by Melanie
With her back to the doors, B'Elanna had not noticed another night owl entering the Mess Hall. Neelix had. He rose and patted her shoulder. "That may be, Lieutenant. Or is it possible that it merely is a different perspective on romance?"
Leaving her puzzling over that enigmatic remark, he left her to her drink and cookies.
He approached the man standing indecisively near the serving counter. "Good evening, Tom, Mr. Vulcan."
"Good evening, Mr. Neelix," Tuvok answered for them. "Mr. Paris' body appears to be hungry. Does anything remain of the casserole from this evening? Several crewmembers commented on it in the turbolift a few moments ago."
"Yes, I believe there is some," he nodded, scurrying behind the counter. "Just give me a moment to... Ah, yes, here's some. Let me warm it up for you." As the plate of leftovers warmed, he leaned close to "Tom" and lowered his voice. "Mr. Vulcan, Tom can hear me, right?"
"That is correct, Mr. Neelix. Mr. Paris is here as I am." Tom appeared. "I had hoped to talk to you actually, Neelix."
Tom's apology was met with an enormous "all's forgiven" grin and an aborted move to hug him. Thankfully, for Tuvok, the Talaxian remembered his discomfort with physical contact before he could make any.
"Tom, um, since you are here? Perhaps you could talk to Lieutenant Torres? She's not doing well."
Tom's eyes jerked from Neelix to B'Elanna then back again. "What do you mean 'not doing well'?"
"Just talk to her?"
The pilot wanted to, he truly did, yet he knew she would not want to talk to him. He had hurt her as badly as she had hurt him and he wanted to iron things out between them. She, however, had not intended to hurt him. Truth be told, he had not wanted to hurt her either though he had not been able to think of an easy way to do it. Even now that she apparently had seen the parole test recording, it would not change the reality of what he had planned to do. After Harry's reaction to his attempted apology, Tom was leery of attempting the most important one of all. "She won't talk to me, Neelix."
"Try, Tom. Please?"
"Neelix, she has made her feelings clear about me."
"Some feelings can come and go. Others go on forever. Have your feelings changed for her?"
Tom was unable to look the earnest Talaxian in the eye.
That was enough of a response for Neelix. He took the now warm plate and set it on a tray on the counter with a roll, cutlery, and a glass of Tom's favorite juice. "I'll see you both later," he promised and left the Mess Hall.
-------
Putting Neelix out of her mind, B'Elanna rotated her head, trying to ease the ache in her shoulders and neck. Prior to relocating to the Mess Hall, she had been bent over her desk in her office in Engineering, studying the schematics for the androids for what felt like days instead of mere hours. Sleep was what she needed right now; everyone had told her so in one way or another. Nothing she said could convince them she was not sleepy. They all simply gave her a look that told her they knew her insomnia was because of Tom being in jeopardy. Finally, she had been forced to leave so they would stop badgering her. Gamma shift, who rarely saw the Chief, were smiling happily when she emerged from her office and headed for the doors to the corridor. They had thought she was going to bed. They had no idea where she actually had gone.
However someone else *did* know she was there.
The strong, long fingered hands that began kneading out the kinks were heaven-sent. She groaned her appreciation as her own hands fell to her sides and her head lolled on her shoulders. 'The best hands on the ship,' she sighed to herself.
'Best hands on the ship? She knew those hands intimately.'
At the same moment the hands abruptly stilled, she tilted her head up to see Tom Paris, eyes closed, face a tortured mask.
"Tom?" she whispered.
He failed to answer for a moment. Once control had been regained, the hands fell, the face cleared, and the posture changed. She immediately knew this was Tuvok before he even opened those so familiar blue eyes and she saw the seriousness in them. None of Tom's twinkling good humor that almost always lingered in their depths. This was Tuvok who was looking at her.
"My apologies, Lieutenant," Tuvok said quietly. "Lieutenant Paris continues to have difficulties controlling his instincts where some things are concerned."
"It's... it's okay."
"We went to Engineering to check on your progress. Your staff said you were at an impasse and had gone to bed. Mr. Paris discounted that possibility."
