I know it has been ages. I am sorry for the delay. Please enjoy I apologise for any typing errors in advance but this story is un betared and is likely to stay that way.
Waking up alone once more Tom was getting used to this rushing out of bed. Having gone to sleep holding Kathryn and feeling as much at peace as he had done for a long time. Now he was awakened by the doctors' shrill voice as he called from the pilots' chair. Tom briefly wondered where Kathryn was until he heard the sound of the door to the sonic shower slip open, in obvious response to the doctors' shouts.
"I am coming Doc." Tom said placing his feet on the floor and getting his somewhat stiff legs to take his weight once more.
"Everything ok?" Kathryn asked as she poked her towel clad body out of the door.
"Going to find out now, but the lack of shaking suggest we are not in any imminent danger." Tom smiled at her as Kathryn went back inside the sonic shower, leaving Tom to deal with the blustering doctor.
"Mr Paris, would you kindly get up here and fly this damm machine." He said as soon as Tom walked into the forward section.
"Ok hold your horses, what is the problem?" Tom said as the doctor moved over to the navigation chair and Tom sat down.
"I believe, as you so eloquently put it, we are having a traffic problem." The doctor said as Tom's hands flew over the controls as the flyer now glided passed the ships surrounding it.
"Rush hour I think, anyway this is a good sign, the more people about the less noticeable we will be. I am going to take the flyer and park her on the planet." Tom said as he heard Kathryn walk in and take a seat behind him.
"Do you think that is the safest plan? What if someone were to steal her?" Kathryn asked and Tom noted genuine concern in her voice.
"I will keep her cloaked, plus it's better than having to walk, believe me. Andros gets pretty nippy at night." Tom replied as he declocked the ship just outside the atmosphere of the planet.
"Why are we not remaining invisible, surely it would be a good idea in a federation ship?" The doctor asked a he leaned forward and looked out at the swirling clouds.
"Andros has a sensor net surrounding it, if it detects a cloaking frequency it shoots the ship down." Tom explained as the planets surface came into view.
"Stops pirating." Tom continued as Kathryn smiled at the back of Tom's head and looked over at the doctor.
"I think it's time you blended in doctor." She said pulling on the leather jacket she had left draped over her chair. Giving Tom a brief smile as she did so, Kathryn sat back down behind Tom and crossed her legs.
Just like old times she though as Tom slowed their decent and levelled off. Allowing the flyer to glide across the ground.
"When are we going to make contact with your friends?" She asked as she felt the flyer slow down and finally stop.
The landing was classic Tom, soft and gentle with a reverence for his ship, and a respect for his cargo.
"I sent them a sub space message when we cleared Earth's solar system, they are expecting us Admiral." Tom said swivelling on his chair and giving her a small wink.
"Ok but no more of that, you two start calling me admiral and people are going to catch on pretty quick to who we are." Kathryn said standing up and pulling self consciously at her jacket.
"Ok Kathryn, what about the doc, we can't go around calling him doctor all day." Tom said as the man in blue came up to stand in the centre of the flyer with them.
"How about a name doc, I mean you have had a decade to think of one." Kathryn said as Tom moved forward and opened the aft hatch to let them out.
"I know, nothing ever seemed right. I guess doc was kind of a nick name for me." He said as he fiddled with his emitter and changed his clothes into a T-shirt and jeans. Topped off with a leather jacket he now fit with the image on the planet. Tom smiled at him and clapped him on the back.
"Ok doc it is. We will just say your parents were pretty unimaginative." Tom suggested as they stepped outside and Kathryn had to admit, Tom had not been lying when he had said it was nippy here.
"That or we could say they loved the film snow white and the seven dwarfs." Kathryn said and she couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face.
"Thank you Kathryn, I am sure yours and Mr Paris's humour will serve you well on this trip to Starfleet's under belly." The doctor commented not seeing the humour in Tom and Kathryn's banter.
"Too right, if you can't laugh at yourself here doc then you better get ready for some serious crying." Tom said as he pushed his way through a gathering crowd of people as dusk descended on Andros.
Kathryn walked through the open doors to the bar and into a haze of smoke. She couldn't believe in this day and age people were still living like this.
