Chapter 9

He was sitting on the porch swing, watching the mountains in the distance as he swung back and forth slowly. It was late spring, and the snow that had covered the peaks was gone. Now he could see the pine trees and the rock face of the range. There was a soft breeze and he was enjoying the morning. The house had been finished two weeks ago, and they had moved in the following week. He was content to just sit here in the early morning. He looked around at the setting. The wildflowers that were scattered through out the meadow were every color imaginable. Their scent was everywhere, and it was one reason they had bought this land in Montana. That and the view and seclusion they had. The closest town was fifty miles away to the south and they had no neighbors within twenty-five miles in any direction. It was perfect in every way. He sighed as he picked up the coffee mug and took a sip. His life was perfect. In two days, they would be married and then they would live happily ever after. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the twentieth century phrase. They were going to be very happy. He looked at the two large willow trees to the right of the house. It was there that they would say their vows to each other. They had invited all there friends. They had at least fifty coming and they planned to have a reception right here, with an old fashion BBQ and lots of good food and music. The tables were already set up and on the day of the ceremony, the seating and flowers would be done.

He turned his head as the door opened and he smiled at the woman of his dreams. She was still wearing her robe and had a mug of coffee in her hands as she came and sat next to him. He took her in his arms and gave her a kiss and said

"Morning, sunshine, did you sleep well?"

She leaned into his embrace and said with a smile on her face

"Yes, it was so nice to have you beside me to snuggle against."

He chuckled and again gave her a kiss. He began to sing in her ear

"You are my sunshine...my only sunshine."

She giggled and snuggled closer.

"You better watch out, flyboy, I may get too comfortable to make you're favorite breakfast."

He smiled, and they both just settled down to watch the birds as they flew from tree to tree. It was a peaceful place and they were both happy they had found this land available. They had bought ten acres and this spot was almost in the middle of the land. Most of it was trees, but this meadow which was approximately three acres, had taken their breath away when they had first seen it and both knew that this was were their home was going to be built. There was a stream running through the meadow and it had plenty of fish, so he could fish if he wanted to. There was a place out back that was perfect for a garden, and they planned to get some animals, maybe some chickens and they both wanted horses. They planned as much as possible to live off the land, just like their ancestors had. It was going to be a perfect life. They still had modern conveniences. They had replicators, a transport station, and indoor plumbing, but as much as possible, they wanted to live simply.

She roused herself out of his embrace and said

"How about some breakfast? Up to some blueberry pancakes?"

She smiled down at him and he grinned back and standing, they went to the door and went inside. He hear a voice but it didn't sound familiar. Turning he looked out the door but saw no one there...

He woke with the sound of the computer as it announce it was time to get up. He was back on Voyager, but he realized he had a large grin on his face. Remembering his dream gave him a feeling of pleasure and contentment. He lay there for a moment basking in the afterglow. Then he got a sober look on his face. He was determined to make this dream a reality. He didn't know how but he would.

He met Harry and B'Elanna for lunch at 1200 in the messhall. He was eager to tell them the new chapter of his dream. They listened with interest, and when he had finished he waited for them to comment on what he told them.

"I'll say this, your dream is really interesting. I don't think I've ever hear of a dream being so vivid."

Harry said as he looked at both of them.

"I know, Harry. I don't think I've ever had a dream so real."

Tom said with a smile on his face. He really seemed excited about the dream.

"I don't know Tom. Some of the nightmares you use to have were pretty vivid from what you've told me."

Tom got a frown on his face as if he was trying to remember them. After a moment, he shrugged and said.

"I don't remember them. Did I have lots of nightmares?"

He looked at them both with a wary look on his face.

"Not that many."

Harry lied as he didn't want to spoil Tom's mood. He hadn't seen him so happy and relaxed in a long time. It was good to see the complete happiness on his face. Thinking back, Harry was sure he had never seem Tom this happy before. He just hoped that this dream wasn't some cruel joke that fate was playing on him.

Tom became animated again as he continued to talk about the dream. The three friends were being observed by Tuvok as he sat at a table on the other side of the messhall. He could see Mr. Paris talking and smiling and the other two listening with grins on their faces. Obviously Mr. Paris was in a good mood, and he seemed very relaxed. Tuvok decided he would seek him out today after shift to have a talk with him. He was curious to learn about the change in the young pilot. What he saw was a more open man, and one that seemed happier than before. He had been considering approaching him about performing a mind meld to try and restore his memories, but now he was not sure that would be the best step. He would observe Mr. Paris today on the bridge to determine if getting his memories back would help. Sometimes leaving the past where it belonged would be best. He got up and headed back to the bridge, deep in thought.