She smiled a little. "Tom knows I can't sleep when I'm hung up on an Engineering problem."
Tuvok was silent for a moment then Tom re-emerged.
"B'Elanna.... B'Elanna, we didn't really go to Engineering to check on your progress. Well, we did, but it was an excuse to see you. I want to talk, B'Elanna." He braced himself for the upcoming explosion. "About the parole test."
She nodded. "I want to talk too," she told him, softly.
A little stunned, he picked up his tray from a nearby table then slipped into the chair Neelix had vacated. 'First Harry of all people blows up at me and now B'Elanna is quietly agreeing with me. The Universe certainly is a funny place,' he told Tuvok.
"I shouldn't have let them do it," she admitted. "I didn't want them to. I told them not to, that you'd be angry with us when it was over, but then I somehow ended up helping them. I'm sorry, Tom."
"Tuvok showed me his memories of that night. I know they were determined to do something, with or without your help."
"We were desperate, Tom. You weren't talking to any of us, not like you used to."
"I know. And I'm sorry for that." He stared down at his hands folded on the tabletop. "I... I had some things I had to work through. I couldn't share them with you or anyone."
She laid a hand over his. "Tom, I love you. Whatever problems you have, you can talk to me."
"Tom" moved his hands out from under hers. He shook his head at the hurt look in her eyes. "I'm not pulling away from you," Tom said in marked contrast to his actions. "Tuvok has trouble with physical contact."
B'Elanna withdrew her own hands from the tabletop. "I heard about what happened with Naomi in here. It must be... difficult for you, Tuvok."
"He finds it a strain, yes. We both do sometimes, but this hasn't been totally a bad experience. Tuvok's... Tuvok's helped me with those things I needed to work through."
"Oh." B'Elanna could not think of anything else to say.
"But the only problem he couldn't help me solve was worrying about whether or not you'd take me back."
Hope tentatively began to rise in B'Elanna. Then her guilty conscience reminded her about what had happened with Harry. Even though she agreed the kiss had meant nothing, she still felt like she should tell Tom. "Tom, I-"
He laid a finger over her lips. "You said you love me. Did you mean that?" She nodded. "Then that's all that matters." His hand slipped from her mouth to caress her cheek. Then he shuddered and quickly withdrew the hand. "Sorry, Tuvok."
'It is all right, Mr. Paris,' the Vulcan whispered tremulously. 'I once heard Commander Chakotay remark to the Captain that he wondered about the strength and nature of your feelings for Lieutenant Torres. If he could be here, he would know.'
Tom grinned, puzzling B'Elanna. "Tuvok wishes Chakotay were here so he'd know how I feel about you and stop worrying I'm going to dump you. Frankly, Tuvok, I don't want Chakotay in my head, thank you very much."
B'Elanna laughed and the two of them settled down for a long talk about everything that had happened in their lives since the last time they had really talked. Tuvok made the occasionally apropos remark, though mostly he let the two lovebirds make up for lost time.
While he had been right after all about a certain person's romantic nature, Neelix never would know it. And that certain person never would admit it either. Getting these two back together was for the good of the ship. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Yeah, right" would have been Mr. Paris' response to that.
&n
bsp; ------
"Lieutenant Torres."
"Tuvok. Tom. Did you sleep well?"
"Two hours was less than adequate."
"We did stay up rather late."
"You and Mr. Paris did have a lot to discuss."
There was silence in the turbolift for a few very awkward seconds.
"Mr. Paris wishes he could kiss you 'good morning,'" Tuvok informed her in his usual dead pan voice.
'Tuvok!' came the admonition from the man in question.
B'Elanna blushed and cast her gaze to the floor.
"He also wishes I had not said that however I think that it is best to communicate his feelings in this matter. Perhaps your knowing his desire to do so, will prevent him acting on said desire."
"This is difficult for you two, isn't it?"
"What is, Lieutenant?"
"Trying to blend your two... manners."