Turning her head from left to right she felt like she had walked into one of Tom's recreation bars on the holodeck.
Thinking back now to a time not long after she had sentenced him to the brig, Kathryn had found herself needing to talk to him, to explain her actions. It wasn't just that, it was also selfishly to make herself feel better.
When she had asked for his location she had discovered him in holodeck 2. Thinking he would be at Sandrine's or in fair haven she was shocked to find him in a crowded smoky bar. The music was as dark as those characters which occupied the space and Tom seemed strangely at home in the environment.
As Kathryn now walked through this very real, very smelly dungeon of human existence she tried not to look at the faces of the people who resided here.
It was too late, as she realised her mistake when a hand grabbed her around the wrist and pulled her away from the safety of Tom and the doc.
"Now what is a fine woman like you doing in a hell hole like this?" The man asked towering over her. Using his height advantage to full effect and almost covering her with his body.
"Move out of my way, or you might regret it." Kathryn said squaring her shoulders. Now understanding of this placing clicking in. they had interpreted her low hung head for weakness and now this man was try to take advantage of her.
"Oh I don't think so little lady. I think you are going to do exactly what I tell you." He said taking a step closer to her. Kathryn clenched her fists at her sides. She did not want to start a scene and draw attention to herself. However there was no way she was going to let this sad excuse for a man lay one finger on her.
"You know I am far more dangerous than I look sir, I suggest if you want to see the sun rise tomorrow you back away nice and slow." Kathryn said keeping her voice low and firm. Maintaining eye contact with them man and trying not to vomit at his smell.
"I don't think so you're coming with me." He said grabbing Kathryn around her upper arm and pulling her towards him.
"She said no." Kathryn almost strained her neck at whipping it around so fast at the familiar voice that came from behind her.
People were moving out of the way for the obviously pissed off half Klingon woman. She was shoving people out of her way as she came to stand behind Kathryn as the man let her go.
"What business do you have with her?" The man asked, he had let go of Kathryn but had yet to fully leave. Kathryn glanced at B'lanna then turned her attention back to the man blocking her path.
"Oh I have seven years of back dated wages to collect from her, so if you don't mind." B'lanna said standing next to Kathryn and tilting her jaw up to meet the mans eyes.
"What's going on? Kathryn are you ok?" Tom said pushing back through the crowd followed by the doctor. Kathryn watched as Tom's face paled. His movements slowed until he had come to a dead stop in front of his wife.
"There is more of you? Fine I am out of here." The man who had caused Kathryn's initial problem mumbled as he made his exit. Kathryn didn't even acknowledge his leaving as her eyes darted from B'lanna to Tom and back again.
"B'lanna so nice to see you. What brings you to this lovely part of the galaxy?" the doctor said and Tom breathed a sigh of relief. Trust the doc to break the tension with inane chatter, but right now Tom was very grateful.
"To see my idiot of a husband of course." B'lanna said now moving and beckoning them all to follow her.
B'lanna led them into a small side room, obviously meant for gambling due to the antique card table set up in the centre. Right now though the room was blissfully quite, as B'lanna shut the door and turned to the three people stood in the middle of the room.
"Before you start I was going to call you." Tom said holding up his hands and taking a step forward.
"Of course you were." B'lanna replied and Kathryn could tell the woman was about to explode. Feeling the sudden urge to protect Tom she stepped forward and slightly in front of him.
"It's my fault B'lanna, we had to leave so quickly, it wasn't how we planned it, but that's the way it was. I should have made him call you last night." Kathryn realised that she was babbling. Closing her mouth abruptly she watched as B'lanna's expression did not change. The frown on her face started to deepened and she brought her hand up to rub at her temples.
"So you just decide to flit off in the middle of the night, not so much as a goodbye, for me or your daughter, to go with her to what, kill some Borg!" B'lanna's voice rose as she spoke, her eyes focused on Tom as she said them, as though the other people in the room didn't matter.
Tom guessed in the grand scheme of things they didn't. he glanced at Kathryn who was now standing right next to him and he was grateful not for the first time for her presence.
