, but it is not 
always bad."  Taylore said evenly, standing up and moving towards B'Elanna.
     Talyore held her hand out to B'Elanna and she slowly put her hand into 
Taylore's.  A soft light emerged from their clasped hands.
     "Look down deep in your soul B'Elanna. Tear down the walls that surround 
your feelings for Tom. Feel. Don't be afraid to feel."
      B'Elanna could feel the warmth from their clasped hands. Then a feeling 
came over her.  She concentrated on the feeling of sadness, the loss. Not her 
loss, but Taylore's.  The memories of her life tingled her own senses. The 
laughter, the feelings of Taylore's past came to light. The glimpses of the 
explosion that killed her, jarred B'Elanna to the bone. The loss of feeling, 
the loss of life, and the loss of tomorrow. The moment of good-bye and the 
last tear that fell.  B'Elanna felt it all in that one moment.
     Opening her eyes, she saw Taylore was gone. She looked around the room 
breathing heavily. "Why did you let me feel that!"  She stated.  No reply. 
Nothing but silence. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

B'Elanna was late in getting to the transporter room.  She walked in only to 
be greeted by Tuvok, Harry and Tom who were patiently waiting.

"Your late Lieutenat."  Tuvok stiffly said.

"I'm hear now. Let's go."  She said stepping up on the transporter padd. 
Harry and Tom exchanged glances at each other. Both knowing that B'Elanna was 
not in a good mood.  Then they disappeared from the ship.

Chakotay sat on the bridge looking at the view screen. His own mind was 
running over B'Elanna's dream. They transported to the surface, not taken a 
shuttle as in the dream she told him about. Part of his mind kept nagging at 
him while the other part was quiet.  He thought about the vision he had in 
B'Elanna's dream. A vision of a young man running through a field of tall 
swaying grass, laughing.  But it was a dream. But dreams can come true.  He 
sighed deeply wondering if he should interfere or not. His animal guide told 
him, "That is the future that does not belong to you."

 They materialized just out side of the city.  They began taking tricorder 
readings and getting a general idea of where they wanted to go.

 "Paris and I will explore the north end of the city and you two can start at 
the south end."  B'Elanna said leaving no room for argument.

 "Fine.  Mr. Kim and I will meet you back here in 30 minutes."  Tuvok calmly 
stated and they separated.

Tom glanced at B'Elanna during their walk. Her mind was somewhere else, she 
was too quiet. He wasn't sure anymore about her. He still cared for her, even 
falling in love with her. But she was not happy. He couldn't be sure if she 
wasn't happy with him, or herself. Women can be so confusing he mused. They 
don't come with manuals or anything. They are just there.

"B'Elanna, everything okay?"  He asked her.  She looked up at him.
     "Fine. Just have something on my mind."
     "Must be something important."  He said looking down at his tricorder. 
"You missed the path leading into the city."
     "I did?"  She said stopping to look at her tricorder. "Sorry."   Tom 
didn't say anything as they changed direction.

 Both teams had accomplished what they needed and began walking back to the 
transporter sight.

 "Harry and I are going sailing on the holodeck tonight. Would you like to 
join us?"  Tom asked lightly.
      "Uhh.....sure..that would be nice."  She said distracted.  He gave her 
a twisted grin and stopped walking.
       "Nice?!"  He said as his voice raised up an octave. "It is suppose to 
be fun!  Nice is a candle light dinner on the beach."
       She didn't say anything and he pressed harder. "B'Elanna what is wrong 
with you?  You've been too quiet and your not talking to me."
       "I have been talking, maybe you were not listening."  She snapped.
       "Does this have anything to do with that three in the morning talk?"  
He questioned.
       "No."
       "Then what?!"  He said sternly.  "You are so difficult to figure out 
sometimes."
       "What do you mean by that?"  She turned a cold stare at him.
       "This. Exactly what is happening now. You don't talk to me, you keep 
your distance from me."  He said feeling hurt.  "If you are not interested in 
me, please tell me now. I don't want to waste any more of your time...or mine 
if you are not."
      Tom turned away from her before she could reply. This was why he liked 
to flirt. It didn't hurt if the other was not interested.
      She stared at him for a minute and ran to catch up with him.  Then the 
phaser firing began to pelt them.

