by Alys Landale
Okay, so here's the deal. I don't own Tom Paris B'Elanna Torres or any of the other characters on Star Trek Voyager. I'm not using this to make money. It is purely a nonprofit undertaking. Paramount and some other rich people who I don't know own Star Trek. However Kail, Takma, Neryem, and the other guys that don't fit in the Star Trek universe belong to me okay. I'll be using them in some stories to come so you might want to get used to them. Well that's all the ranting I have to do so here's the good stuff.
NOTE: All lines words inside *this* are thoughts of the main characters. **This** indicates another being's thoughts inside one of the main character's mind.
THE FATES SERIES
"A Destiny Woven"
By: Alys Landale
Email Address: [email protected]
Chapter One
There has always been a thin line between bitter enemies and passionate lovers. Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres were no exception. One minute they were involved in a bitter verbal battle while the next they were wrapped up in one another's arms. Tonight was a mere justification of this truth.
"'Lanna, I already told you, the captain was asking for volunteers on this next away mission, so naturally I thought you and me."
"And the captain," B'Elanna shot her mate an icy glare that would put even Janeway's signature stare to disgrace.
"Look, I didn't know Janeway meant two volunteers to go 'with' her on this mission. Besides, you could use some time away from those engines of yours. I've seen more of Neelix lately than I have of you. If you don't watch out you just might end up losing me to him."
Tom flashed her his classic Paris smile, hoping that maybe it would save him from her oncoming wrath. Lord, all he had wanted was a few days away with her, but due to some twist of fate, he was now sharing a five day excursion with not only his soul mate, but his personal savior as well.
*And with the captain present, that means I'll be doing a lot less 'soul-searching' with B'Elanna,* Tom thought. *Not that I'll be doing much of that now with her as pissed off as she is.*
"Hello! Paris! The least you could do is listen to me while I'm talking."
Pulling himself back to the present, Tom turned his attention back to the angry half Klingon staring up at him. *Nope, definitely not getting any tonight.*
"Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?"
"I said that next time you might want to ask my consent before you go making decisions for me. After all, I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions."
B'Elanna was fuming. How dare he volunteer her for this! She had work to do in engineering. Sure, Joe could probably handle it, but that wasn't the point. The last time he had made a decision for her, it had been against her wishes. He had appealed to Janeway to let that murderous Cardassian butcher operate on her despite her wishes not to. If he hadn't she would have died, but at least she would have still had her honor.
"And if there is a next time 'ensign,' I'll have to pull rank on you and have you cleaning Jeffrey's Tubes for the rest of your days. Understood?"
A slight wince covered his face, but within a second the cocky smile made its appearance.
"Yes, ma'am, lieutenant, I won't do it again. But since we are going to be spending the next five days with the captain, why don't you come back to my quarters and I'll make it up to you?"
Arms crossed and head cocked to the side, Torres leaned forward, standing slightly on her tiptoes and pressing her body against his. “I’d love to go back to your quarters,” she whispered, “but I make it a point not to associate with pigs.”
Having said that, she stormed past him towards her cabin. Tom leaned against the corridor wall. *God help the poor soul who crosses her path.*
Moving on his way back to his own empty cabin, he let out a sigh, "Screwed if you do; screwed if you don't." *Well, maybe not in my case.*
It was dinnertime and not having enough replicator rations, Tom was forced to take a visit to the mess hall. After a short trip to his cabin, following the recent fight with B'Elanna, he had waited until the majority of the dinner crowd had gone. For some reason, he hadn't wanted to see anyone just now. What was he kidding? He was brooding over this B'Elanna thing. They had been fighting even more than usual lately, and the fights continued to get worse.
*I just don't know what the hell to do.*
At that moment Harry walked over, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hey, Tom, getting here a little late aren't we?"
"Yeah, I had a few things to take care of. How about you? You're usually one of the first ones here."
"Sam had a few things to take care of and won't be able to make it here until later, so she asked me to bring Naomi."
"Naomi's here?" Tom perked up a little more with the mention of her name. Voyager's littlest crewman was one of the only people aboard the ship who could put him in a good mood no matter what.
"Yeah, I think she's over there with Neelix," Harry said gesturing toward the open kitchen area. Sure enough, there was Naomi, listening to a bustling Talaxian rant about his latest culinary masterpiece.
"Hey, Cricket," Tom called to the little girl.
Hearing her nickname, Naomi's face lit up and she ran to her favorite 'Uncle'. He held out his arms and caught her when she jumped into his embrace.
"Whoa, Cricket. If you get any bigger we're going to have to find some other kind of greeting," Tom laughed.
"I'm not getting too big. I'm not even as tall as your legs yet," Naomi protested.
"Well you’re getting there. Soon you'll be taller than B'Elanna.” He tilted his head to the side, pretending to measure her up. “Actually I think you already are."
"You'd better not let B'Elanna hear you," Harry warned. "Otherwise she'll beat you so bad, you'll both be the same height."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Tom acknowledged then turned his attention back to Naomi. "So, Cricket, what're you planning on eating this fine day?"