When Tom and Harry arrived on the bridge, Tom was greeted by smiles. It made him feel good that he had been missed. He nodded to both the Captain and Commander as he went to relieve Pablo at Conn. He turned to smile at Tom and gave him a summery of the Conn and then left the Conn in his hands. Tom sat down and for a moment he ran his hands gently over the console in a loving manner, the moment not lost on all present. The Captain smiled as she heard him whisper

"Hey, Lady...how have you been? Missed me?"

He always seem to treat the ship as a real person and she had caught him many times speaking to the helm. It was a trait she like in her pilot a lot and one she was glad he hadn't forgotten. She caught Chakotay looking at the back of Tom's head with a slight smile playing on his lips. He had heard it too and was also glad to have the man back at helm. The atmosphere on the bridge took on a relaxed attitude and Janeway knew it was because Tom was back. He had a way of putting people at ease and when he was absent from the bridge, it was somehow different. It was as if he was the glue that held them all together. She had even noticed that Tuvok was more relaxed when Tom was present. Sometimes, during a battle, it was as if they were connected somehow. Tom would maneuver the ship so Tuvok could get the best shots. It was uncanny the way they seemed to mesh in the heat of battle. Yes, she was certain that Tom was the reason everything worked so well on the bridge. She settled in for a smooth shift.

Tuvok had been watching Mr. Paris all afternoon. He had performed his duty with ease and seemed to be back to his easy attitude with the bridge personnel. Usually he frowned on the non essential chatter on the bridge, but he had to admit to himself, that with the comments and jokes that Mr. Paris was so free with it did raise the bridge efficiency. The other officers seemed to be able to perform their duties much easier and also seemed to relax more. He also noticed that Mr. Paris could completely switch from jokester to business in a second if the need came up. It was something he had observed before, and so he never reported his misgivings to the Captain about the unnecessary chatter. He was sure the Captain would just smile at him and say that it helped bridge morale, which he knew was true. And he also noticed that when the time came to concentrate on duty, that the other members also would follow suit. He had seen both Beta and Gamma shifts were less efficient in doing the same thing. Therefore it must be Mr. Paris' influence that made the difference. So he decided that he would not bring up the possibility of him getting his memories back through a mind meld. His abilities were just as sharp as before and Tuvok saw no reason to burden the young man with unnecessary bad memories. Still he wanted to talk to him about his new personality...

When Tom's relief came to relieve him, he briefed him on the afternoons stats. He then joined Harry on the turbolift and they left the bridge.

"Hey Tom how about having dinner and then shooting some pool in Sandrine's?"

"Sure Harry...Do I know how to shoot pool?...Yeah, I do."

He gave Harry a slight grin and said.

"It's funny how I remember how to use the replicators and how to fly and such, but can't remember my life...strange"

"Well, tonight lets just enjoy ourselves and have a nice dinner in Sandrine's and shoot pool."

Harry had a smile on his face. He just wanted to get Tom out and about. He had spent so much time in his quarters the last couple of days that he was sure he'd want to get out. Tom smiled and placed his arm around Harry's shoulder and said

"Sounds great...but not to late, I've got to be in sickbay for an early morning shift with the Doc tomorrow, and I'm sure he will pout all day if I'm late!"

Harry laughed at Tom's joke as they each went to change into civvies for the night of fun.

Tom entered his quarters and called for lights. It was 2245 and he had had a great time tonight. He had beat Harry two out of three games and won two weeks worth of replicator rations. Then they had played a doubles with Chakotay and B'Elanna and won again, so Harry got two weeks of replicator rations and Tom came away with a months worth. He smiled as he remembered the look on B'Elanna's face as Chakotay missed his last shot and gave Tom the winning shot. She had poked him in the ribs and said he shot like a beginner. He had just shrugged and said he had no real chance to sink it. Tom however had sunk his ball to win the match and replicator rations to the cheers of the crowd watching. Many had bet on him and Harry to win, so a lot of rations had changed hands.

All in all it had been a pleasant evening. He walked into the bedroom and then into the bathroom to get ready for sleep. He brushed his teeth and then got into the sweatpants he slept in. He was tired and as he sat down on the side of the bed he set his alarm to 0615 as he had a early shift in sickbay tomorrow and he didn't want to be late. He planned to discuss his dream with the doc to see if he had any ideas about what it meant. Calling for the lights to dim, he laid down and was asleep soon after.

TBC