Series: 4/? in the "Mistakes Happen" series. Follows The Naked Truth...
Pairing: P/T, C/P, P, T, K, C
Rating: PG, sappy POV…
Disclaimers: The characters belong to paramount, the story to me.
The story does have some parallels with what happens on the show, however, it's not the same. The characters are no longer nameless...
The Bystander
I watch from afar as the events uncurl.
Chakotay is watching Tom, then Tom watches Chakotay, and finally B'Elanna starts watching them both. It's been going on for so long that it's almost ridiculous. What kind of game are they playing?
Tom is my best friend; he might be unbearable sometimes, and he knows that as well, but he is a good man with a good heart. I admired him, wanted to be more like him. The reckless hotshot who knew everything, the kind of man that women would be swooning over. He taught me otherwise though.
He taught me to be myself and that would be what women would fall for. He's probably right, however, all I've attracted so far are aliens, holoprograms and criminals.
Tom confides in me, some times unintentionally. He's an open book despite what people say. He might hide behind the devil may care charade, but once you make it past that you see Tom Paris, not the pilot, nor the admiral son, or whoever you thought him to be, you only see Tom Paris.
Okay back to the current situation. The marriage, Tom's feelings for B'Elanna, B'Elanna's feelings for Tom, Chakotay's feelings for Tom, Chakotay's feelings for B'Elanna, then there's Tom's feelings for Chakotay, and GOD, even my feelings for both Tom and B'Elanna...damn now even I'm confused.
From the beginning; Tom and B'Elanna always had something going, well on Tom's side anyway, she was a little bit more reluctant to set her feelings loose. They are good together but lately I've come to wonder if friendship wouldn't be the best. Tom, no matter how much he claims to love her, doesn't love her with all his heart, a part of that is reserved to someone else, and it shows. He often abandons B'Elanna to do some other great project of his, flying, programming, playing, hanging out with me and...well a dozen of other things. No matter how hard she tries, he won't stay still...he just keeps flying.
B'Elanna, she loves Tom, I know she does. But isn't that just because Tom takes her for who she is, and doesn't try to change her to someone he wants. She's seen Tom Paris, the person, the lover, the friend. And she wants a piece of that as well, maybe even without caring who she hurts along the way.
Maybe that's why they shouldn't have gotten married, because without the bond of marriage, I'm pretty sure they would have drifted apart.
I wanted her once. It's true, who wouldn't want to be her boyfriend, her lover? I like her, she's intelligent, she doesn't get bored, like Tom for instance, when talking of science, and she's beautiful. She is perhaps the most beautiful woman I have ever met.
I've been watching Chakotay lately. I don't know for how long he has had the "hots" for Tom. I only started paying attention to him, after Tom one night, in a drunken daze, confessed his desire to have Chakotay. Back then I didn't know it was more than just casual sex he wanted.
How was I to know that?
The part of Tom's life that took place in the Maquis, is the one part he's hidden from me.
And he's hidden it well.
That's why I often get the feeling that something happened between the two back then.
But what?
Chakotay watches Tom, with passion and something else in his eyes. I don't care how many times Tom comes to me complaining about Chakotay this, Chakotay that, those two do definitely not hate each other, it's quite the opposite.
Thinking of the two, where are they? I haven't seen them for a while, and now that I think of it...I think I saw Chakotay head towards the exit and now B'Elanna is heading away.
Maybe I should follow? Just to make sure...
:::Continued in "Pandora's Box":::