"Umm, something purple I think."
At that moment Neelix appeared beside the three. "So, Tom, I see you made it here. I was beginning to think you were eating in your cabin." Neelix outstretched two trays of food in both hands. "You arrived just in time to finish the last of my Leola Root Stew. I saved Naomi some casserole as well, but I'm afraid I didn't know you were coming. I'm sorry."
"It's okay Neelix. I'm not all that hungry anyway." Tom took his tray from the Talaxian. Just as Naomi had said, it was purple. "So Cricket, where do you want to eat?"
The mess hall was practically empty except for the few slackers who had come in late. Pulling Tom by the arm as she went, Naomi quickly ran over to a table by the window. Neelix and Harry followed as well, each carrying a tray. Tom sat down and quickly pulled Naomi into his lap, her typical eating-place while she was with him.
"Here you go, Naomi," Neelix said as he set the tray in front of her.
"Thanks Neelix," she replied. Taking a long look at the plate in front of her, she pushed her food around her plate the same as Tom was doing.
"So, Tom," Harry said as he sat down next to the two. "I hear you and B'Elanna are going with the captain on this away mission."
"Yeah, not that B'Elanna wants to," Paris replied with a snort.
"I didn't know Uncle Tommy was going somewhere," Naomi said between bites of her purple goo.
"I'm just going to a nearby planet to get some dilithium. I'll only be gone for about five days. Not that long."
"Why can't we all go?" she asked. It was clear that the little girl wasn't too happy too be losing her favorite playmate for the next few days.
"Well," Harry started, "there is this nebula surrounding the planet. The captain thinks that it might be a little danger
ous for Voyager to enter it, so she's taking an away team to go down to the planet to retrieve some of the dilithium."
Naomi's brow furrowed in concentration. "If it's dangerous for the whole ship to go in, then what about a shuttle?"
Tom turned his full attention to Naomi. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him the whole time he was gone. "Don't worry, Cricket. The reason we're taking a shuttle instead of the ship is because it doesn't put off the same kind of radiation. If Voyager went into the nebula it might ignite some of the particles and then I'd have to use my expert flying skills to bail us out again." Harry shot Tom a look, but the pilot continued. "But if we take a shuttle then the radiation won't be high enough to ignite any of the particles."
"So nothing's going to happen?"
Tom adjusted the little girl in his lap so that she was facing him instead of the table. "Nope, it'll be clear sailing all the way. And to prove it, when we get back I will be your personal escort to one of the new holoprograms I created."
"What's it about?!"
"Well I can't tell you now, then it wouldn't be a surprise." Tom had to stifle a laugh as he watched the excitement build on the little girl's face. "But I will promise you this, you'll be the first one to try it out."
"Really! You don't think you could come back any sooner do you?"
"I wouldn't count on that, but I'll be back as soon as I can. You know me; I'd never cancel a date with a girl as beautiful as yourself."
B'Elanna paced around her cabin.
*How dare he do this! Who does he think I am? I can't leave the ship for FIVE days, it would fall apart!*
Deep down she knew that everything would be fine though. Joe could take care of things and there hadn't been a crisis in almost a month. But still, she hated the fact that Tom had neglected to ask her about her opinion on the matter. Somewhere deep down she knew that he was probably right. She had been spending a lot of time in engineering. She'd seen more of the warp engines than she had him in the last few weeks. And that was what made her so mad. The fact that he had a point ate at her soul the same way it had when he had pleaded with Janeway to let that Cardassian operate on her. After all it was her life, he had no say in the matter.
*Or does he?*
They had been a couple for quite a while now. Did he think he had the right to make choices for her? To run her life?
No, he would never do that and she knew it. Her anger wasn't over their recent argument; it was over something else that had been building for some time now. They had been having more and more fights as time went on, and she seemed to start most of them. The problem was she didn't know why she kept trying to push him away, and it was driving her insane.
*Oh well, no use thinking about this right now. I have to pack.*
As she began packing, she thought to herself, *Tom Paris you are going to pay for this. I promise you that.*
And Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres always kept a promise.
0800 rolled around and the away team gathered in shuttle bay to board the Delta Flyer. They each came separately. Captain Janeway entered as usual with Chakotay by her side, B'Elanna and Harry came in next, and Tom was the last to arrive.
Tom was about to walk over to B'Elanna, but a young ensign stood in his way.
"The pre-flight check has already been taken care of Lieu--- umm Ensign Paris."
"Okay thanks." Tom pushed past the ensign, but B'Elanna was already on the shuttle.
"Well Mr. Paris I believe we should be leaving now," Janeway said. "Now Commander I trust you to take good care of my ship while I'm gone."
Chakotay smiled through a chuckle. “Aye, Captain. I’ll try to make sure she’s in one piece when you return.”
"Very good." Turning to Paris, she asked, "Is everything ready for departure."
"Yes ma'am. We can leave anytime."
"Good then let's get going before I change my mind about leaving the ship for a week."
