Mike smiled when Tessa walked down the "aisle" on her father's arm. Who would have thought she'd go for the traditional stuff like this? She was always so straight forward and sensible. Her insistence on a "real" wedding in spite of everything, was almost funny.
His gaze floated over to Seven, causing a frown to flicker across his face. Tessa's mother was looking at her daughter with such an odd, pained expression, Mike suddenly realized she knew everything.
Then, Tessa was standing before him. She was pale, but a broad smile lit her face.
"Okay?" he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her to stand with him.
She nodded then Mike turned to shake Harry Kim's hand.
"Don't let me down," the older man said quietly, his hand grasping Mike's in a tight grip.
"I won't," Mike promised, understanding the double meaning of the request instantly. There was a short, emotion-laden moment before Captain Kim nodded his head and took his leave.
Mike then stepped over to Tessa's mother. Mike put his arms around Seven and pulled her close. She trembled with the effort not to break down.
"I won't let her go," he whispered to her. "Not now. Not ever. I'll find a way, trust me."
Seven drew back to look into the eyes of man who would marry her daughter. The strength and conviction she saw there brought tears to her eyes.
"There's no way. I knew it from the start. You have to accept it."
"The hell I do," he whispered fiercely. "You go right ahead and give up, if you want. I won't."
Mike turned back to Tessa and grasped both her trembling hands in his. "You ready?" he asked with a lop-sided grin.
"Oh, yes," Tessa smiled back.
He dropped a small kiss on her mouth before they faced the Admiral.
"Since the days of sea vessels," Will Riker began with a smile. "Ship captains have been allowed to perform marriage ceremonies. Although I'm no longer actively serving as one, that privilege is still one I am allowed to keep...."
The exchange of vows and rings was short, but poignant. Tessa's voice trembled when she spoke, but didn't falter. She'd finally left her misgivings behind.
Mike smiled gently down at her when he placed the thin gold band on her third finger of her left hand, his voice strong and clear. He never had any doubts.
*****
Robbie watched Sherise nervously pull at the hem of her dress. She was sitting alone in the living room, the wedding ceremony having finished up a short time earlier. He hated the look of despair on her face. He hated knowing he put it there.
"Can we talk?" Robbie sat down in the chair directly across from her.
Sherise grimaced and met his searching gaze. "I don't know, can we?"
Resting his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward with a self-depreciating chuckle. "We can try."
There was a long silence as Sherise waited for him to continue. She wasn't about to make this easy on him. He was the one that had gotten them to this point. She almost jumped when he finally spoke.
"I love you."
She shook her head slowly. "No. You don't, Robbie. You don't know me well enough to love me."
His jaw clenched slightly. "I know you better than you think, Sherise. I've loved you longer than you've known too."
"We've only been together a month, that's hardly enough time to--"
"I've been in love with you since the Academy." The flat out conviction in his voice shook her.
"All we did was argue back then. Every time we met, we fought," she reminded him.
"Not every time."
Sherise frowned at the reminder.
"It was dark, I thought you were Kyle."
"It wasn't that dark."
No, it hadn't been. But, it had been dark enough to pretend.
"What did you want to talk about?" she changed the subject, not willing to go where Robbie was leading.
Robbie opened his mouth to talk when his Dad walked in. "It's time," the admiral told them.
The curse that left the younger Paris' lips was colorful and not generally heard in mixed company. It earned him a severe scowl from his father.
"Don't let your mother hear you talk like that. She have you eating soap for a week."
*****
"And this is Voyager's bridge. Although, you already know that," the guide said with a nervous laugh.
Her group this morning consisted of most of Voyager's original senior staff and their grown children. Giving them the tour was unnerving. These people knew the ship better than she did. She watched as they separated and each headed in different direction. Torres to the Engineering console. Paris to the Captain's chair. Lucas Riker to tactical. Kim to the Operations Station. The Borg woman to the Science Station along with her daughter. She noted that K'Leena Riker took a seat at the helm, interesting. The rest of the group stayed with her.
"Computer, recognize authorization Paris--tau--sigma--two--one--eight," Tom commanded.
Before the guide could speak, Mike had his hand over the guide's mouth and a firm grip on her.
**Authorization recognized.**
"Computer, transfer command codes to Thomas Eugene Paris."
**Transfer complete. U.S.S. Voyager is now under the command of Admiral Thomas Eugene Paris.**
"Harry, transport the tourists to the space dock," Tom instructed.
Mike let go of the guide a moment before she shimmered out, then took a place next to Lucas.
*****
It had been a frighteningly long time since Tom Paris had walked these corridors. Had the ship always been this small? It was almost claustrophobic. How had he managed? He hated small enclosed spaces.