"Look B'lanna this could be very important, what we are going to do could save Earth." Tom started; he didn't want to make excuses for not telling her. He was in the wrong there and there was no point trying to deny it.
"Why you Tom?" B'lanna stated she seemed slightly deflated now, Tom could see she was tired, probably travelling for the past few days, worrying about him?
"Because Kathryn asked me, and I wanted to go." Tom said knowing that for B'lanna Kathryn's requests were not high on her priority list.
"I see, well excuse me but I don't think that is the best reason for leaving your family, knowing you might not be coming back, on some suicide mission." Tom had heard that tone of voice before. B'lanna was on the verge of angry tears, weather she was angry at herself for crying or angry at him for making her cry Tom did not know.
Once again it was Kathryn who placed herself in between them.
"B'lanna, please we know the risks, we all knew the risks seven years ago but we kept on fighting, always pushing for home, and look we made it. If we stop taking the risks, stop fighting then it could all have been for nothing." Kathryn was close enough now that she had reached forward and placed a tentative hand on B'lanna's shoulder. Kathryn was happy that she had yet to pull away, and was now finally looking at her.
"What if you're wrong, and there is nothing out there, you will both be coming back for a court martial. Worse what if your right and you come back in a wooden box, what will I tell Miral?" Now the tears fell and Kathryn had the urge to let the lump in her throat over take her for a moment when the doctor coughed.
"Then I guess we will have gone down fighting." He said coming over to both women. Only Tom was now left standing alone in the centre of the room. He felt like he should go over to the group but his feet would not move. It almost felt like false emotions were swelling inside of him. He hated to see B'lanna cry, but he didn't want to comfort her either. Too much had been said and done by both of them for this moment to be anything but awkward for them both.
"How did you know what had happened?" Tom asked finding his voice still worked as Kathryn stepped back slightly away from B'lanna.
"Your father called me, asked me to talk some sense into you." She said wiping her wet face on the sleeve of her tunic.
"So you came running at his request? How did you know where I would be?" Tom replied feeling anger wash over him again now as Kathryn reached out and patted his arm.
"Tom" Her voice warned slightly as Kathryn noticed quickly that the situation was volatile and B'lanna could blow the whistle on them very quickly if she so intended.
"I know you Tom, you forget that sometimes. I knew if you needed something done on the quite you would come here." B'lanna replied now taking a seat at the card table. All the emotions over the last couple of days finally getting the better of her.
"What about Miral is she ok?" Tom asked taking the seat opposite her and allowing his voice to remain calm.
"She is fine, everyone on the Dauntless loves her and they are taking good care of her." Tom knew this to be true he had lived on the ship for six months and he was confident that his daughter was being well looked after.
"I hate to ask this B'lanna but have you come to take us back, or tell Starfleet where we are?" Kathryn asked after a moment's silence. She couldn't hold back any longer on the question. A lot was riding on the next few days, B'lanna's presence complicated matters.
"I did, well I was just going to drag Tom back kicking and screaming if I had to, but I don't know now." She said as she levelled her eyes with her former captain and pursed her lips.
"No, if this is what tom wants then I lost the right to interfere a long time ago." B'lanna said looking briefly at Tom who was nodding in his agreement.
"But Tom please call your daughter before you leave, if it is the last thing you ever do for me, do that." Her voice was not harsh, her eyes were clear and Tom heard the goodbye in it. it was far more civilised than he ever imagined it could have been.
"I will, I promise." He said and he meant it. He knew there was only so long you could ignore one woman's advice let alone two.
"Good now that is settled how are you getting back." The doctor chimed in as he perched on the edge of the table.
"Same way I came in a trade ship, it is due to leave in a few hours, I was lucky not to have been here five days." B'lanna said standing once more, causing everyone else to rise with her.
"Oh? So you didn't track us in anyway?" Kathryn said her heart warmed slightly by the knowledge.
"No I took a chance, and low and behold, not three hours after I get here, who walks in the door but you three. Getting into trouble as usual." B'lanna said with a smirk on her face that she directed at Kathryn.
"What are you going to tell them when you get back?" Kathryn asked as she pulled open the door and let the noise of the bar wash over them once more.