Chapter Two
The shuttle ride through the nebula was unbearable for Tom. Both women held an uncomfortable silence while in his presence. He could still sense that Janeway was disappointed with his conduct and recent fall from grace. Whenever she looked at him there was a mixture of anger and disappointment. She would occasionally falter and engage in whatever conversation he had begun with himself. That only lasted for a few minutes though. Soon she would realize what she was doing and resume her authoritative demeanor.
B'Elanna was another problem all together. She and the captain would converse with each other during times, but whenever he joined the conversation, B'Elanna would suddenly end the subject. He had wanted this to be an excursion where they could just relax in each others company, but somehow all his good intentions had blown-up in his face.
*The road to hell is paved with good intentions,* he thought.
For whatever reasons, B'Elanna had been pushing him away lately. He couldn't understand why, and all he wanted was for her to snap out of it.
He was pulled out of his reverie by Janeway's voice from behind him.
"It really is beautiful."
For an instant, everyone's attention was pulled to the front window. The nebula outside swirled in a pattern of vivid colors, each one complimenting the one before it. B'Elanna put down the PADD she had been reading, "Have you ever seen anything like that?"
No one replied. There was no way to describe the beauty outside. It was an exotic whirlwind of colors, one which never seemed to end.
Tom suddenly looked back down to his controls. They would soon be within range of the planet.
"Umm, Captain, sensors say we'll be approaching the planet in less than an hour."
"What!" she said. Their original flight plan had indicated that it would be at least two days to reach the planet, and here they had accomplished it in less than a day.
B'Elanna was soon involved in the conversation. "Sensors are reading not only a planet but an artificial satellite orbiting it as well."
"Can you pick up any life signs on the satellite?" Janeway was now utterly perplexed yet fascinated at the same time.
"No Captain. It looks like whoever built it abandoned it some time ago."
The nebula then parted, revealing a large space station almost the same size as Deep Space Nine. It was covered in a purplish, almost red exterior which resembled skin more than metal. As they got closer they could distinguish small indentions in the port side and a larger tunnel that lead somewhere inside. *Must lead to the shuttle bay,* Janeway thought. Dispersed widely over the station were large half shaped spears which protruded from to hull.
"Why would anyone abandon something like that," Tom asked aloud.
Receiving no answer he proceeded to his next question. "Well do you want to dock Captain?"
Janeway hesitated a moment before answering. "No Mr. Paris, keep on our original course heading. Our first priority is the dilithium." *But maybe later we can take a look around on our way back.*
The planet was almost completely composed of grass. Looking around, Janeway could only distinguish a few rock formations on the horizon. *Not the most interesting of places to be.*
She looked around at her other two officers. They were each in a different side of the shuttle and about forty yards from each other. The dilithium had turned out to be just under the surface, so retrieving it had proven a lot easier than first anticipated.
Right now something else was occupying the captain's mind though. It was Tom Paris.
She still didn't know how to act around Tom. She was torn between telling him she was sorry, that she would have done the same thing, and ringing his neck for pulling a stunt like that. Those people had not requested help and taking that shuttle put not only himself at risk, but the entire crew. The people that lived on the ocean planet could just have easily attacked Voyager for his actions, but by the grace of God they hadn't.
Now she was at bad terms with one of her favorite crewmen. Not knowing what else to do, she had treated him with the detac
hed professionalism that she as a captain was forced to have.
Another thought entered her mind as she contemplated the space station. It offered a puzzle for her scientific mind. Chakotay practically had forced her on this away mission in an attempt to get her to relax.
*So much for his little plan.* She chuckled to herself, *I guess I really am a workaholic.*
Torres stole another glance at Paris. He was covered in dust, a light brown powder resting on his uniform and face. His hair still radiated like gold, however, despite the soil which had taken up residence there.
*Damn, he looks cute.* She thought as she watched him mutter a few curses under his breath.
She quickly averted her stare, however, when he turned to her and called, "Hey, 'Lanna, could you come over here for a second."
*Did he see me staring at him.* Her Klingon courage faltered slightly as she wondered what he wanted to talk about.
"My tricorder seems to be malfunctioning. Would you mind taking a look?" He asked when she reached him.
"Let me see." She took the machine from him and tinkered with the parts. After a while she became aware of his eyes staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
He grinned slightly. "Oh I was just thinking how perfectly that dirt looks on your face."
She blushed. He was covered in the stuff, why hadn't she suspected the same about herself?
"You're one to talk. With as much dirt that's covering you, it only highlights your natural pig-nature." She began wiping her face with the back of her hand, which only proved to rub the dirt in further.
"Here, let me." Tom took B'Elanna's face in his hand and began to gently wipe the dust off with the other one. After a while they both forgot what they were doing and just stared into one another's eyes. Sky blue met deep brown and both became lost in the other's eyes.
B'Elanna was the first to break the silence. "Umm I couldn't find anything wrong with your tricorder."
"Lanna, I'm sorry that I didn't ask you first if you wanted to come. I just thought you could use a break from work and that we could spend some time together." Tom gushed out.