Paris shook his head with a self-depreciating chuckle. Just like him to pick a career that made him face that fear every single day.
It's funny though. He didn't remember Voyager as too small or crowded. What he remembered when he looked back, was the people. He could almost hear them now. Ghosts of the past swirled around him like an early morning mist. Cool. Refreshing. It made him feel young again.
When the Shuttle Bay doors opened he was taken aback to see his wife leaning against the Delta Flyer II. In full Starfleet uniform at that. Since her appointment as the Kronos/Terran Ambassador, she'd taken to wearing civilian clothes. Damn, he'd forgotten just how well that Starfleet uniform fit her. Were grandmothers supposed to be so hot?
"Took you long enough," she drawled seductively.
Tom Paris grinned broadly.
*****
With the wedding and all the following commotion of their "borrowing" Voyager, it was quite late before Kyle was able to seek out Melanie. He found her in the Mess Hall, staring out the view ports at the moving starfield.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly.
A sad smile curved her lips when she turned to face him. "Yes, Kyle. I'm fine. I'm so sorry about...about last night."
"Don't apologize!" he hissed, angry that she was blaming herself for his aggressiveness. "It's my fault. I went too fast."
Melanie shook her head with a grimace. "No, you didn't. I just...well, never mind, I'm sorry." She turned to leave, but Kyle's next question stopped her cold.
"Were you raped?" He hadn't planned on asking. He knew he was pushing and should back off. Last night taught him that much. He already knew the answer, but for some perverse reason he needed to hear her say it.
Silence stretched between them, tightening the tension that surrounded them painfully. Her hand shook as it came up to smooth back the windblown strands of hair that were getting into her eyes.
"Yes." The almost inaudible whisper barely made it pass her bloodless lips.
"Not all men hurt, Melanie," Kyle said softly.
She turned to him again and reached up to touch his face with a hand that trembled.
"I know." There were tears in her deep sable eyes. "I know that in my head. I know a man a woman can be together and it can be wonderful...but it's hard to tell my body that when I start to panic. And I will, Kyle.
I always do. That's why I don't even try anymore. I don't think I will ever be normal again. It's just something I'm going to have to accept and live with."
"It'll be different with me. I promise."
"How can you promise that?"
"Because none of the other men you've tried to be with loved you, Melanie. I do," he told her quietly, turning his head to kiss the palm of her hand.
She pulled away suddenly. "You can't mean that."
"I can and I do, Imzadi. He used the Betazoid endearment and smiled at how right it felt.
"No...," she moaned in despair, shaking her head in denial. "Please, don't...."
Melanie turned suddenly and hurried out of the mess hall, tears blurring her vision.
Kyle stood there for a long time, staring unseeingly after her. Then he heard the doors swish open behind him.
"Sometimes, Robbie, I'm ashamed to call myself a man," he told his best friend, not even turning to face him.
Robert Paris grimaced in sympathy and walked over to the replicater to get Kyle a drink.
"Two Aldeviran whiskeys." Something told him, Kyle could use it.
The two men talked quietly for a while before Kyle went in search of his bed.
When the door to his assigned quarters opened, he was shocked to find Melanie waiting for him. In the bed, no less.
"Did you mean what you said? About loving me?" Melanie asked quietly.
"Yes."
"And...and...you'll stop...if I want you to?"
"Before you'll even have to ask, Melanie. I can feel what you feel. I'll know if you're scared or in pain, just like I did last night," he told her gently.
She nodded and took a deep breath. Maybe it just might work. He was so gentle. Maybe she could trust him.
"I want to stay. I want you to show me what it's supposed to be like. I want you to love me, Kyle."
"I do love you."
Kyle slowly undressed then crawled into bed with her. He only hesitated once before drawing her close. Then, tucking her head against his shoulder, he kissed the top of her head and said, "Go to sleep, Melanie."
Confused, she looked up at him.
Kyle smiled, "I got absolutely no sleep last night, and I have the feeling you didn't either. We've got the rest of our lives ahead of us. There's no need to rush."
She stared at him blankly for a moment, then smiled back. "I've never slept with a man before."
"Good," he growled possessively.
Melanie settled back down, sprawled across his chest, her leg thrown casually over his leg. It was surprisingly comfortable. She fell asleep with his hand still lightly stroking her back.
It was sometime after midnight when they woke together. Melanie startled slightly, forgetting where she was, but then relaxed instantly at Kyle's whispered, "It's all right."
Slowly, she turned to face him. Her fingers lightly tracked up his arm, to his shoulder...neck...jaw line. Then, over the harsh planes of his face, memorizing every detail. When they brushed over his mouth, he captured one gently between his teeth. She smiled as his tongue laved over the tip of her finger.
