It Felt Like Home

Workforce Redux

A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction

by

CanonAntithesis

Summary: In the 7th season episode, Workforce, what if a certain bartender decided to help Janeway fend off Jaffen that first night in the bar? How might the story and their lives have gone?

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. This fanfiction is based upon the UPN television series Star Trek: Voyager. All characters and situations other than my own are the sole property of Paramount.

Chapter 1

Anxious to get away from the irritating, dark-skinned alien with a poor sense of humor, Jaffen scanned the crowded bar until his eyes landed on Kathryn, sitting at a small table and intently studying the digital tablet in her hand. Jaffen quickly made his way towards her.

"I thought you didn't have time to socialize?" Jaffen asked as he studied the attractive woman he had met earlier in the day at work. She ran the monitoring station next to his at the power distribution plant. Plus, she had been very receptive to his flirtations today, which had prompted a reprimand from the new Efficiency Monitor.

Kathryn glanced up. "I'm not socializing. I'm reviewing these manuals and having something to eat", she replied with slight annoyance.

"Well, I recommend the Latara broth and the section on thermal coefficients." Without waiting for an invitation, Jaffen sat down in the chair next to her. "I'll join you."

Tom Paris was loading up his tray with more complimentary drinks for two lovely ladies whom he had been trying to impress all night. He reasoned that if he plied them with enough free drinks, one or both of them would remember him kindly when his shift was over. He had just cleared the bar when he noticed a hot babe and a very persistent man sitting at a nearby table. Tom was a shrewd reader of body language and he could tell instantly that that woman wanted nothing to do with that man. Unfortunately, she was too polite to just tell the guy to hit the road.

Recognizing her as one of his own species, Tom decided to forgo the two lovely ladies and help out a fellow human. It didn't hurt that she was a knock-out either. She had full, shoulder-length auburn hair, and a fresh complexion that practically glowed, even in the low bar light. Plus, if things went well, he wouldn't have to worry about any embarrassing compatibility issues which sometimes accompanied inter-species dating.

Thinking fast, he came up with an excellent plan - excellent for helping her … and himself. He quickly placed the tray back on the bar, picked up one of the blue, sparkling drinks and headed towards her table.

"Really, I'm very, very busy," Kathryn said firmly, but politely. She placed the tablet down on the table with a little more force than necessary.

Jaffen smiled rakishly. "Oh, not to socialize, to, er..." he leaned in closer to her, "help you review the-"

Tom pushed in between the two and placed the glass down on the table in front of the woman, causing the man to quickly pull away. He then leaned in very close to the auburn-haired beauty. "Sorry it took me so long, babe. It's really crowded in here tonight."

As casually as he could with a woman he didn't even know, Tom bent over and kissed her directly on the lips. Luckily for the ruse, his head blocked her shocked expression from the man behind him. And luckily for Tom, she only hesitated for a second before responding to the kiss with a cautious, but receptive parting of her lips. Now it was Tom's turn to looked surprised. They kissed for several seconds longer, before he ended it and drew back slowly, momentarily at a loss for words.

Her eyes quickly contracted from their dilated state as she blinked several times and tried to focus on this very intriguing stranger. She immediately recognized that he, too, was human. They shared similar features also: fair skin, fine bone structure, light eyes, even the same hated freckles ran across his nose. She quickly realized she was smiling at him with far too much familiarity and interest. She didn't even know this man.

"Hello," Kathryn whispered in a breathy voice, too quietly for Jaffen to hear.

The handsome blonde straightened up and turned to face Jaffen, her erstwhile suitor. "Hi there. Tom Paris." He held out his hand to Jaffen who looked at it with curiosity.

Kathryn leaned in to help. "It's an old Earth greeting, Jaffen. Historically, it means that he has nothing to hide, as shown by his empty, open hand, and that he wants to become friends."

Jaffen raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't think this man was, at all, interested in becoming his friend. "I see. You're both from … Earth." He didn't return the offer of friendship.

Tom pulled back his hand. "That's right. We just got here a few days ago." After taking a quick glance at the tablet lying on the table, he had surmised that she had started work at the power plant today just as he had, only with slightly more success. He supposed they could have arrived on the same ship; he just didn't know for sure. Tom didn't have much memory of the trip. "We're looking for a fresh start." Again, he was pretty sure this wasn't a lie. The entire ship had been full of people from Earth who were looking for a new and better life. The 'we' he used just implied they were together.

Jaffen stood slowly. "Well, then I'll leave you to your … fresh start. Kathryn, I'll see you in the morning at the plant." Kathryn nodded to him politely and they watched Jaffen march resolutely to the exit.

Kathryn turned to the young man who had so successfully run interference for her … or had he been running interference for himself?

"Soooo, Kathryn." He liked the way her name sounded on his tongue. Tom slid confidently into the seat Jaffen had just vacated. "My name's Tom, Tom Paris." He hesitantly held out his hand to her.

Kathryn broke into a broad grin and grasped his hand warmly with both of hers. "Nice to meet you, Tom Paris. I'm Kathryn Janeway. You have the definite privilege of being the first person I have ever kissed before even knowing his name."

Tom smiled warmly back at her. "It seemed like the best way to help you."

She replied more seriously, "I wasn't aware that I needed help." She let his hand drop as she studied his face. He was very handsome.

"Well..."

"It's okay, Tom. Jaffen was very persistent and I really did want to study these manuals." She indicated the tablet with a casual wave of her hand. Then, surprisingly, she pinned him with a death glare that made him move slightly away from her. "However, if you EVER call me babe again, I will hurt you."