"If you mean, do I find it difficult to restrain Mr. Paris' natural effusive nature, then, yes, as a Vulcan I find it difficult."
The turbolift stopped on Deck Eleven and they stepped out.
"That's why you're so interested in this robot body? So you can... move out and not have to deal with... Tom being Tom anymore?"
"Partially, yes. We both find this a difficult experience. Having to share once body with another makes for little privacy."
"You mean it's been Hell for you two."
Just short of the doors to Engineering, "Tom" stopped as did B'Elanna a half-step later.
"Actually," Tuvok said, deliberating, "it has not been 'Hell' as you put it. It has been a revelation of sorts."
"A revelation?"
"Yes. I have found my previous opinion of Mr. Paris to be in error, at least in part. He has held up under this strain considerably better than I would have predicted. And I have learned things about him which have surprised me."
'Tuvok, careful.' was the only thing Tom said.
Tuvok took the hint and changed the subject. "Perhaps we should check your staff's progress?"
B'Elanna let the matter drop and entered her domain. "We're constructing the prototype in here," she said, entering a workroom off of Main Engineering. "Seven. I thought you were in Astrometrics this morning."
The former Borg looked up from the partially constructed "body" to nod at the two of them. "I felt my presence here would be more beneficial. I believe I have discovered the problem with the power cell. It is-"
"The power pack is incompatible with the Borg parts we added to the design."
Seven was surprised and it showed. "I see. And have you discovered a solution as well, Lieutenant?"
"Not yet," she growled at the challenge that may or may not have been in her co-designer's voice.
"What precisely is the nature of these modifications?" Tuvok questioned.
The Chief showed him the modified schematics on the wall while he asked all of the questions he and Tom could think of. B'Elanna had time to calm down and the fight was adverted. And probably of equal importance, in explaining their plans, the two women came up with a potential solution to their problem.
Almost immediately they seemed to forget "Tom's" presence and their animosity. They worked side by side modifying a regulator on the power pack with little comment exchanged.
"I think that has it," the half-Klingon announced.
Joe Carey entered as Seven was moving over to the console on the on the far wall. Anxious to get on with testing the new configuration of the power pack, B'Elanna hurried over deal with whatever had brought her second in to see her so he would leave all the faster.
"Tom" meanwhile wandered over to see their work first hand.
It was then that all Hell chose to break loose once more.
There was a blinding flash of light and a crackle of sparks then the power pack exploded in spectacular fashion. Being closest to it, "Tom" bore the brunt of the blast. It propelled him off of his feet and backwards into the bulkhead. As alarms sounded and smoke was vented from the room, he crumpled to the floor, limp and bleeding profusely from wounds to his head and other areas.
Closest to the body, Joe crawled over to check on the fallen man. "Carey to Transporter Room. Beam Lieutenant Paris directly to Sickbay."
As the pilot's body disappeared, Joe and a pale and disheveled B'Elanna shared a look. He could see the indecision in the Chief -- what was her priority? Her ship or her love? Getting to his feet, Joe made the choice for her.
"Where do we start, Chief?"
B'Elanna raised her chin and began barking orders at her underlings and Seven who was appearing from behind the ruined console/shield.
-------
The Doctor began working on "Tom" the moment his patient appeared on the biobed.
"How bad?" Tom croaked.
"You've had worse, but not by much."
Weakly, Tom raised a hand to deflect the hypospray which would render him unconscious. "Tuvok's body. How is it?"
"What? It's improving. Now stop moving and let me-"
"Enough to survive?"
"I think it might. Now-"
'Mr. Paris, what...?'
'We can't both die, Tuvok. Voyager has plenty of pilots, but only one Security Chief. The Captain needs your abilities more than she needs mine. You have to get back to your body while you still can. How do you get back in?'
'The same way I left, but-'
'Remember our plan, Tuvok. It's the only thing that'll protect all of you.'
'Of course, but-'
"Doctor, we need you to help us."
-------
She sped up her pace. She could feel his life-force ebbing with every passing moment. Now she wished she had not let herself be put off by what she had seen. If she had not deferred her arrival until she knew more about what had happened in the past, she might have been there already, she would have confirmed or eliminated him from consideration. If he died before she arrived, they never would know, never would be able to rest.