After a moment he released her finger and kissed the center of her palm before bending his head down to kiss her mouth.
"What do you want, Melanie?" he breathed the question against her lips.
"You." Her arms pulled him close when he deepened the kiss at her response.
They lay together for a long time, kissing, touching, getting to know each other's bodies. It was an unrushed, gentle exploration.
Each touch brought a new freedom for Melanie. Each kiss a new pleasure. He seemed to know exactly the right thing to do when she needed it the most. Her breasts were on fire, then he was there, taking the pebble hard tips with his hot mouth until she cried out with the intensity of it.
Then, he moved lower. His lips skirted over her stomach with tiny sucking kisses causing her hips to jerk in response and anticipation as his mouth moved even lower, over the tight dark curls to where she was slippery and wet for him.
He slid down between her thighs, his arms catching her behind her knees to make room for himself, then paused and looked up at her.
"Can I taste you?"
The desire in his voice shot straight through her causing every muscle in her body to tighten with pleasure. Her head fell back with a moan. "Please, Kyle!" she begged then almost came off the bed with a scream when his mouth took her.
Kyle groaned and began to feast. She was hot and wet. For him. He'd been terrified he wouldn't be able to arouse her, but the sweetness he found now reassured him completely. She wanted him.
Melanie shuddered as his talented mouth brought her to the brink of orgasm. She'd never been this close. He found her center and began to suck. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed and her hips undulated under his ministrations. She was gasping, crying, and all but begging.
When a single finger glided into her, Kyle let out the mental breath he'd been holding when she didn't tense or fight him. He stilled his hand to let her get used to the feeling and moved up, finding her mouth with his once again.
Melanie returned his kiss with fierce passion, reveling in the taste of herself on him and the feeling of his finger sliding into her. It didn't hurt! She almost cried at the realization. Kyle was touching her intimately, he was inside her, and she wasn't in any pain. It felt...good.
His lips rocked off her mouth and trailed across her cheek. He was breathing heavily...so was she. When she moaned softly and pressed herself closer to him, he almost smiled. She was amazing. She was his. With slow gentle movements, he began to stroke her with his finger.
"Is this all right?" he asked with tender concern. His voice was thick with desire.
Melanie nodded. It was more than all right. It was wonderful.
"Yes...."
He kissed her deeply, stroked her gently, his thumb found that place on her that made the world shake. He didn't rush. She deserved to feel it all. Enjoy it all. After a while, her hips began to meet his slow steady rhythm.
"That's it, sweetheart," he encouraged huskily. "Let it happen...."
It was soft and gentle, so different from what she'd expected. There was tension, too, but it wasn't unpleasant. It seemed to be building to something. Something that she couldn't quite reach...but knew she wanted. And he knew.
"I can take you there," he told her softly. "Trust me, Melanie.... Let me show you how."
"Kyle...please...."
"Just a little more, beautiful." He slid a second finger along side the first and carefully...very carefully, entered her with both.
Her eyes flew open at the fullness inside of her. Kyle was watching her with a burning intensity. It felt strange...but it didn't hurt. She gave him a tremulous smile. He returned the smile with a gentle one of his own. Then his thumb began caressing her center while he withdrew slowly then stroked in again. Her eyes fluttered shut. *This* is how it's supposed to be.
The tension increased. She surged against his hand. Soft, sweet cries of delight passed her parted lips. He lowered his head to her breast and took one hardened peak into his mouth, sucking deeply. Her back arched off the bed. The feelings grew. She hesitated, unsure.
"It's all right," he whispered. "Don't stop now, let yourself feel it. Come to me. You can do it."
Melanie gave herself over to the sensations. She could feel Kyle's love engulfing her and it gave her the strength to face her fear. Higher and higher, more and more...until something deep inside her snapped.
"Oh!" Her whole body went rigid in his arms. "Kyle...," she whispered in awe as the spiraling sensations broke free inside her. Undulating waves of pleasure washed over her again and again.
Tears pricked the backs of his eyes. He held her trembling body close as she rode out the storm.
"I love you, Melanie."
"I didn't know...I've never...." Putting together a complete sentence was impossible, she was overwhelmed.
"There's more," he whispered. "Let me show you."
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Melanie looked up into his dark eyes, seeing the love and tenderness shining there, and nodded slightly. She could do this. She wanted to do this.
"Make love to me, sweetheart." Kyle rolled onto his back, brining her with him. "I won't move, Melanie. I won't touch you. You're in control here. You can take me in at your own pace...or not at all. I only want you to do what you want. Understand? Don't do it because you think I want it."
Klingon Hearts 11 Controlled - Limitations of the Mind Page 6
