Originally written Oct 1998

Title: Duplicates
Rating: T
Summary: Missing moments from the episode "Demon."

B'Elanna rushed into Sickbay. She had been worried sick about Tom the entire time but hadn't been able to leave Engineering until now. But the doctor had reassured her that both Tom and Harry would be perfectly fine once they recovered from the effects of the oxygen deprivation.

"B'Elanna!"

"Tom?" There he was, standing on the other side of Sickbay in perfect health. B'Elanna stood there immobilized, completely confused, until he took a few steps in her direction. When he was thwarted by the forcefield, B'Elanna suddenly realized that this must be the duplicate Tom. The Doctor had explained all that, of course, since duplicate Harry had requested DNA samples from all the Voyager crewmembers, but nothing could have prepared her for just how much this duplicate resembled her Tom.

B'Elanna shook her head to clear it, then noticed that the real Tom and Harry were still unconscious on nearby biobeds. She went over to Tom's side and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm so glad you're all right," she murmured.

Tom's duplicate watched her intently. He wanted to ask her if she had decided to donate a DNA sample or not, but he was afraid to hear the answer. He had too many unanswered questions... How did she feel about him? Did she blame him for nearly killing the original Tom?

"B'Elanna," he implored. B'Elanna looked up. The sadness in his face made her heart break. She slowly walked over to him, wanting to take his pain away.

B'Elanna stared at the man in front of her. He was identical to the man she loved. Nearly identical, she reminded herself. He wasn't her Tom.

"I..." He looked so distressed that she just wanted to reach out and hug him. But she couldn't, not with the forcefield in place.

The original Tom stirred, finally regaining consciousness. B'Elanna rushed to his side, relieved. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"B'Elanna," he sighed.

She helped him sit up, then threw her arms around his neck.

"I was so worried about you... "

He returned the embrace.

"What happened?"

"We lost contact with you and Harry, so the Captain decided to land the ship and send another away team to find you two. I wanted to go, but Chakotay wouldn't let me."

"Good. It's too dangerous down there," he proclaimed.

"Too dangerous? And that would explain why you were out there, gallivanting around the demon planet?" she shook her head in exasperation. "Sometimes I think you thrive on risking your life in dangerous away missions."

"Harry volunteered me!" he protested.

"But if he hadn't, you would have volunteered yourself!"

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? We had to get the deuterium somehow."

Demon Tom, silently observing them from across Sickbay, shook his head. Did his counterpart realize how lucky he was to have her? A part of him wished that B'Elanna had gone down to the planet so that she would have been duplicated as well. Then he wouldn't be in this precarious position of worrying about having to be alone for the rest of his life. It would be such an empty existence without B'Elanna. If only she had been duplicated as well, he thought longingly as he watched them argue. Then it wouldn't matter as much what everyone else decided, as long as he had her. But at the same time, he was glad that she hadn't gone down to the planet. Like the original Tom, he didn't ever want her to be in any danger.

He wondered how the original Tom would react when he found out he had been duplicated. What would happen next? What would the rest of the Voyager crew decide? he thought anxiously. He wanted to talk to B'Elanna. He didn't know what he would do if she decided she didn't want to be duplicated. But at the moment, she was preoccupied with arguing with the original Tom. They were so absorbed in their argument that they had forgotten about everything else, including him.

They had even forgotten about Harry, who was slowly regaining consciousness on the adjacent biobed to the sound of their arguing. Despite his condition, he had to chuckle as he saw his two best friends, arguing hotly while still wrapped in each other's arms. He couldn't resist teasing them a little.

"Hey, you two, cut it out before the captain puts you under orders to 'use better judgment' again."

"Harry..." They both looked at him menacingly.

"Don't I get a hug too?" he asked plaintively.

B'Elanna laughed, but she disentangled herself from Tom to lean over and hug Harry affectionately. She turned back to Tom, but he was staring in shock at his counterpart across the room. Harry turned to look at what Tom was staring at and gasped.

"Hi," Demon Tom said awkwardly, not certain what he should say to the original Tom, who was still at a loss for words.

"Tom?" Concerned, B'Elanna gently touched his arm.