 Tom turned around to see B'Elanna dodge a couple of hits as she got closer 
towards him. Pulling out his phaser, he began firing in the direction of the 
shots and ran to B'Elanna.
     By then she pulled her phaser out and began returning fire, trying to 
get closer to the rocks.

  "B'Elanna!"  Tom cried as a piece of rock shattered from a phaser blast, 
hitting her in the face. She turned to the sound of Tom's voice only to see 
him get hit by a blast and fall to the ground.

 "Tom!"  She cried as she returned fire, making her way to Tom.  The person 
firing at them made a mistake of stepping out from behind the rock because 
B'Elanna aimed her phaser at him and fired. He slumped to the ground and the 
firing stopped.
        She crossed the short distance to where Tom was and fell down beside 
him. She felt for a pulse. There was none. She inspected the wound from the 
blast that caught him square in the chest. The blast burned away his uniform, 
his skin and his bones and his......heart.  She stared at the wound and began 
to shake.

  "No Tom!  Not like this!"  She screamed. Her voice echoing in the small 
valley.  "It was not suppose to end like this!   I Love You!!   I Love You!!   
I was scared to tell you how I felt. I'm sorry!  Gods!!!   Tom!!!!   I was 
selfish with you. I was jealous of how the other women looked at you. I never 
saw you flirt with them and I always thought you did.  I'm a selfish person, 
I don't know what it is like to have someone really love me for who I am.  
But you did. You love me for who I am."   She cried as she lowered her head 
to his.  Her tears mixed with the blood from the pieces of rock that 
shattered in her face. She rested her cheek against his and cried from deep 
inside of her soul.  "Your not alone Tom...I'm here with you.  Please come 
back to me. Forgive me for what I have done."   Her hands cradled his face as 
she cried.

  Taylore looked down upon the scene before her. There was no sadness to be 
felt. Taylore had no sadness to feel. It was too late. Too late for love to 
help.

  Tuvok and Harry ran over to where B'Elanna was with Tom.  Harry slowly fell 
to the ground when he saw Tom.  His stomach began to hurt and his eyes began 
to water.  Tuvok took one look at the wound and realized Tom did not feel 
anything.  A twinge of feeling passed through Tuvok and he closed his eyes.

 "Kim to Voyager"

 *Voyager*  Janeway's voice answered.

  "Four to beam to sickbay."

  *What happened down there?*

  "Tom is dead."
     The transporter beam surrounded them and removed them from the surface.

  When they materialized in sickbay, B'Elanna refused to let Tom go.  The 
Doctor tried to move her and she held on even tighter to Tom.  Harry and 
Tuvok tried gently at first, but she wouldn't budge. They stepped aside and 
quietly watched.
      "Just a little more time, I'm asking for.  I want to open the doors I 
closed before."  She sobbed into Tom's ear.

   Janeway and Chakotay stood quietly as B'Elanna pleaded.  Chakotay could 
feel the sorrow that sat in his heart.  He could have done something.

   *You could not have done anything to save him*  The voice said to 
Chakotay.  He looked around upon hearing the voice. Janeway had walked over 
to B'Elanna to offer comfort to her.
        *It was not your fate to interfere. Don't carry something that is not 
ment for your soul to carry.*
        Taylore. That had to be the person B'Elanna was telling him about. He 
questioned  silently. Then waited for answer.         *Yes, Chakotay.*

  Janeway managed to pull B'Elanna away from Tom, long enough for the Doctor 
to take a look at him.  All the while tears streamed down her face. Crying 
for her selfishness, crying for pushing him away. Crying for never telling 
him she loved him.

 The ache had began, just like in the dream.

  Tom woke up feeling...confined. He couldn't figure out where he was. He was 
in some sort of tube or container.  He was naked and feeling a little cold. 
His head began swimming as it began to dawn on him.  He was in a stasis hold. 
One for dead bodies.  He panicked and began banging on the door.

