Title: A Question on Love
Author: Brigid
Email: brigidandmike@juno.com
Rating: [G]
Synopsis: Chakotay asks Tom for help with a mystery.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters. I thank them for
letting me play with them.
Date: June 2002
For Barb on the anniversary of her 29th birthday.
A Question on Love
Voyager was home or almost home. The ship was docked at
McKinley Station and waiting for the debriefing teams from
Starfleet to arrive the next morning. Their whole lives had
been turned upside down in a matter of hours.
Lt. Tom Paris was a father. He was still in total amazement
at that! And she was beautiful, as beautiful as her mother.
And cranky, just like her mother. Tom was walking the
corridors of Voyager with Miral tucked safely in a pouch
hanging from his shoulders across his belly. She had been
fed, she was dry and now she needed to sleep. And so did
her mother, which is why Tom was walking the halls.
He found himself in the messhall expecting it to be
deserted at this hour of the night. Everyone had a big day
tomorrow and most were taking advantage of the unlimited
replicator rations and time off. They were spending time
with friends, sharing final confidences and getting ready
for several days of hell. Tom walked across the darkened
room to stare at the stars, which were no longer moving.
Another of Voyager's command crew hadn't been able to sleep
either. Commander Chakotay stood quietly at the viewport,
drinking in the stars. Tom was reluctant to disturb him but
Chakotay turned and smiled when he saw who it was.
"Isn't it a little late for such a small girl to be up?" he
asked.
"You tell her, Commander, she really isn't listening to me
at all." Tom replied. Miral was quiet but awake, staring
wide-eyed at her surroundings.
Chakotay offered the tiny infant one of his large fingers.
She latched on to it immediately, bringing a smile to his
face, "How is B'Elanna doing?"
"She's tired but Doc let us go back to our own quarters so
she could try to rest a little. Of course, one of us has no
intention of letting anyone rest." He looked fondly at the
infant strapped across his chest.
"Well, she's opinionated, just like her mother!"
"That she is!" Tom agreed. "What are you doing up,
Chakotay? Don't you need to sleep too?"
"I had some things to think about and my quarters were
getting on my nerves." Chakotay's voice was hesitant, "Tom,
how do you tell if you're truly in love?"
The pilot looked at him in surprise. "Excuse me?"
Chakotay's voice held a sigh as he asked again, "How do you
tell if you're really in love?"
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. You always seemed so sure of your relationship
with B'Elanna and the fact that it was the right thing for
you. How did you know you were truly in love?"
This conversation has definitely taken a turn for the
weird, Tom thought as he struggled to find an answer.
"Well, I guess, in our case, our love just grew, a little
each day. I mean, I knew she was special and we were
certainly friends but after a while I realized that it was
more. She was one of my best friends but she meant more to
me than a friend. And after the caves on Sakari, I knew I
wanted her in my life forever."
Chakotay nodded but continued his questioning, "How did you
know?"
Tom frowned and absently rubbed Miral's back as her eyes
began to drift shut. "I guess you know you're in love when
she's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the
morning and the last thing you think of at night. When her
happiness is more important than yours; when standing by
her side every day is your greatest pleasure. Maybe it has
something to do with the fact that even when we argue and
fight I know she's always going to be waiting for me at the
end of every day and even when we don't agree she still
loves me."
"Do you think that you're the first thing that B'Elanna
thinks of every morning?" Chakotay asked with a slight
smile.
"Not necessarily, I think her engines might have been tops
on her list most days. But I know that I'm right up there.
And that's okay. She's had it tough, I just had to fly
Voyager, she had to keep it running, day in and day out,
for seven long years. She loves me, Chakotay and I know it.
I can't tell you why I know it, I just do." Tom finished
with a tone of frustration mixed with the love he felt for
his beautiful wife.
Chakotay was silent for quite some time as he stared at the
infant Tom held so gently. She was finally asleep and she
looked like an angel, a cherub with a few Klingon ridges
thrown in for good measure. The thoughts tumbling through
his head were in a jumble and Tom had only added to the
mix.
"Anything you'd like to talk about?" Tom asked softly.
"No, I'll have to figure this out on my own." There was a
pause before he added, "She's asleep. Time to return to
your quarters."
"Yeah, I'll have to see if I can slip her into her bed
without waking her. Or maybe I'll just lay on the couch so
I don't have to move her at all." Tom answered with a
rueful grin. "Starfleet needs to take officers over six
feet tall into consideration when they design their
couches!"
With a laugh Chakotay agreed. "I've run into that problem
myself at times."
Tom turned to go but looked back to ask a final question,
"Are you going to be okay, Chakotay?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Go home to your wife, Tom." Chakotay
assured him with a warm squeeze to his shoulder.
"Good night, Commander," Tom said softly.
"Good night, Lieutenant," the older man replied.
After Tom and Miral's departure Chakotay turned back to the
viewport and the stationary stars. "Good night, Kathryn,"
he whispered.