"What's going on?" he managed to say.

"You and Harry were accidentally duplicated by a life form that you came in contact with on Demon," B'Elanna explained. "They're exactly like you, except that they can only breathe in Demon's atmosphere."

"So where's Harry?" Tom asked, still closely studying his counterpart.

"I'm right here," said Harry.

"Not you, the other Harry!"

"He's in the transporter room. He wants DNA samples from the rest of the Voyager crew so he and your counterpart won't be alone," B'Elanna told him.

"And?"

"Captain Janeway assembled the crew in Cargo Bay 1, explained the situation, and allowed everyone to make their own decision." She shrugged. "Most people decided to donate DNA samples, so I guess we're leaving a colony of sorts here. The Doctor's collecting samples in Cargo Bay 1 right now."

"Have you decided yet?"

"Not yet. I... I wanted to see you."

Tom nodded. He seemed to have accepted the existence of his counterpart fairly well. Which was more than could be said for B'Elanna. Clearly, she was still uncomfortable with the situation.

Across the room, Demon Tom paced back and forth, agitated. He knew he had no right to ask her to donate a DNA sample if she didn't want to, but the prospect of a life without her terrified him.

Tom and B'Elanna continued their discussion. "How do you feel about all this, Tom? I mean, the rest of us, we have a choice, but you... you didn't have a choice in the matter."

"No... but I don't really mind."

"You don't mind that an alien life form cloned you and nearly killed you in the process?" she asked incredulously.

Sensing an argument, Harry chose to make a hasty exit. "I think I'll... go talk to my counterpart in the transporter room," he said, jumping off his biobed and hurrying out of Sickbay.

They ignored him.

"Well, it's not my idea of an ideal away mission, but he's here, and I'm still alive. It's not like he did this on purpose. Besides, he isn't exactly like me if he can only breathe on Demon," Tom pointed out. "He came from Demon."

"He's still a clone of you! That doesn't bother you?"

Tom searched for the right words. "He's not exactly a clone..."

B'Elanna looked unconvinced. She was about to protest again, but Demon Tom interrupted her. He could stand it no longer.

"B'Elanna... we didn't mean for this to happen. You have to believe me."

She stared at him, unnerved by how much he resembled the man next to her. The man she loved.

Demon Tom continued. "Before we encountered Voyager, we had no sentient understanding of anything. But now..."

"That's what happened on the planet surface, isn't it," Tom realized. "When Harry and I came in contact with the pools of silver liquid, we were duplicated. But it didn't hurt us at all."

The two Toms nodded at each other. They seemed to have an understanding.

B'Elanna hesitated, remembering something. "When I was in the science lab with Captain Janeway analyzing the silver liquid, some of it got onto my hand and duplicated my finger..."

"It was just like that on the planet. An accident," said Demon Tom.

"And now that they exist, we can't just leave them like this. They're sentient beings. They have a right to live, too," Tom finished. He gestured to his counterpart. "He's a part of me."

B'Elanna nodded. "Chakotay said that your Demon counterpart is like you in almost every way. He has all your memories, your experiences, your personality. But –"

"If he's me, which he does seem to be, then he must love you as much as I do."

B'Elanna's eyes widened at this open expression of affection.

"It's up to you," he said softly, taking her hand. "But I know that without you, my life would be ... kind of ...empty. And since he's me, I imagine he would feel the same way."

B'Elanna looked over at Demon Tom, who was anxiously awaiting her decision.

"All right," she said at last. "I'll do it."

Tom and Demon Tom smiled at each other.

B'Elanna sighed contentedly as she settled into Tom's lap, leaning back to rest on his solid chest, her head tucked under his chin. As he secured his arms around her waist, she slid her arm along them, lightly resting her hand on his. She laced her fingers through his.

They sat in the peaceful silence for a while, gazing out the viewport as the stars streamed by and contemplating the fate of their Demon counterparts. Voyager had left Demon a few hours ago after the DNA samples had been collected and distributed and the ship refueled with deuterium. All of the crewmembers had agreed to donate DNA samples after talking with Demon Tom and Harry. How could they not agree?