   Kes had just cleaned up sickbay and returned to the stasis hold area. Her 
face was streaked with tears she had cried for Tom.  She wanted to silently 
say good bye to him and placed her hand on the door that held his body.         
Vibrations made her jump back in surprise. She placed her hand on the door 
again to feel the vibrations again. Quickly she opened the door and slid the 
metal shelf out half way.
          "Doctor!"  Kes yelled not believing what she was seeing.   The 
Doctor came running in and stopped at the sight before him.          "How 
about getting me out of here and explaining to me what the hell I was doing 
in here?"  He said feeling pretty foolish. Kes and the Doctor only stared at 
each other. This was getting more interesting by the minute. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom sat on the cold shelf after Kes and the Doctor said they would send 
someone in with some clothing. They made a hasty exit from the room there 
after.
     Admitting to himself, he was good at getting people moving, even though 
he had no idea how he did it this time. He was left out of the loop this time 
and had to wait to be let back in.
     He remembered being on the surface, the phaser fight, and B'Elanna 
getting pelted with pieces of flying rock. He didn't remember dying. This was 
getting stranger by the moment. His rear end was getting chilled and so was 
the rest of him.  He was not ashamed of his physic, but he had some modesty 
he'd like to keep.

"Tom Paris.  I always knew you were cool, but aren't you going a little to 
the extreme?"
He looked up and saw Lt. Debra Asheland standing there with a gown and a 
tricorder. She had a smirk on her face that she did not bother to hide.
     "Extreme?!  Me?!  No...wouldn't dream of it."  He smiled back at her as 
she tossed him the gown.
     "Sure Tom, sure."  She laughed as she busied herself with the tricorder. 
Giving Tom a chance to put the gown on. But as like any other female who had 
noticed Tom's good looks, couldn't help but check him out in his state of 
undress. Knowing she had better keep quiet about the sight before her, hate 
to be on the receiving end of B'Elanna Torres's wrath.

"Since when did you become interested in the medical field?"  Tom grinned 
feeling more comfortable.
     "Since I have had enough study of  biology to make any doctor happy."  
She said running the tricorder over him.  "Besides, gives me something to do 
when Stellar Cartography gets slow."
      Tom grinned at her.  Debra was a sweet person, not like the Delaney's.  
He knew she was chasing Joe Carey and doing good job at catching him.
     "The Doctor wants me to escort you back to sickbay for some further 
tests." She said putting the tricorder away. Her green eyes conveying a 
message to him that he was to comply.
      "Where is B'Elanna?"  He said getting off of the shelf and facing her.
      "B'Elanna knows your dead. Captain Janeway escorted her back to her 
quarters over three hours ago. She hasn't stopped crying since then."  Debra 
answered quietly.
      "I have to see her!"  He stated brushing past her. Debra quickly 
stopped him.
     "You are to remain in sickbay until the Doctor releases you."  She 
stated firmly.
     "To hell with the Doctor!  I need to see B'Elanna now!"   He yelled 
walking past her once again.

Debra quickly whipped out a hypospray and slapped it on his butt. Before the 
contents of the hypospray hit his system, he gave her a look of surprise, 
before he slipped into a blissful slumber and falling into her waiting arms.
     She was amused by the situation as she got a better grip on the helmboy 
to haul him off to sickbay. Mumbling to herself, she said, "Maybe I should 
use a hypospray more often.  Not many men would be able to resist me."

Janeway and Chakotay walked into sickbay just as Lt. Asheland hoisted the 
relaxed form of Tom Paris up on the bio-bed. She got him straightened out and 
began taking some readings.  The Doctor came out of his cubical only to be 
greeted by Janeways favorite word, "Explain." But he walked over to Lt. 
Asheland instead. "Patient being difficult?"  Noticing Tom Paris's 
unconscious form.

"Not really."  She grinned. "That was until he met Mr. Hypospray. Then I 
haven't heard a word of protest from him."

"Good work."  The Doctor said turning to address Janeway and Chakotay. "I 
wish I could explain what has just transpired. When he was beamed from the 
surface, he was dead, no doubt about it. No one could have survived the 
damage caused by that blast. His body was put into stasis until I could 
perform a formal autopsy."  The Doctor picked up a padd and punched a few 
things on it. "Kes was the one who discovered Tom alive inside of the stasis 
unit. She had no explanation as to why either."

Janeway glanced at Chakotay who was looking up at the ceiling. She gave him a 
funny look,  "Something up commander?"

He looked back down at her,  "Captain, may I have a word with you in my 
office."  He turned and quietly walked out of sickbay. She followed him with 
out a word, wondering what he knew.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the scene before him. Human relationships are 
often difficult to understand.  But Lt. Asheland had cut through the 
difficulty with a hypospray.

