The Guy Next Door
Star Trek: Voyager, P/T [PG]
Originally written Oct 1999

Summary: Companion story to "Field Notes" (read that one first!)

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Julie for beta reading. :)

This story was partly inspired by the song "The Invisible Man" by 98 Degrees.

I've had this idea since the beginning of 4th season (since "Scientific Method," to be exact) but wasn't sure if it would work. Okay, I'm still not sure that it works, but I had fun trying!

Many thanks to Kathryn Lucas, whose beautiful story "My Someone," finally convinced me that it was possible to write on this theme convincingly. Thank you, Kathryn!

This story is dedicated to everyone who has ever experienced unrequited love. (and if you haven't... consider yourself lucky!)

Historian's note: The beginning of this story takes place shortly after "Gravity," then continues on through "Equinox," but there's a lot of reminiscing going on... so don't get lost! :)

I live next door to the most beautiful woman in the universe.

Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but not much. She's certainly beautiful. Dark hair, dark eyes that burn with passion and fire...

I'm in love. Have been for years.

But she doesn't even know I'm alive. Even though I live next door to her, I might as well not exist for all she's concerned.

I'd always hoped that maybe after a few years (or decades, even) of living next door to her, she'd finally notice me. Hasn't happened yet.

I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Greg. Ensign Greg Kronden of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Voyager. I'm a pilot, but I also work in Stellar Cartography.

*crash*

Uh-oh. I know that sound...

These walls are really thin, unfortunately. Just ask Pablo Baytart, who lives next door to Harry Kim. Harry practices his clarinet all the time, and Baytart can hear every note.

Fortunately, I don't live next door to any aspiring musicians... but I get quite an earful anyway.

*thump*

I know that sound, too.

The first time I heard it... well...

It was right after that away mission that she and the Doctor went on, when that psycho hologram who hated organic lifeforms tried to rip her heart out. I was so worried about her – she looked so pale and weak when she finally came back to her quarters. I was going to offer my support, but she went right into her quarters and didn't come out for the rest of the night.

Oh, well.

Later that night, I heard strange sounds coming from her quarters. I thought she might be having nightmares or that she might still be in pain. What happened to her was traumatic, of course. I was really tempted to call the Doctor on the commline... but I didn't.

The next night, I heard it again. And the next, and the next... Night after night, the same thing.

After a few more nights, the curiosity was driving me crazy.

So I put my ear right up to the wall. Just to make sure that she was okay, of course.

I wish I hadn't.

"Ohhh... god yes...yessss...."

"Mmmm... Don't stop..."

Obviously she wasn't in pain.

I had insomnia for weeks. Nothing the Doctor gave me helped. So I would lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling. And every night, the same sounds.

But I still had no idea who the lucky guy was.

Even though I knew I'd probably regret it, I just had to know. One night, I put a glass to the wall – an old trick, but an effective one – and endured listening to the entire scene.

Finally, she let out an ear-splitting shriek.... and I heard her scream...

"Tom....!"

Tom? Tom Paris?

How could that be?

My first guess would have been Chakotay. They're very close and spend a lot of time together, after all. I always suspected that there was something between them, something more than friendship. At least on her part. Chakotay was rumored to be involved with Seska, and even Captain Janeway! Who knows?

I've heard B'Elanna refer to Chakotay as her best friend many times. Which makes sense, considering how long they've known each other and how closely they've worked together, in the Maquis and even now. It seemed very plausible to me that they would get together eventually. Especially after Seska left the picture and Captain Janeway distanced herself in the name of protocol. It seemed only logical that Chakotay would turn to B'Elanna and that she would welcome him with open arms.

But no. That never happened. At least not as far as I know.

My second guess would have been Harry Kim. They're also very close and spend a lot of time together. They became fast friends after their ordeal on the Caretaker's Array.

I wouldn't have been all that surprised if she had gotten together with Harry.

But Tom Paris? Impossible.

After all, it wasn't that long ago that B'Elanna was constantly insulting him, and turning him down left and right whenever he asked her out.

So how did he suddenly go from being a "pig" to her one and only?

I just don't get it.

But unless my ears deceive me (and deceiving me consistently, because she screams his name just about every time, which is very frequently)... it's Tom Paris.

These days, they're inseparable.

How did that happen?

Of all the guys on Voyager, why did it have to be him? That... that womanizer. Ex-con. Ex-mercenary.

I thought Klingons valued honor above all else. But then, I suppose B'Elanna's not that Klingon.

At first I thought maybe it was all physical. But as the weeks went by... and the weeks turned into months... and they were still together...

I realized there was more to it than that.

It hurt.

It still does.

And it's even worse because I'm reminded of it every time I see him, which is often. Since Paris is the head con officer of Voyager, I report directly to him.

Every time I see them together, I can't help wondering, what's she doing with a jerk like him?

Okay, he's not really a jerk. I know that for a fact, considering that he's my supervisor and all that. But it'd be so much easier if he were. If I had more reason to hate him.

But I don't.

The day after, I couldn't get them out of my mind. And as it turned out, I couldn't have gotten away from it even if I'd wanted to.

"Greg! Hey, Greg!"

I glanced up to see my best friend Rick Mulcahy headed straight for me. His name is actually Patrick, but he hates the nickname "Pat," so we just call him Rick.

"You won't believe what just happened in Main Engineering," he said conspiratorially.

I had a bad feeling about this, since whenever Rick uses that tone of voice, it has something to do with B'Elanna.

Sure enough...

