The Birthday
by: ParisAngel (please be kind and review; this is my first
fanfic)
Rated: PG
Summary: B'Elanna has a surprise for Tom's birthday, but
will it go one as planned?
Time: Takes place after "Drive", but before "Lineage".
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all of Star Trek, but I own the
storyline.
The Birthday
B'Elanna Torres woke up with a start. She had forgotten that she had told the computer to wake her at 05:30. She turned it off before Tom woke up. She didn't normally get up that early, but she still had to put some finishing touches on the surprise party she was putting together for Tom's birthday. She got out of bed and headed for the shower. She knew that she'd have to hurry, because she didn't want to be there when he woke up. She also knew that he'd be really mad when he found out that she wasn't going to say goodbye to him before he left on the away mission. She didn't want to see him, for fear that she would let something about the party slip. She got dressed and thought about how surprised he was going to be. She didn't think that he suspected anything. The away mission would take him practically all day, so she wouldn't have to see him until it was time to go to the party. The captain had helped her out a lot by assigning him to this away mission. B'Elanna took a last look at her sleeping husband and left to go to the Mess Hall.
Tom Paris rolled over and reached for his wife, but all he got was a handful of the rumpled bedsheets. He opened his eyes and looked around. "B'Elanna?", he asked. When there was no answer, he couldn't believe it. How could she leave before he got up. Not only was he going on an away mission, but it was also his birthday and right now it did not seem like it would be a very good day. Feeling very hurt and angry, Tom started to get ready for the mission, but just as he was about to step into the shower, he heard the comm. "Seven of Nine to Lt. Paris". "Paris here", he answered. "We will meet Neelix in the shuttlebay at 06:30", came the woman's reply. Tom looked at the chronometer, which said 06:20. Great, he thought, ten minutes. "No problem", he said. He had forgotten to tell the computer to wake him. It's lucky that he got up when he did. How could the captain assign him this mission. It wasn't even really a mission. They were just going to some M-class planet they found to look for food and stuff. That's why Neelix was going. A complete waste of my piloting skills, Tom thought. By now, there was no time for breakfast and he was also pretty annoyed. On the way to the shuttlebay, he ran into Harry. "Hi Tom", said Harry brightly, "Where are you going?" "I'm on my way to the shuttlebay", Tom said. "Oh yeah, the away mission. Well, have fun" and with these words Harry walked away. That was very weird, Tom thought. Then as he entered the shuttlebay, he realized that Harry didn't wish him a happy birthday either. Seven and Neelix were already there. After getting the shuttle ready (they weren't even taking the Flyer, because it would be a waste), they were on their way.
No one said anything for most of the short flight to the planet, but suddenly Tom felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Neelix and he was holding a small birthday cake. It was chocolate too; Tom's favorite. "Thanks Neelix", Tom said, "I thought that everyone had forgotten". "Not everyone", said Seven from her seat, "Happy birthday Lieutenant". "Thanks Seven", said Tom. Just as he was about to take a bite, a sudden jolt turned everyone's attention back to their mission. "What was that?", asked Neelix. "That was a shockwave from an ion storm", Seven replied and with that another shockwave hit, this one much larger. "Communications and shields are down", Seven said. "How far is the planets atmosphere?", Tom asked. "About 30 km", said Seven. "Can we make it through without getting hit again?", asked Tom. "I don't believe so; there is a lot of…" Seven never got to finish explaining because another shockwave took their engines offline and they started plummeting to the planet's surface.
To Be Continued