The room was quiet and dark, all except for the soft sobbing sounds that came 
from the sleeping area.
     A lone figure was laying across the bed staring up at the ceiling as 
tears fell from a pair of soft brown eyes. The tears soaked into the bed and 
her uniform.  She gave up wiping them away hours ago. They still kept falling 
as the memories swirled about in her mind.  She could feel his touch, hear 
his laughter and see his blue eyes as they looked at her possessively. It 
made her feel warm, safe and happy.  She had never felt that in a long time.
     B'Elanna jumped off the bed and began to pace vigorously around the 
room. The tears went hand in hand with the anger.
     "Maybe I don't do the right things."  She said aloud.  "Now I'm here 
alone because of my selfishness.  Sometimes I'm...this frightened child who 
wants to be held. Reassuring me that it all works out.  Now...there..is this 
empty space that never can be filled. I'll carry this space forever and I'll 
carry it alone."   Another series of sobs escaped her and she slowly fell to 
the floor.

Lt. Asheland gazed at the sleeping form of Tom Paris. She felt bad for doing 
it, but no one could explain how he came back from death. The de termination 
he had to see B'Elanna was unwavering. And she shot him down, so to speak. 
Tapping the padd on the wall, she picked up the hypospray and woke him up.
     Blue eyes soon opened and saw Debra looking down at him with a smile, 
"Sorry I shot you earlier, but you wouldn't listen."
     Tom sat up giving her a wary look, "Your mean with that hypospray.  Why 
did you wake me up?  To shot me again?"
     "No. I woke you up because you need to see B'Elanna."  She said softly. 
"She doesn't know that you are alive. She won't listen to anyone and the 
Doctor is going to sedate her.  I know she will listen to you."
      "Is she okay?"
      "She will be when she sees you alive and well."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       "B'Elanna!!!"    A voice cried out in her thoughts as the sobbing 
stopped. "B'Elanna!!"  The voice cried again only this time closer.
       It was Tom's voice that made her jump up and run out of the bedroom. 
She would believe in anything at this moment if she could have Tom back 
again.
       Running out of the bedroom, B'Elanna stopped dead in her tracks.  Tom 
was standing in the living area panting and wearing a medical gown. They 
looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Tom?"  Her voice wavered.  "Are you...real?"    She found out how real he 
was when he took her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. She wrapped 
her arms around him tightly and cried. They held onto each other for life, 
afraid to let go.
     Tom pulled away a little from her, to look at her. Her eyes were full of 
tears that were still falling. He kissed the tears on her face away.
     "Bella, I'm not sure as to what is going on, but I'm happy to be holding 
you again."  He said capturing her lips in a kiss. She did not pull back, but 
began kissing him with the same intensity as their lips tasted each other. 
Tongues danced as the kiss deepened.  Slowly the kiss waned as their lips 
still tantalized one another.
     "Please don't ever leave me."  She murmured against his lips that were 
wet from the kiss.
     "Believe me, I never wanted to leave you."  He answered holding her 
tighter for a moment longer then pulling away. "Bella...can you explain to me 
why everyone is telling me I look better than alive than dead?  Because I 
have no idea what is going on."

B'Elanna led him over to the couch and they sat down, holding each others 
hands.  "I remember being on the surface and the firing began. I saw a blast 
hit the rock beside you and pieces of the rock hit you in the face. I began 
running to you with my phaser out..and then..nothing."  He said looking at 
their intertwined fingers. "Then I woke up in cold storage and began pounding 
on the door. Kes was there and got me out. She was in shock and yelled for 
the Doctor who couldn't say a word. I'm not sure what is going on."
     B"Elanna held his hands tighter and said, "I'm not sure where to begin, 
but this is going to be strange to explain......"

A brilliant shower of light filled the room, interrupting B'Elanna's 
explanation. The light gradually became softer and faded to leave a figure of 
a woman dressed in white. Tom glanced to B'Elanna who was smiling. Once 
again, he was left out of the loop.
     The woman standing before them was pretty. She had deep green eyes and 
auburn hair that framed her face. Her smile was beautiful.

"B'Elanna, my time has come to leave."  She said knowing B'Elanna was going 
to be upset.
     "You can't leave Taylore!"   She yelled, making Tom jump.

Taylore laughed, trying to figure out how to explain it.  "Love can be 
expressed in many ways. Touch, words, music, sacrifices...the list goes on. I 
never got to give my heart and soul to another. I never got to feel what is 
was like to have someone to love like the way you love each other. I did not 
act on my chance when I had it. I cannot go back to that moment in my life 
ever again. Ever.