"Torres was up on the upper level of Main Engineering, making out with Paris on a computer console when Tuvok walked in on them! Can you believe it?! Who would've thought! Paris and Torres... It's all over the ship!"

I tried to look as disinterested as possible, but Rick wasn't taking the hint.

"Rumor has it that they've been making out all over the ship," he continued gleefully. "Hydroponics, the turbolift, the captain's ready room..."

Ouch. Throw more salt in my wounds, why don't you, I thought sourly to myself. Rick knows how I feel about B'Elanna, but he enjoys torturing me.

He seemed almost triumphant at having firsthand knowledge of this gossip, but I wasn't all that surprised to hear about B'Elanna and Paris.

And Rick realized this. "Hey... you don't seem surprised at all," he said suspiciously. "Why is that?"

I winced. "Have you forgotten where I live?"

He looked at me, realization dawning in his eyes. "All right!" he hollered. "We'll have inside information for all the bets..."

I could only shake my head in despair.

It was all downhill from there. From then on, they were together all the time. There was no escaping it.

After the incident on the Mari homeworld, he came by her quarters carrying a large box. No doubt some expensive present he had gotten for her.

And she was appreciative. I know because I didn't get any sleep that night, either.

Shortly after that, B'Elanna started working the night shift. Things quieted down for a while, but I was still constantly reminded that they were an item.

For example, early one morning, about 0700 or so, I saw her in the Mess Hall, sitting alone. Puzzled, I went over to her table. She looked tired – not surprising considering that she had just gotten off duty – but she showed no signs of leaving.

I got up the nerve to ask if she wanted company, but she simply said, "I'm waiting for Tom."

Why was I not surprised?

Anyway, I hurriedly left her side and sat down with Ensign Ashmore.

But I couldn't help looking over in her direction, noticing that she was waiting very patiently. I've never seen her wait that long for anyone.

He still hadn't shown up by 0724, and she was getting antsy. I watched as she tried calling him on the comm once, then twice... but no answer.

By the time I finished breakfast, about 10 minutes after that, she was still there waiting for him. Wow.

That was when I realized that this was serious. Their relationship was serious. At least, she took it seriously. I wasn't so sure if I could say the same about him, but she was most definitely serious.

I don't know why I was so surprised. I mean, B'Elanna's not the type to do anything halfway. I doubt she'd get into a relationship if she wasn't in it for the long haul.

Paris, though, was another story. To tell you the truth, I was expecting him to lose interest after the thrill of the chase was over.

But that didn't happen. If anything, he seemed even more committed than ever.

Amazing. Tom Paris, ladies' man extraordinaire, finally settling down.

And they really do seem settled. They've been through so much... but they're still together.

It's hopeless, I know, but I can't forget about her.

*thump*

I can't forget about them, either. How could I? I'm constantly reminded of it. Just about every night. Over and over again.

By now I've learned to tune them out for the most part, but some nights they get really intense, and I just can't sleep.

*bang*

Like tonight.

It's understandable, considering that they've been away from each other. For him it was over two months, for her only two days... but I guess that's long enough. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

Paris, Tuvok and the Doc were trapped on this planet after being pulled into some gravimetric sinkhole. But they made it back to Voyager and even rescued an alien woman named Noss.

Strange, but I've heard rumors about her and Tuvok.

If they're true...

She has better taste in men than B'Elanna does.

*thud*

Another heavy object meets its demise.

Sigh.

Their happy reunions are always like this.

Whenever there's a shipwide crisis – and there have been a lot lately – they don't get to see each other very much. But afterwards...

*bump*

Argh.

The last time this happened was right after Voyager was attacked by aliens from another dimension. They actually thought that Paris' "Captain Proton" holoprogram was real.

That's a disturbing thought, don't you think? Can you imagine what life would be like if we were all in the "Captain Proton" universe?

I don't know what all these people see in it. Jenny Delaney tried to explain it to me once, since she's actually been in the program (I think because she was briefly interested in Harry at the time and managed to convince her sister Megan to join her), but I still didn't understand.

But I digress. Anyway, the point is, B'Elanna and Paris always spend quality time together after a disaster.

What's really frightening is that they're only here half the time. The other half of the time, they're on Deck Four in Paris' quarters. So it's a 50-50 chance.

And yet I'm still sleep-deprived all the time.

Don't those two ever get tired?

*crash*

I guess not.

Things have finally calmed down. For a while, we all thought that Voyager was finally going home... but the wormhole actually turned out to be an alien predator.

To be honest, I don't mind being in the Delta Quadrant all that much. I've gotten pretty used to it. It's an adventure.

Of course I miss my family and friends in the Alpha Quadrant, but...

Voyager is home now. It's where I want to be.

And not just because of my next-door neighbor... though she has a lot to do with it.

Not that it matters. Not with Paris around.

In the Mess Hall during lunch, I overheard them talking about their date for this evening. Apparently they're going on a new holodeck program that he just finished designing. Chicago in the Roaring Twenties. I'm assuming that's during the 20th century.

I see them together later when he arrives to pick her up. They're all decked out, looking glamorous.

B'Elanna looks so happy. The way she looks at him is magical. Her eyes light up, she smiles that special smile... She's absolutely radiant in that short red dress adorned with beads, feathers and fringe.

Paris is talking about dancing the Charleston, and she's nodding.

I can't help picturing it.. I've seen them dancing in Sandrine's before. The way they move together... That should be illegal.

They don't even need any words to communicate. Staring into each other's eyes, they understand each other perfectly.

I have got to rein in my runaway imagination. Otherwise I'll be torturing myself with these images all night.

(continued in part 2)