"I will say I couldn't find you." B'lanna said turning slightly so she could look Kathryn in the eyes.
"You be carful, no throwing your life away for a institution that only wants to see you in a court room." B'lanna said as she brushed Kathryn's fingers with her own before she disappeared into the crowd and was enveloped by the smoke that seemed to hang low in the air.
"If that wasn't a green light then I don't know what is." Tom said coming up behind Kathryn and placing his hand on her shoulder. The reverse of their usual positions and Kathryn had to crane her neck back to look at him.
"I guess so, now where are these friends of yours?" Kathryn said breaking the moment and turning almost all the way around scanning the bar.
"There" Tom said pointing to two men hunched up against the bar, both protecting what looked like ale and not making eye contact with anyone.
"Look like friendly folk." The doctor commented as they approached the men.
"Keeping a low profile around here is never a bad thing." Tom said as they reached their destination and one of the men looked up in interest.
"Tom Paris, long time old friend." The taller of the two men said as both stood to shake hands with Tom.
"Riley you old goat, I see time has not tempered you passion for the ale." Tom replied giving the man a hearty pat on the back.
"I like to think of it as medicine." Riley replied as Tom turned to the shorter man and took his hand.
"Geoffrey, are you ever going to ditch this guy for that life on Risa you were always telling me about." Tom chuckled and Kathryn had to admit the men did have friendly smiles now they had met them, but she wasn't going to be letting her guard down any time soon.
"I guess my fate was sealed the moment I helped him out of that brine prison." Geoffrey replied as his eyes fell on Kathryn and he smiled.
"Now who is this?" He said offering his hand to Kathryn, out of politeness Kathryn shook the mans hand but was surprised when he lowered his mouth and kissed the back of it.
"This is someone you don't want to be messing with Geoffrey, she would eat you for dinner." Tom said moving closer to Kathryn and if she didn't know any better she would say he was puffing his chest out.
"Pleased to meet you ma'am, I am Riley and this loathsome toad is Geoffrey, may I suggest we talk more once we are out of ear shot, from anyone who might be interested in what we are saying." Riley said as he briefly shook Kathryn's hand and turned for the door. Downing his ale as he went.
"Good idea, I have to say though the place hasn't changed much over the last fifteen years." Tom said as they all walked though a door at the rear of the club and out in to somewhat fresh air.
"If it aint broke don't fix it." Geoffrey commented and the doctor raised an eyebrow.
"What a curious saying." He said under his breath slightly as they walked along the quite streets until they came to a small building and stopped.
"We will stay here for the night then move on to our place in the morning." Riley said as he pushed open the door and they followed him up the narrow passageway in to a small room.
"How come, we could go right now, I have our ship if transport is a problem." Tom said as he eyed the small slightly dirty room and glanced at Kathryn who was not looking at her most comfortable.
"Because we are being watched Mr Paris, and we need supplies. No here tonight, get out in the morning." Riley said throwing Tom a pillow and pointing towards a room in the corner.
"Watched by whom?" Kathryn said now feeling a little alarmed; she had no desire to flee in the middle of the night again.
"By no one you need concern yourself with, now if you and Tom want to use the bedroom it will give you some privacy." Kathryn didn't miss the mans leer and she had to stop a frown from forming on her face. Luckily Tom spoke up before she could say anything she might regret later.
"That's great thanks guys. Doc why don't you use the chair." Tom said subtly Tryon to tell the man that he should not deactivate, that these men would take his mobile emitter given half the chance.
To his credit the doctor nodded his head and did a good show of getting comfortable in the chair as if preparing for sleep.
"Good night, Tom, Kathryn." He said as Kathryn followed Tom into the dark room and she could already smell the mildew.
"You know I am beginning to wonder if this is all worth it." Kathryn said as she climbed into the bed but dared not go under the sheets.
"It will be, their place on the fifth moon is lovely, well from what I remember anyway." Tom said wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. The position now as familiar as his favourite pair of shoes.
"You know in the end it will be worth it." Tom added sleepily, but Kathryn had already dozed off. Tom gave her a long look in the darkness of the room and sighed, allowing sleep to claim him once more.