"Your telling us that you sacrificed your own eternity so I could be here 
now?"  Tom said getting up and walking closer to Taylore.
     "Yes, I did."  She replied looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she 
had ever seen.  His eyes reviled how much he was touched by her sacrifice for 
him by filling up with tears. Taylore reached out to wipe the tears that 
streamed down his face, but the tears remained.
     "I'm slowly dying."  She said. "The better you become, the more I fade 
away. I wanted to spend my last moments with you and B'Elanna. You have 
showed me that love never fades away."
     B'Elanna stood quietly and cried as Taylore began to fade away more and 
more. She wished Taylore didn't have to leave. It was her fault that Taylore 
sacrificed herself.

"Tom do not feel guilty. It was time to give something that I could no longer 
use. You are a very wonderful person. You have made up for the mistakes in 
your life many times over. B'Elanna is not a mistake, she was destined to 
cross your life."  Taylore smiled at Tom's attempt not to cry.

"B'Elanna, mistakes happen."  Taylore said lightly.  "You have learned a 
lesson from this mistake and will not repeat it again. You are capable of 
loving and showing emotion. It does not take away from the person you are. It 
makes you stronger in ways you will only discover in time."

B'Elanna walked over to Tom and put her arms around him. Tears fell silently 
down their faces.
     Taylore was fading more quickly now. She had one moment of real tears 
that fell down her face and emotions to feel one last time.

"Remember this for time to come. Love knows no boundary nor limits. Let 
memories fill those voids when one cannot remember or forget."  She cried as 
she slowly disappeared from the room.

Tom and B'Elanna held on to each other as they cried. They were given a 
second chance by a stranger who had a second chance to give.
     Tom looked down at B'Elanna and wiped her tears away. "I promise to love 
you all my life, B'Elanna Torres."
     "I promise to love you all of my life, Thomas Eugene Paris."  She smiled 
back and then hugging him tighter.
     "I hope Lt. Asheland won't get into trouble."  Tom said suddenly.  
B'Elanna looked up at him.
     "Why would she get into trouble?"
     "Well..first she sedated me after I woke up because I wanted to see you. 
Then she woke me up so I could go to you."  He smiled.  "She knew how much I 
loved you."
     "Remind me to give Carey some time off with her."  B'Elanna laughed. 
"Sedating Tom Paris is a task."
     "Carring me to a biobed is not much easier."  He replied grinning. "And 
don't get near her. She is quick with a hypospray and will not hesitate in 
using it."

 B'Elanna reached up to touch Tom's face. Needing to feel his skin on her 
fingers.
     "I'm real Bella. I'm not going anywhere."   He smiled taking her lips 
for another kiss.

Kathryn Janeway quickly wiped at the tears that fell from her face. Chakotay 
didn't miss the movement.  She began to understand how Tom lived after seeing 
Taylore give her existence to him.  She looked up at Chakotay, "What will 
become of Taylore?"  Chakotay smiled, "I'm sure Taylore will ascend to a 
higher place. She was not ready to let go of her existence after she died on 
Deep Space Nine. She had to leave something that she couldn't take with her. 
Taylore had finally understood the meaning of a promise."  Kathryn looked at 
Chakotay as they turned away from B'Elanna's quarters, "Did you know what was 
going to happen?"
     Chakotay gave her one of his poker looks as she reached out and took his 
arm to stop him from walking away from her.  Looking into a pair of 
questioning blue eyes, he replied, "I had an idea of what was going to 
happen. Taylore told me herself what she was going to do."
     For a moment, Kathryn looked deep into Chakotay's brown eyes and saw 
something she had not seen before. Something that she would have to ask him 
about in the future.  They continued to walk down the corridors.
 All of this was witnessed by four people who had a common bond.
Disclaimer:  Here we go again.....You know how it goes. Paramount owns ch 
aracters, space names, place names and names names that we know of in the 
Star Trek world. But the writer, me, owns the character of Taylore Tevere. 
And for Debra Asheland, I own the name but the person who actually owns it, 
Debra Ashe, who gave me permission to use it. (If I didn't she would have 
ignored me.)
     This is for entertainment only. Nothing like this has happened yet in 
Voyager but...you never know....
     Please keep all intact when downloading to others. Blah...blah.....b 
lah.........













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