"Yes, ma'am. I-I mean no, ma'am." He smiled sheepishly and her glare melted into a deep-throated laugh which made Tom melt. Her laughter was like the vibrations of a bass guitar, exciting yet startling at the same time. This planet was definitely looking up.

Kathryn reached over and fingered the glass of liquid. "I ordered dinner, not an alcoholic beverage. What is this?"

Tom relaxed into the chair. "Oh, that's compliments of the proprietress. My own invention actually, I call it a Warp Core Breach. I think you'll like it," he replied with a wink.

Kathryn took a hesitant sip and lifted her glass in appreciation. "It's good; a little strong, but good."

Tom's boss, Umali, took that moment to deliver Kathryn's food order. "Here you are," Umali said warmly to the woman. The smile instantly disappeared when she turned his way. "Tom." Her voice brokered no discussion and he obediently rose to follow her to the bar.

He reached over and patted Kathryn's hand. "I'll be right back."

Umali absentmindedly wiped down the bar surface while chastising her new bartender. She hoped she didn't have to fire him; she really liked this man. "The proprietress doesn't give away drinks."

"Well, I'm just creating customer loyalty."

"You only have forty-five minutes until your shift is over. Then, you can create as much customer loyalty as you want on your own time and with your own money."

"Yes, ma'am."

No one noticed the young pregnant woman who entered the bar, looked around apprehensively, and left.

/***\

Kathryn and Tom walked out of the bar and into the cold night air, surrounded by the mechanization of the highly industrialized world of Quarra. They trooped over bare metallic gangways and down industrial stairs, ignoring the steam exhaust spewing into the night and the loud noises of the equipment which seemed to define this planet.

They were deep in discussion and the joy in Kathryn's voice could be heard above the clanking and crashing of machinery surrounding them. They headed in the direction of a high-rise housing complex twinkling with lights from hundreds of individual apartments.

"I can't believe I let you keep me out this late," Kathryn commented with more ease than she'd felt in … well, a long time.

"Well, after I chased away your study partner I felt it was my responsibility to help you learn those manuals."

"Very funny, but seriously, I was impressed with your knowledge of thermal coefficients."

Tom shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I'm more than just a pretty face."

Kathryn craned her neck to look up into his face, outlined by the two full moons floating above them. My, he was tall. And he did, indeed, have a very pretty face.

"I also can't believe it's only our first day here and we've both had run-ins with the infamous Efficiency Monitor," Kathryn said through chattering teeth.

"At least you didn't get fired." Tom grumbled.

"Tom Paris," Kathryn chastised. "I've only known you for a couple of hours, but I can already tell that if you got fired, it was because you wanted to get fired."

"Guilty as charged." He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. Then he looked at her more closely. "Hey, you're freezing." Tom pulled her to him and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

An unintended shiver shot through her and Tom hugged her to him more tightly. "I still haven't adjusted to the weather here. It gets so cold at night."

"Yeah," Tom agreed. "But it's a far sight better than Earth."

"Oh my, yes. Overpopulated..." she intoned.

"Polluted...", Tom added.

"Very little work," they both finished together.

They separated for a second and studied each others faces, surprised at their identical description of their home world. It felt … rehearsed. And had they shared their concerns at that moment, they would have also realized that other than that very pat description of Earth, they both had very sketchy memories of their own lives.

Kathryn broke the silence first. "It guess we're both lucky to be here."

He closed the distance between them. "I'll say." He drew her toward him and bent his head down to capture her lips in a tender kiss.

"It's almost curfew." A deep male voice hit them both like a blast of cold Quarran air as two security guards casually strolled toward them.

They guiltily sprung apart like two teenagers caught necking by their parents. An embarrassed giggle escaped Kathryn's lips and she was glad the darkness hid the blush which now rushed up her face.

Tom stepped forward in a protective gesture. "Yes, sir. We both live right here."

The security guard blinked and licked his lips knowingly at Tom which he knew from the cultural awareness class was the Quarren equivalent of a wink. "Good night, then."

Kathryn still had the giggles. "That was so embarrassing, but I'm glad they required that we all take the cultural awareness class when we arrived. Otherwise, I might have thought he was flirting with you." She stepped back into the warmth of his arms and toyed with the lapels of his jacket, but didn't meet his eyes when she spoke next. "You know, one of the advantages of living in employee housing is that we could continue … studying after the work day is over."

Tom sighed and not in a good way. Kathryn looked up to see regret in his eyes. "I sort of lied to those guards."

"Is that so?" She wasn't sure where this was going, but she didn't think she was going to like it.

"Yeah. I don't live here." He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair.

"Why did you lie?"

He shrugged, "Just didn't want any trouble. There would have been real trouble if that had happened on Earth."

She smiled encouragingly. "But we're not on Earth anymore. This is a much better place. We won't be mistreated here."

"I know, but trusting is another matter. I don't have the greatest track record with authority figures." He wasn't completely clear on all the details of his life, but he knew in his heart of hearts that this was the complete truth.

Sensing their moment had passed, Kathryn laid her hand on his chest. "Well, I really have to get to sleep."

"Right, me too." Even though his shift at the bar didn't start until late afternoon and he didn't actually have anywhere to go. "Will I see you tomorrow night?"

"Well, that warp core drink was awfully good." She started to walk away, but stopped and ran back to him. "I think you're awfully good too, Tom Paris." She stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then hurried towards her building.

/TBC\

Author's Notes:

I truly mourn the passing of Jupiter Station site and wish there was more J/P stories out there, so here's my second attempt at helping the community along.

Any comments are welcome, as long as they're CONstructive and not DEstructive.

Thanks.