-------
Not abandoning the chaos in Engineering to be by Tom's side was one of the hardest things B'Elanna ever had done. While she and her staff scrambled to lock down all of the problems, her mind was torn between her duty and her mate. Her staff did their best to speed up their progress so their Chief could leave yet it still was over seven and a half hours before she literally ran out of Engineering.
Getting to Tom was the only thought in her brain. Get to him. Hold him. Seeing for herself that he was okay. Everyone had done their best to reassure her that the Doctor would do his best to save him. Ninety-nine percent of her agreed he was in good hands and would pull through. It was that pesky one percent that nagged at her all throughout the repairs and laughed at her when she flew through the doors to Sickbay and saw only one occupied biobed -- Tuvok's
Frozen in place, she stared at the weak Vulcan being helped to a sitting position by the EMH and the Captain. All three looked up at her abrupt arrival. Kathryn opened her mouth to speak.
For B'Elanna, everything began to happen in slow motion. There was a strangled cry- her own. Her knees started to buckle. She felt herself sliding to the floor.
Then a pair of strong arms caught her before she could hit the carpeting. Gently, she was drawn back upright then her cheek pressed to a damp and furry chest.
"It's okay, B'Elanna," a voice as familiar as her own soothed. "It's okay."
As a hand stroked her hair, she lifted troubled eyes to a pair of concerned blue ones.
"You've already fallen for me, Torres," Tom whispered. "There's no need to do it again."
"Tom?"
"No, Harry. I'm doing my Tom impression. What do you think?"
Pulling away slightly, she reached up with shaking hands to touch his face.
Without lifting his eyes from B'Elanna's, Tom pointed in the opposite direction from them. "Captain, what is that?"
Curious, Kathryn's head jerked from them to the empty space at which Tom indicated. Turning back, she opened her mouth to say "What's wha
t?", though closed it when she saw her two favorite lieutenants in a passionate embrace. She swallowed the lecture on PDA's that Tom clearly had been trying to avoid hearing her give and returned to looking at the emptiness.
"Oh, that? That's the extremely rare Balartin Blatherbeast. Very rare outside of Oxymoron Prime. Such an interesting shade of pink, isn't it? They usually only come in shades of purple."
While she smiled at the muffled giggling behind her, the EMH looked carefully at the emptiness then at the Captain. "I believe once I have finished with Mr. Tuvok, I'd like to examine your eyes, Captain."
"Can I go, Doc?" Tom asked, one arm plastering his mate to him.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and smirked. "If you'd like to be put on report for being out of uniform, Lieutenant, by all means, go."
Blushing, Tom released B'Elanna. "I'll be back in a minute," he promised and hurried into the bathroom where he had been showering to throw on the rest of his newly cleaned uniform.
Kathryn came over to B'Elanna's side. The Chief Engineer's irrepressible smile was contagious. The Captain gave her an impulsive hug. "He's going to be okay, B'Elanna. I gave him tomorrow off and you too."
"Thank you, Captain."
"You're welcome."
"How's Engineering?"
"We've repaired the biggest problems. We're still working on a few very minor ones."
"Well, let your staff take care of them. You take Tom home and get him to go to bed, hmm? He needs sleep."
"Does she get to tuck me in too?" he smirked, re-entering the main area of Sickbay.
The Captain released B'Elanna and looked at him, hands on her hips. "If you're a good boy, I think she might consider it."
"Well, that lets him out," B'Elanna laughed.
"Hey!" the pilot objected. "I'll have you know I can be very good when I want to be."
"Ha!"
Feigning hurt, he turned away and approached Tuvok and the Doctor. The former "roommates" gave each other at long speaking look then nodded once to each other. Tom looked at the EMH and slapped him on the shoulder. "Well, Doc, I'm out of here again."
"Doubtless I'll see you within few days, Lieutenant, either as a patient or student. I'm not going to lay bets on which one."