B'Elanna shivered slightly. The temperature in Tom's quarters was several degrees lower than in her own, and her sleeveless nightgown wasn't doing much to help matters. Tom instinctively tightened his arms around her in response.

"Cold?"

"Just a little," she admitted.

He pulled up the blanket around them.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Us. Them. It's strange. They're just like us, and yet, they're not... I mean, they can only breathe in that planet's atmosphere, so they can't ever leave."

"Well, maybe someday they'll find a way to be able to leave Demon."

"Do you think they'd want to?" she asked doubtfully. "They seemed awfully attached to the planet."

"Yeah, but I think eventually they'd get restless and want to see what else is out there. Build starships and explore the galaxy. Just like us."

"They'll probably find a way to do that, then. They're intelligent, resourceful people."

"Of course. They're us." Tom said with a smirk.

B'Elanna laughed.

"But are they really? I mean, they were formed from our DNA, but are they really, truly just like us?"

"I think so. They seemed to have all of our memories and personalities... My counterpart felt very strongly about you. Remember the look on his face when he was waiting for you to decide whether you wanted to donate a DNA sample or not?"

"I know. That's partially why I did it. I didn't think he should be alone..."

"I know I'd be lonely without you," he said, nuzzling her neck. She turned her head slightly to kiss him, and they were silent for a long moment.

"I like the thought that at least somewhere, even if it's just a colony on a planet like Demon, that we're home, together," he whispered.

"Tom, wherever I am, as long as I'm with you, I feel like I'm home," she said softly.

He merely smiled and kissed her again in response.

Meanwhile, on the planet called Demon, two figures sat together on a tall rocky ledge, gazing up above at the night sky. The swirling expanse of sky made the stars seem to blur and dance as they twinkled in and out of existence.

B'Elanna was still getting used to her surroundings. But Tom, who already had time to adjust and explore, had given her the grand tour.

They had watched in awe as Voyager, the ship that had been their only home for so long, gracefully lifted off and soared away into the golden red night sky. But now, Demon was home. It felt like home.

She snuggled deeper in his arms, perfectly content to stay that way indefinitely. It felt so comfortable, so familiar.

"Looks like the captain's taken charge down there," Tom commented. "Our new colony is going to be spectacular."

"Do you think we should go down there and help them?"

"Nah. Captain Janeway can handle it for now."

"But you and Harry were the first to become sentient. You should be our leaders."

Tom shook his head. "She's the captain. I'll always think of her that way."

B'Elanna looked at him doubtfully. "I suppose... But it's not the same anymore."

"I'll say. No more 'Starfleet protocol' to worry about."

"True." She sighed. "I'm happy for her and Chakotay. They finally get to be together..."

Tom chuckled. "It's about time." They smiled at each other.

"Everybody's here," she mused, gazing at the clusters of crewmembers down below. "The Captain, Chakotay, Tuvok, Neelix, Seven, Harry..."

"Everyone except the Doctor."

"Well, he's a hologram. He doesn't have any DNA. Nothing we can do about that."

"Yeah, I know. I just... I kind of miss having him around, I guess," he admitted.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"The Doc and I were just beginning to understand each other. We were getting to be friends."

"That'll still happen. On Voyager."

"A lot of things will still happen on Voyager, I suppose. Things that won't happen here."

"No, but they don't have to. We have all of this to explore. The chance to finally build a home."

He nodded. "I'm glad that you decided you want to be here. I thought I was going to be stuck here with only Harry for company."

"What's wrong with that? Harry's your best friend."

"Yeah, but I think I've been spending a disproportionate amount of time with him lately, most of it in dangerous situations. I haven't seen you at all, and I've missed you."

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we..." she said, wrapping her arms around him. He smiled.

"Tom?"

"Mmmm?"

It took B'Elanna several moments to remember her question since Tom was slowly kissing his way down her neck.

"What do you think they're doing on Voyager right now? Our counterparts, I mean."

"Oh, I don't know. Probably the same thing we're doing..." he said distractedly before stealing another kiss.

"Stargazing?" she asked innocently.

She laughed as he tackled her to the ground, covering her mouth with his. She was truly home.

The End