The end.
Author: Brigid
Email: brigidandmike@juno.com
Rating: [G]
Synopsis: Chakotay asks Tom for help with a mystery.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters. I thank them for
letting me play with them.
Date: June 2002
For Barb on the anniversary of her 29th birthday.
A Question on Love
Voyager was home or almost home. The ship was docked at
McKinley Station and waiting for the debriefing teams from
Starfleet to arrive the next morning. Their whole lives had
been turned upside down in a matter of hours.
Lt. Tom Paris was a father. He was still in total amazement
at that! And she was beautiful, as beautiful as her mother.
And cranky, just like her mother. Tom was walking the
corridors of Voyager with Miral tucked safely in a pouch
hanging from his shoulders across his belly. She had been
fed, she was dry and now she needed to sleep. And so did
her mother, which is why Tom was walking the halls.
He found himself in the messhall expecting it to be
deserted at this hour of the night. Everyone had a big day
tomorrow and most were taking advantage of the unlimited
replicator rations and time off. They were spending time
with friends, sharing final confidences and getting ready
for several days of hell. Tom walked across the darkened
room to stare at the stars, which were no longer moving.
Another of Voyager's command crew hadn't been able to sleep
either. Commander Chakotay stood quietly at the viewport,
drinking in the stars. Tom was reluctant to disturb him but
Chakotay turned and smiled when he saw who it was.
"Isn't it a little late for such a small girl to be up?" he
asked.
"You tell her, Commander, she really isn't listening to me
at all." Tom replied. Miral was quiet but awake, staring
wide-eyed at her surroundings.
Chakotay offered the tiny infant one of his large fingers.
She latched on to it immediately, bringing a smile to his
face, "How is B'Elanna doing?"
"She's tired but Doc let us go back to our own quarters so
she could try to rest a little. Of course, one of us has no
intention of letting anyone rest." He looked fondly at the
infant strapped across his chest.
"Well, she's opinionated, just like her mother!"
"That she is!" Tom agreed. "What are you doing up,
Chakotay? Don't you need to sleep too?"
"I had some things to think about and my quarters were
getting on my nerves." Chakotay's voice was hesitant, "Tom,
how do you tell if you're truly in love?"
The pilot looked at him in surprise. "Excuse me?"
Chakotay's voice held a sigh as he asked again, "How do you
tell if you're really in love?"
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. You always seemed so sure of your relationship
with B'Elanna and the fact that it was the right thing for
you. How did you know you were truly in love?"
This conversation has definitely taken a turn for the
weird, Tom thought as he struggled to find an answer.
"Well, I guess, in our case, our love just grew, a little
each day. I mean, I knew she was special and we were
certainly friends but after a while I realized that it was
more. She was one of my best friends but she meant more to
me than a friend. And after the caves on Sakari, I knew I
wanted her in my life forever."
Chakotay nodded but continued his questioning, "How did you
know?"
Tom frowned and absently rubbed Miral's back as her eyes
began to drift shut. "I guess you know you're in love when
she's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the
morning and the last thing you think of at night. When her
happiness is more important than yours; when standing by
her side every day is your greatest pleasure. Maybe it has
something to do with the fact that even when we argue and
fight I know she's always going to be waiting for me at the
end of every day and even when we don't agree she still
loves me."
"Do you think that you're the first thing that B'Elanna
thinks of every morning?" Chakotay asked with a slight
smile.
"Not necessarily, I think her engines might have been tops
on her list most days. But I know that I'm right up there.
And that's okay. She's had it tough, I just had to fly
Voyager, she had to keep it running, day in and day out,
for seven long years. She loves me, Chakotay and I know it.
I can't tell you why I know it, I just do." Tom finished
with a tone of frustration mixed with the love he felt for
his beautiful wife.
Chakotay was silent for quite some time as he stared at the
infant Tom held so gently. She was finally asleep and she
looked like an angel, a cherub with a few Klingon ridges
thrown in for good measure. The thoughts tumbling through
his head were in a jumble and Tom had only added to the
mix.
"Anything you'd like to talk about?" Tom asked softly.
"No, I'll have to figure this out on my own." There was a
pause before he added, "She's asleep. Time to return to
your quarters."
"Yeah, I'll have to see if I can slip her into her bed
without waking her. Or maybe I'll just lay on the couch so
I don't have to move her at all." Tom answered with a
rueful grin. "Starfleet needs to take officers over six
feet tall into consideration when they design their
couches!"
With a laugh Chakotay agreed. "I've run into that problem
myself at times."
Tom turned to go but looked back to ask a final question,
"Are you going to be okay, Chakotay?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Go home to your wife, Tom." Chakotay
assured him with a warm squeeze to his shoulder.
"Good night, Commander," Tom said softly.
"Good night, Lieutenant," the older man replied.
After Tom and Miral's departure Chakotay turned back to the
viewport and the stationary stars. "Good night, Kathryn,"
he whispered.
The end.